The Coveted "A View From the Beach" Endorsement

Robert Heinlein, speaking for Lazarus Long, once wrote something to the effect that "If you're lucky enough to live in a society that allows you to vote for the people who rule you, and you haven't been there long enough, or somehow feel you don't have enough information to make a wise choice yourself, ask a well meaning fool and cancel their vote."

I went down to the beach and asked the first well meaning fool I met, (they're quite abundant in my neighborhood), a middle aged lady, who she was going to vote for and she proudly proclaimed "Hillary, of course. She's the only qualified choice, and she has a vagina!"

Well, this didn't narrow it down much as we in Maryland have 4 candidates (Clinton, Trump, Johnson and Stein) on the official machine ballot, and some 38 and counting write-in candidates. So I walked a little farther down the beach, and found some young millennial chick counting birds and kayaking in the nude, and I asked her what her choice was going to be. "Jill Stein, silly! We simply must save the earth" she replied. Now we're starting to narrow it down just a bit.

Just then, a slightly preppy and yet somehow hippy looking guy with clean hair, a $500 watch, and smoking a joint walked by, and his choice turned out to be Gary Johnson. "Legalize pot and send anti-LGTBQ bakers to jail!" I gave him half credit for being well meaning.

Finally, I ran into some scruffy, tattooed rednecky looking dude who he was voting for, and defiantly he shouted "Trump! Let's kick some asses and grab some pussy", before admitting he wasn't allowed to vote because of felonies back in his wilder years. I'd finally found my fool without any good intentions.

Seriously, though, I do live in Maryland, and that leads to certain limitations and frustrations, as well as some sense of freedom. Hillary Clinton will win Maryland, if the dead of Baltimore must rise from their graves to see the deed through.  I can't abide Hillary, but my vote won't really count in the electoral college, although it will be counted in some sense as a vote against Hillary. Does it matter if that vote against Hillary is counted as being part of Trump's total, or as a vote for Gary Johnson, Evan McMullin or even Paij Boring?

Now, Trump would not have been in my top five for Republican nomination. I'm not that kind of Republican, so I'm not happy with a complete take over of the conservative/Republican movement by an ideologically incoherent New York liberal Republican. However, the stimulation of the more nationalistic but only weakly ideological base voters was a useful movement.Trump will be less damaging to the country than Hillary from any number of perspectives, the Supreme Court among the most important.

So, here's my recommendation. If you live in a state where a vote for Trump could possibly contribute to Trump winning an electoral college vote, vote for Trump. If you live in a state where Trump can't win (and there are quite a few), vote you conscience.

I'm still thinking. . .