Dubious Election…

Dear Editor,

The approval rating of Hillary Clinton is 42%, and Donald Trump is at 29%. That means that if the election was held today and it was between Hillary, Trump, and none of the above, the latter would win. In fact, I think many would write in “please God please,” next to none of the above. So what do we do now?

If you’re a Democrat who was feeling the Bern, as most Democrats who caucused in Idaho did, you may be feeling just burned. Let me point out a few things. If you take out the super delegates Bernie still loses, not by as much, but he definitely still loses. He just didn’t convince the majority of the party.

So what are you Bernie fans going to do? If you write Bernie in, or just not vote, you are voting for Donald Trump. Trump may not even have a third of the people who like him, but they are passionate. They are willing to fight, literally, for him, and they will all vote. Are you going to tell your children that in your anger you let a guy who brags that he would torture possible terrorists and kill their children be president? What can Bernie supporters do? May I suggest staying active in the Democratic party. Evolution is frustrating but more millennials can vote every year.

If you’re a Republican, it’s harder. Donald Trump doesn’t fit in many of the rooms of the Republican tent. He isn’t pro-life. Trump isn’t a fiscal conservative; he talks about a 45% tariff which would cripple our businesses overseas. Can you imagine the increase in government required to deport 11 million people? And of course he isn’t a moderate on anything. So what do you disenfranchised Republicans do? What I’ve done in the past is write in a candidate. Hillary Clinton is not pro-life, but in many ways she is more fiscally conservative than Trump, much to Bernie supporters’ frustration.

Republican options are few and far between. The Grand Old Party has been taken over by extremists which is why we have Trump nationally and hate mail delivered to our door by “Republicans” against some of our local Republican representatives. Moderate Republicans please take back your party. Get involved with the local Republican party. Don’t expect to be welcomed. Expect to be called names like “rino,” but it is your party too. Take it back from the extreme elements both nationally and locally.

Mary Haley
Sandpoint