We cannot vote third party; I wish that we had the luxury to vote third party in the upcoming election. I would much rather abstain from this election. Unfortunately, the system is rigged for either a Republican or Democratic candidate to win and no other parties have a chance. If we implemented a ranked-choice voting system, we might end up with better candidates in office but alas that is not our current reality.
I ran into this Facebook post from Wil Wheaton today. Wil’s plea to third parties is understandable given our political climate as of September 13th, 2020.
During any other election, I would disagree with Wil. In this election cycle, I agree we have two choices. We must either abstain or vote for Biden; there are no other choices. We cannot allow this madness to continue; the stakes are too high.
Trump is a Threat
Trump is a real threat to our republic. He has convinced his followers to believe only him or his approved sources. Even Fox News has made his supporters suspicious. Lately, his base rails against Fox News for airing facts that don’t align with Trump’s agenda. Groupthink like this is extremely dangerous and will only lead to ruin for the United States.
Trump knew in February that COVID-19 is extremely deadly.
“And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your, you know, strenuous flus.”
— DONALD J. TRUMP - interview with bob woodward on February 7th
If Trump had acted swiftly and locked everything down as other countries did, we could have been saving fifty percent of our friends and family members from death. We are witnessing senseless deaths with no plan in sight while Trump herds his supporters into tight quarters.
Trump had this to say in March, after admitting COVID-19 is extremely dangerous.
“I don’t view it as an act of God; I would view it as is something that just surprised the whole world. And if people would have known about it, it could have stopped — been stopped in place. It could have been stopped right where it came from — China — if we would have known about it, if they would have known about it.”
— Trump - At a March 19, 2020 White House briefing
It could have been stopped if he had done something; he knew it was deadly. Trump could have called for the states to shut down everything as soon as he knew about it. If he had we wouldn’t be leading the world in COVID-19 cases. If Trump had acted swiftly, we would not be approaching 200,000 deaths with a projected half-million people dead by January.
Trump had this to say on a March 19th, 2020 call with Bob Woodward.
“I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don’t want to create a panic.”
Bob Woodward - on 60 minutes
Trump doesn’t care about you; he loosely cares for himself. It’s not worth rolling the dice again with Donald J. Trump especially given that he has failed to deliver on most of his campaign promises. People are dying in large numbers, and there is still no plan.
Choice is a Luxury
We don’t have the luxury to vote third party in this election. If Trump wins the election, we are headed towards fascism. We all know Trump is cozy with dictators, and he’s not afraid to admit it.
Trump had this to say at a speech to Republican donors on March 3rd, 2020.
“He’s now president for life. President for life. No, he’s great, And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot some day.”
— Recorded on tape and reported by cnn
Trump constantly lies; it’s a proven fact. Jimmy Kimmel best illustrates the number of lies that have come from his mouth since he was President, and this is back in January; it’s much more by now.
Hot off the press, Trump is gunning for eight more years in his own words. If you think he wouldn’t try it, think again. Trump’s followers have fed his ego so much he believes he deserves to lead our country indefinitely.
Voting is Necessary
Voting is a privilege given to you by the United States of America. We have the right to vote for whomever we want. I didn’t author this article with an intent to limit your choices. I know our options are horrible, and I know we have a lot of work to keep either Trump or Biden in line after January 20th, 2020.
I implore you, if you’re still considering a vote for a third-party or Donald J. Trump, to weigh your choice very carefully. In this election, we are deciding whether we will go down a dark path or a path with a chance. We have an opportunity to move the United States away from the way of hate, fear, lies, and division.
We have an opportunity to embrace love, courage, truth, and unity.
We have a chance to save the republic.