Let me begin by explaining my perspective. Even if you disagree with my positions, I hope you find value in my suggestions for dealing with this election.
I did not support John McCain in the primaries of 2008, but I voted for him in opposition to Barack Obama. I did not support Mitt Romney in the primaries of 2012, but I voted for him with similar opposition in the November election.
Then came 2016.
Early in the race, I recall being frustrated with people who were already saying there were no candidates they wanted to support. If you believed everything Barack Obama said about himself, you could support Hillary. If you wanted to ignore every failure of socialism hoping that this time it would be different, you could support Bernie Sanders. If you wanted someone outside of politics to make a difference, Ben Carson fit the description. If you wanted someone who had political experience and constitutional principles, Ted Cruz was the man. If you wanted a compromiser who could relate to younger voters, Marco Rubio was viable. If you wanted an establishment Republican, there was Jeb Bush. Finally, if you wanted to flip people off, there was Donald Trump.
Through a series of events I am not sure I understand yet, the two parties lifted up Trump and Clinton as the nominees.
Any frustrations I had with people who said there were no good choices disappeared. On the one hand, Hillary Clinton has been tied to pay-for-play corruption in the State Department. She has obfuscated and lied about things even when she did not need to (such as her pneumonia episode). Even Democrats who supported socialist Bernie Sanders recognized her corruption in the primary process. For non-democrats, Clinton represents every flaw that accompanies big-government politics. On the other hand, Donald Trump is a crude individual who has used personal attacks and media manipulation to propel himself. He and his campaign promoted insane conspiracies that Ted Cruz's father might have been involved in the JFK assassination, and unnecessarily shameful attacks about Cruz's wife. His record with infidelity and morality directly conflicts with the standards that Republicans have typically tried to espouse. Even worse, his ideas for policy are all based on large government solutions including large tariffs, undefinable immigration changes that may or may not include a wall, and confusing foreign policy positions that have difficulty differentiating between friends and foes. Essentially, Americans are being given the choice between two Democrats... two unlikable Democrats.
Third party candidates have risen to try to position themselves as viable alternatives. Of course, Jill Stein of the Green Party is even further to the left of the major party nominees, but Gary Johnson has, in an attempt to court disenfranchised voters, put himself in roughly the same position as Trump and Clinton in terms of policy. He praised a lot of the Bernie Sanders strategy, and is left of Clinton on immigration. His foreign policy understanding is famously lacking, and his major priority is the legalization of drugs. Essentially, the major third party candidates have offered us two more Democrats from which to choose.
This, among other precedent, has led many people to conclude that the best thing they can do with their vote is to oppose one of the two major political candidates. The media is all over the Trump tapes (that reveal nothing new; Donald Trump has always been a crude man) to encourage people to prevent Trump from becoming President. Conservative sites have a target-rich environment to show Hillary's record of corruption (that also reveal nothing new; Hillary Clinton has always been a corrupt manipulator) that they use to encourage people to prevent Hillary from becoming President.
I completely understand wanting to prevent either one of these people from becoming President. Frankly, I understand wanting to prevent some of the third party candidates from becoming President as well.
That having been said, let me suggest the following:
1. Don't make excuses for any candidate. I know that Hillary Clinton will cause awful harm as President of the United States. That doesn't excuse Donald Trump's awful behavior. Additionally, I know that Donald Trump is unlikely to keep any of the promises he has made, and would be a disaster for America. That doesn't mean Hillary's dishonesty and criminal activity was OK. Acknowledge the imperfections that each person has.
2. People who have opposing political views are not incompetent racist traitor bigot liars (necessarily). Of course it is possible to find Trump supporters that are hateful lunatics, and Hillary supporters that actually hate America, but it is likely more productive to talk about ideas, principles, and values rather than slinging disrespect. If you have to become an awful person to show that someone else is an awful person, then what have you really accomplished?
3. The Government is incapable of solving most of our problems. Having voted for or against a candidate does not absolve an individual of personal responsibility. You must still help other people. You must still be decent and law-abiding. You must still work hard. You must still try to better yourself. Ultimately, the most significant sources of improving people (and in turn, society) are Jesus Christ, and strong families (in that order). The most important education, the preservation of values, the way people of different races, genders, and backgrounds can improve interactions... all of these things are best improved by fathers and mothers who love one another and their children. Religious institutions that promote faith and family, as well as charity, honesty, respect, virtue, and forgiveness support families in these efforts. These elements will do the most to solve the problems our society faces.
4. Don't let political frustration discourage you. It is easy to become cynical. It is easy to avoid participating in elections or political conversations. Sometimes, it seems justified. The outlook on the 2016 Presidential Election is not encouraging, regardless of which party wins. That does not mean that you should stop caring. That does not mean that your conscience is unimportant. That does not mean that America is beyond redemption. This nation has been in precarious situations before, and we have triumphed when enough people did the right thing when it was difficult.
5. In the end, the good guys win. I don't want to suggest that life will be sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows... There will be perils, disasters, tragedies, and horrors... many of them will be perpetrated by people (2 Timothy 3:1-7). I do want to suggest that, in the end, God will make everything right. No one will "get away with" their crimes. No injustice will go uncorrected. No wound will remain unhealed. No hurt will persist. In the end, good will triumph over evil. Have faith. Have confidence. Even if it doesn't look good right now, Jesus Christ is coming... and he will save us all.
