I usually shy away from all political talk because I have no interest in the depressing, all-hope-is-lost, everything-has-gone-wrong-with-our-country attitude that tends to follow most political rants. Here, I will end on a positive note. So don’t worry.

I’ve been thinking for many weeks that I should write about why I’m pro Evan McMullin. I wasn’t excited to take the time and effort required to write down all my thoughts but I can’t shake the pressing need. I want to get them out of my head.

During the presidential nomination process I had ZERO interest in ANY of the candidates. All buffoons. All dreary. All phony. None of these people made me feel good.

I knew very early on that I wasn’t going to vote for any of those people in November. I knew that somehow, a different candidate would enter the race and it would be the person I’d select in the booth. Sure enough, weeks later, my impression came true (as they often do).

Finally! Here is a candidate who isn’t extreme in his political and social views (unless you count moderate as extreme, which it seems you can these days) and who reflects my own political and social philosophies. Here is a candidate I can support while holding my head up high. Here is a candidate for whom I don’t have to make sorry excuses.

Evan McMullin gives me hope in our system and hope in our country. That is probably the thing I like most about him and his running mate Mindy Finn. They are NOT trying to win power with fear. They are NOT trying to win power with deception. They ARE running a campaign based on America’s inalienable rights and moral principles.

Thanks to the phenomenal success of Evan’s campaign, conservative (which carries a “moderate” or “middle-of-the-road” definition in the dictionary) Americans now have a voice that can’t be ignored, but heard.

Here are my rebuttals to the top 4 arguments against voting for McMullin.

4- He entered too late in the game.

So? So what? The point is that the other candidates aren’t living up to Americans’ expectations and many of us would feel dirty voting for either one of them. No one else wanted to take a stand, instead cowering.

Evan entered the race as soon as he realized no one else would do it. He followed a perfectly legal and viable course onto the ballet. He acted in order to give us the option to vote our conscience. Thank you, Evan. I will!

3- He doesn’t have any leadership experience.

This is such a week argument. Leadership experience has no correlation with leadership skill. Zero. Leaders inspire, guide, are courageous, and set a good example to those they are leading.

How can you call either of the other two candidates leaders? They are divisive, mean-hearted, and most of the population can’t even stand listening to them talk. How can you expect them to lead an entire nation successfully?

The traits of true leadership can be innate but more often they are learned and fostered through:

A) Serving alongside and for their fellow man.
B) Having the decency to empathize with and listen to others’ concerns and opinions.
C) Being brave enough to stand up for what’s right, even in the face of adversity.

2- He’s a Mormon.

Sure, but at least he isn’t a criminal, a fraud, a liar, or a power-hungry dictator. BOTH of the other two candidates are ALL of those things.

As for the “Utah is only voting for him because he is Mormon” argument? Come on. Give us more credit than that. I promise we would vote for an atheist who conducted himself or herself with dignity, trustworthiness, and compassion over a so-called Christian who does not. We are fully aware that people not of our own religion have high morals and principles. It just happens that the other two candidates running for President DO NOT.

1- He will take away votes from Trump, essentially giving the election to Clinton.

To the most often-used argument against voting for McMullin, I just roll my eyes. (I’ve rolled my eyes so much this election season that I’m surprised I’m not blind!)

Since when did fear trump faith? Since when did cowardice become the right thing? Since when did voting for a decent and qualified person become wrong?

Yes, I know. You hate Hilary. Blah, blah, blah. Well, I hate clams. Does that mean I should eat oysters instead? No. Both deplorable. I can’t stomach either one. In fact, they both make me ill. Since when did one disgusting thing become better than another disgusting thing? Wait. It hasn’t.

“But, wait!” you say. “At least Trump promises to elect Republican justices into the Supreme Court.”

Great…more far right, extremely polarizing judges that are unwilling to take into consideration the other half of the country. That’s not my aspiration for us.

Besides, Trump was a democrat until just a couple of years ago when he decided to exploit your own fears for his benefit. And it’s working! What makes you think he will make good decisions for you? He has always and will always continue to look out for his #1. There is absolutely no track record of him doing otherwise.

“But, wait!” you say. “Giving power to Clinton will do much more harm for our country than if power was given to Trump.” How do you know this? Has he given you any REAL reason to trust him other than him telling you that you should? No, not even one. You have no idea what that man is capable of doing other than lying and groping and making himself rich and the butt of every joke.

The Result
None of these arguments stand up against thought and scrutiny. The only thing left to stand on is an unrelenting (not unfounded, mind you) hatred for Hilary. But why should your hatred for her nullify an affirmative vote for a presidential candidate with principles and values? The SAME principles values that YOU live by every day. Shouldn’t that person be rewarded with your support and not your cold shoulder? It only makes complete sense.

If you truly feel like either Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton is the best person to be the President of the United States, then you should vote for that person. Really. But if you are just voting for someone because of one of these weak arguments, then take some time to think about what you really want for our country. Do you want a short-sighted strategical “fix” or a long-lasting movement toward a more unified democracy?

My goal in voting for Evan is to add my voice, along with millions of others across the country, saying that I am ready for a third party. I am not interested in the views of the extreme left OR the extreme right. I am not interested in letting only big money talk. I am not interested in deciding between two corrupt sides.

What I AM interested in doing is supporting a grassroots campaign that is TRULY needed in this country. One which represents a huge variety of middle-ground views. One that takes the BEST ideas from each party and puts them together in one big, delicious potluck dinner party (oxymoron?). After all, isn’t our country a beautiful crockpot of individuals and families? One giant casserole of thoughts and experiences and hopes? Why, yes. YES we are!

It’s high time we stood up, proud to be different than our negative stereotypes. We all have so much good in us and we deserve a President who reflects that goodness.

I promise, no matter which major party candidate wins the election (if one does), I won’t feel like I’ve lost. I feel so much satisfaction with the momentum we are gaining. It’s a movement I am proud to say I’ve been excited about from day one. I will continue to be proud in the ensuing years when the long-term positive repercussions of Evan McMullin’s stand will be seen and felt.

I’m hopeful we will all remember “that one year” when the two-party system broke down and a third party finally broke barriers. One day soon I will be proud to call that party my own!

Endnote: I’ve purposefully left religion and God out of this discussion because although I do believe it has a place, I want others to know: (1) That it is not a factor in why I or anyone else should vote for McMullin; (2) I do believe in a separation of Church and State; and (3) I know everyone has different theological beliefs (or non-beliefs) and it doesn’t change McMullin’s core message of inalienable rights and leading a nation founded on principles.