So I’m a fairly moderate sort, and I’m not sure exactly who to vote for in the upcoming primary.
What I do know is:
[ul]
[li]I’d vote for just about anyone to preven Ted Cruz getting elected President.[/li][li]I am not a Trump fan, but he’s marginally less odious than Cruz.[/li][li]Bernie Sanders is as wacky as Cruz is, only to the left. I’m only slightly more inclined to accept him as President.[/li][li]Hillary strikes me as the most experienced and competent, but there’s something about her that bugs me, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s like the vein of self-aggrandizement is closer to the surface or something. Like a feeling that she’s doing this out of ambition and competition with Bill, not out of a desire to serve the people. [/li][li]Rubio is relatively inoffensive compared to Cruz or Trump, but is likely a non-candidate at this point.[/li][li]Kasich is so far back as to be laughable, although I don’t dislike his positions.[/li][li]Carson is a crank and a weirdo.[/li][/ul]
So here in Texas, I can vote in either primary, but not both. So I can cast my vote as follows:
[ul]
[li]For Hillary, in hopes that she locks the Democratic nomination, and beats either of Cruz or Trump[/li][li]Vote for Cruz, in hopes that he’s dead meat vs. Hillary in the general election.[/li][li]Vote for Trump, in hopes of making sure Cruz doesn’t possibly get elected.[/li][li]Vote for one of the other Republicans, in hopes that maybe they can eke out a nomination somehow.[/li][/ul]
None of them are particularly attractive; ultimately I’m most concerned about Cruz getting elected, then about Trump getting elected. I have a feeling Hillary Clinton has the Democratic nomination wound up, so voting Democrat won’t accomplish much.
If Trump was to win the nomination, he might actually challenge Hillary in a way that I think Cruz won’t.
So I’m stuck… I really am not sure which way to vote in the primary for the best chance for a sane presidency.
I’m thinking the best thing you can do is to put the Republicans in turmoil. Vote Cruz with the goal of denying anyone enough delegates to seal up the nomination. Then, they go into a brokered convention, which is probably the most damaging thing that can be done to their eventual candidate.
If Rubio is your preferred choice, then I think it would make sense to vote for Trump in Texas to knock Cruz out and let Rubio have a shot at taking on Trump one on one.
For the Presidential nomination, pick the Democrat you prefer. (Hey, you asked me!)
Pay attention to the other offices. I can’t tell if your State Board of Education member is up for re-election. But, if you vote in the Democratic primary, the options will be less certain to suck the brains out of the next generation–& embarrass us nationally.
You don’t need to listen to Republican and Bernie Bros talking points about Hillary. Vote for her because she works to get things done. Or you can vote for one of the men and guarantee you’ll have more obstruction than ever. Do not trust any republican supreme court nominee. We’ll be back in the dark ages. There is a reason why she’s still after all these years, the most admired woman world wide.
Rubio is the best candidate, and Hillary will probably be the Democratic nominee, so your vote is best spent pushing the best candidate on the GOP side. Although the notion that Cruz, or anyone else, is worse than Trump is wrong. But even given that, Rubio is the way to go - a vote for him is just as much a vote against everyone else as any other vote would be.
This isn’t the actual election yet, or even one of those situations where the primary is the de-facto election, like say… a lot of recent Texas Republican primaries.
My point is that there’s maneuvering that can be done at this stage, and what would best make sure that either Rubio or Clinton get elected? (I’d be ok with either, honestly) Would we do better trying to pit Cruz v. Clinton, or Trump v. Clinton? Or by trying to force the Republicans into a brokered convention by voting Cruz?
Look, I mostly agree with the OP’s take on things. Kasich is at least sort of sane, and I don’t trust any of the Republicans ahead of him. Hillary seems creepy to me too; she exudes ambition without understanding of consequence.
And I’m supporting Bernie. He’s pretty much pitching a Swedish welfare state that he won’t entirely get passed. Even a relatively cooperative Congress is going to hold back a lot of the tax rises. And he’s probably more cautious on foreign policy.
That said, if you won’t flip to Bernie: I kind of think at this point if you’re a Republican, you kind of have to acknowledge that Cruz and Trump are your mess, and you should clean it in house, rather than hope Hillary takes them out for you.
Probably suck it up and vote for Kasich if you can’t see Bernie in the job.
After watching the last debate, Kasich is the only GOP candidate remotely qualified in portfolio and temperament to be president. That’s no misplaced liberal love like people had for Huntsman, I know Kasich is a conservative that I’d rather not have in office. But he’s still a thousand times better than the rest of the baboon pack running for the nomination.
I disagree with your assumption that Rubio isn’t a serious candidate. I think it is going to be either him or Trump or a brokered convention; if Cruz couldn’t win South Carolina, he’s toast, so I don’t think we need to worry about him.
So, given your stated preferences, it appears that a Rubio vote would be your best bet.
