I voted for Donald Trump in this, my first presidential election.  Now, before you start lumping me in that “basket of deplorables,” know that this was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make–right up there with which colleges I will apply to.  And, don’t dismiss me with the idea that I voted with my parents; you see they are independents/unaffiliated voters and bonafide “news junkies.”  No, I would not come to my presidential choice easily and would be challenged at every step to defend my choice by family, friends, even teachers.

You see, I was “for” Hillary Clinton in 2008 (my mother bought me a campaign T-shirt) and was bitterly disappointed she did not get the Democratic nomination.  I was in 4th grade and all about the “girl power,” keep in mind I also loved unicorns and Harry Potter’s Hermione.  So, this election would be important; however, I had no idea what a wild ride it would be!  In my eyes neither candidate seemed right, it came down to picking my best bad option.

This election had me going back and forth, I had to research my candidates thoroughly and there was a lot of material.  Initially I was leaning towards Hillary–in keeping with my “girl power” days.  But then the email scandal and her denials and constantly changing story made me reconsider.  The thought of voting for Trump still nauseated me, every time I turned on the TV there seemed to be some new and outrageous thing he had done or said.  My options were by far the worst–in my opinion I either voted for a liar or a pig.

Surprisingly, it was an article in the OP/ED section of the Wall Street Journal in mid-October that turned me over to the “dark side.”  Professor David Gelernter, a professor at Yale, wrote about “Trump and the Emasculated Voter;” essentially laying out a half page argument that the political elite from both major parties had stopped listening to the voters.  And, this was the analogy he used, “Mr. Trump’s candidacy is a message from the voters.  He is the empty gin bottle they have chosen to toss through the window.”  Professor Gelernter had me at “empty gin bottle.”

I realized that we were going to have to completely kick over the table and elect a total outsider if we were going to see any meaningful change in this country.  With a sigh I realized that I would not be able to vote for the establishment candidate just to see our first woman president in office.  I would choose the pig. So I threw my empty gin bottle into the ballot box and hoped for the best–I didn’t think he would actually win.