Vote With Your Head
The most serious problem American democracy has at this point is not Russian bots or voter ID laws. It is that we vote with our hearts, not our heads. We vote for the candidate we like, not the most qualified candidate. Election campaigns should be job interviews. Candidates for executive office should be judged by their managerial expertise. Candidates for legislatures should be judged by their voting records. Our elections end up looking more and more like American Idol every time. Celebrity culture breeds celebrity leaders. We get the leadership we deserve.
If you are one of those folks who find the prospect of voting for Donald Trump or Any Leading Democrat abhorrent, what follows are some suggestions for a rational voting strategy. Whether you agree or not with my recommendations, try to get “like” out of it. We have a country to run; it ain’t Dancing With The Stars!
If the Democrats nominate Biden, he is the safer choice. He is a gaff prone dim bulb, but he is the consummate Washington insider. He will staff his administration with the usual suspects and cut deals with congressional leaders. He won’t do much good . . . but he won’t do much harm. An erratic Trump is liable to do something really stupid. However, the Biden vote isn’t the key decision. . . that being the identity of his vice presidential selection. There is a good chance Biden will die or become incapacitated before 2024. If he picks an obvious incompetent to replace him, you gotta vote for Trump (no matter how repugnant you find that prospect).
If Trump is going to win, it is essential that the House remain in Democrat hands. Its committees will keep up the drumbeat of investigations, which will tend to keep him from drawing outside the lines too often.
If the Democrats nominate a socialist who seems likely to win, the important race is for control of the Senate. The Republicans will win back the seat in Alabama. That means that the Democrats need to pick up three seats (plus the tie breaker) to control the body. Given the 2020 electoral map, there is a good chance they succeed. If they have the presidency and both houses of congress, they will eliminate the filibuster. The narrative will be controlled by The Squad in the House. The country will lurch sharply to the left.
I suggest that you focus your support on any sane and credible Republican senate candidate locked in a close race, and centrist Democratic congressional candidates. The country will be better off if you do.
