Never Trump? . . . The Case Against “Sitting Out” The Presidential Election
By BRIAN CLOWES
Conclusion
(Editor’s Note: To receive an electronic copy of this four-part article with footnotes, e-mail Brian Clowes at bclowes@hli.org.)
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“When you have a binary choice, you must make a decision. It’s frankly irresponsible to stay on the sidelines right now, given where the republic is heading” — Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.
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President Obama has taken us a frighteningly long distance toward “fundamentally transforming” America into a Third World banana dictatorship. Never before has there been so much strife in our society, so much racism, so much hatred, so much division.
But we need to understand that these are not unintended consequences; this is all part of the plan! As long as we are fighting each other, we are not paying attention to what the elites are doing.
If you think Donald Trump is a ditz, a weathervane that changes his position with the breeze, that he will not fulfill his promises, know this: No president has ever delivered on all of his campaign promises. The only president who has come close to fulfilling his promises is Barack Obama, to our sorrow.
Trump will not deliver on all of his promises, but he will attempt to undo at least some of the destruction wrought by Barack Hussein Obama with the willing complicity of an invertebrate Republican Congress.
I have witnessed many nice Christian men run for state and local public office. Without exception, they have been crushed at election time or fatally compromised soon after being elected. Now is not the time for a nice Christian guy. Now is the time for a natural-born killer, a ravening, ruthless, dominating warrior.
We are not voting for a national chaplain, we are voting for a person who will lead us in the latest chapter of the eternal war between the Culture of Life and the Culture of Death, not only here in the USA but all over the world.
When God supported the Israelites in battle, He did not call on flawlessly virtuous and inoffensive men as leaders; He selected deeply flawed, aggressive warriors, those with a spirit of fire. Sure, Trump has major flaws. But so did Moses, Abraham, David, and the apostles. And, as Franklin Graham has pointed out, “None of these were perfect. Only One is perfect, Jesus, and He’s not running for president.”
A nice guy just isn’t going to cut it this time around.
When we won two World Wars, were we “nice”? Which “gentle” generals have ever won a battle? None. To win a war or a battle, you need brutal SOBs like Gen. Ulysses Grant, Gen. Andrew Jackson, and Gen. George S. Patton.
If you do not believe that we are in an all-out war for the soul and future of this country, you are living in a dream world.
Liberals are accumulating more and more power over our institutions: the courts, the universities, the foundations, the media. This is a slow and meticulous process, but liberals have always been more patient than we are.
The presidency is critical to this process. When we elect a Democrat, this process accelerates tremendously; when we elect a typical spineless establishment Republican, it slows down a bit.
Obama merely set up Hillary Clinton; she is ready, willing, and able to administer the coup de grace.
Your Christian Duty. Make no mistake, this election is going to be close! If a Christian stays home on November 8, or votes for a write-in candidate, mathematically this means that Hillary Clinton needs one less vote to win.
Those who are considering abstaining or writing-in a hopeless candidate just for principle’s sake should ask themselves: “Can I in good conscience act in a manner that helps Clinton win the presidency?”
Make sure you vote. If you know someone else who is considering staying home on Election Day, convince them to vote as well. Have them read this article. Know all of the candidates and reject whoever supports euthanasia, abortion, or ersatz homosexual “marriage.” Don’t fall for the “seamless garment” scam; the issues of poverty, hunger, education, sexism, racism, housing, and health care in the United States do not involve the endangerment of millions of lives or the corruption and eradication of the fundamental building block of our society, the family.
Above all, keep Jesus the focus of your life. Voting for Trump is undoubtedly voting for the lesser of two evils. As the Church clearly teaches, this is not choosing evil, it is a legitimate attempt to limit the incredible evil that Hillary Clinton will undoubtedly wreak (see Evangelium Vitae, nn. 71, 73).
But we cannot stop there; we are up against a powerful and highly experienced political ground game, and we must match it if we are to have the slightest chance of winning. Volunteer at your local Republican district office. They can tell you what you can do. Make phone calls, distribute yard signs, and educate others about the dreadful dangers of a second Clinton presidency.
Hillary Clinton has escaped prosecution several times for crimes that anyone else would be jailed for. If she is that slippery now, she will enjoy absolutely unaccountability as president.
I understand that you detest Trump. I get it. He isn’t on my Christmas list either. But this is not about how horrible Trump is; it is about how hideous Hillary Clinton will be without any oversight whatsoever. We don’t know about everything we are going to get with Trump, but we do know what we are going to get with Clinton — unmitigated, crushing, relentless evil. In this case, we must vote for the devil we don’t know, because the devil we do know is much, much worse.
Interestingly, secular ethicists are trying to convince Bernie Sanders supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton instead of staying at home on November 8. Their logic is impeccable, and applies to #nevertrump people even more urgently. Georgetown University philosopher Jason Brennan, author of The Ethics of Voting, says:
“The purpose of voting is not to express your fidelity to a worldview. It’s not to wave a flag or paint your face in team colors; it’s to produce outcomes. If the voters are smart, they’ll vote for the candidate likely to best produce the outcome they want. That might very well be compromising, but if voting for a far-left or far-right candidate means that you’re just going to lose the election, then you’ve brought the world further away from justice rather than closer to it.”
The question facing us is not “Which candidate do I despise the least?” but “Which candidate is likely to be best (or, in this case, least bad) for our nation as president?”
But What of the Church? I have read the writings of Christians who say that the Church will never allow things to get this bad.
Excuse me?
The Church slumbered peacefully when contraception was legalized.
The Church dreamed on when divorce was legalized.
The Church was snoozing when abortion was legalized.
The Church snored loudly when ersatz homosexual “marriage” was legalized.
The Church continues to doze as euthanasia spreads across the land.
What makes these Christian writers think that things are going to be any different now? Face it, people! It’s up to us! This is our moment!
Trump has promised to “make America great again.” Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. But he is the only presidential candidate who has it on his “to do” list.
We have to face up to it, people.
This is our Dunkirk.
Under a President Hillary Clinton, the left will concentrate so much power in its own hands that it will be virtually impossible for Christians to act. To speak. To even think. Ask yourself this question: “Do I like what seven and one-half years of ‘fundamental transformation’ has done to my country?” If so, stay home, and you will get four or eight more years of it.
It took Russia three generations to throw off the poisonous yoke of Communism — and it will require another three generations to recover from its destroyed economies, its plunging fertility, the catastrophic alcoholism, rampant suicide and drug addiction, and its warped view of the human person. It will take just as long for our beloved nation to recover from a second Clinton presidency — if it ever does.
The last several elections, I have held my nose and voted for lukewarm establishment Republican schlumpfs who could take us conservative Christians or leave us. But this year, I’ll have to wear a full-body Level A HAZMAT suit to do my patriotic duty. Come November 8, I am going to put on that suit and vote — for Donald Trump, as imperfect as he obviously is.
And I fervently pray that every single one of you will do the same.
