Top 3 reasons I am voting against Donald Trump, now and forever

My closing argument.

Pic by Michael Vadon

I have pondered how to write this in a way that might be persuasive to people whom I love who support Donald Trump.

Truth is: I don’t really think that’s possible.

Which is frustrating. When I got into the opinion-writing business, I hoped to persuade people now and again. Now mostly I seem to give aid and comfort to people who already think like I do, and to provoke those who can’t.

That’s not the worst thing in the world — the first part, anyway. But it does mean my own meager contributions to preserving and defending American democracy have fallen well short of my intentions.

So all I can do is try to be as honest about my perspective as possible. To scrape together what wisdom I can. And hope that somebody finds it meaningful.

Let’s start with a bit of honesty. When I go into the voting booth on Tuesday, I’ll be voting for Kamala Harris. But I won’t really be voting for her. I’ll be voting against Donald Trump, like I did in 2016 and 2020.

Why? Lots of reasons, but I’ll give you three.

The cruelty

There is a savageness in Trump’s approach to the world. It might be reflected in the infamous “grab them by the pussy remark” made public in 2016. That’s not just the comment of a man who delights in his own sexual pleasure to the point he can’t see the humanity of anybody else — the well-documented narcissism. It also reflects a character that suggests a component of his pleasure is the pain it inflicts on others. We’ve saw that in the way he governed during his lone term in office. He will not be better in a second term.

A note: Leading the country seems to require some measure of cruelty from the people who occupy the Oval Office. Joe Biden has stood by while innocent Gazans have suffered. Barack Obama ordered drone assassinations that killed bystanders. Bill Clinton … well, where do we start? I’m not naive. It’s why I’m not writing an unabashed endorsement of Kamala Harris here: It’s easy to see her cruel moments coming, as well. But my impression is that that nobody in American political life has celebrated cruelty like Donald Trump has.

The violence

Obviously, this is related to the first point. Trump unleashed violence on the Capitol on Jan. 6. (Miss me with the “peacefully and patriotically” stuff — the insurrectionist equivalent of Eric Stoltz yelling “prank caller!” into the phone when he suspects he’s being wiretapped in “Pulp Fiction.”) He wanted to shoot protesters during the George Floyd protests of 2020. And whether he wins or loses this election, I suspect he’ll unleash far worse — either as revenge for a so-called “stolen election” or to crack down on the Americans who protest he return to the Oval Office. There is a long history of political violence in U.S. history. For most of my life, though, it seemed to have been sidelined. Donald Trump was the catalyst for its return.

Again: Some level of violence attends governing, no matter who sits in the White House. Donald Trump is the rare figure who seems eager for it.

The division

In a nation of more than 300 million people, there will never be unanimity. There shouldn’t be. And division is part-and-parcel of our politics. But Harris — whatever her faults — has promised to try to be president of all the people. Trump makes no real pretense. He has campaigned on promises of vengeance: “I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.” There is always an “us” and “them” in politics. Trump has distilled it to its purest essence. We hate each other more than we ever have in my lifetime. The results will be terrible.

You may notice a theme here.

America had problems before Donald Trump ran for office. Politics and politicians — like all humans — are prone to sin and error. We have had violence and cruelty and division and corruption before.

Trump always, always give us more of it. Much more. He is both rooted in American traditions and also an evolutionary leap forward in pure misery.

I will always vote against him.

No matter who wins, I suspect America will face big challenges over the next four years. Climate change will continue to accelerate — a problem in and of itself, but it will probably also increase the number of climate refugees and exacerbate our divisions over immigration as a result. Our military is overextended and more fragile than most Americans know. Nuclear proliferation is a thing again. The aging population, here and abroad, will create a different set of problems.

We may be in for sharp decline no matter what. I suspect Trump’s policies may push us down that road more quickly.

He’ll be looking for a scapegoat when it does.

On Tuesday night, I’ll be praying for wisdom, courage and resilience for us all.