When conservatives look at the 2016 presidential election, some struggle to discern a clear choice in November. While I supported Marco Rubio in the primary, I will vote for Donald Trump in the general election. There is no other choice. The stakes are too high to allow Hillary Clinton to return to The White House, and while there are understandable questions about a Trump administration, nothing would be more detrimental to conservative values than electing Clinton as the 45th president.
It is estimated that the next president will appoint anywhere from two to four justices to the Supreme Court. Clinton would undoubtedly stack the court with liberal justices, and for generations to come the country will suffer from their flawed interpretations of the Constitution and statutory law.
In contrast, Trump has released a short list of legal minds that he would consider appointing to the Court, and the list contains the names men and women who would preserve the sanctity of the Constitution. This list includes Bill Pryor, the former Alabama attorney general who currently sits on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Another reason conservatives should vote for Trump is the constant battle over gun rights. Clinton wants to hold gun manufacturers responsible for gun violence. Think about that. Should Ford be liable for a drunk driver hurting someone?
Trump, however, is strong supporter of the right to bear arms and is even endorsed by the NRA. He would take a stand for the American citizen’s right to their guns. He appears to understands that gun violence in the U.S. is a serious problem, but that regulating law-abiding citizens isn’t the way to prevent criminal activity.
Trump’s stance on immigration has been distorted in the media. Trump has put forth some common sense proposals, including stemming the flow of immigrants from certain problematic areas. Is it practical to deport every illegal immigrant currently in the U.S.? Of course not, but it should be a priority of the next president to deport every illegal immigrant who has committed a serious crime while in the United States.
ISIS has announced that it plans to infiltrate these immigrant groups to send terrorists into our country to attack us. Rather than debate the merits of this proposal, the mainstream media has labeled Trump a racist or bigot and taken some of his sound bites completely out of context and plastered them on the Internet and television. In reality, Trump has simply issued a clarion call for a stronger border, a crack down on sanctuary cities, and the deportation of illegal immigrants in the United States. These are things that Bill Clinton himself called for while he was president and Hillary Clinton supported earlier in her political career.
I get it. Many conservatives and Republicans won’t align completely with Trump. I know that I don’t. Trump’s comments directed at the Khan family are of great concern. He has a lot to learn, especially about humility and how a president should conduct himself.
But those are things that can be fixed. As conservatives we must understand this: whether we like it or not, the only person standing between Hillary Clinton and the White House is Trump. This is not a fear-mongering tactic. This is reality. Unlike Clinton, who appears destined to move according to the tugs of her Wall Street/establishment puppet strings, Trump has the ability to evolve with this election.
Ideology has its place, but in this circumstance, ideology in and of itself must be balanced against reality. This election presents us with a binary choice. As a conservative, to vote for someone other than Trump is absolutely a vote for Hillary Clinton.
As a conservative, are you willing to risk a Clinton administration, its effect on the Supreme Court, and the executive actions that it would bring?
Jake Proctor is a senior majoring in political science. His column runs biweekly.
