All of the responses to my request were very informative and have already challenged me to think differently about things. While this poll wasn’t scientific, the responses I got are all very valuable.
Without further ado, here are your uncensored thoughts:
Vote: Hillary Clinton
She has a wealth of experience with government, foreign policy and a proven track record of advocating for kids, families, the disabled and minorities.
She is in favor of paid family leave, LGBT rights, equal pay for women, keeping higher education affordable.
She is generally respected abroad and would work collaboratively on foreign policy.
Vote: Donald Trump
I voted for Trump for multiple reasons: I believe that much of the way he acted throughout his campaign was a persona he used to gain the attention of voters that might not have paid attention to politics in the past, I disagree with Hillary on nearly every point in her platform (abortion, gun control, and marriage to name a few), I do agree with Trump on those specific points and more, I think it will be valuable to have a president who made his own fortune through entrepreneurship rather than a career politician, I also believe that Trump is more dedicated to upholding the true integrity of the Constitution – more specifically the Bill of Rights – and that will help America get back on track to the America it used to be.
Vote: Hillary Clinton
She is incredibly qualified for the job with all of the experience she has in politics, and I would have been proud to have her represent our country in the international sphere. She also prioritizes women’s and children’s issues, which I think is important, and would have done everything she could to slow down America’s environmental footprint. She is a superior candidate to the alternative in just about every way, and I am really ready for our first female president.
Vote: Gary Johnson
I agreed most with his politics and my conscience would never have let me vote for either Trump or Clinton.
Vote: Hillary Clinton
I am against the harmful rhetoric of Trump.
Vote: No Vote
I didn’t vote because I didn’t think either candidate was worthy of a vote for various reasons and I knew a third party vote would be useless. But both of my parents voted for Trump: my father and my mother both did because of the email scandal surrounding Hillary, and my mother also did not like her stance on abortion. Now mind you, neither of my parents are what I would consider “educated” voters. They voted based off of what the heard on the news and in other media outlets.
Vote: Hillary Clinton
I voted for Hillary Clinton because I felt she had the most relevant experience to know how to lead our country successfully in our global culture and economy. Side note: I realize now that many people voted for Donald Trump essentially because he lacks the experience Hillary Clinton has, which they feel is a positive because of the desire for an anti-establishment approach to the presidency. I also support her and the democratic party’s platforms (at least support them more than I support the republican party’s platforms) on many of the “social” issues such as healthcare, a woman’s right to choose, LBGTQ rights and immigration.
Vote: Donald Trump
Thoughts:
People want to know why or how Trump won. Here is what I see.
- 8-9 years ago we said Obama was campaigning on lies. We were called Racists! You attacked us!
- When our President took his oath of office, he swore to uphold the laws of this country. We called him out for ignoring immigration laws. People called us racists and bigots!
- We told people that Affordable Care Act was going to be a failure. You called us racists and bigots!
- When POTUS took the side of thugs over that of the cops, we were attacked as un-American for supporting cops! Meanwhile the racial divide grew exponentially! I even witnessed African Americans who agreed and they would be called Uncle Toms!
- In the time I grew up if a embassy had fallen under attack we would have done something. Even if it was too late we would have gone in to save anyone we could have! When we called this out we were bashed and told what difference does it make!
- People watched the media that had corporate people married to staff members of our President! Yet we were told there is no bias there!
- I watched President Bush get attacked almost weekly for needing to work together with the other side to get things done yet never heard one word of this said to this POTUS! If you dared mention anything someone was right there to attack you!
- We saw Hillary Clinton lie to the victims families about a video and no response from her supporters! People said your bashing her cause she is a women!
- Members of our military are in prison for any failure regarding classified information, yet Hillary does it and you act like its no big difference!
- I was told that a man who feels like a women can go into my daughters bathroom, cause that’s what they should be allowed to do! If I say anything then I hate the LGBT community instead of just feeling common sense says we shouldn’t allow this. Yet these same people are completely embarrassed by Mr Trumps actions but yet we have to allow potential molesters in bathrooms!
I have never been so embarrassed by the double standard in my country. This only scratches the surface of discord I have felt. People probably won’t believe this but I was not a Trump supporter, but felt I had no choice but to vote to stop the insanity! The best quote I have seen over this time is how liberals are such advance thinkers and so open, but truth be told they only care, IF you agree with them. If not your a Racist, bigot, homophobic, Christian American Enemy!
To that point know people are questioning how they raise their children with this man as President, instead of saying how did I raise my children for the last 8 years?
Vote: Hillary Clinton
As a moderate Democrat, I knew I’d be voting for Hillary since before she started her campaign, so it didn’t take much to win me over. Economic policies like a higher tax structure on the highest earners, social policies that reaffirmed my LGBT friends, and foreign policies that emphasized building trust with other nations were all exactly what I was looking for.
Also, her opponent was an admitted sexual assaulter, has a history of discriminating against black people, and displayed a frankly astounding level of ignorance at every stage of the campaign. That didn’t make my choice particularly difficult.
Vote: Donald Trump
I grew up extremely poor and have had to battle to get to where I am today. The economy and employment prospects are extremely limited. There have been no raises in decades. I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am and I will always vote for the economy over social issues. If we are able to support ourselves, we will be better able to help those in need. Although I do not consider myself a Republican, instead a Libertarian, the article still expresses my same sentiment.
I am pasting an article [https://cassandrahewlett.wordpress.com/2016/11/09/i-am/] below that addresses several things perfectly as well:
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I am not racist. I am not homophobic. I am not sexist. I am not a misogynist. I am for free market. I am for stronger foreign policy. I am for small business. I am for my family. I am Republican.
With the results of the presidential election stirring up a vast amount of emotions, I think it is important to clarify something: just because I am Republican does not mean I am heartless. The point of this is not to debate political policies. It is to highlight what it felt like to be a Republican college student the day after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.
On November 9th, I went to class and in every single one there was a somber attitude. Pre-lecture discussions were filled with phrases like “I am scared for our future”, “I am scared to be gay”, “How did this happen?”, and, by far the most bothersome, “People that voted for Trump are racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic selfish red necks”. Even my professors opened class with the assumption that everyone was sad about the result of the election by saying things like, “let’s not talk about last night. Ever.” or “No class on Friday. I’m house hunting in Canada.”
Well, I was not sad. While I understand that many people found the result disheartening, I am happy that the Republican party is in office for the next four years. I am happy that trade and markets will once again be free. I am happy that we are going to attack terrorism more aggressively instead of being walked all over. I am happy that jobs will be brought back into the United States. I am happy that small business owners will finally be able to reap the benefits of hard work and dedication. I am happy that I voted in my first presidential election as a Republican.
With that said, I am not racist, sexist, misogynistic, or homophobic. My parents decided to raise my siblings and me closer to the city so that we did not grow up sheltered and ignorant of the diverse world around us. I have never once felt that I could not date or befriend someone because of their race, ethnicity, or gender identity. For that, I am forever grateful to my parents for the way they raised me.
The response to this election has made me, and many other college students who voted Republican, feel that we need to hide or downplay our satisfaction over our victory because of the fear that our opposing peers will label us. That is not right. The controversy surrounding both candidates during this election took voting based on character out of the question. In my opinion, neither candidate has outstanding character.
Silencing those who simply exercised their right to vote in our free nation violates the core principles for which our country stands. I am by no means saying that those who were not happy with the results of the election do not have the right to mourn. They absolutely do. However, I am saying that those who are content with the results should feel safe in expressing their joy and optimism for the future of this country without the fear of being ostracized.
I am a Republican. I still care. I am not heartless.
~Cassie Hewlett
Vote: Evan McMullin
I wrote in Evan McMullin and voted down-ballot for Republicans.
I could not possibly support Donald Trump – I think he’s a terrible person and he is going to stain the Republican party. In addition to strongly rejecting his vulgarity and his probably sexual crimes, I think immigration is a good thing and the way he talks about immigration is very wrong. I think free trade is good and that tariffs would be disastrous. I hope the Republican senators and representatives (and the checks and balances of the Constitution) restrain his bad impulses. I hope he appoints good Cabinet members. For reference, I was a pretty vocal supporter of Marco Rubio during the primaries, and I would have been happy to vote for most of the other Republican candidates.
At the same time, I could not support Hilary Clinton. There are precisely two issues about which I cannot budge (I like to think I’m persuadable on all others, or at least smart enough to know that I don’t know which economic policy [for instance] is best, I just know what makes sense to me) – abortion and religious liberty. I believe abortion takes a fully human life – that it is murder. I cannot vote for anyone who supports it, and I struggle to understand anyone who believes (or says they believe) the same and does not act accordingly. As for religious liberty, I don’t believe the First Amendment is limited to “freedom of worship.” Religion means very little if it only means you can go worship one hour a week, but it is not allowed to guide your actions the rest of the time. I think the way that Democrats tend to treat conscience objections (by insisting they are only covers for some insidious impulse on the side of the objector) is terrifying. And federal courts often seem incapable of trusting that a religious person knows what their religion requires – that a Christian pharmacist’s opposition to dispensing Plan B pills is not a minor part of their religion, easily dismissed. That anyone’s refusal to participate in what they see as sin can and should be overridden because, after all, the cultural consensus is that they are wrong.
Vote: Hillary Clinton
Many issues are important, while neither candidate was ideal I voted for Clinton because:
She had a more educated view on global climate change. This is a real issue which Trump has and will dismiss. Unless Trump plans on speeding up the colonization process on Mars I fear just a few generations from our own there will be not much of a safe earth to live on. I’m wearing shorts in the middle of November, compared to when I was a kid 20 years ago and had to wear a winter coat. That alone is a personal observation people of all ages should be able to make as more than a warning sign.
Why I dismissed Trump’s view on pro-life vs Clinton’s pro-life? Well as a whole while an important moral/religious subject it is something that I don’t believe is going to have a big impact. While it could be reversed this term, it’ll be reversed [again] the next. It is something that I don’t mind people voting for as a reason, but should they bother with voting based on this one thing? I don’t think so.
I believe that Trump is going to leave Millennials and many people bogged down by debt, that way for the majority of their lives. While in this case Sanders (thanks DNC…) pie in the sky solution to the student debt may not of worked he would have tried something.
Those were some of the main issues I viewed, but you might get the gist. Thanks for doing this!
Vote: Donald Trump
First and foremost, I voted for Trump because his moral and ethical views align with many Republicans’. I also voted for him due to his stance on abortion and the issues that are associated with it. Finally, Trump was my choice for President because of his family-man, dependable, and stern personality.
Vote: Hillary Clinton
I voted for Hillary because she listened to the people and changed her platform to reflect the desires of her supporters after she beat Bernie in the primaries. She believes all humans are equal, no matter their religious beliefs or sexual orientation. She has lived a life of public service in the public’s very watchful eye and made mistakes. She has also learned from those mistakes and not made them again. She was the most truthful candidate from the beginning. She has experience and knows what the job requires.
Vote: No Vote
I’m one of those who didn’t vote. Maybe because I’ve never voted absentee before. Maybe because I was extremely “for” Bernie. Maybe because I’ve never been outside of the country during voting season. Maybe because I didn’t like the two candidates’ ideologies. Who knows.
Vote: Hillary Clinton
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to express my views.
I voted for Hillary because of fear; fear of the other major candidate and what it means if he wins. He said racist things, he attacked an entire religion, he roused people’s unjustified anger against immigrants, even the legal ones. He said sexist things, he did not respect rules, saying he will not concede if he did not win. He avoided paying taxes, he doesn’t appear to care about this country but only about himself, he stoked white supremacists and didn’t care what it means to people of color.
This man and his followers put fear in my heart for all minorities. [To me] he represents the worst of America.
Vote: Donald Trump
Clinton is corrupted
Vote: Gary Johnson
I dislike Hillary’s policies and I feel that she can not be trusted – especially as I have a family member in the military. While I agree with 75% of Donald Trump’s policies as laid out in his plan, I could not in good conscience vote for Donald Trump because of the risk he poses with his words and vulgar actions.
I heard over and over again that my third party vote was equivalent to voting for Trump or voting for Clinton. No. My vote was for the person I felt I could best align myself with and still follow my conscience.
I am a Christian but the hateful speech I have heard does not reflect who Christ is. But that doesn’t mean I will vote against my beliefs to promote Hillary, a woman who I believe loves America but has policies and scandals that I was unable to support her.
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