Choosing Evil Is Not Voting

Choosing Evil Is Not Voting
Not participating is choosing evil.

Choosing Evil Is Not Voting — One of the annoying tropes that has occurred in the internet era is the tired claim that the “lesser of two evils is still evil.”

It’s not.

What is evil is to fail to fight evil. This means being unwilling to mitigate it. This means burying your talent which includes claiming that neither choice meets your pure standard hence you will not choose and escape blame.

It doesn’t work like that.

This November it appears the presidential race will be between a man with many flaws and a woman with no virtues.

A guy who occasionally says stupid and rude things, and a woman who is the subject of a serious criminal investigation, who has been a reputed liar since entering pubic life,  whose irresponsibility (putting it charitably) led to the unnecessary deaths of brave public servants and strengthened our enemies, who got a man imprisoned to cover up her failures, whose top assistant has close relations to our sworn enemies, and who has quite credibly committed the most base form of treason — selling out our national interest for mere cash.

And there are still some who are too “pure” to oppose this person.

That’s shameful.

Choosing Evil Is Not Voting

 

 

 

9 thoughts on “Choosing Evil Is Not Voting”

  1. You are SO right Bill, and kudos for writing this. Please keep repeating this message. Those who didn’t vote in 2012 because they were too PRINCIPLED and because Romney wasn’t conservative ENOUGH must be held at least partially responsible for the mess this country is in today. I understand PRINCIPLE, but it is simply UNTHINKABLE to let another left wing person occupy our White House to destroy what remains of our once wonderful and noble country.

    Thank you for this common sense message Bill. I will undoubtedly put a clothespin on my nose, but WILL vote for whatever Republican is on the presidential ticket.

    1. The difference, Joanne, is that Romney was a mainstream Republican running on a very conservative platform. Romney was also the GOP governor of Massachusetts and had a substantial public record.

      Trump is the ultimate RINO with no record–a leftist posing as a Republican for the sake of winning the GOP nomination.

      Trump supports a single-payer healthcare system, taxing the rich, increasing federal spending in education, funding Planned Parenthood (except for their abortion activity–which is status quo), weakening the international role of the US military, etc.

      Trump has been a lifelong Democrat and a contributor to the 2008 Hillary for President campaign, among others.

      Trump is a highly unstable and unpredictable pol who considers the National Inquirer a legitimate source of news.

      Trump’s recent claim that Ted Cruz’s father was part of the JFK conspiracy demonstrates just how kooky he really is.

      As a lifelong conservative who has voted for every GOP nominee since Reagan, I can not, in good conscience, vote for Trump. He is not only a disaster for the GOP and conservatism–he’s dangerous for the future of America.

      Here’s hoping Ben Sasse or another credible, viable conservative mounts a campaign to upset both Hillary and Trump.

      #Never RINO Trump
      #Never Hillary

      1. Forgot to mention Trump’s most recent flip-flip on minimum wage and his 45% tariff.

        Trumpism is anti-Reagan and anti-Tea Party.

      2. Romney LOST and Sasse can’t win! Why do you not recognize that the people of PA voted overwhelmingly for Trump. You may not like it but that’s the reality. It’s time to unify and put all our energies into defeating Hillary or any other candidate the Democrats will inflict upon us. We do not know what Trump will do but we DO know what Hillary will do!

        The Political Trump:

        about 1967 – 1987 – Democrat (he was a supporter of Ronald Reagan)

        1987 – 1999 – Republican

        1999 – 2001 – Reform Party (he supported Ross Perot)

        2001 – 2009 – Democrat

        2009 – 2011 – Republican

        2011 – 2012 – Independent

        2012 – Present – Republican

  2. I dunno, Bill. I have held my nose many times and voted for the “lesser of 2 evils” and we keep voting the evil in either way. It’s the Devil’s Dichotomy. Aren’t we saying that we don’t trust God’s Hand in all this? After all, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta puts it: “God does not call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful.” This means we are not giving up the fight, and we are not giving in to evil.

    1. Dubya and GHWB might have been the perfect examples of choosing the “lesser of 2 evils” and ending up in the circumstance that we are in.

      OTOH, the Bushes are #NeverTrump guys.

      It’s a Boolean statement. If Bush = “lesser evil” and Bush = #Nevertrump then Trump ≠ evil.

      Regarding God’s hand, you can say that about any election or political activity. To me, if God puts a choice in front of you and you refuse to make it, you fail to show faith.

      It’s a rather conventional Catholic viewpoint: https://www.ewtn.com/vote/voting_faq.htm

      With the development of popular government comes the duty of citizens to participate in their own government for the sake of the common good. Not to do so is to abandon the political process to those who do not have the common good in mind. Given the nature of democracies this inevitably leads to unjust laws and an unjust society. These may come about anyway, but they should not come about through the negligence of Christians, who would then share in the guilt.

      . . .It is sinful to vote for the enemies of religion or liberty, except to exclude a worse candidate, or unless compelled by fear of great personal harm, relatively greater than the public harm at stake. [Davis, Moral and Pastoral Theology, vol. 2, p. 90 ]

      [Trump, it should be noted, is not running as an enemy of religion or liberty and there is no indication to think that he is but even if he were, you’d still be obliged to vote for him over Mrs. Clinton. If the race were between Bernie Sanders and Mrs. Clinton, you’d be obliged to vote for Sanders]

      Many Catholics are troubled by the idea of a lesser of two evils or material cooperation with evil. They conclude that they can only vote for a person whose position on the gravest issues, such as abortion, coincides exactly with Catholic teaching. To do otherwise is to betray their conscience and God.

      Sometimes this view is based on ignorance of Catholic teaching, a sincere doubt that it is morally permissible to vote for someone who would allow abortion in some circumstances, even if otherwise generally pro-life. It is also perhaps the confusing expression “lesser of two evils,” which suggests the choice of evil. As I have explained above, the motive is really the choice of a good, the limitation of evil by a worse candidate.

      Sometimes this view is motivated by scrupulosity – bad judgment on moral matters as to what is sin or not sin. The resulting fear of moral complicity in the defective pro-life position of a politician makes voting for him morally impossible. This situation is different than ignorance, however, in that the person simply can’t get past the fear of sinning, even when they know the truth.

      1. The cavernous divide in the Republican coalition is something that was produced by the insane circus or primaries, but – more than any other factor – by the ultimate survivor Donald Trump himself. Had Cruz won, or Rubio, or Kasich, or any of the others, they would not be painted into the corner Donald now finds himself in. Recall that on the same day that Cruz pulled out, Trump accused Cruz’s refugee Cuban father of being involved in the Kennedy assassination! There were Trumpees castigating Cruz on election night for not endorsing Donald! That night!
        Since prevailing, what has Trump done to repair the coalition? He has not apologized for his craven vitriol which had been directed at Ugly Carly, Little Marco, Lyin Ted, Low Energy Bush – or any other of the “total losers” that are the most admired leaders in the party he will represent in November. He has also reversed positions which thrust him into the lead in many contests. Taxes, immigration, and the Wall among them.
        Pressing people to declare loyalty to Trump, at this point, is counterproductive. Events will need to occur to bring comfort. It is not there right now. Maybe it can be sometime beforthe election. Speaking for myself, I had decided that I would need to vote for Trump against Hillary on more than one occasion. But each time I persuaded myself of that, Trump did something else that was classless, stupid, and small-minded. And I was again adrift.
        I remain adrift. I am not going to endorse Trump now. I will watch events to see if he can grow into a candidate that earns credibility, and reassures members of the party he represents. I will not vote for that idiot Gary Johnson, the Libertarian. I doubt that I would support any 3rd party. But I cannot declare that I will vote for Trump under the present circumstances.
        I don’t want Hillary. And I don’t want Trump. I know Hillary would be a disaster. I’m not sure Donald wouldn’t be equally disastrous. My anti-Hillary friends want to convince me that I need to support Trump to prevent the downward spiral. But what makes them think Trump is not the downward spiral too?
        I don’t like not having a candidate in this important race. I probably would be easy to bring into the fold. But I’m not going to jump onto a train wreck. If Trump wants my vote, I will listen to how he seeks it.

        Ted

  3. I just heard the possibility that Condoleezza Rice could be asked to run as a third-party candidate. While I don’t think a third party can ever win an election, I would vote for her in a heartbeat, if it should turn out that she would accept and run.

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