Governor John Kasich, a Republican from Ohio, just announced his decision.
In his presidential mail-in ballot, he wrote for unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Apparently, Kasich thought Wendell Willkie was too hard to write for.
For the umpteenth time, Donald Trump ranked 20th on my list of 17 Republican candidates in 2016. He is a populist—not a fiscal conservative—with a wide range of views, some conservative, many centrist, and even liberal. Has there ever been a newfangled Republican candidate as overtly protectionist? Has any former Republican presidential candidate ever promised six weeks of paid family leave? You might expect his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, to make no mention of reforming entitlement programs that even President Barack Obama has called “unsustainable.” But Trump offers no plan for reform, blithely claiming that we can grow our way out of debt.
But when it comes to Hillary Clinton, where to begin?
Through the Clinton Foundation, Hillary and Bill Clinton used her position as Secretary of State to sell influence and access. Hillary clearly wanted to avoid scrutiny and control what information was released and how. So she set up a private server in her basement where she conducted official business—and where, despite initial denials, she sent and received classified information. She now insists that her server was not hacked. But FBI Director James Comey has discovered that at least the email accounts of those she sent information to were hacked. It is therefore highly likely that our adversaries obtained classified information that could be used against us in ways we may never know.
Then there’s the Iran nuclear deal, which Hillary Clinton has been touting. WikiLeaks reveals that John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, responded “Yes” to an email sent to him calling the deal “the biggest concession since Chamberlain gave Czechoslovakia to Hitler.” Inexplicably, Clinton urged the U.S. to join the British and French in bombing Libya—a country without weapons of mass destruction—for humanitarian purposes, leading to a bloody civil war that has made the humanitarian crisis much worse.
On the economy, Clinton maintains that everything is great because Obama stormed into a phone booth, put on a Superman suit, and saved the economy by raising taxes, introducing hundreds of billions of dollars in recent regulations, signing Obamacare, spending nearly $1 trillion on so-called “stimulus,” and signing off on various other tax and spending gimmicks like “cash for caulk” and “cash for junk.” Clinton isn’t criticizing any of this. On the contrary, she wants to “expand” Obama’s economic policies.
When it comes to Obamacare, premiums are rising, despite promises made—by more than 60 percent in at least two states, along with higher co-pays and deductibles. And no, families have not “saved”—as Obama promised—an average of $2,500 per household.
As for Kasich’s voting dilemma, it reflects the same anxiety many of my never-Trump Republican friends are experiencing. One of them recently sent me this email:
“My sons—in their 30s—are in town. I didn’t mention Trump or push him. They know I’m a conservative and lean Republican politically. They said, ‘Dad, you’re not going to vote for Trump, are you?’ I said, ‘No way.’ They said, ‘Ugh.’ They think he’s disgusting.’ I said, ‘Sure, I raised you right.’ I said, ‘Hillary’s awful, but she’s only been there for four years, it’s a lot better than putting an idiot in the White House.’ They agreed—they’ll vote in Florida and Colorado, swing states. They said, ‘Dad, you won’t be mad if we don’t vote Republican?’ I said, ‘No, vote for whoever you want.’ But Trump isn’t even close to being a Republican. He’s not even close. He’s a Democrat/populist. I hate Hillary, but I know Trump is a complete idiot. I’m glad I raised my sons to recognize a tout at the county fair. They wouldn’t even consider voting for Trump. They think he’s racist, sexist, and just plain stupid.”
Why bother answering, right? But I did reply:
“Yes, Trump will recreate slavery (‘racist’), end women’s suffrage (‘sexist’) and make decisions that are dumber than setting up an unsecured server in his basement where he can send and receive classified information – then lie about it and delete the emails when subpoenaed. He will support Obamacare, the Iran Deal, stimulus, money for caulk, money for junk, freeing the EPA and pulling all troops out of Iraq (‘just stupid’).”
My friend responded, “I’m just saying my sons are young businessmen, lean Republicans. But they can’t understand Trump. Just think of him as a pompous, cartoonish lunatic. If the Republican Party is headed in that direction, kids like my sons are not going to be on board, that’s all.”
Me: “Well, you’d think young Republican businessmen wouldn’t want to raise taxes, free up regulatory agencies, and turn Obamacare into a single-payer program. But what do I know?”
Only a few days left…
