After Donald Trump's latest outrages, Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and a big Republican donor, has announced that she is going to vote for Hillary Clinton. With all due respect, Meg, you're making a tactical mistake.
Maybe, like many of us, you have been a #NeverTrumper from the beginning. Or maybe, seemingly like Whitman, you have been holding your nose and supporting Trump in order to avoid the dismal prospect of Hillary Clinton. But sooner or later, you are going to realize that Trump is beyond the pale. In the words of humorist P.J. O'Rourke, "[Hillary Clinton] is wrong about absolutely everything, but she is wrong within normal parameters." And Trump's parameters are far from normal.
So, what do you do? If you think that the contest is going to be close, then like Meg Whitman you would go for Clinton to avoid the wildcard that is Trump. Clinton would be (with some luck) four or (worst case) eight more years of an Obama-like administration, hopefully fought to a standstill by a Republican-controlled Congress. That's bad, but Trump could be disastrous for the country and for the Republican Party.
But it is becoming increasingly obvious that it is not going to be close. The latest Fox News poll has Clinton at 44 percent and Trump at 35 percent when Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson (12 percent) is included. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC/Marist nationwide poll has Clinton leading by 9 percent, well outside of the polling error, when Johnson is included (10 percent). These are sharp increases in Clinton's lead from a month ago and it doesn't even fully reflect Trump's latest missteps with a Gold Star family, a crying baby and a Purple Heart. Along with his assassination urgings.
Nor does it reflect the likely Trump performance during the remainder of the campaign, including the debates. Trump was extraordinarily fortunate to be a face in a crowd during much of the Republican primaries, which perfectly suited his 140-character, drive-by-shooting style of campaigning. He was also not taken seriously until the very end, as the other candidates fought to be the non-Trump survivor and then to pick up the Trump supporters when he finally, inevitably self-destructed. Consequently, Trump was almost never subjected to the microscopic scrutiny of his policies (such as they are), character, statements and history that he is now starting to endure. This cannot be a good thing for Trump, particularly with his pathologically thin skin.
So, let's assume that, come October or November, Clinton has a commanding lead. Meg Whitman, along with the rest of the nation, can breathe a sigh of relief. But does a Republican like Meg Whitman really want to see Hillary Clinton enter the Oval Office with a strong electoral mandate? I don't think so. Yet, her #NeverTrump vote for Clinton lends itself to exactly this interpretation.
This is where Gary Johnson comes in. No one thinks he will win, but in the likely scenario of an evident Clinton landslide, a vote for Johnson is the better signal that a disgruntled Republican like Whitman can send. It says #NeverTrump. But it equally says that Clinton should not assume that she has strong backing for a leftward lurch.
Not only does a vote for Johnson say "whoa, Hillary," but it also makes a clear statement about the direction the country should take. And that direction is smaller and more decentralized government, lower taxes, freer markets and more personal liberty in general. Some Republicans may balk at the Libertarian Party's positions on social issues and foreign policy, but it is no coincidence that libertarians like Ron and Rand Paul (and Gary Johnson and his running mate, Bill Weld, both of whom were Republican governors) have gravitated to the Republican Party. Libertarians and Republicans have a lot more in common than either of them has with the Democrats.
This choice should be especially easy for a California resident like Whitman. Even if she were facing a real opponent, Clinton would have a virtual lock on the Golden State. Other #NeverTrump residents of blue states should be equally confident that by going to bed with Gary Johnson, there is no risk of waking up with Donald Trump. And also a lot less risk of waking up with a turbo-charged Hillary Clinton.
I am voting for Gary Johnson out of conviction. But I am happy to welcome tactical allies, particularly because I hope that once they try the Libertarian Party, they will like it. I therefore offer the following advice: watch the polls, including your state ones, and if Trump looks to be taking the drubbing he so richly deserves, then pull the lever for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson.
It gives me great pleasure finally to be able to say that anything else would be a wasted vote.