I’m an Independent Voter. Here’s How I’m Voting.
I’m a registered Independent voter. (Both sides want me, but neither can have me.) I stay independent, because I want the freedom to choose between the candidates and issues I care about.
The truth is, I’m not crazy about the direction of either party right now. But this election, it’s an easy decision: I’m voting for Harris/Walz. Here’s why.
My History with Donald Trump
Before he was President, I was amused by Donald Trump. I read a few of his books, and found them inspiring. I watched Season 2 of The Apprentice, and found it entertaining. I thought he was a terrific guest on the old Howard Stern radio show.
I didn’t mind his bombastic, self-promotional style. I saw him as kind of a modern-day P.T. Barnum, able to promote anything, even if you knew he was doing it. He was a master pitchman and expert spin doctor: a distinctly American personality.
So I understand the appeal of Trump to so many Americans. He’s unguarded. He’ll say anything to anyone. And he’s genuinely funny.
But once he became a political animal, Trump’s style became as much about sowing division as promoting himself. And that, in my view, has led us to the toxic political discourse that we have today, where most of us are afraid to say anything to anyone.
Yes, the Democrats do it too. But no one fights with more uncaged ferocity than Donald Trump. I understand this is the appeal: many voters want a fighter. Someone who tells it like it is. Someone who speaks truth to power.
But this is not the job we’re hiring the President to do.
Presidents Drive Policies
The work of government is to create policies and laws that will bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people.
This is complicated and difficult work. And it requires working together. No matter who’s in office, Democrats and Republicans must collaborate.
My memory of Trump’s first go-round as President was not one of collaboration. It is true he accomplished a lot: he appointed three Supreme Court justices, brokered Middle East peace deals, and oversaw a strong pre-pandemic economy.
But my recollection is one of unrelenting chaos: a revolving door of senior staff members, frequent policy shifts, and constant battles with the news media. And this was all prior to the pandemic.
What I want in my government is thoughtful dialogue between differing points of view. This is the benefit of having different parties with different priorities: they keep each other in check.
I do not want constant fighting. It’s exhausting.
It is true that Democrats do their fair share of mudslinging and name-calling. I don’t like that, either. But Trump’s tweets come across as constant rage, and I do not want to live in a country fueled by rage.
Leaders Matter
The head of any organization — whether a company or a country — matters a lot.
I’ve seen this during my business career: employees begin to mirror the CEO, both for better and for worse. If the CEO swears a lot, the employees will also tend to swear. If the CEO makes a big deal about volunteer work, more employees will start to volunteer.
This unconscious tendency to become like our leaders is why — until recently — we have often placed unreasonable demands on our leaders to be perfect. We want them to be better than us, to inspire our best nature, in the manner of Lincoln and Washington.
I really don’t need moral perfection. But I do want someone I can admire.
On this count, Donald Trump utterly fails me. From his trial with a porn star, to his history of tax evasion and financial fraud, to his jokes on teenage girls and the handicapped, he is a long way from our nation’s greats.
You can say that quotes are taken out of context, that the media is out to get him, that Democrats are using “lawfare” to bring him down. But it seems pretty obvious to me: his character is terrible.
I feel our country has entered a zone where any behavior can be excused, because it’s just Trump. And I do not want to live in that country. Our leaders should be held accountable for their actions. Character matters.
Election Denial and January 6th
The biggest issue, for me, is Trump’s denial of the 2020 election results, leading up to the January 6th riots.
Many of us remember the harrowing days after the Bush/Gore election, which was hotly contested and eventually went to the Supreme Court, who ruled in favor of Bush. Even though I voted for Ralph Nader, I could sympathize with those who felt Gore had been robbed. But Gore graciously conceded, and went on to do great work raising awareness about climate change, eventually winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
I am also reminded of Jimmy Carter, a one-term President who went on to become our greatest living model of an ex-President, devoting his life to humbly serving the poor. (My father jokes that Carter was a better ex-President than he was a President.)
Or George Washington, who voluntarily stepped down from office — despite the temptation to install himself President for Life — so that our rulers would not be like kings.
These are the models I want from a leader: the peaceful transfer of power, the gracious acceptance of defeat (even an unfair defeat!), the ability to accept the American people saying, “You’re fired.”
Instead, Trump’s constant refrain that the election was rigged — despite the courts finding no evidence — was incredibly damaging to our trust in the democratic process. And Trump’s attempts to overturn the results are not just inexcusable: they should be punished by law.
But it is the storming of the Capitol on January 6th that I absolutely cannot forget. This was an attempted coup d’état, plain and simple. It was a modern-day mob, except instead of pitchforks and torches, they had pepper spray and Billy clubs.
For any candidate to do anything less than condemn this in the strongest possible language is a dealbreaker for me. They were literally trying to overthrow the government.
Any candidate that supports events like January 6th, that calls it a day of love, is undermining the democracy that generations have worked so hard to build, that soldiers have literally given their lives to defend.
For his role in the events leading up to January 6th, I would prefer if Trump were put in prison.
What Do We Value?
Trump has been good in one respect: he has made me think deeply about the values that matter to me.
From talking with smart friends on both sides of the aisle, I’ve come away with a new appreciation of the values that I hold dear. I once took democratic values, moral leadership, and our trusted institutions for granted. I don’t anymore.
In a way, Trump has provided many of us a way to go back to basics, to look at our American values from first principles. I recognize that each generation must refresh and renew these principles, which is why I am sharing these thoughts with you.
And so for this historic election, I hope that you think deeply about what you value personally, and what we value as Americans. And regardless of whether or not you agree with me, whether or not you feel your voice matters, I hope you will vote.
