The Forgotten Voter

John Podhoretz writes an article over at Commentary Magazine, where he talks about the truly forgotten Republican voter.  The whole piece is worth the read, but he reveals the reasoning of a voter who is truly horrified at Trump's mid-October misogyny.

Like many reasonable, rational voters, I was also horrified at the revelations made in mid-October about the Republican candidate.  Podhoretz talks about one disaffected conservative, a woman named Glenn, who excoriated the Republicans in a series of tweets, and he condensed it thus:

It is not just the Republican Party but the conservative movement that has alienated her: “Various men in  the movement are writing it off as normal, confirming every stereotype the left has thrown at them. So I’m done…. And when it’s all said and done, all you’ll have left is the party The Left always accused you of being.”

I can empathize with her disillusionment.  Many of us are disillusioned. At the beginning of the primary season, I was interested, intrigued with the choices available to us.  A rich crowd of candidates, with differing viewpoints and opinions.  Trump captured a sizable portion of the electorate from the beginning,  I would have happily supported Ted Cruz, or Marco Rubio, or perhaps even Jeb Bush (although I detest political dynasties).  But, Trump seemed to capture the support of a large group of people who were tired of the same-old, same-old crop of pretenders.

On the Democratic side, we had Bernie Sanders, an avowed Socialist (who got rich being a socialist) and Hillary Clinton.  Ms. Clinton is, of course, the wife of a serial sex offender, a man who was impeached in office for lying about sexual improprieties.  We shouldn't, of course, visit the sins of Bill upon Hillary, but we note for the record (as my wife so recently brought up), but for the fact that she defended him and is still married to him.

Hillary herself, removed from the sins of her husband, is known for being power-hungry, elite, arrogant, and demonstrably criminal.Were it not for Comey's Disgrace, she would probably be indicted right now for a veritable litany of federal crimes.

If Trump is deplorable, Hillary is despicable.  And that leaves Mr. Podhoretz's forgotten voter with a horrible choice.  There are people who are horrified at the idea of a Trump presidency, but absolutely terrified of a Hillary presidency.  Apocalyptic fantasies are sprouting up everywhere.

Podhoretz tries to explain how the Democrats view Republicans.  It's an interesting view, and I hope that he's wrong.

Many Democrats and liberals, and most activist Democrats and liberals, do not understand this about Republicans and conservatives and do not accept it. They have always seen conservatism as “naked villainy with odd old ends stolen out of holy writ.”

 They believe that if you believe differently from them, you are seeking to do active harm to the country and to others and to humanity, because the policies you support are solely to your benefit. They believe you only want tax cuts and deregulation to enrich yourself, not because you want to free the economy from the government’s heavy and confiscatory hand. They believe you support efforts to prevent voter fraud not because you believe organized efforts have been made to steal elections but because you want to steal elections. And, most important, they believe you support a traditionalist view of life not because you believe it is the deepest reflection of natural law or God’s truth but because you want to privilege males and heterosexuals and seek to disempower women and those who pursue what used to be called “alternative lifestyles.”

If that's how Democrats view Republicans, then they need to get out more.  I, like many Republicans believe in less government, more freedom, less taxes, more private charity.  We believe that love is the answer, but that you should have a gun, just in case.  We believe that honest elections are in the best interest of the Republic, but that we should be vigilant to protect against fraud.

We believe that government has no money except what it takes from The People, and we don't really care what kind of "alternative lifestyle" you pursue, as long as you keep your hand out of my pocket.

I am the forgotten voter that Podhoretz laments, yet I don't hold the apocalyptic views of the lettered elite.  I believe deeply in several things.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and that He will take care of His people.   I believe that government is not the answer, but is often the problem.  I believe in the basic goodness of people, but understand that there is evil in the world.

So, for me, the choice is clear.  Donald trump might be deplorable, but Hillary is despicable.  There is evil in this world and the Clinton family represents the worst of it.

The choice is horrible, but there it is.