The Trump Dilemma

I don't really need to tell you that, so far, this has been one strange election year. And, it appears it's only going to get worse before we get to November 8th.

In the last two elections, I had to hold my nose at the ballot box while casting my vote. I didn't like anything about anyone running, and ended up voting against the candidate I disliked the most, rather than for a person I agreed with. It left me feeling dirty, disgusted and a little ashamed (kind of like after watching an episode of the View).

This year, I had hoped it would be a little different, and in some ways it is. After a disappointing primary season (in which everyone I believed in lost or dropped out), we're left with two candidates, and what should have been an easier choice for me.

Given her long history of not really accomplishing anything (as well as her never-ending laundry list of scandals), there is no way in hell I could vote for Hillary Clinton. She's a confirmed liar, who has used corruption to cover blatant illegal activities, and cost the lives of at least four Americans. (Kind of a deal-breaker for me, personally.)

Which should mean Donald Trump by default. But, not so fast...

So far, Trump has spoken about a lot of issues I happen to agree with. He's talked about issues that no one was (or would be) discussing, things that need to be dealt with. And, he's been able to point out the flaws in our current system, as well as who's behind them and why. On the surface, he seems arrogant and gruff, but a lot of people have really appreciated his no b.s. style of straight talk (completely free of the political correctness that's killing this nation).

The problem I (and so many others) have is, every time he gives a decent speech that gives his supporters some kind of hope, he immediately kills the message by saying or doing something completely stupid. The man can't help but shoot himself in his own foot.

I can't even begin to tell you all the times he's had me just about ready to cast my vote for him, and then he says something about the mother of a fallen soldier (granted, he was attacked first, but still it was ignorant to retaliate), or he reorganizes his campaign staff after one of his best speeches (totally killing the news about the speech itself). Often, his words have been twisted and taken completely out of context (to demonize him, and make him sound stupid or racist). But, a lot of times, it's his own doing.

It's like he's deliberately sabotaging his own campaign. Either that, or he thinks being controversial alone is what got him this far.

He's got a long way to go, to prove to me that he deserves my vote, and there isn't much time to get there.

And so, whenever anyone hears me calling myself "undecided", they need to know that I don't mean on who to vote for. To me (at least this year) "undecided" mean on whether or not to vote at all.