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OPINION: Hold your nose and vote for Trump, Dems

by Bill Baum
| March 29, 2016 10:18 AM

I am writing this after watching Mitt Romney’s scathing attack speech against Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency, Donald Trump, on March 3.

Mitt is a Republican ex-governor of Massachusetts who unsuccessfully ran for president of the USA in 2008 and 2012. He is the son of moderate Republican George Romney, who was the governor of Michigan and unsuccessfully ran for president of the USA during my days at the U. of Michigan, where I once met and spoke with him after one of his candidate speeches.

There is some irony to me writing this piece since suggesting the Democrats cross over and vote for Trump in the Republican primary election would probably put me voting for the same candidate as my political nemesis, our beloved Daily Inter Lake editor, Frank Miele.

Now, Frank and I do sometimes agree on issues: We both support the First and Second Amendments to the U.S. constitution, and neither of us would allow entry into our country of Arabs, Muslims, or Islamic jihadists that would put our citizens at risk from those who would honor their home countries first and foremost, won’t police themselves from within their insulated American communities, and do not assimilate into American society or accept our national and local customs and English language.

But, in general, when Frank publishes one of my op-eds he probably angers his personal friends, and when I oftentimes defend Frank’s right to publish his “2 cents” column opinions to my few friends, they get upset with me. Such is politics!

My reasoning to suggest Montana Democrats forgo voting in their Democratic primary for either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders and, instead, vote in the Republican primary for Donald Trump is as follows:

— Trump sees many issues the same as Democrats do anyway … much to the chagrin of Republicans.

— Trump is destroying from within the outrageously too-conservative Republican Party, which benefits Democrats, independents, environmentalists, and moderate Republicans.

— Trump will never win the general election against either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, which keeps the Republican Party out of the White House and not appointing more ultra-conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Now, I realize Democrats will have to hold their noses to vote for the maniacal, psychologically dysfunctional, moronic Donald Trump, who behaves like a pouty 3-year-old child throwing tantrums to have its way, but the ends justify the means, and we need a Democrat in the White House for many more reasons than I am allowed space to get published here.

Consider that since my last article decrying Republicanism and promoting cross-over voting four years ago for moderate Republican Cal Scott for Flathead County commissioner, the Montana Republican Party has been up in arms, in turmoil, and trying to pass election rules denying the possibility of cross-over voting anymore. You’re welcome, GOP … anything I can do to please.


Baum says he is an independent, progressive, environmentalist from Badrock Canyon.