For decades, liberals and minority communities have asserted that conservatism is about suppressing minority groups. And for decades, conservatives have responded with “It’s not about hate, it’s about ___________.” The blank could be filled in with law and order, upholding the sanctity of marriage, keeping women safe or various other things.
The problem is most conservatives now back Donald Trump, a man who doesn’t care about any of the excuses. So if you’re a conservative and honestly, genuinely believe that your party and ideology aren’t about hatred and intolerance at their core, you should probably vote for almost literally anyone else.
Let’s start with the “sanctity of marriage,” the ostensible reason that the religious right has been unwilling to let LGBTQ people marry (even though “individual rights” and “small government” are other Republican ideals). It’s hard to keep a straight face and say that marriage is between one man and one woman when voting for a twice-divorced man who has bragged about sexual assault and been accused of it by over a dozen women.
Oh, and the whole “HB2 and anti-trans laws are about protecting women and children” thing is also harder to say when voting for Trump. For instance, Trump has admitted to (and been accused of) walking into a changing room for teenagers to ogle the girls in it. Yet, for some reason, no Republicans have called to ban Trump in public facilities. He’s even objectified his own (underage) daughters, and suddenly the “LGBT acceptance is a slippery slope to incest and pedophilia” argument is nowhere to be heard.
Others have already documented how the morality of public figures was a big deal during the Clinton and Bush years, but suddenly most white Evangelicals don’t believe that to be true when Donald Trump, an actual sexual assaulter who has admitted to never asking God for forgiveness, is on the ballot.
It’s hard to say that opposition to abortion and birth control aren’t about women when the top of your ticket is a man who has praised Planned Parenthood but called women “fat pigs.”
The “balancing the budget” rhetoric falls apart the moment you support a man who wants to add trillions to the debt.
It’s hard to claim you’re for religious liberty when you’re willing to vote for a man who wants to register all Muslims.
Cries of “I’m not racist” fall flat when you’re voting for someone who made headlines discriminating against black tenants and who kicks black supporters out of his rallies on the assumption that they’re protesters and thugs.
The defense that it’s not racism but “law and order” comes under scrutiny when backing a man who wants to imprison his political opponents, has refused to say he’ll concede if defeated and has joked about cancelling elections, the very foundations of peaceful transition of power and the rule of law.
And you can’t claim to be a “constitutional conservative” when backing a man who wants to gut the First Amendment’s protections of the press.
I could go on. Trump’s done a number of despicable things that violate typical Republican platitudes. And even the fact that he got this far is proof that, for a large group of Republicans, it always was about bigotry and fear and hatred. The excuses just made it sound acceptable.
But if you’re a conservative and honestly, genuinely, believe that your stance is about individual freedom, fiscal restraint and the rule of law, then you still have a chance. Vote against Trump. I don’t care if it’s for Hillary Clinton, Evan McMullin, Gary Johnson or Kermit the Frog. Because otherwise, you’re not only endorsing an ideology of fear and hatred, but admitting that it’s yours. Because if Trump dominates the Republican and conservative vote like a typical nominee, it will be an undeniable sign that the “values” never mattered to the party; what mattered was the opportunity it gave to kick someone else while they were down.
If you truly can’t support sexism, racism or Islamophobia, then don’t support them on Nov. 8.