I go to college at a university owned by my church. Naturally, the university is pretty conservative. It may come as a surprise to anyone who was in my AP Comparative Government class that my top choice school is a conservative one, but it's the truth. Of course, the political leanings of the students was not the primary factor in my decision, but that's beside the point. The point is that my Hillary Clinton poster and the Hillary logo in the window of my friends' dorm are generally looked down upon, and most of my peers would sooner vote for Trump than for Hillary. Of course, when they find out which candidate I selected on my absentee ballot, they always question it. I rarely answer, mostly because I'm not prepared to get into a fight. The truth is that I'm not particularly vocally articulate, and so I prefer to put my thoughts into writing. So, to anyone who has ever asked (or wanted to ask): This is for you. NOT TRUMPI'll start with the first and potentially most important section of reasons: I voted for Hillary because I could never vote for Trump. A vote for Trump is, first and foremost, morally problematic. He supports racism, xenophobia, and sexism. He mocked a man with a disability on national television and endlessly calls people names. He is, quite frankly, a bully, and that is not the kind of person whom we should support. We should not say, "Yes, this is a person I want to be the face of my great country!" We should not say, "Yes, this is a standup character!" We should not say, "As a follower of Christ, I like this rude and insensitive person!" Instead, we should say, "As someone who has read the Sermon on the Mount and tries to be a generally good person, I cannot in good faith support the beliefs and policies of this judgmental and shallow bully!" Donald Trump is not suitable for the position of president. Go ahead and Google it: not a single one of the current living former presidents of the United States support Trump for office or believe he would be suitable or qualified for the position. He is hotheaded. He gets into petty twitter fights like some angsty fifteen-year-old. He is trigger happy, and would likely get us into wars or other international dilemmas we frankly have no business or necessity getting into. He has no political experience. And as much as you may hate politicians, it is a profession, and one that you must be qualified for. It's probably an exhausted metaphor, but I'll use it anyway: you don't want an accountant to give you a root canal. You may hate dentists, but you must admit that they are who is qualified for that job. Not only is he not suitable, but he'd make our country a laughing stock. You want to make America great? You want to further the ideal of American Exceptionalism? Don't elect a president that will cause every respectable country to look down upon us. That's honestly quite counterproductive. I could go deeper into why Trump is an immoral choice, but I think that'll be covered more fully in a later section. WHY NOT HILLARY?I like Hillary Clinton. I really do. I like her more every day. But I don't love her. She's not my favorite person who ever lived, my role model, or even my favorite politician. She might not even be in my top ten. But that doesn't matter. When it comes to the eligible people who I would most like to be my future president, she's certainly at the top of the list. For one, I can't find any valid reason not to vote for her. During the primaries I remember asking my mom why people don't like Hillary, especially fellow Democrats, because no reason anyone ever gave me was a solid, legitimate reason. All these claims of "lying Hillary" and "Hillary for prison" don't hold much water. I read an excellent article once that discusses how Hillary is not actually a liar. The idea of her being one originated with some dude in the 90's who was just trying to come up with something negative to say about her. And the other day I read an article (from the Deseret News, no less) discussing how Hillary has not been charged with a crime because the evidence simply does not pile up. It doesn't matter how you feel about her, she's not eligible for prison. They spent a LOT of money trying to find something against her and her husband, and all they got was some perjury on his end. And yes, one time as a lawyer she helped a rapist get away with it, but that was pro-bono and she was in her twenties and it was literally her job. I doubt she was happy about it. And yes, her whole email situation was pretty sketchy, and yes, the early-voting poll machines are having some issues, but compared to the greatness she has accomplished and the faults of Donald Trump, they are rather insignificant. So, what are these "greatnesses" I speak of? For starters, she's quite possibly the most experienced presidential candidate in our (using the royal "our"; my lifetime is short) lifetime. She was a lawyer for a long time, has been in many organizations fighting for the rights of children, migrant workers, and undereducated (just to name a few), been in the US Senate, spent time as First Lady (working closely with the office of president), and was Secretary of State. She knows what she's doing. She is prepared for the pressures of the job, or as much as any non-incumbent can be. This fact is non-negotiable. She cares about people. She has been a strong advocate for children for decades. She is definitely a feminist. She has helped, and continues to help, minorities of all kinds. Her critics say she is cold and distant; so is every person who has had to work and fight for a position in a field in which they are a minority. If she is to maintain her professional reputation, if she is to survive in a sexist world (which the first earlier linked article discusses quite fully), she simply cannot allow anything negative to permeate her. She simply cannot show weakness. Why do people not like Hillary? Probably because they're sexist. Regardless of your personal opinion of her, you must admit that she is a poised, professional, and experienced leader. She, unlike her opponent, is presidential. She, unlike her opponent, is suitable for the office of president. I don't love Hillary. She isn't perfect. But neither is anyone else, and I have no valid reason not to like her. Besides all of that, the biggest reason I'm supporting Hillary this election is because she is the candidate for my party. YES, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTYI'm sure many good upstanding Christians have this question on the edge of their lips: How can someone who calls herself a follower of Christ be a Democrat? Well, I'd almost be inclined to ask, "How could I not?" Christ taught us one commandment greater than he taught any other: love thy neighbor. Love thy next door neighbor, love thy neighbor to the south, love thy metaphysical neighbor in the neighborhood of this existence. Love thine enemy. Love those that curse you. Love those that have a different skin color from you. Love those that come from a different country, or were born with different private bits between their legs from you, or who practice a lifestyle you don't necessarily agree with. And of course, the fundamental action under this fundamental law: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Treat others the way you want to be treated. I don't know about you, but the way I want to be treated is with love, fairness, and respect. Yesterday my Book of Mormon professor stated that the fundamental principle of the Nephites was egalitarianism. The class emitted general sounds of agreement. Egalitarianism calls for equal treatment of all people. Equal does not have to mean exactly the same, as 2x+5 can still equal 3, but equal does not mean keeping tax-paying American residents from being able to be citizens simply because of where they were born, or violently preventing them from becoming residents in the first place. It does not mean paying women less than men for the same job. It does not mean letting those people who make millions upon billions of dollars get away with not paying any federal income taxes while those people who struggle to make ends meet with their gross income are forced to bear the brunt of our nation's debt. Social and economic inequality exist. They are prevalent in our country and in our world. And the fact that you may not see them in your own locality, in your own day to day life, does not mean anything on the scale of the country. My own hometown has a poverty rate of over 50%, but you would never know from looking at the high school students. Nobody wants to look like they are "less" than anyone else. And say you do live in an affluent community; that does not erase the existence of the thousands of communities that aren't. We live in a huge country. Not every town, every person, every situation is the same. I quite firmly believe that liberalism embodies this loving Christian spirit more than any other mainstream political ideology. To quote my father from a Facebook post in which he pondered "the conservative endgame": "...honestly, it seems that in my adult life at least the identity of American political conservatism has become (was it ever anything different?) merely the opposition to progressivism. That conservatism is at its core the antithesis of liberalism and nothing more. Whereas I see liberalism an ideology born of a positive, more just vision of the future, conservatism seems only an angry objection to progress toward that future." I also quite firmly believe that the modern American Republican ideal is selfish. It believes that personal responsibility and morality are focused on the own self, "taking caring of you and yours," to once again quote my dad. And although that has its place in life and society, when it comes to governing a country (or any other political region), it is obviously more important to care for everyone else. It is obviously more important to not abuse power for your own political gain -- another principle brought up in Nephite society -- and instead exercise the Christian responsibility of loving thy neighbor, whether or not that does you any direct personal good. To be a good citizen, you have to serve and help those who are not in a position to help themselves. Such is the nature of citizenship, which we applaud and award so profusely in our schools and communities. I know that even my most conservative of peers can agree on that point. SO, WHY HILLARY?Because, to quote my favorite singer in first grade: "I believe in love."
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I'm Audrey, a college student and existential rambler.
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