The folks over at /r/The_Donald just asked "why are you voting for hilary"

And i've held off on commenting over there, because they're awful. But today, i don't know why, I wrote out a long response. Just to see. Immediately banned, of course. They don't want dialogue, they just want to scream. But i figured i'd post it over here instead. Didn't want all that writing to go to waste I guess.

so do you want an actual answer? Or do you want to continue your circlejerk over here? I'm sure i'll be banned and this comment will be downvoted and ignored, because it doesn't fit the narrative. But shit, I have an answer.

Hilary is a proven politician with experience in international affairs and a decent track record on many progressive issues (and a terrible track record on others). Heck, she HAS a political track record. She walked the fucking walk. Yea, sometimes she fell, sometimes she walked in circles, but she has been involved in the governing of our country for years, and despite constant mud slinging and baseless accusations, nothing the GOP has thrown at her has stuck. She is no more corrupt than the rest of the washington establishment. Sure, shes's corrupt. But the email thing? Benghazi? Smear campaigns that blow minor issues into frothing cauldrons of rage. Our government has spent more time and money investigating benghazi than 9.11. I don't get it. I don't understand the hatred. It's like hugh laurie said the other day - I missed the part where she burned down the orphanage. And before you come in here with 'she murdered this guy' or 'she leaked this state secret' or whatever. Just think about it. Ask yourself, why do you hate her so fucking much?

Look, i'm a democrat by default. My personal politics skew much further left - but this is a shitty system that throws up shitty candidates. That's how the two party system (and first past the post) works. However, I understand that in the real world, we make difficult choices. I don't think Hilary is a great candidate. Heck, she's barely a good one.

But, most importantly, for many people, including myself. she isn't trump. She behaves like an adult. She behaves like a politician. She speaks for business as usual - which to many people is FAR superior to the kind of mindless, ill conceived, poorly thought rhetoric spouted in this subreddit and by The donald himself. She has actual fucking positions on issues, with facts and numbers and plans to back them up. She doesn't claim she'll pull 30 million jobs out of thin air, or build a 8 billion dollar wall with someone else's money. She doesn't insult women regularly, and then claim she respects them more than anyone on the planet She doesn't threaten to sue anyone who speaks ill of her. She doesn't call mexicans rapists, or imply that all african americans live in the inner city and are constantly in danger of being shot on the way to the store. Heck, she doesn't lump all people of a specific heritage into a single group just to demonize them. Do you guys understand how racist and shitty and stupid that kind of rhetoric is? Do you see how you look to anyone with a modicum of sense looking at you from the outside? She understands that the real world is a complex, shitty place, and that real world problems require complex, often shitty solutions. Yea, TPP is fucking terrible - Hilary isn't going to fucking pass it herself. It's a large, complex issue with numerous state and corporate entities working to make it happen. Yes, i'd love it for marijuana to be legalized on the federal level, but now that corporations realize they can make money from it, it'll happen soon enough. But for the love of all that is good in the world, i'd prefer four more years of moderate democratic centrism to four years of proto fascist* demagoguery. I don't want a real estate tycoon with poor impulse control to be in charge of the country. I'd much prefer a politician with real world governing experience.

Imagine this is a fucking job interview. Who do you choose to fill the position? The candidate with relevant work experience, glowing references and a portfolio of work in their chosen field - even if you don't particularly like them personally? Or the candidate who is transferring from an unrelated field, who claims work experience they don't have, who lies about lying about their qualifications and whose portfolio is suspiciously empty of peer vetted work?

looks guys. I know it was a waste of time to write this. I know i'm not gonna change anyone's mind. But hey, thanks for asking, you helped me really nail down my reasoning. So uh, good job! Now let's go make America great. Not again. Let's be better than we were before. Let's not go backwards. Behind us is a history of racism and oppression. Let's move forwards.

*i fucking know what fascism is, and I honestly believe much of donald's rhetoric pulls from that tradition. Appeals to a mythical past, xenophobia/vilification of 'the other' as the cause of societal ills, a healthy dose of nationalism, etc.