Hello good people. I've been out and about getting my Afro Librarian life together. Sorry for the long delay, but I'm back... for now.
Yes, it's true. This 2016 election has me feeling apprehensive, pensive and reclusive all at the same time. I've never physically been afraid before an election, but this election has set the tone for just that emotion: Fear.
Today I watched a video of Susan Sarandon explaining why she's not voting for Hillary Clinton.
As I contemplate what I'm doing on November 8th, this video has me in a state of terror. It's true, Susan Sarandon makes some good points in her video. But when she says
"I don't have to make the choice to vote against my own best interest because the reason we're in the situation we're in is because everyone has been voting the lesser of two evils for so long.",
her words hit me in a very personal place. Mostly because I find myself in the position yet again to vote the lesser of two evils. I've been hearing folks on Facebook talk about not voting or, like Susan, voting for a third party. Believe me, I have grappled with both choices since Bernie Sanders was forced out... I mean lost the race for the democratic presidential nomination.
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| Yes Bernie. Yes I do. |
I get it. Each voter has to vote based on their own convictions and understandings of the world in which they live. It's unethical to vote based on fear AND it's unethical to solicit votes strictly based on fear. But that's the reality of this 2016 election. The fear is real. The truth is, voting for a third party is a vote against Hillary Clinton. It's also a vote for Donald Trump. That's where I get stuck. Right there.
You see, Donald Trump represents more than just non-existent political experience, financial irresponsibility, dishonesty and plain distastefulness. Donald Trump has opened the door to the acceptance of White racism the likes of which hasn't been seen (openly) since the 50's. Susan Sarandon has the luxury to give her vote to getting a third party to 5%. But I don't. I agree, we as voters must pay attention and vote the "down ticket" races.
*Pause.* I had to look up that term. So in case you are like me... the definition of "the down ticket" races according to jargondatabase.com... is a political race that are not at the highest level possible. They give as an example, a congressional race, which is considered a "down ticket race" because we are also voting for the presidential race.
I whole heartedly agree with Sarandon on that point. So many people are focusing on the race between Clinton/Trump they are forgetting the importance of the Congressional races.
But I digress...
I, as an African American educated woman cannot in good conscious do anything but vote for Hillary Clinton. And yes, my decision is solely based on fear. Not fear of Donald Trump as President, but fear of Donald Trump's supporters being validated in their racist beliefs. I have never seen an election that elicited so much open racism and VIOLENCE in my life. I've read our country's dark history. Black people have been lynched, burned, chased out of town just to keep them from voting. That WAS in the past... until now. I've seen the tables turn in this 2016 election. incidents like the one on September 10, 2016 where a woman, Emerjeta Xhelili, physically attacked two Muslim women and their children for being different, are increasing at an alarming rate.
“This is America — you shouldn’t be different from us,” she yelled, prosecutors said.
I am different from "us". Donald Trump has rallied all those who would exclude, persecute, prosecute and kill those who are not White Americans. That. Scares. Me. He's the pied piper of bigots. They gleefully follow him waving confederate flags and dreaming of the good old days. The good old days look like this to me.
Yes. This is Laura Nelson, lynched with her son on May 23, 1911 by a angry mob after being "accused of killing a deputy sheriff who supposedly stumbled on some stolen goods in her house". No trial, no jury, just murder. Sounds familiar, huh?
So when I hear people say, "But Hillary is just as bad", believe me, I agree. Hillary Clinton is not my presidential candidate of choice. I can't think of anything she stands for that has compelled me to vote for her. To be truthful, I get angry every time I see her. That being said, I'm going to vote for her on November 8th, 2016. I'm not voting for the lesser of two evils, I'm voting against bigotry that runs freely in the streets of the United States. I want the racists to at least TRY to hide their murderous intentions. I'm voting against going back to when America was great again. I'm voting for my own best interest. Policies be damned when I'm literally surrounded by "The good ol' boys" with Donald Trump signs draping their homes and shotguns perched in the back of their pickup trucks.
According to the polls in Louisiana, there is about a 10 percent difference in Clinton and Trump voters. Johnson and Stein take between 6 and 9 percent of the vote. So when I think about giving my vote to a third party, there's a real chance I am helping Trump to win. And THAT is my definition of voting against my best interest.
According to the polls in Louisiana, there is about a 10 percent difference in Clinton and Trump voters. Johnson and Stein take between 6 and 9 percent of the vote. So when I think about giving my vote to a third party, there's a real chance I am helping Trump to win. And THAT is my definition of voting against my best interest.
2016 LOUISIANA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Who will win Louisiana's 8 EVs?
Election Projection: Donald Trump by 14.0%
| LATEST POLLS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRM | DATES | CLINTON | TRUMP | JOHNSON | STEIN | SPREAD |
| EP Poll Average | 35.5 | 49.5 | 4.5 | 1.3 | Trump +14.0 | |
| SMOR | 10/19 - 10/21 | 35 | 50 | 5 | -- | Trump +15 |
| University of New Orleans | 10/15 - 10/21 | 35 | 49 | 7 | 2 | Trump +14 |
| FOX 8/Mason-Dixon | 10/17 - 10/19 | 34 | 54 | 2 | 1 | Trump +20 |
| JMC Analytics | 10/11 - 10/15 | 38 | 45 | 4 | 1 | Trump +7 |
| Click here for all Louisiana President Polls | ||||||
Peace and Light,
The Afro Librarian
