We’ve only got two choices: Trump or Clinton. At least, that’s what everyone’s told us. “Choose from the lesser of two evils” they say. They’ve also told us that the only issue that matters is the Supreme Court Justice picks. If they truly believed that, they’d vote for Evan McMullin or Gary Johnson because, as I’ve noted before, there is little chance that Trump will keep any promises he’s made because he very likely has NPD.
Many Evangelicals believe that we are seeing the beginning of the end times and are folding their arms in resignation. But is giving up when the going gets rough really the lesson that we want to pass on to future generations?
“It’s always been between Democrat and Republican—it’s always been that way,” I imagine a staunch, grey- haired Baby Boomer explaining to me. And he would be right—almost—with the stellar exception of Abraham Lincoln.
The problem is, I’m a scrappy Gen-X-er and was taught by the Boomer generation slogans like “think outside of the box,” or “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” So here’s the deal. If you don’t like the rules of the game, change them. And yes, I’m talking to you Gen-Xers and Millennials. It’s up to us. We’ve believed the lie that we have to play by the old rules of the game. But we don’t.
The problem is not that we don’t have a good choice, it’s that we’ve believed the lie that we can be lazy in our democracy—thinking that a good democratic republic doesn’t require massive amounts of effort and sacrifice to maintain. Do you think we just woke up one day after complaining about the unfair British rule, and suddenly had independence? I think not.
So let’s look realistically at our options.
Gary Johnson—Best option for Moderate Republicans, Independents, and Centrist Democrats.
The Good: He is currently polling as the highest of all three third-party candidates, especially amongst young voters. At this point, he has the overwhelming support of his home state, New Mexico. He is on the ballot in all 50 states. He has experience as a highly successful Republican Governor.
The Bad: He doesn’t know where Aleppo is and can’t think very well on his feet (probably thanks to all of his former pot smoking). Although personally pro-life, he believes the decision of abortion should be decided on by state, rather than at the Federal level (aka not pro-life on the birth end of things, but pro-life for the end of life and pro-life in quality of life for all).
To Learn more: https://www.johnsonweld.com
Evan McMullin—Best option for Conservative Republicans and Pro-Lifer’s
The Good: He worked in the Middle East in the CIA, as an investment banker for Goldman and Sachs, and served on the House of Foreign Affairs committee. He is unabashedly pro-life and truly conservative. He is on the ballot in 12 states.
The Bad: He has access as a write-in candidate in 20 states, and is on the ballot in 12. There is no spelling auto-correct on the ballots. If you are going to vote for him, make sure you know how to spell his name.
To learn more: https://www.evanmcmullin.com
Possible outcomes:
Evan McMullin could win his home state of Utah and the vote could go to the House of Representatives.
Gary Johnson could win his home state of New Mexico and the vote could go to the House of Representatives.
So what can we do? We young people are great at protesting what we don’t like, but are usually unwilling to put in the work that change requires. So here’s what we can do.
- Register to vote. Today is the last day to register in PA.
- Educate yourself. Know what is important and what you’re looking for in a candidate.
- Spread the word and educate others (that doesn’t mean have a shouting match). Volunteer. Every one of those websites has ways that you can volunteer.
- Petition. If you like Gary Johnson, but want more pro-life leaning Supreme Court Justice picks, petition.
- Work at the polls. Make a homemade sign, talk to people knowledgeably about your candidate.
- Send all of your friends in Utah and New Mexico information about the candidates most likely to win their state.
The point is, let’s stop complaining and work together to change the tide.
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