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Right up front, let me say that I didn’t watch the first Clinton and Trump debate. I turned it on and made it halfway through the first tortured question and said, “nope, can’t take it.” So perhaps bad on me. The aftermath has felt supportive of my decision to forego another evening of skin crawling dismay.
At every turn we are a nation divided and the rancor grows daily. The emotional nature of the partisanship makes it frankly suspect. The sum total of rationality being brought to bear is in saying “yeah but look at what your clown wants to do.” (as an aside, the word “clown” is curiously gender neutral, suggesting a bright if unfortunate future for it)
As these most unpopular candidates highlight our division, let us instead come together. I can almost hear the laughter. “Ha come together! With THEM!”
Why yes fellow citizen. Together. This is easier than you might think. Much has been written and revealed about the skewing of the primaries culminating with these two charmers. This has alienated millions on both sides of the political chasm. Most of us have given up hope of any way of uniting these folks to any positive purpose. But with apologies to pet lovers, ” there is more than one way to skin a cat.”
For all but the most ideologically rigid, the Clinton And Trump choice is distasteful. Admittedly, the pull of party and general ideological bent is strong. Habits die hard. With less emotion and more reason we might see that what most of us want is to send a message. We the people are shouting loud and clear that we want to be heard.
One of the hallmarks of a good compromise is that few are happy but most are able to live with the outcome. This often torturous process gave us the “slaves are 3/5 of a person” which, intended to limit the representation of slave states and so hamper their pro-slavery congressional influence, is misunderstood to this day.
The much less odious compromise I am suggesting is one in which only SEVEN tiny percent of the people are happy! For you math majors this leaves up to NINETY-THREE percent unhappy but able to live with the result. A sweetener of this result is what we could term the “secondary gain.” What is this magical solution to such rancor and disillusion? Gary Johnson. That potent secondary gain mentioned earlier is telling two corrupt national parties to stick it where the sun don’t shine. Uniting in our disgust of the political landscape we have an unparalleled opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with our crazy uncle or obnoxious cousin and say “We the people have had enough of this.”
It is a lot to swallow. But objectively, any justification to support Clinton And Trump could easily be applied to Gary Johnson with a great deal less to overlook or downplay or outright lie to ourselves about. Recall that delicious tempting morsel (Sanders and Cruz fans I’m looking at you) secondary gain. Sticking it to the man, yeah baby that is gonna be good.
What I suggest is actually a peaceful revolution from our political masters. They are supposed to be our servants. Not painless but bloodless. An act so bold it will shake the political establishment for decades. We the people are in charge and finally have a chance to unite on a result that perhaps no one is happy with ( except the 7% polling for Johnson) but we can all live with. We can live with Gary Johnson and we can unite with our brethren and bask, however briefly, in that glow.
Think about it. Skin that C A T.
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