Do Things Have to Get Worse Before They Get Better?

Do Things Have to Get Worse Before They Get Better?

by Jason Haap
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I’m one of the most liberal people I know.  I usually vote Green Party.  I believe firmly that we must break past the two-party system that has dominated our political landscape for far too long.  That’s why I think people should consider voting Donald Trump for president.

I am aware of how incredible such a proposition sounds, but I think there is a good case to be made – particularly if we take the “long game” approach.  But first, some philosophical backstory.

Many people know the game show “Wheel of Fortune,” but less know the moniker takes its genesis from ancient philosophy, perhaps most famously popularized by the medieval philosopher Boethius.  In short, Boethius maintained that people can only really know themselves after being spun to the bottom of Fortune’s wheel, so to speak.  When we are stripped of everything, we are left only with ourselves – and from that point, we can build into something even greater.

In other words, sometimes you have to hit rock-bottom, and then the only way left is up.  I believe voting for Donald Trump can help us hit the necessary political rock-bottom we must achieve in order for us to build up something better.

For years, my votes for third-party candidates have not led to anything particularly fruitful.  There is still not a viable third-party in this country, on equal standing with the Democrats and Republicans.  So that strategy hasn’t worked.  Doesn’t that indicate the need for a new approach?

I’ve never seen a political party imploding on itself as is the current case with the GOP. I think the destruction of a major political party could be just the catalyst we need to find ourselves in a new place.  Voting for Trump, in my view, adds some kerosene to the flames.

Some people on the right have suggested voting for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president.  This is a failed strategy.  If they vote for Johnson, their flirtation with the Libertarians will be over.  Clinton will win, and next time around, Trump will no longer be the candidate, so there will be no need for the Libertarian “protest vote.”

If Clinton wins, I don’t think it would be as bad, in the short term, as a Trump presidency, but the status quo will be maintained. (Everyone who “felt the Bern” will be left with the same thing they had before he ever walked onto the national scene.)  That status quo is much more damning, long term, I think, than the short term tragedy of a Trump presidency.  So what happens if we vote Trump?

Will things get better?  Will he “make America great again”? I sincerely doubt it. But I’m not proposing anyone vote Trump because we believe he’s capable of doing anything productive (at least not directly).  His productivity comes through the destruction of the Republican Party, and the hope for what that means with regard to the future of our country’s party structure.  Maybe, just maybe, the destruction of a major party catalyzes the opportunity for more than one to take its place.  More voices and more choices is good for our country.

We still have a long road ahead of us till November, so I’m curious if anyone can convince me to change my mind.  Until such time, I think voting for Trump, as incredible as that sounds, may actually be the best move for thinking about the long game.

[The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition does not endorse political candidates. This op-ed is the opinion of the authors only. Thanks for reading Streetvibes.]

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