Voting for Biden is a damned if we do, damned if we don’t scenario. Instead, consider what a credible Justin Amash candidacy brings to the table when it comes to redeeming the heart and soul of the conservative movement.
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As some may remember, I voted for Biden in Utah’s Democratic Primary because Bernie Sanders would have been a complete disaster for the country. While I have spoken out strongly against Biden since then, and will continue to do so, I’m definitely glad it won’t be Bernie if the Democrats manage to find a way to victory this November (Which I doubt more and more by the day).
As for the future of the Democratic Party, while Sanders is likely done with presidential politics, his efforts are still an overall success for his wing of the party. The very fact that people like Biden and Bloomberg are being considered moderates demonstrates just how far Sanders has been able to push the Overton window.
The Democratic Party has been the party of big government progressivism for over a hundred years, and no one in that party is making any efforts to alter course.
As I’ve mentioned in my tweets, given that Trumpism is largely a direct by-product of Obama’s presidency, I’m not convinced a third Obama term (which is essentially what Biden’s presidency would be) is going to do a lot to re-center the Republican Party on conservative values. It’s even less likely to do so if the remnant of conservatives trying to hold to those values are the ones who push Biden over the top.
I’m afraid the hysteria will only heighten all the more, and the Republicans and conservatives we need to win back from Trumpism will only see us as bigger traitors than ever. While we might console ourselves that we removed Trump from office, we’ll have also confirmed what has been the Trump narrative to begin with, that we’re a bunch of RINOs willing to vote for Democrats.
I’m afraid, in that scenario, we’ll have ceded all influence over the direction of the conservative movement and the Republican Party to the nationalists. Grassroots Republicans, even the ones who think Trump is a clown, just don’t see him as the threat we do and would never take us or our principles seriously after helping a Democrat get elected.
Most of my friends and family are still Republicans, many of them are avid Trump supporters, but some are at least Trump skeptical. All of them would see a vote for Biden as a betrayal.
It is my estimation that we, “Never Trump” conservatives, have unwittingly created our own bubble and have migrated our thinking towards the #resistance narrative in many ways. We’ve grown out of touch with rank-and-file conservatives, and in a lot of instances play right into Trump’s hands by not considering whether our actions aid us in actually combating Trumpism or just serve to alienate us from Republicans all the more.
When it comes to voting for Biden, I see it as a damned if we do, damned if we don’t scenario. So, instead, my political calculations are now solely focused on the path that keeps my principles and conservative credibility intact as much as possible. In this way, I can best be prepared to serve as part of the principled conservative remnant that I hope still exists to rebuild the republic from however far it crumbles.
Specific to the candidacy of Justin Amash, I don’t know whether he stands a chance to win. But, he is currently the best place for a principled conservative to hang his hat.
And finally, there is still a large number of Americans who only pay attention to politics in presidential election years. Many conservatives and Republicans have just rolled their eyes at the headlines and gone about their days until now. I see the Amash moment as an opportunity to stir their hearts in remembrance of what the Republican Party used to stand for.
Justin Amash provides a compare and contrast to Donald Trump that no Democrat could ever offer. Just getting him on the debate stage could be a tremendous victory in the battle for the heart and soul of the conservative movement.
At the least, I would encourage former Republicans on the fence with Amash to at least support him to the point of getting him on the debate stage and seeing just how much support he could garner in the polls.
If he flops or if there’s just not enough oxygen in the room for even a viable third-party candidate, then go ahead and vote Biden on election day. But I say give the principled conservative stepping forward and making a stand a chance to see what he might accomplish.
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