I Vote Like I’m 13, And Our Future Depends On You Doing The Same

I was 13 when George W. Bush was first elected President. I was too young to grasp the issues, had no financial concerns, and didn’t identify with any political party, but nevertheless, I knew who I’d vote for. It came down to an incredibly simple criterion:

“George Bush just isn’t very smart,” I said. And that was that.

Sixteen years later, despite knowing mountains more about global and domestic policy and having firm stances on our nation’s most pressing social issues, my vote for President is still largely determined by four incredibly simple criteria that my 13-year-old self would have proudly supported:

1. The President of the United States should be incredibly smart;
2. The President should be able to withstand an immense amount of scrutiny, as well as bullying from all types and kinds;
3. The President needs to be calm under pressure and collected at all times;
4. The President needs to make good decisions.

We’re not voting for a neighborhood councilmember or a school treasurer. We’re voting for someone who can declare war, drop a nuclear bomb, forge (and break) crucial international agreements, and veto just about any piece of society-shaping legislation that Congress puts forward. We’re voting for someone who MUST deal with the reality of being the foremost superpower in a world full of countries (and borderless terrorist organizations) who’d love for that not to be the case.

So before economic policy, before social issues, before Supreme Court Justice nominations, I first ask myself how well I trust each candidate to represent — and act on behalf of — the United States.

In 2008, both John McCain and Barack Obama passed the test. In 2012, both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama passed the test.

But in 2016, Donald Trump fails the test. He fails the test in such a spectacular fashion that I fear for our country’s livelihood in the event he holds our highest office. While he might indeed be very smart (1), he has an intense history of lashing out against scrutinizers and detractors (2), has demonstrated a shocking inability to remain composed and level-headed under pressure (3), and has a frighteningly long, documented history of poor decision-making that has led to scores of settled lawsuits, numerous bankruptcies, and, most recently, countless campaign slip-ups (4).

I do not trust Donald Trump to handle attacks on America. I do not trust Donald Trump to handle attacks on his character, his performance, or his decision-making. I do not trust Donald Trump to make decisions that require any consideration of dissenting opinion. I do not trust Donald Trump to build consensus. I do not trust Donald Trump with our nuclear codes. I do not trust Donald Trump with our nation’s military. I do not trust Donald Trump to honor our nation’s past, manage our nation’s present, or protect our nation’s future. I do not trust Donald Trump, because he has proven in terrifyingly clear fashion that he fails the most basic tests of fitness to be President.

Hillary Clinton passes the test. And thus, with my vote, the issues don’t even come into play. If Hillary’s platform was distinctly republican and Trump’s was distinctly democratic, I would vote for Hillary. If Hillary wanted to double the number of guns in circulation, increase the federal deficit, and put up a wall on our borders, I’d vote for her so long as her opponent was Donald Trump. I’d detest her stances on those issues, but none of that would affect my vote, because her opponent is amazingly, historically, and dangerously unfit to be President.

Hillary Clinton is exceptionally fit to be President. The biggest argument against Hillary’s fitness to be President is her use of a private email server. “She jeopardized national security and should be put in jail,” they say. To that, I say the following:

Trump has caused large swaths of the country to literally hate even larger swaths of the country. That sounds like jeopardizing national security. Trump has made huge portions of our country believe our election process is not fair — maybe the *single-worst* thing a democratic electorate can believe. THAT sounds like jeopardizing national security.

Trump has encouraged one of our biggest and most dangerous foreign enemies to meddle in our elections. That sounds like jeopardizing motherf***ing national security.

I likely agree with a lot of Hillary Clinton’s platform. I almost certainly disagree with some of it. It doesn’t matter, because Donald Trump is not fit to be President of the United States. He cannot be President of the United States.

Vote for Hillary on Tuesday. Tell your friends and family to vote for Hillary. Text or call people you think might not vote, or who are on the fence, and tell them to vote for Hillary. Polls don’t matter, leads don’t matter, and predictions don’t matter. All that matters is that Hillary Clinton gets more votes than Donald Trump.

Do your part. Please.

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