Why I am still voting for Trump…and you should, as well. October 10, 2016
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Benghazi, clinton, email, GOP, Hillary, HRC, ISIS, Satisficing, travelgate, Trump
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The last 48 hours has been tough for me. I have waffled in my already reluctant support of Trump and I have even gone so far as to claim I will “not vote for either idiot”! This is only half true. I want to thank those Recondos and Snipers, and numerous others who passionately debated with me on the topic over the past day. In particular JJ Brown of the Recon and Sniper Foundation who had particularly insightful comments.
Let me be clear. I do not like Trump. I am quite sure I would not like him as a person. I was initially angered by his latest comments. In reflection, I was angered by the fact that he allowed yet another comment to get out of control. Have I said vulgar things in private? Of course. Name a Marine who hasn’t and I would say you have not met a Marine. As Eleanor Roosevelt said: “The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!”. So why am I still voting for Trump? Easy. It is all about what economist and Nobel Prize recipient Herbert Simon called Satisficing. In this election we only have 2 real choices. Granted I feel like the options are akin to being ask whether you prefer stepping on a Lego in the middle of the night or hitting your little toe on a table as you walk to the bathroom at night…but those are our options. We have to select the best of the two available options.
I have been reminded (often in no so polite terms) Hillary Clinton is simply an untrustworthy person who has allowed Americans to die under her watch in Benghazi and has supported groups by selling them weapons that have killed Americans. This was further supported in recently disclosed documentation around her support of Libyan and Syrian rebels. In addition to TravelGate, her laughingly defending a child rapist, her compromise of national security, and numerous other transgressions, I simply cannot and will not ever vote for her. As I have said before, I would vote for my Rottweiller Bo before I would vote for Hillary Clinton. She represents the worst of politics.
Is Donald Trump a perfect human? No. Is he likable? Probably not to a lot of people. Is he crass and vulgar? Yes. Has he said stupid things? Of course. All of these things describe me and my own friends. Putting emotion aside, I am willing to overlook personal flaws but cannot overlook calculated actions that result in the destruction of Constitutional rights, the compromise of national security, and the death of Americans. This particular election has greater implications than simply bragging rights. The next president will get to nominate at least 1 Supreme Court Justice. This Justice is going to likely be the ‘tie breaker’ on numerous Constitutional issues to include the 2nd Amendment. For these reasons, I must put aside my personal feelings and vote for the party that represents the platform I support as opposed to not supporting a person that I do not like.
This election will likely be one of the most important in our lifetimes. We have two intensely flawed candidates. One is personally flawed, the other is personally and professionally flawed. One has said rude and crass things while the other has allowed Americans to die under her watch and compromised national security for her own purposes. To me, the answer is now clear. While I do not ‘support Trump’, I support the Republican party platform and I will NEVER support Hillary Clinton who has allowed my own brothers to die on her watch. Thanks for reading!
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 
That is flawed logic at best. Let me vote for the guy who will wall us in. Let me vote for the guy who has disrespected me as a veteran. Let me vote for the guy who at best, on his best day is a bad business guy. Let me vote for the guy who has no concept of sexual assault. Let me vote for the guy who admitted last night he paid no taxes since at least 1995 when he lost close to a billion. Today the Taj Mahal in AC closed BTW. You will vote for the guy who goes into a rage at 3AM on Twitter and says at least he is up to answer the call, I say not like that.
However you won’t vote for the woman because of what you say she is untrustworthy, I assume Benghazi you are talking about. So she is the only person who was involved in Benghazi?? It is all her fault, nobody else’s. No other president has had to deal with that type of issue. Perhaps Beirut in 1983 was her fault too.
The laughing at the child rapist is almost borderline ridiculous. She was the court appointment attorney for him. I guess that is where you don’t agree with the law of the land but give me my guns according to the law of the land. He had right to legal counsel. Had you actually listened to the tapes you would have been mad at the Prosecutors and crime lab for screwing up the case. She never laughed at the victim. It’s frankly disgusting you would use that as a reason not to vote for her actually.
As a fellow vet you lost me on this one.
Wow…talk about illogical. I did listen to the tapes, I know about Benghazi and I made my argument. The concept of satisficing is clearly too advanced for you to grasp. “paid no taxes”? Do you understand ‘tax liability’? You are welcome to not read my blog if it is too complex to comprehend.
Of course I do. That’s the system, still doesn’t answer why he has not released his taxes. Also vote for the guy who was a birther. Show me your papers BOY. Ok yeah. That wasn’t a lack of judgement either I suppose. Not a one off birther either. Years involved. His lack of understanding that Russia hacked these emails you brought up even when he was briefed on it. Hmmm. Plus you negate the fact that more tapes will roll out.
Is he required to release his taxes? Hillary hid and destroyed emails. You are conspicuously quiet on this point. Wow…you are simply not intelligent enough to keep up this conversation. Have a good day.
Ok she destroyed emails. However it was investigated as I recall, perhaps you missed it, I don’t know. I will fill you however. No charges. Trump was a Birther. You glossed over that one too. Unless, unless perhaps you were one too? Have a lovely evening.Carry on
Ooohhh…I got the ‘carry on’ as if you are my superior officer. That really put me in my place. Ouch..you must have found me out. Yup.. I am a birther. I love how you ignorant little Hillary followers try to take ad hominen (look it up..on the google) attacks as if you are so far superior to those who disagree. You couldn’t hold my books if you tried.
Funny thing is I did not attack you hominem at all. I questioned your judgement or logic. However you have attacked me with the intelligence bit and now you couldn’t hold me books bit. Like a bad comedy act. That’s fine. I rarely read your blog. Now that I know you carried on as a birther for all these years in spite of overwhelming evidence, I need not read further. Drive on soldier.
You can call me Sir…just like you would have when I served…so with that….1) I am a Marine and Navy Officer…not a soldier…2) you are dismissed.
Now I remember you. You have posted inane drivel on here before. If you disagree so much…why do you spend your valuable time reading my blog?
Chris, your thought process is much like mine even though we look at the world from a very different perspective. You might want to consider that unless you live in a swing state you have more than two options (or in your and my case one). If you live in the one of the 10 states that count write ins you have many more options. You can vote your conscious. It is an enlightening feeling. Just food for thought…
Thank you for the thoughtful response.
John, as you say there are more than two people running. The unfortunate truth is that the other two people don’t have a chance of winning so to vote for them will be wasting a vote. I don’t like either candidate but I know I will not vote for a criminal and someone who sold US uranium to Russia or who wants open borders or takes millions of dollars from countries that have a horrible human rights history. I fear for the future of our country it is not the country I grew up in. I believe the more we become dependent on the government providing everything for us the more control the government has on us. We are not far from being a socialist/communistic country. I pray for this country every day and will continue to do so.
Jan, I think you missed the point of my comment (admittedly I did not make the point well). If you are *not* in a swing state your vote for president means very little. If you are in a swing state and you don’t live in those few counties that make a difference your vote for president also means very little. You might as well vote your conscious. I really don’t consider this a waste. My conscious is very important to me. I am also concerned for the country but our views are different. I am guided buy compassion, honesty and integrity.
John, I understand what you are saying about voting your conscience. I too am guided by compassion, honesty and integrity. Unfortunately there are few politicians that have those qualities. The only candidate that seems to have those qualities is Mike Pence. However, it is not at the top of the ticket.
Hi Again Jan,
I appreciate the civil conversation, particularly with a person that has much different views than I do.
I guess if you limit it to the Republican presidential candidates then Pence may have these qualities. If you broaden it to the democratic candidates Kaine may have these qualities as well. I say may because I have not followed these people that closely.
If you broaden it to all the presidential candidates, I think Jill Stein qualifies. She is a little too activist for me but I think she fit well with the other characteristics. Gary Johnson has the honesty and integrity (to a fault) but libertarians philosophy is almost the polar opposite of compassion.
If you broaden it out to the primary candidates I think that Jeb Bush would qualify, which is probably why he was slaughtered by the Republican base. Kasich also probably qualifies.
However, I think the man with all of these qualities and has had them for all of his career is Bernie Sanders. (you probably saw that one coming).
First of all, Thank you for your service! So many generations are diluted with propganda and “my side” theory. I want to keep the minds focused, our military, or nation as a whole is at risk of increased terror threats, and worse actions on our soil. Our cyber walls are the walls I most worry about. Our economy, so we do not lose our nest eggs that we have saved like 2008, worries me. I think with corruption it has really showed it’s ugly head in the media mainstream more than ever. Telling us what the political spin is that we are to believe. We must be stronger, better and more educated as a nation. Look at the banter here, although well educated banter…we have to strive to come together as a country to rise above the almost Communist ways of allowing our media to tell us who/what to believe. Who can take us to the level of USA as we once were, strong, military minded? WHo can surround themselves with great cabinets, get the country working again? I am not sure we have options here…but I will say-Thank YOU for tryign to keep us safe becasue no election choice is looking at that right now!