I know this will cause a lot of heavy breathing and stomping of feet but I think Colleen McCrum of Christendom College has written a worthy piece and made good arguments. These should be seriously considered because a lot is at stake. I could brush it all off and say, “I am almost 62 years old and in a decade or two will be with the Lord so I really don’t care that much.” But, I have four kids and twelve grandkids so I DO care and will vote to prove it.
I could also say, “I am too principled to vote for a non-Catholic who has held various positions in the past and is a bit of a wild card.” But I realize we can never have a perfect person running for president — and politics is, and always has been, the art of compromise and choosing the best options that are presented to us.
Here is my blog I posted weeks ago. It is also worth a read based on British historian Paul Johnson who argues: When Excess is a Virtue…Why America Needs Trump. I agree with him completely.
Another article with lots of details, consequences and reasons why a vote for Trump is so important: Why Voting for Trump is a Morally Good Choice. Don’t criticize until you have read this whole article. It will explain why for the sake of my grandkids we will support and vote for Trump.
1.) He’s not Hillary Clinton.
We know exactly who she is, what she is, what she stands for, and can pretty well guess what she will do to our country. We can’t risk her getting into office.
If you can’t vote for Trump, vote against Hillary. The only realistic way to do this is by voting for Trump, since he is the only candidate that has a chance against her.
2.) He might pass and protect pro-life laws.
While we know for sure that Hillary will push the corrupt Planned Parenthood down our throats every chance she gets, and she will keep abortion-providing Obamacare in place, Trump is a bit of an unknown with the potential for being pro-life. That is, he claims to be pro-life, and it’s worth the leap of faith on this one. He has said, “Public funding of abortion providers is an insult to people of conscience at the least and an affront to good governance at best.”
3.) Voting for an imperfect man is not a sin.
I have taken philosophy and theology classes since 8th grade. I mention that to lend myself some credibility, not to imply expertise in the subjects. But I studied them enough to know that neither Aquinas nor Aristotle ever said that the ruling sovereign has to be a saint. I understand that lending someone your vote is a big deal, and it is preferable to have a candidate you really believe in. Many people do really believe in Trump, and so this might not be an issue for you. But if you have reservations, I would ask you to consider that:
4.) Voting for a third-party in this presidential election = a vote for Hillary Clinton.
Recent polls have shown Trump ahead by a couple points. He has a chance in this election, so every vote counts.
I’m sympathetic to the ideals of third-party candidates, Libertarians, and Independents. It’s a democracy, anyone should be able to win. We have a rigged system right now, which only allows Republicans or Democrats to realistically win. However, the way to further these other parties is in local elections, and ongoing campaigns. Fuel the fire during the off-season, not during the presidential race! Be realists, not idealists. We have to work with what we have.
5.) There will likely be several Supreme Court spots opening up.
The president is in charge of appointing the Supreme Court justices. With Hilary, we know the type of person she would nominate. With Trump, we might have a chance of getting better people in.
There is a vacant seat right now. There have been rumors about Justice Thomas retiring this year. Ginsburg is already 83, and Kennedy will be turning 80. Breyer is 77. The record age for a Supreme Court Justice was 90; the average being closer to 80. We’ll probably be looking at a few new Justices this term and the next. (Don’t forget there is already discussion that Hillary could appoint Obama as a judge.)
6.) Ben Carson endorsed him.
As Carson said, “It’s not about Mr. Trump. This is about America.” Carson is a Christian and a man of character, and a week after dropping out of the race, he took the time to vouch for the character of Trump. He said, “Some people have gotten the impression that Donald Trump is this person who is not malleable, who does not have the ability to listen, and to take information in and make wise decisions. And that’s not true. He’s much more cerebral than that.”
7.) In the interest of our religious freedoms.
The government is slowly stripping our country of religious freedom. Across the United States, crosses are being labeled as gang symbols, Catholic business owners are being pressured to provide abortion access to their employees, and believing in the beauty of marriage is becoming equivalent to hating gay people. In the past 8 years, under Obama, our country has already changed.
We can’t risk another 8 under a similar president.
8.) He is a successful business man.
Our economy could use some expertise in that area. I know he’s had some bumps in the road, but there is a possibility he could bring good ideas to our economy.
9.) He hurt my feelings; I’m still voting for him.
Many of the objections I hear, and made myself (earlier on in the race), against Trump include: he’s cocky, he’s racist, he’s sexist, he’s a joke, he’s not smart enough. The majority of these claims come from statements he has made, not actions.
10.) He’s not Hillary Clinton.
As you may be able to tell, my motivation for writing this is mainly that I know some Catholics are having a hard time deciding whether or not to vote for him. He is not my ideal candidate by any stretch of the imagination. However, I think he’s decent in many ways, and ultimately better than his opposition. For me, that is enough, and I hope you will end up deciding that as well.
This Post Has 21 Comments
There are lots of things about Trump that I don’t like, but, for many of the reasons enumerated above, I will vote for him. I would crawl over broken glass and razor blades wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts to vote against Hilary Clinton.
Right on, Mr. Ray! Right on!
Any Catholic who has any sense of the Faith knows abortion is a mortal sin. Any Catholic who votes for a pro-abortion candidate has cooperated with that sin . Here are the classic ways you can be guilty of cooperation with another’s sin:
1. By counsel (to give advice, opinion or instructions.)
2. By command (to demand or order, such as in the military.)
3. By consent (to give permission, approval, agreement)
4. By provocation
5. By praise or flattery (to cheer, to applaud, to commend.)
6. By concealment (to hide the action, to cover-up.)
7. By partaking .
8. By silence ( remaining quiet.)
9. By defense of the ill done (to justify, to argue in favor.)
I might add – to give cooperation includes the scandal of freely and willfully giving the Eucharist to a known public and unrepentant sinner.
I understand and agree that some people may vote for Mr. Trump as the lesser of two evils (points 1 and 3). But I have to disagree slightly with a couple of the other points.
# 2 – Passing laws is the responsibility of the Congress. It’s easy to forget this since we’ve had a bit of a do-nothing Congress for a while. We need to ensure that regardless of who wins the White House, that the House and Senate remain under the control of Republicans who will hold true to conservative principles.
#4 – Most states are so solidly red or blue that a 3rd party vote will have no effect on the outcome for that state (which is what matters; not the national tally). It’s a different story f you happen to live in one of a handful of swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Florida.
#5 – Like point #2, the President doesn’t have unilateral authority when picking Supreme Court justices, and likewise we need to ensure the Senate is in control of conservatives who will block extreme judicial appointments.
I agree with these, beyond tgese, the best reason by far is one I haven’t heard much. We’re getting a sucky president anyway, but at least Trump keeps things entertaining and is not deadly boring like Hillary.
Are you kidding me with this? This man is absolutely hateful towards immigrants (except his wives, plural!), and he's racist, sexist, and greedy. He says things that are so beneath what our country represents that he shouldn't be a serious contender for any office, let alone the presidency. Don't make the mistake of voting for Hitler 2.0 based on the single issue of abortion, which he hasn't really talked much about, so are we even sure where he stands on that? Vote for whomever you think the best candidate is, but seriously, he's not it. Literally anyone but trump. The pope doesn't like him. Are you going to argue with the pope?
STEVE RAY HERE:
I moderate my messages and I’m allowing yours for instructional purposes so that people can see how bizarre some people actually think. Your thoughts are bazaar, radical, unfair and hysterical and it shows that you do not think rationally about this at all. And yes, I do disagree with this pope on a number of things including his talk opening borders of countries and allowing radical Muslims to invade the west. I also think it’s a little disingenuous that he talks about no borders when the Vatican has the biggest wall around it of any country in the world. I like a lot of what the pope says and I respect him as a successor of Peter, but that does not mean that I have to agree with a lot of the problematic statements he makes. You, by the way, reading a lot into at the pope says because he does not criticize Trump. He said he didn’t even know who Trump was he was just making a general statement. So you have to be much more careful how you word things in the future or you lose your own credibility.
I will never vote for Trump. He has no experience, he seems to have no idea what he talks about, and some of his policies don't make any sense at all. My last post, which took a very long time to write wasn't approved because it actually presented a REAL AND ACCURATE argument AGAINST Trump.
STEVE RAY HERE: No, I did not allow it because it was not true and full of innuendos and info obviously from hostile sources. It was not grounded in reality and was 100% in disagreement. One thing about owning your own blog — you can keep nonsense off of it.
I’ve long voiced my opinion that it’s a sad state of affairs when our rationale for who to vote for becomes ‘anybody but the other guy/gal”, but we’ve had 8 years of the Clintons and know what type of experiences to expect should she get elected and I want none of it. I think the above discussion of the effect of voting independant in a “red” or “blue” state has merit I hadn’t thought of. Personally, I think one of the best reasons to consider Trump is because of the horrible way our ridiculous media attacks him. Too simplistic, I know, but it’s a point in his favor in my book….
Marco Rubio was my candidate and I wrote against Trump But now I find myself defending him The viscous press is biased against him The “true ” conservative Republicans some with their tail
between their legs and hurt feelings are not true to their promises or to the Republican party
How can they think that it doesn’t matter if Hillary is elected as long as they control congress Hillary can do much damage especially in the supreme court.
I vote for Trump because of the Supreme court and the possibility of repealing the Johnson amendment He’s the only one I ever remember mentioning it.
I wrote a reply to her / you on my website here: http://sardonicexcuria.blogspot.com/2016/08/roman-catholics-and-trump.html.
I am not convinced by the reasons given for voting for him. However, I will take a look at the other posts to which you link, as well.
I am Catholic & find this article/link preposterous and with such narrow-minded type of reasoning for favoring such candidate. Be that as it may I respect your opinion do us all a favor please do not drag nor include religion with your political views. We are free to vote whoever we want and voice our opinions but again please leave the "Catholic" out of it as it doesn't belong there. Additionally, in my opinion this article/link below is one of the my reasons for not choosing to vote for your candidate. I repeat I am Catholic, I'm pro life, I'm against capital punishment and I was at a funeral Mass with VP candidate, Senator Tim Kaine last week so together with him, the Kennedys' the Bidens' the Pelosis' the Kerrys' SC justices Clarence Thomas & Sotomayor I'm sure you know who those Catholics are supporting this Nov.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/opinion/sunday/donald-trump-is-making-america-meaner.html?referer=http://m.facebook.com
STEVE RAY HERE: I am voting for Trump because he is going to be more pro-life and protect the freedoms of our country more than the Democrats. I find your reasoning preposterous and those who vote for Hillary and the pro death abortion camp are not practicing their Christian faith. I will always bring my Catholic faith into politics and the reason our country is in such a mess as it is is because Catholics like you are voting improperly. Biden, Pelosi and camp should be ashamed for calling themselves Catholic and for defying the teachings of the caps on Catholic Church. I can’t wait for the day there excommunicated.
Voting for Trump????? Have you really watched his rallies?
STEVE RAY HERE: from the very beginning my wife and I decided we were voting “not Hillary” whoever was the candidate opposed to her. Donald Trump is the Republican candidate and the Republican platform is solid and conservative. He’s already told us the excellent judges he will choose, defend gun rights and get our economy back on track. If anyone can do it he can. Yes, I’m voting for Trump and encourage everyone else to do so too. to not vote or to waste your vote on a third-party is the same as a vote for Hillary. Are you really going to vote for Hillary???
Have you watched his rallies? And you still want to vote for Trump?
STEVE RAY HERE: yes, I’ve watched his rallies and I read what is written. He is the pro-life candidate, the one who will pick the best judges for the Supreme Court will be in there for 30 years. Hillary will appoint Obama is a Supreme Court justice. Yes I am for trump he is the best choice. From the very beginning we decided to vote “against Hillary” and even if I didn’t like trump as a person I’d still vote for him against the pro-abortion, big spending Hillary. She’s anti-American Constitution. If you don’t vote or if you vote third-party you will be voting for Hillary whether you realize it or not. Are you willing to vote for Hillary???
If this election were a choice between good and better (an option I have never seen, and I'm 62), it would be no big deal who won; if better lost, atleast we would have good. But this choice is between bad and worse, so it is vital to make sure that worse loses.
And here's one that y'all will probably say is media fraud & sponsored by the liberals. I think no matter what, we're all being duped & it all boils down to who's the better choice? But I think I know how our mind works…we will continue to believe in whatever we want to believe but remember politics isn't religion wherein we have mysteries that we continue to believe as truth and that's what we call faith but it's difficult to have faith in these politicians as their job involves lying it's just a matter of "who's lying more?" People from his own Republican Party are surely backing away from him because they know what type of a con man he is. If he has decency & integrity I would think one wouldn't change their positions on major issues from one interview to another during a course of say 8 years??? but these days it seems like he keeps changing day to day. Wonder what he'll really do when/if he's elected?
http://bipartisanreport.com/2016/02/06/suspicions-confirmed-trumps-campaign-was-a-pre-planned-con-job/
STEVE RAY HERE: People like you are taking the Liberal bait – hook, line and sinker. They want the election to be about Trump and not the issues. WAKE UP!!! This is about issues: the Supreme Court, abortion, religious freedom… Wake up. It will be Trump or Hillary and Trump-Pence is the only choice.
Shows how narrow minded you are. Where's my YouTube link? Bet you must be sick to your stomach to see your candidates view…..real views several years ago. He's a real good actor , entertainer alright. In Mr Bloomberg's words, "I know a con when I see one." And you're believing him "hook, line & sinker." Who's kidding who? Politician's are all liars but on top of being one he's a lunatic too, so I'll take a liar versus a liar & lunatic. More difficult to control those ones except with a straight jacket and some drugs.
STEVE RAY HERE: do you really think I’m going to allow garbage on my blog? Some people are so gullible and naïve, you seem to be in this class, that you allow the secular media to inform you and to twist your views to fall for anything. There’s no way I’m going to give you a voice and a bully pulpit on my blog. F rankly, I like Donald Trump and I like his political incorrectness and his being willing to say what he thinks because we have all become a bunch of pansies in this country. It’s about time somebody stands up and speaks his mind. Hillary rarely speaks the truth or her mind and when she does she demonstrates sees a slave all of the donors that she is subservient to. People like you fall for it pandering to the political correctness of this country. Shame on you. Yes, I know what Trump says and I still like him. He is the best hope for this country since we will have either him or Hillary. You better wake up! I am currently in Poland watching where this country was suppressed by political correctness, lack of freedom, and lack of respect for human life. You’re going to bring the same kind of thing into our country. Shame on you. And you call yourself a Catholic?!?!
Thank you for writing this article, Steve Ray.
It makes good sense to me.
I am Roman Catholic, pro-life, wife, mother, grand-mother and patriot.
I was hoping Cruz would be the Republican Nominee.
I will be voting for Trump now.
Mr Ray,
Thank you for reaffirming the truth.
Trump is the best option for we catholics. We as Catholics need to vote PRO LIFE nad PROFAMILY.
Trump will protect these two.
Hillary , the Obamas , the Pelosis , the Bidens , Harru Reid atc . All this Camp along with Gerge SOROS will destroy them.
Please Catholics VOTE TRUMP. Our Salvation is in play this Elleccion.
Dear Lord.
I understand that Donald Trump is not the perfect candidate. However. I am able to see some truly positive things in him. He truly seems to care about the country.
Hillary, however, is not that same story. There is no doubt in my mind she only cares about herself. She is also radically pro- abortion. If wikileaks are to be believed, she is planning something sinister for us Catholics.
Lastly, her hypocrisy in regards to women is appalling. She had harassed Bill’s rape victims. As well as taking money from countries known for their abuse of women.
As such, Lod, I beg you. May it be with in your will for trump to be elected. Please, this for the sake of our country, the pro life movement, the Catholic Church in America, and the victims of the Clintons.
May Trump’s victory be you will.
Amen.
I am Catholic to the backbone, as was my father's family for a thousand years. But I do not support President Trump's treatment of asylum seekers at the border when he ordered that their children be taken from the parents' arms.
This was an abominable act. It is also un-American. There is no excuse for the torment that the littles have been placed under at Trump's command.
I stand against him and for the asylum parents who want to be reunited with their children. Thanks for allowing me to speak here.
STEVE RAY HERE: Unhappily, it seems you’ve been poorly misinformed about the facts. I have found a whole anti-Trump narrative promoted in the mainstream media to besmirch the president. The real truth is out there if you care to dig a bit. Glad you’re Catholic. My family did not have Catholicism and I’ve only discovered it in the last 25 years and I’m happy to do so. God bless you!
“…when he ordered that their children be taken from the parents’ arms.”
Actually, it was President Obama who ordered that.
Comments are closed.