Is my title confusing?  Do you wonder what I don’t want explained but still asked, What?  If you are still with me, please know that I am not trying to play a word game or deal in semantics but have some serious concerns about reasons I’ve been given for voting or not voting for a candidate.  It can be quite confusing and borders on hypocrisy if it is not squarely in that column of explanation. 

That being said, I am not looking for, nor do I desire anyone to attempt to explain their position to be.  I accept that you believe you are right and justified in your rationale and reasoning.  I accept that you cannot see the inconsistency and even hypocrisy in the position based on your declared reason for your decision.

Am I talking about all choices?  Of course not!  I have been attacked, vilified, and called some pretty vile names by people who are supposedly on the same side of the political and/or biblical position because I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and will do so again this November. 

I acknowledge that Trump was not my first choice in the primaries but once he became the nominee, I compared him, his position, and that of the party with his opponent and her party.  It became an easy choice for me because my interest was not based on my perception of the moral fiber of either candidate but America.  Call me whatever you wish, but I was and am looking at the future of the Republic and positioning myself to back what I believe to be the best option for America.

I have had people tell me that they could never vote for Donald Trump because of moral turpitude.  Let me give you the standard definition of moral turpitude and then address the inconsistencies I see in this.  Moral turpitude is a legal concept in the United States and prior to 1976, Canada, that refers to “an act or behavior that gravely violates the sentiment or accepted standard of the community.”  That, in my mind, is a bit vague, because the accepted standard of the community could be quite fluid and difficult to define. 

The concept of ‘moral turpitude’, though difficult to define with unflappable precision, is usually described as an “act of baseness, vileness, or depravity in the private and social duties which a man owes his fellowmen, or to society in general, contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between man and man.”

Some have insisted that as a Christian I should never consider voting for Trump because he is morally bankrupt and a despicable human being.  I readily acknowledge that his past is somewhat sordid in some areas but are we voting on a spiritual leader or a person to guide the nation back from the darkness we were led?  Before you insist that Trump’s past precludes him from consideration, I must ask two questions.  Can a person change?  Is a moral deficiency sufficient to deny a person any consideration for elected office?  Do you want me to ignore Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama’s morality or lack thereof?

If the answer to the first is, yes then should we consider what many religious leaders who have met with him say about his openness to prayer and their counsel?  If the answer to the second is, yes then what candidate qualifies righteously and morally enough to deserve your vote?  I suggest that if we make that our sole criteria for the person, we vote for we will find our options incredibly limited if we have any options at all. 

Let me insert a few more considerations and you decide.  Does anyone think Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden are morally superior to Trump?  If you do, then we have no basis for discussion because each of them is inescapably tainted and based on the moral standard applied to Trump disqualified.  Where does that leave us? 

When I go beyond the individual and consider the platforms of the parties and the candidates, I see some moral issues that need to be addressed.  If we are as we claim, constitutionalist and originalist then are the inalienable rights given us by God, reasons to vote, or not vote for a candidate?  They are for me and I consider it immoral and a direct assault on the constitution for any candidate or party to infringe upon those rights.

As a Christian and a follower of the Constitution, I believe that abortion is wrong.  Even if I allowed for some instances for abortion, abortion on demand is a vile example of genocide and my moral moorings would demand I reject the person or party that supports it.  Biden and the Democrats endorse it whereas Trump and the Republicans do not.  Well, most Republicans do not, and I find it difficult to believe that a majority of Christians would support it. 

We are told that Trump’s relationship with women and his moral failings in that area disqualifies him.  What of Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, one was a serial sex addict and philanderer and the other’s fascination with children and the revelations of his sexual abuse should be equally reprehensible.  Some have insisted that Trump’s business dealings were immoral and unethical.  I don’t know the intricate details of his business ventures, but I do know that Biden became a millionaire through his elected positions.  The revelations about Ukraine and China to mention two are more than a little troubling.  So, how is Trump morally bankrupt and Biden not? 

The media and many who are in the ‘never’ consortium regarding Trump insist he has lied thousands of times.  Has he?  I have seen fabricated, misquoted, and distorted presentations that say he is a serial liar but have not seen the so-called concrete proof that is argued.  However, we know that Biden, Clinton, and Obama all have lied and continue to lie as they engage in prolific “CYA.”  How is the assumption that Trump lies morally disqualifying but Biden, Obama, and Clinton’s verified fabrications not?  Again, I am not asking for an explanation, I am simply presenting my view. 

I could go on and on in this rant and quizzical consideration of the position that a Christian and a Conservative could or should never vote for Trump.  If a person tells me that they won’t vote for Trump on moral principle but either vote for the Democrat or vote in a way to ensure the Democrat wins, how is that morally defensible?  In my view, it smacks with deception or hypocrisy. Wait!  I did not say you were intentionally being a hypocrite but if you cannot see the inconsistency in that position when you compare candidates you are either deceived or you are.

I do not believe that our choice is totally binary when it comes to voting in America.  We do not have to vote for the Democrat or Republican, we can choose to withhold our vote, write in a name, or vote for a third-party candidate.  However, the outcome is usually binary and either the Republican or the Democrat is going to win the presidency.  If I vote for what many call the lesser of two evils seeking to preserve the republic and keep our rights and liberties from being infringed upon could that not be considered a worthy objective? 

In my 50 plus years of studying the Bible and preaching the gospel and observing the political scene, I have discovered that sometimes attempting to stand for a principle enables what I detest to become reality.  Let me explain my view and you decide.  If I detest a candidate to the extent that I am unable to cast my ballot for them and vote for a candidate that has zero chance of winning am I doing what is best for the country?  I may have a warm fuzzy feeling and feel good about myself, but have I truly considered the Republic? 

If we vote in such a manner as to prevent either major party from receiving an electoral majority and the decision goes to the House of Representatives, what would make us think that any, but one of the two major candidates will be selected? 

I believe in principles and would never argue that any person ever violate their conscience.  That would be anathema to my faith.  I believe that much of what President Trump has advanced has been in the interest of the Republic and good for all Americans.  I believe the political agenda and ideology of the Democrats are bad for America.  Therefore, I can envision no other action in November than to vote No on the Democrats and vote Yes for Trump.  It is my conviction that although there are things about his personality and manner I do not like, he is my best option in the pursuit of keeping America the Free Constitutional Republic, defending our inalienable rights, and moving America forward in a better direction. 

Please do not attack me over my position.  I will defend your right to disagree and even hurl disparaging things my way, but I will exercise my right to not listen to them.  Think what you please and say whatever you want on your personal page or in groups and with others, but my page is like my home, I can decide what enters and stays and what doesn’t.  I ask you to respect that.  Vote as you believe best, but I hope you will consider the nation before tossing Trump and the Republicans on the trash heap of history.

God bless you and God bless America!