Thursday, October 20, 2016

GUEST ARTICLE - The Truth About Evan McMullin – And Why I Am So Disappointed in My Mormon Friends For Falling For This - by Stacy Stine



The Truth About Evan McMullin – And Why I Am So Disappointed in My Mormon Friends For Falling For This

                I challenge any Evan McMullin supporter to tell me what they knew about Evan McMullin a year ago. Unless you are one of maybe a hundred people who ran into him at your ward picnic, the answer is nothing. That’s my answer and I am a huge political junkie. To the dismay of my family I can rattle on about all sorts of obscure politicians and behind the scenes players who influence elected politicians, but for the life of me I couldn’t have told you a thing about Evan McMullin... because he was a nobody.

                McMullin worked for the UN for a bit. He worked for the CIA for 10 years – doing what? He can’t really tell us much….“It’s secret.” He worked for the bankers at Goldman Sachs for a few years…. “His work was private.” And then he went to work for the Republican House Conference where he did… well he can’t really say…“it’s confidential.”

                On his Facebook page for the three years prior to running for President, he never posted about social issues, economic, or domestic issues. He says now he is personally against gay marriage but thinks the Supreme Court's decision is fine and wants to move on. Summer 2016 rolls around and political outsider Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination and suddenly Evan McMullin is the 3rd party choice of establishment Republicans from the Bush and Romney families and of the Wall Street donor wing of the GOP.

                I have been a Republican since I first registered to vote. I have worked with hundreds of Republican campaigns going back 20 years, I have served in party office here in Arizona. I have always supported Republican candidates but I will be the first to tell you that there are a lot of dirty Republicans. The reason so many people look at politics today and say there is no difference between the Republican and the Democrat on their ballot is because all too often it’s true.

                There is a powerful and established section of the Republican leadership (elected officials, party members, big donors) who do not support the values of grassroots conservative Republicans. They are bought and paid for by large corporate interests. They seek the approval of the liberal media, academia, and Hollywood. They support open borders, amnesty for illegal aliens, free trade even when it’s not in most Americans’ best interest, gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia, and a plethora of foolish wars and bad foreign policy.

                These Republicans are terrified that if Donald Trump is elected president there will be major shakeups in Washington. He will shine a light on the dark backroom deals that have resulted in policies like Obamacare, The failed war in Syria, and 20 trillion dollars in debt. The livelihoods of their wealthy corporate backers are on the line and with that their own power and perks in Washington. For that reason they would rather see Hillary Clinton become president than Donald Trump. They feel like they can work with Hillary.

                So enter Evan McMullin, Crony Capitalist Spoiler. No one in the world including Evan McMullin believes Evan McMullin is going to be elected President. What the corrupted Republican establishment and the Clinton campaign hope is that he will keep Donald Trump from getting to 270 electoral votes and thus guarantee a Hillary presidency.

                But How? Enter the Mormon Suckers. I am proud to be a Mormon so it pains me to say what I am about say. When the GOP Establishment Never Trumpers and their Clinton allies went looking for a 3rd party spoiler they needed someone with a constituency of sheeple who would follow him regardless of the obvious logical outcome (President Hillary.)  There were plenty of Republican politicians who had lost to Trump in the primary or who had foregone a run in 2016 and didn’t like Trump much or were outright hostile to him, but not a one of them would put their name on the line and be the fall guy who put Hillary in office. So plan B – find a weak-minded demographic and create a leader for them.

                I know a lot of Mormons. Most of them are Republicans. Most of them are pretty conservative Republicans. A good number these days still vote Republican but are registered independents because they support more conservative or Tea Party values than they see in the current Republican Party. There are great Mormon conservatives serving in DC and in state offices throughout the country. Mormons are proud to point out that Utah is the State where Bill Clinton didn’t just lose, he got 3rd place in the 1992 presidential election.

                The LDS Church does not endorse candidates. The LDS Church leadership does however strongly encourage it members to be informed, to be involved, to vote and to serve. The Mormon demographic is overwhelmingly pro-life, pro-family, anti-communist, and protective of the Constitution they believe was divinely inspired. So how do you get these folks to throw an election to Hillary Clinton, someone whom most of them revile? It’s a complex but straightforward sociological scheme. In addition to being hardworking, God fearing, Mom, Apple Pie and Baseball loving Americans, Mormons are also some of the biggest suckers in the nation.

                Utah leads the nation in financial fraud schemes. Anti-Mormon critics like to point out the huge amount of Ponzi schemes, real estate fraud, and stock swindles and say it is because Mormons are sneaky, greedy liars.  Make no bones about it. Like in any community there some bad apples and Utah has its fair share. In that fair share there are plenty of Mormons but Mormons are no more criminal than most, in fact statistically they are quite a bit less criminal than the average American. But the real reason that Utah frauds are so successful is not that the conmen are any wilier than a Baptist or Catholic conman. It’s because they have a highly homogenous market of overly trusting people. They want to believe you’re a good person and they want to help out the good person.

                In 2016 that good person is Evan McMullin. The Never Trumpers couldn't talk Romney into another run, or Huntsman or any Mormon politician you had ever heard of.  So they created Evan McMullin from thin air and Goldman Sachs receipts. Evan is a good member of the Church. Mormons are tight knit and like to support their own, hence Mitt Romney's 93% win in the 2012 Utah primary despite the fact the many Utah Republicans had more in common politically with Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum.

                So here comes the conman’s pitch – “Evan is a good man, he’s one of us, you don’t have to vote for dirty nasty Donald Trump who has been divorced twice, who swears a lot, who won’t apologize when he hurts people’s feelings.” This is where not all, not even most, but a sadly sizeable number or Mormon patsies reach for their wallet, or in this case their ballot.  They've been told and sold that by voting for Evan they don’t have to shed their values and principles. They don’t have to choose the lesser of two evils. But that is the lie that the Evan McMullin candidacy is built on, because in 2016 you do have to choose between one of two people who will be the next President: Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. A vote for anyone but Trump helps Clinton to move ahead and to defeat Trump.

                A Hillary Clinton presidency is one where she will most likely appoint three Supreme Court Justices. They will be radical liberals. They will stand against everything political that good and faithful Mormons believe in. They will gut the 1st, 2nd, and 10th Amendments. They will force all Christians denominations to have gay clergy and to perform gay weddings in their churches or temples.  They will bring back abortion on demand at any time during the pregnancy, paid for by taxpayers, performed in church owned hospitals, performed by Christian doctors who will be forced to do so or lose their license. Euthanasia will be the law of the land, not just for the terminally ill and elderly but for handicapped and unwanted children.

                Did you imagine 20 years ago that gay marriage would be legal in all 50 states, mandated by liberal judges despite the sentiment of voters? Did you imagine you would be forced to buy overpriced and underperforming health insurance or be fined by the government? And these things came about with a Supreme Court that was evenly split between conservatives and liberals. Hillary’s new liberal Court will steamroll the America you once knew. You won’t recognize it anymore.  Her tried and failed economic policies of higher taxes and more spending will eventually bankrupt our nation. Her support for wars and conflicts not in our interest will bleed the best of our youth.

                This is an election with dire consequences. Donald Trump is no saint, Latter Day or otherwise, but he loves America, he respects the rights of Christians, he has vowed to appoint judges who will protect life, the rights of churches, the rights of gun owners and our Constitution as it was written. It's OK to vote for Donald Trump.  Read Dennis Prager's excellent article ‘In Defense of Pro-Trump Christians,’ and then join the millions of other Christians who will be voting Trump to save our country from the terrible alternative. Most of the Mormons I know are voting Trump but you can and should be more vocal about it. You need to let your friends and neighbors know that it's OK. You need to encourage the less likely voters to go the polls and you need to keep them from the conman.

                Please Mormons don’t get suckered into the Con of the Century.

613 comments:

  1. When one of my friends proffers the idea of "if McMullin wins Utah and we can prevent Trump or Hillary from getting enough states then Congress can choose the Pres"...I ask them why did he join the race so late, and tell them it is sooo risky that it will guarantee Hillary a win.
    And I remind them Harry Reid is also a Mormon.smh

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    1. If Evan were not in the race, Trump would still lose. He is a horrible candidate and is probably the only one on that stage that did not have the ability to beat Hillary. This is now revealed in the Wiki leaks...the Democrats knew Trump was the candidate they could beat. Evan may help down ballot candidates because conservatives that may stay home will now come to the poles to vote, but Trump is going to suffer a huge blow out and I think McMullin realizes the #deny 270 will not work unless Johnson picks up New Mexico and Trump could possibly take more swing states. As it looks right now, Hillary is in for a landslide...just like the Democrats planned. Read the Wiki leaks info and you will find the Dem's are laughing. Those that voted for Trump in the primary were the ones that were "suckered into the Con of the Century."

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    2. Maybe you can tell the former General authorities, Generals, and other active LDS who are endorsing him that he's horrible

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    3. Trump beat 16 establishment candidates that were the best the GOP could offer He not only can win but he should win. McMullin is a plant to prevent Trump from winning. DO your homework and you will see he is BAD.

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    4. Also a lifelong Republican here. Never voted for a Democrat for President. Supreme Court appointments were the reason. Still very fond of Ronald Reagan. HOWEVER, I agree that the candidacy of Donald Trump almost appears to be a "false flag" operation, and it was the Republican Party primary and caucus voters that fell for it. The idea that everyone needs to swallow the poison cooked up earlier in the election cycle is simply unacceptable. I will not insult everyone who wants to vote for Donald Trump, but I will not accept the intolerance of those who would insult me for refusing to vote for Donald Trump.

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    5. Trump won't lose because of McMullin, Johnson or anyone else. Trump will lose because of Trump. Trump has no more of a chance to win than McMullin, Johnson or Mickey Mouse. I'm not going to waste a vote on Trump.

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    6. Dana, BJ and Greg -- you are all right! Hillary and the DEMS were thrilled with Donald being the GOP candidate. I disagree that Mormons are too stupid to know that a vote for Evan is a vote for Hillary. That's such faulty logic. Trump was never going to beat Hillary. Maybe in the future, Republicans should only hold closed primary elections. The only elections Trump ran away with were the open Primaries.. .

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    7. Trump beat himself. I believe you should not vote based on the political party rather on which canidate best supports your moral and political beliefs. If that is trump for you then you should vote trump, if it is Clinton then vote Clinton, and if it's McMullin then vote Mcmullin. Sometimes the candidates don't hold true to the parties beliefs so you must judge them individually. Republicans don't have to vote republican and deomocrates don't have to vote democrat. Vote who best stands for you. Don't hate on others for voting for McMullin. As members of the church of Jesus Christ, we love our brothers and sisters. Don't guilt them into voting the two major parties if that if they are not what best represents them. Don't let politics ruin your faith.

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    8. I have worked the polls for 20+ years and when the RNC in Utah closed their primaries, the Dems were so mad and that worked for a while. But I knew it was a matter of time before they figured out their strategy to get what they wanted. Closed Primaries don't work any more. Thousands of Dems switched parties to vote for DT. Was it because they really thought him the best candidate? No way! It's called "Switch and Ditch". Though I have to remain unbiased (and people are not supposed to talk about it at the polls) I overhear people talk about it all the time. They switch parties to vote for the worst candidate and then ditch them to vote for their actual preferred candidate in Nov.

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    9. I'm sorry but I totally disagree. I am not voting for Evan McMullin because he is Mormon. And to say that voting for him will give Hillary the presidency is absolutely ridiculous. Trump will lose because he is unfit to be president. And excuse me for having a conscience and not wanting to vote for someone who embodies everything that is wrong with this world. His vulgarity, rudeness, and complete disregard for anyone but himself are things that I cannot and WILL NOT support. And by the way who cares who wins? Things are going to get worse. We know that, and we have known that, and we should be prepared. As long as we listen to the Lord and his servants, do we really have anything to fear? No. So yes, I will be voting for Evan McMullin, and no, I have not been conned.

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  2. Yikes, no offense, but this article is based on multiple logical fallacies. The whole Evan-must-be-a-spoiler argument is based on nothing more than pessimistic conjecture. But more than that, the whole idea that it is some sort of Progressive secret strategy is flawed because of (at least) two main reasons:

    (1) Evan's main shot at getting any electoral votes is Utah, and there is no electoral scenario in which Evan taking Utah from Trump causes Hillary to win the presidency. I'm happy to help you walk through the numbers if you'd like, let me know.

    (2) Trump has singlehandedly split the conservative vote far more than the introduction of Evan would do it. A month ago Trump was closing the gap with Clinton but is now looking fairly likely to lose AZ, IA, OH, NC, FL, and NV - all states he was at one point winning or close to winning. In order for Evan to be a spoiler, the race would have to be neck and neck. But, unfortunately, it isn't.

    Trying to paint Evan as some nefarious actor is disingenuous at best. It is far from the most plausible explanation for his candidacy. It doesn't really help Clinton in any meaningful way (I mean, seriously, what a convoluted strategy - prop up a candidate who has an outside chance of winning one state with a very small number of electoral votes? C'mon).

    Finally, I'm really not trying to be offensive here, but I feel a need to call out the author, so here goes: how is this article any different than garden variety gossip? If you have substantive disagreements with McMullin's policy views, then write about them. But don't stoop to being a gossip - I have to believe you're above that and that this was unintentional.

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    1. Okay wait. In the same comment you're saying he doesn't have a chance of splitting the electoral votes, his whole platform is that his precise plan is to split the votes to send it to the house. ������

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    2. Put your name on it your comments or shut up!

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    3. To Unknown: If you were honest about your comments you would proudly post your name here. And what are Mc Mullins policies? He certainly hasn't said much except he wants to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. That is a sorry reason to run for President. Second, where did he get his money to run? It isn't cheap to get on the ballot for president somebody had to pony up a bunch of cash and it wasn't a party so who was it. These are questions that we have not had time to ask because he got in to the race so late but they might just be Very important.

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    4. when you call out an author you really should feel brave enough to use your name

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    5. Mcmullin actually has info about his policy views posted easily to find out his website. Just because you don't know how to research doesn't mean everyone else is ignorant.

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    6. Mcmullin actually has info about his policy views posted easily to find out his website. Just because you don't know how to research doesn't mean everyone else is ignorant.

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    7. Perfectly stated. I saw a red flag in the very first paragraph when the author accuses McMullin of being funded by the Romney and Bush families, and by Wall Street. There is zero evidence to back this up, yet he writes as though it's truth. This exposes the fact that the author has other motives besides writing an honest essay. Perhaps he's the one being conned.

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    8. Don't know where you are getting your numbers but in Florida trump is 120k votes ahead right now.

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    9. Don't know where you are getting your numbers but in Florida trump is 120k votes ahead right now.

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    10. If you are voting for Hillary, you are a sheep and are falling asleep. Wake up! Turn your TV off and do some research. Watch the veritas videos, read the Wikileaks, look at her stance on abortion!

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    11. Your assertion that there are no scenarios where Trump losing Utah throws the election to Hillary is incorrect because you neglect to account for the scenarios where the McMullins campaign causes Hillary to win Utah. Not to mention the negative effect it has on Trump in the overall national discussion.

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    12. Clinton doesn't need Utah to win. Utah could go to Trump or McMullin and Clinton would still win.

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    13. Evan is backed by crony's? Where is your basis for this?

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    14. Look, all you people convinced that I'm trying to hide: if you click on 'Unknown' it takes you to my profile. I have no idea why it wrote 'Unknown': I clicked the 'Reply' button and then pressed 'Publish'. I still had to sign in to my account and everything - there was no option to post anonymously. There's no hiding going on here, sheesh - it's just the blogger's site or something that did that. It /might/ be because I didn't sign in until I clicked 'Publish' - so now if it shows my name on this post, then that's probably it. Either way, I'm not hiding at all.

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    15. Ha ha! Trump is ahead by 120k votes in FL? what poll uses whole numbers to express the likelihood of the outcome? Pretty sure they all use percentages.

      Are you the designated counter in FL?

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    16. That is McMullins whole campaign. He is trying to keep Trump out, which means Hillary in. He knows he's not winning. And here is a video of HIM saying this very thing.
      https://youtu.be/1LduQ4o36eY

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    17. @SarahLizRo: no, I didn't say "he doesn't have a chance of splitting the electoral votes". What I said whas, "there is no electoral scenario in which Evan taking Utah from Trump causes Hillary to win the presidency". Those two are not the same.

      If Trump has below 264 votes, he loses no matter what happens in Utah, and if he has more than 270, he wins no matter what happens in Utah, so the range to look at is if, not counting Utah, Trump has 264-269 votes. In none of those cases does Evan winning Utah cause Hillary to win.

      @Common Sense Please (who complained that I didn't use my name, LOL): goodness, there is gobs of info on McMullin's policies. Check out his website for example - there is a lot of info there. Watch the Texas Tribute Festival video in the Forbes article (https://goo.gl/oudUHA) - there you have him talking for an entire *hour* on policy, why he's in the race, etc. Where did he get his money? From donors, just like every single other candidate. As of their last reporting, they had collected in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations (i.e. not millions like the other candidates), and it's not hard to raise that small amount of money, especially if your message appeals to voters. The point is that he's by no means some well-funded campaign (for example, they can't afford to run TV ads, at least not yet). Anyway, I agree that the questions you raise are worth asking, but am pointing out that they have been and are continued to be answered - starting with the candidate himself.

      @S and S: the majority of FL polls show Clinton ahead, see http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-election-forecast/florida/. Obviously the situation changes day to day, and we won't know until election day, but of the 7 Florida polls so far in October, 6 show Clinton ahead and 1 shows Trump ahead.

      @Seth Ellis: please don't put words in my mouth - you misquoted me. I said "there is no electoral scenario in which Evan taking Utah from Trump causes Hillary to win the presidency". And regarding the negative effect it would have on Trump in the national discussion, there's no way to measure such a thing, but ask yourself which is far more likely to have a negative effect on Trump nationally: Evan doing well in one state with a small number of electoral votes, or Trump saying something crazy that turns off even more conservative voters? Trump has damaged is own campaign far more than Evan ever will.

      @Zyzmog: yep! I personally hate the thought of a Clinton win, but right now she is projected to win over 340 electoral votes. If Trump were doing well enough to make the race neck and neck, then it would be more reasonable for Trump fans to be scared/worried/upset about Evan. But that's not the case. Trump supporters should be freaking out about the fact that Trump has lost major ground in FL, OH, NC, etc. - literally ten times more electoral votes at stake than Utah's.

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    18. "Finally, I'm really not trying to be offensive here, but I feel a need to call out the author, so here goes: how is this article any different than garden variety gossip? If you have substantive disagreements with McMullin's policy views, then write about them. But don't stoop to being a gossip - I have to believe you're above that and that this was unintentional."

      Yes! Thanks you! This campaign has produced some truly despicable opinion pieces, but I never imagined that the worst one I would read would come from a member of the Church.

      I am absolutely incensed by this. There is NO MORAL HIGH GROUND in voting for Trump. And if this were just some article saying "Hey, Trump's not so bad, vote for him," I wouldn't care. If folks feel the best course for them is to vote for Trump to keep Hillary out of the White House, more power to them. But trying to turn this into some "You should be ashamed," piece of "counsel" aimed at Mormons is absolute bull, and the dismissal of everything wrong with Trump is NO LESS willfully deceptive than any paid-for third party "spoiler". It's low. I don't think I can describe in polite terms how low I find it, but hey, it provides an excellent conclusion: I Am So Disappointed in My Mormon Friends For Falling For This

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    19. @The Neads: you're misconstruing what he said: in the *very* video you posted, he said he is trying to block both Clinton and Trump. If anything is his "whole campaign" like you said, that's it. How do you justify overlooking the very thing he said in the video you posted and claim that the latter part is his "whole campaign"?

      *After* that he goes on to say that if he can't block them both, *then* the next objective is to block Trump. Deeming Trump to be a more dangerous person in the White House is a far cry from "He is trying to keep Trump out, which means Hillary in".

      Over and over again McMullin goes to great lengths to explain that he thinks both major candidates are terrible for our country. He *also* spells out why, if we have to have one or the other, having Hillary in office could perhaps be more manageable. Not good. Not desirable. Just manageable. As in, a scenario in which we can contain the damage. For example, watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv0MXhgLgXQ and he gives a great explanation on why Trump would be dangerous in office and how it'd be difficult to contain that danger, while with a Clinton presidency - no matter how distasteful - we'd have a better shot of containing the danger.

      You may disagree with his analysis, but to suggest that he is in any way acting in a pro-Clinton manner is misleading.

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    20. THANK YOU, Unknown, for a rational as opposed to visceral response to Mormons for Trump who are so angrily insulting and attacking everyone who doesn't share their views and motivations. I am fairly certain Clinton will win no matter who I vote for, but I am neither a "sheep" nor a bad Mormon for failing to vote for Trump.

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    21. Dave B: Your response is dead on as to why this polemic is unsuitable to either substantiate support for Donald Trump or confirm the speculation of Evan McMullin. I actually posted on EM's Facebook page a request for him to describe the experience he possess to match the opinions he expresses to validate his claim of suitability for this office. I'm a 21 year military veteran, LDS, and living in the DC area with substantial senior level advisory experience. EM looks like hundreds of thousands of us in DC who've been exposed to supporting senior decision makers yet his case is that exposure to those leaders provides him an inherent understanding of what is required as some kind of experiential osmosis. If I wanted to hire him for a think tank or a blogger's position he'd be right up there with top candidates. It is because of my exposure to senior-level decisions and debating the risks of our security challenges that I can identify the crazy and risky "leader" in the room and Trump is it in spades. So as much as I disdain Hillary, I also know the legions of moderate-left national security professionals she'd put in positions at DoD and DHS. Knowing that a president has the most discretion in foreign affairs and military matters, this is the locus of highest risk in this campaign.

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    22. Thank you for this great response.

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    23. Agree! And the paragraph about the Supreme Court under Hillary Clinton is just ridiculous.

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    24. There is no scenario where Winning Utah will give Hillary the presidency outright, however if neither candidate gets to 270 and Clinton is appointed that is a different story.

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    25. Love your response! Also, who on earth would name their child "CommonSense"?

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    26. This is the internet people. Nobody has to do anything when leaving their opinion. There aren't rules to blogspot comments, dum dums. Also, I agree with Unknowns response.

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  4. This is misleading and not at all factual. Ih, if you go through his tweets and scroll back to August of last year, you'll see negative tweets about Trump and few interspersed of Clinton. Are you sure you're Christian? Deception us the same thing as lying.

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    1. Evan sucks and he is a lier at least Trump is honest and did repent if what he said 11 years ago , if any Mormons can't forgive him, they deserve no forgiveness either. Trump is the most profanity candidate to run in 162 years. And he is a very kind considerate person who will make a great president, he has never ever been accused of sexual misconduct except by Democratic idiots who are lying to trash his reputation since the debates. First time ever.

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    2. Evan sucks and he is a lier at least Trump is honest and did repent if what he said 11 years ago , if any Mormons can't forgive him, they deserve no forgiveness either. Trump is the most profanity candidate to run in 162 years. And he is a very kind considerate person who will make a great president, he has never ever been accused of sexual misconduct except by Democratic idiots who are lying to trash his reputation since the debates. First time ever.

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    3. "Trump is honest?!?!" 😂😂😂 Literally EVERYTHING that comes out of his mouth (and I don't mean literally in that fake way that people use it these days) is a lie. He breathes lies and they can all be verified as lies within seconds of them spewing out of his mouth!

      And to the author: " you don’t have to vote for dirty nasty Donald Trump who has been divorced twice, who swears a lot, who won’t apologize when he hurts people’s feelings." Are you secretly one of Trump's children? Who cares about any of that? You take his most trivial faults, faults that many politicians have, and act like that's why people are jumping at the chance to use their vote on someone else? Trump is a terrible businessman, has no knowledge or desire to have knowledge of world affairs, doesn't seem to have any compassion for the majority of the people he would be president of...the list goes on and on! I would vote for a lot of people less qualified than McMullin before I would vote for Trump. Hillary is projected to win anyway, voting for McMullin is a chance for Utahns to say hell no and I say good for them.

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    4. @Unknown. Okay one, please spell check your comments before you post. Not many people will take you seriously when you can't even spell or form sentences that make sense. Second, have you actually watched Donald Trump, ever? He is so rude and so vulgar it is unbelievable! You're right that he is the most profane candidate to run. I don't think that is what you mean to say, but hey it works. The Democrats aren't doctoring the debates and there is plenty of evidence just from those that he is a horrible man and should not be given the chance to run our country.

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  5. Trump is the con man. We are told to vote for someone who best represents our values. McMullin's family is in my Ward and they're good people. I'm flabbergasted that "faithful" LDS people can be so deceived.

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    1. That's exactly right. McMullin is a candidate that we could be profusely proud of.

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    2. Cynthia, are you suggesting that one can't be a "faithful" member of the LDS church and vote for Trump? I'm sick of seeing the so called "faithful" of the church bulling and guilting other members who disagree with their view of "values". You should be ashamed of yourself. This "deceived" and less "faithful" member is voting for Trump!

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    3. Then why did he wait so long to join the race? He's splitting votes...pure and simple. He doesn't stand a chance of winning.

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    4. Why does his time of entry matter more than his positions? "Better late than never" is not a new phrase. Many of us stood astounded that Trump was winning the nomination on the strength of a minority base of support while much better candidates fractured the remainder and continued to lose. Eventually, momentum and apathy took over. Had there been 3 candidates instead of 17 from the start, Trump would not have made it past Super Tuesday because his flaws were so glaring. As the race wound down, only Utah stood so firmly against Trump as he had a landslide loss. Is it any surprise that Utah would be so opposed to him now? Even at his late entry, Evan is a candidate I can be proud to cast a vote for. My vote would have been Libertarian otherwise in opposition to the 2 major candidates.

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    5. Why does his time of entry matter more than his positions? "Better late than never" is not a new phrase. Many of us stood astounded that Trump was winning the nomination on the strength of a minority base of support while much better candidates fractured the remainder and continued to lose. Eventually, momentum and apathy took over. Had there been 3 candidates instead of 17 from the start, Trump would not have made it past Super Tuesday because his flaws were so glaring. As the race wound down, only Utah stood so firmly against Trump as he had a landslide loss. Is it any surprise that Utah would be so opposed to him now? Even at his late entry, Evan is a candidate I can be proud to cast a vote for. My vote would have been Libertarian otherwise in opposition to the 2 major candidates.

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    6. Justin, you say you're sick of being bullied as a Trump supporter, well that's exactly what this and many other articles are doing to McMullin supporters. The author calls us weak minded suckers and sheeple. Personally I find that very offensive and wrong. The LDS people tend to be very politically involved and civically aware. Saying that we blindly follow anyone who's a Mormon is just ridiculous. Here's an idea, you vote for who you want to vote for and allow us the same privilege.

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    7. Hillary would allow children to be murdered in the womb! What in the world is this religion about?

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    8. You kind of proved the Author's point of the article.

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  6. Evan McMullin is my voice--and my vote is my voice!

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  7. Evan McMullin is the best shot we have to unifying the country and restoring patriotism. Since it is my honest opinion that Trump and Hillary are both equally corrupt, selfish, and disconnected from reality, I have no remorse for voting for McMullin!

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    1. Yeah, because nominating a candidate like Mitt Romney worked out so well for us! Keep holding onto that faith while your head is buried in the sand.

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    2. Ummm, "unifying"??? How is it "unifying" to circumvent the whole process? Do you think the millions of Republican Americans will see McMullin's move as a "unifying" effort??? Most Americans have never heard of him.

      There is no integrity in and nothing principled in trying to swoop in at the last moment and steal it all. Mormons are not the only people in this country who get to decide the presidency. I see nothing "unifying" in his move at all.

      If Mormons hand Hillary the election, we will be hated by fellow Americans with whom we share the most values and common ground with. Furthermore, McMullin, with his cunning plan, will have sold our religion down the river. If I were the adversary's playmaker, I would call this killing two birds with one stone.

      Call your state Republican party and have a discussion with them about what McMullin hopes to pull off. I called mine. Hopefully, it will open your eyes. This is a pipe dream.

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    3. I don't either. He's a good honest, upstanding citizen, loves our country and it willing to serve our country as President. We need to continue to make this a matter of our prayers.

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  8. Wow, this is a very misguided article. I'm sorry if this comes across blunt, but your views on Evan and those that have chosen to support him are very shallow. You say you are a political junkie, but have you actually taken the time to watch an entire town hall of Evan's, or an hour long interview? Or visited his webpage and read his the principles he stands for? He actually has quite extensive, vast experience abroad and in the US with the House, that he talks quite openly about. You say he was a nobody, but did you know that he was actually Chief Policy director for the House Republicans? I have a question, I hope you can answer honestly- are you feeling threatened because more and more people are voting their conscience and not voting for Trump (your candidate)? This is a good video to watch for an in depth introduction (I advise you don't get your Evan intro's from Pro-Trump Facebook pages, it is much better to go to the source): http://www.tpt.org/overheard-with-evan-smith/episode/evan-mcmullin/ and www.evanmcmullin.com And lastly, please don't call us Mormon Suckers. You should know better- that's disrespectful and unkind.

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    1. Another person implying that those voting for Trump are not "voting their conscience". I wish I could be as morally superior as you! 🙄

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    2. We wish you could be too. It's better than putting words in our mouths. If you can vote your conscience AND vote for Trump, more power to you. Many of us couldn't say the same until Evan emerged as a candidate. I won't trouble you over your vote, much as I disagree, but I expect the same consideration. Part of that is acknowledging we each get to vote our consciousness without being trolled by Trump Lemmings.

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    3. Great post Fowler Family. You are right. Evan has a great amount of experience. Just because he hasn't been a reality star or Secretary of Lies doesn't mean he can't make a good president. He obviously loves this country otherwise why would he join the CIA and not as a desk jockey but in some if the most hospitable places at this time. Just because he worked for Goldman Saks doesn't automatically disqualify him either. It gave him an opportunity to see the world of finance and trade. As Chief Poilcy Director for Congress means he understands government interesting and has been involved in legislation, the only government Trump has been involved in is offering bribes, I mean contributions to politicians to get what he wants (by Trump's own words). Evan understands the need for National Security which is what president is supposed to care about. His strong belief in States rights versus more Washington DC is a strong point for my vote. Is he the perfect candidate. No, but one I believe was raised with values, principles and love of country that I was raised with. I have always been never Hillary and was never Trump before he became a presidential candidate. He has been a total turn off to me since I first became aware of him many years ago. I never watched his show, turned the TV if he was on and could careless about anything he wrote or was written about him. He is a charleton and wolf in his current GOP clothing (which are probably made in China like many if his products). So I will proudly cast my vote for Evan and at least feel like I voted for a man that I have been counseled to vote for. A man who loves God and believes that thus country is already great!

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    5. I totally agree with what you said about Evan McMullin. He is a good, honest, god-fearing man who loves his country and is willing to go through all of this to hopefully be elected President. That would be a positive for our country...since there have been no positives for a long time.

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  9. I am PROUD to be supporting Evan McMullin! He is a man whom I can respect! I am also proud to be part of the Americans he is unifying. They are all intelegent, classy and have moral character overflowing!

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    1. Why do so many McMullin supporters quote "morals" and "conscience" as the reason they are voting for him. Are you implying Trump supporters lack "morals"? Your lumping those who disagree with you into a category of less "classy" and less "moral" make you exactly that!

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    2. Maybe it's unjust, but it's an assumption based on the type of person Trump has shown himself to be, the classless nature of his visible supporters, and the all-too-frequent insults that are tossed at conservatives and republicans that refuse to support him. If you're being classy, I expect you to make your case and let me decide without calling me a traitor if I don't fall in lockstep.

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    3. Maybe it's unjust, but it's an assumption based on the type of person Trump has shown himself to be, the classless nature of his visible supporters, and the all-too-frequent insults that are tossed at conservatives and republicans that refuse to support him. If you're being classy, I expect you to make your case and let me decide without calling me a traitor if I don't fall in lockstep.

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    4. A vote for Evan is a vote for Hillary and you will be allowing her to put justices on the court that will allow children to be murdered in the womb and possibly outside. Anyone with a conscience cares about human life would not allow this to happen. You will be judged!

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    5. If abortion were not an issue in this election, who would you vote for and why?

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    6. Don't worry; the obstructionist Congress will keep either President from getting their Supreme Court nominees seated.

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    7. @Justin VanBibber, For me personally, I do not think that Trump supporters lack morals. I believe that Trump HIMSELF lacks morals, of any kind, and that is why I cannot support him. And I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that, so chill out.

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  10. I am PROUD to be supporting Evan McMullin! He is a man whom I can respect! I am also proud to be part of the Americans he is unifying. They are all intelegent, classy and have moral character overflowing!

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  11. I'm sorry but if anyone was "placed" in this election to make Hillary win it would be Trump. That Or he is the puppet and she the puppeteer. So if she loses to him she can just control him. Do you know how close Trump is to the Clintons? How much money he has donated to them? Besides, he is a horrible horrible person, how is voting for that ok?? And Hillary is no better. Plus, we need to get out of the thinking that voting third party is voting for the opposite party. It's not. A vote counts for who you voted for (unless you vote "Mickey mouse" and then that does absolutely nothing) and no vote is wasted! In fact I'd argue that the closest you can get to a "wasted" vote is when you vote to keep someone else out of office instead of voting to put who you actually believe in in to office. We need to start voting offensively not defensively.

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  12. Evan McMullin is a good man. I have family that have talked with him face to face, one on one and they know he is for real and sincere. I know he is a good man from watching interviews and hearing him speak.
    You say he isn't qualified...I say bologna -- he's 100 times more qualified than Trump. He is far more in touch with reality, more intelligent politically, and infinitely more moral. In fact, I do not belive a moral, truth-seeking person could write such an article as you have, smearing a candidate that gives hope to Americans in order to build up your own amoral, self-loving, hate-mongering candidate.
    Trump has no chance of winning anymore, especially after that last debate. We must not allow Hillary to waltz in to the White House either. The best thing we can do is vote for the most likely independent to win our respective states so that no one receives the majority vote. It really is possible. Please vote your conscience people, not for the least evil of the two. Good bless America.

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    1. Another person implying that those voting for Trump are not "voting their conscience". I wish I could be as morally superior as you! 🙄

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  13. Evan McMullin is a good man. I have family that have talked with him face to face, one on one and they know he is for real and sincere. I know he is a good man from watching interviews and hearing him speak.
    You say he isn't qualified...I say bologna -- he's 100 times more qualified than Trump. He is far more in touch with reality, more intelligent politically, and infinitely more moral. In fact, I do not belive a moral, truth-seeking person could write such an article as you have, smearing a candidate that gives hope to Americans in order to build up your own amoral, self-loving, hate-mongering candidate.
    Trump has no chance of winning anymore, especially after that last debate. We must not allow Hillary to waltz in to the White House either. The best thing we can do is vote for the most likely independent to win our respective states so that no one receives the majority vote. It really is possible. Please vote your conscience people, not for the least evil of the two. Good bless America.

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  15. Evan has been very open about how things developed. He came in late because he had no intention of coming in. He spent months pushing more public figures to step up because our options are a mob boss or an arrogant philanderer...both are dishonest and deplorable. For someone who has always voted Republican and now feeling he can't vote, he spent months encouraging someone to step up. No one wanted to and who could blame them. Most people of sound character don't seem to want to put themselves in the spotlight and in the pigpen of politics. As soon as a good man makes an attempt, there's an attack on his character, his family, his ideas...it has gotten so ugly that it really seems the truly great potential leaders would prefer to stay out of the mud. So in the interest of doing what he felt is right, to provide people like him who feel there is no one to vote for, he stepped up because no one else did. That's why he was late to the game. And yes, his campaign people knew he wouldn't get an outright win but they have brilliant ideas on how to cause a much-needed change and perhaps prevent either party from getting the 270 votes. And I know this first-hand unlike your very weak statements because my old roommate and close friend is on his campaign. These people are down-to-earth, determined and giving a 100% for their country which is ridiculously more than I can say for ANYONE in the mix at this point. Just because you can't spout of anything about him since he wasn't in the spotlight (and doesn't seem to care for it), you see something negative. I see something refreshing and different. Trump is an embarrassment. When North Korea likes a candidate, everyone should take the glaringly obvious hint. People are voting out of fear. Fear of Hillary getting the vote, fear of Trump getting the vote. A strong third party vote could make history, send a message, and show where people stand, represent their voice for the first time in a long time. I hate to say it, but Trump's candidacy is completely selfish and I really don't think he was going to win. Too many people hate him. I know people who had given up on voting at all because they can't stand the idea of either option being forced down their throats. Now they feel like there is someone to vote for. Yesterday an 18 yr old liberal boy posted that he finally felt like he had someone to vote for. Someone with clandestine, international experience-real life in your face hard experience- and you still think Trump is better qualified. Compare Trump's political experience and activity before announcing his candidacy to that of Evan. Trump has never been a political figure either. At least one of them has a clue and substance. Trump wants to win for his ego. Hillary wants to take her mob organization to the next level. Evan is doing this out of a sense of patriotism and character. Don't twist one of the few inspiring acts of true leadership into an excuse to demean and belittle others in a weak and negative attempt to create rumors and distrust. P.s. check out his very politically active running mate. It undermines a lot of other points you attempted. You said it yourself, you really don't know much about him. So why write a whole post making assumptions? This movement has inspired many and attacking Mormons or anyone else inspired by this movement is a disservice to yourself and the country. We need something very different than what we're seeing now and if people on both sides would stop being so afraid of the other party's candidate, they might realize we can vote for neither! #votethirdparty

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    1. Could not agree more! I will vote for McMillan to send a message of discontent at what the parties have given us this year, come what may.

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  16. Evan has been very open about how things developed. He came in late because he had no intention of coming in. He spent months pushing more public figures to step up because our options are a mob boss or an arrogant philanderer...both are dishonest and deplorable. For someone who has always voted Republican and now feeling he can't vote, he spent months encouraging someone to step up. No one wanted to and who could blame them. Most people of sound character don't seem to want to put themselves in the spotlight and in the pigpen of politics. As soon as a good man makes an attempt, there's an attack on his character, his family, his ideas...it has gotten so ugly that it really seems the truly great potential leaders would prefer to stay out of the mud. So in the interest of doing what he felt is right, to provide people like him who feel there is no one to vote for, he stepped up because no one else did. That's why he was late to the game. And yes, his campaign people knew he wouldn't get an outright win but they have brilliant ideas on how to cause a much-needed change and perhaps prevent either party from getting the 270 votes. And I know this first-hand unlike your very weak statements because my old roommate and close friend is on his campaign. These people are down-to-earth, determined and giving a 100% for their country which is ridiculously more than I can say for ANYONE in the mix at this point. Just because you can't spout of anything about him since he wasn't in the spotlight (and doesn't seem to care for it), you see something negative. I see something refreshing and different. Trump is an embarrassment. When North Korea likes a candidate, everyone should take the glaringly obvious hint. People are voting out of fear. Fear of Hillary getting the vote, fear of Trump getting the vote. A strong third party vote could make history, send a message, and show where people stand, represent their voice for the first time in a long time. I hate to say it, but Trump's candidacy is completely selfish and I really don't think he was going to win. Too many people hate him. I know people who had given up on voting at all because they can't stand the idea of either option being forced down their throats. Now they feel like there is someone to vote for. Yesterday an 18 yr old liberal boy posted that he finally felt like he had someone to vote for. Someone with clandestine, international experience-real life in your face hard experience- and you still think Trump is better qualified. Compare Trump's political experience and activity before announcing his candidacy to that of Evan. Trump has never been a political figure either. At least one of them has a clue and substance. Trump wants to win for his ego. Hillary wants to take her mob organization to the next level. Evan is doing this out of a sense of patriotism and character. Don't twist one of the few inspiring acts of true leadership into an excuse to demean and belittle others in a weak and negative attempt to create rumors and distrust. P.s. check out his very politically active running mate. It undermines a lot of other points you attempted. You said it yourself, you really don't know much about him. So why write a whole post making assumptions? This movement has inspired many and attacking Mormons or anyone else inspired by this movement is a disservice to yourself and the country. We need something very different than what we're seeing now and if people on both sides would stop being so afraid of the other party's candidate, they might realize we can vote for neither! #votethirdparty

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  17. First you refer to a group of people as "my Mormon friends" then later that same group you describe as "Mormon Suckers", "patsies" and "weak-minded demographic". The name-calling and derogatory slurs make it so obvious that you're a Trump surrogate, just trying to illegitimately and dishonestly bad-mouth Evan, since he is rising in the polls and The Donald is falling, like an out-of-control skydiver. You claim to be a political junkie with 20 years experience (or were you using Trumpian exaggeration?), but you didn't even take time to do basic research on his background, where you would have learned that his experience is neither "private" nor "confidential" (hint: go to his website, then click on "About Evan" - then you can edit your paragraph and add truthful details) I don't even want to address anything further because your intention is obvious. Trump was going to lose whether Evan jumped in or not. Hillary Clinton is the worst presidential candidate in recent history...and she is currently dominating Trump, because he is equally bad.
    And for the record, some of us who are Nevertrump are just as much NeverHillary, hence our vote for a 3rd Party. And NO, a vote for Evan is NOT a vote for Hillary (or a vote for Trump). That is "con talk".

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  18. First you refer to a group of people as "my Mormon friends" then later that same group you describe as "Mormon Suckers", "patsies" and "weak-minded demographic". The name-calling and derogatory slurs make it so obvious that you're a Trump surrogate, just trying to illegitimately and dishonestly bad-mouth Evan, since he is rising in the polls and The Donald is falling, like an out-of-control skydiver. You claim to be a political junkie with 20 years experience (or were you using Trumpian exaggeration?), but you didn't even take time to do basic research on his background, where you would have learned that his experience is neither "private" nor "confidential" (hint: go to his website, then click on "About Evan" - then you can edit your paragraph and add truthful details) I don't even want to address anything further because your intention is obvious. Trump was going to lose whether Evan jumped in or not. Hillary Clinton is the worst presidential candidate in recent history...and she is currently dominating Trump, because he is equally bad.
    And for the record, some of us who are Nevertrump are just as much NeverHillary, hence our vote for a 3rd Party. And NO, a vote for Evan is NOT a vote for Hillary (or a vote for Trump). That is "con talk".

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  19. This article makes an assumption that those who are supporting Evan haven't obtained enough information on his views to make an educated decision and we are mindlessly voting for him. That is far from the truth and I would encourage you to look at his website and interviews. That is minimal research to only base the information you are gaining about a him, or any candidate for that matter, strictly from their facebook page. Stacy, you say you are a republican voter who ALWAYS votes republican and then lets us know "but I will be the first to tell you that there are a lot of dirty Republicans" So I would like to ask how does that feel, voting for a dirty Republican (or any dirty candidate for that matter) so how much education are you really seeking to obtain if you ALWAYS vote party line, even for "dirty Republicans". You don't have to vote for a 'Dirty Replublican' or a dirty Democrate. I choose to stop voting DIRTY. I don't think you should be calling people a sucker when you actually believe the words coming out of Donald Trumps mouth - just sayin'

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  20. This is a horrible article and no different than any other Hillary or Donald argument. Both of those candidates are as shady as can be, have lied and manipulated their way to the top. I feel people are being threatened by McMullin b/c for once their is a genuine, kind person running for office. He hasn't assaulted women, lied, corrupted his country and on I can go. People are getting tired of the shenanigans and immature arguments between our fellow presidential candidates. I think Trump supporters are just getting a little frightened because we're shaking it up a bit with McMullin.

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  21. This is a horrible article and no different than any other Hillary or Donald argument. Both of those candidates are as shady as can be, have lied and manipulated their way to the top. I feel people are being threatened by McMullin b/c for once their is a genuine, kind person running for office. He hasn't assaulted women, lied, corrupted his country and on I can go. People are getting tired of the shenanigans and immature arguments between our fellow presidential candidates. I think Trump supporters are just getting a little frightened because we're shaking it up a bit with McMullin.

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  22. I'm sorry, but this article is ridiculous. Evan is not taking votes from Trump. Trump can't expand his base because he is a horrible candidate and unfit for office. Here are a few reasons I am not voting for Trump ( I could give you more...)
    1. He cannot be trusted. He lies and fabricates things constantly. Ben Shapiro started cataloging his lies, when he got to 100 he basically quit. I won't vote for someone that doesn't even try to be truthful. http://www.dailywire.com/news/4834/trumps-101-lies-hank-berrien#modal
    2. He is not wise. He shows very little intellectual curiosity. He could have hammered Hillary on several things in the debate, but just hit her with a talking point and moved on. Very frustrating! Evan McMullin would have dismantled her. He also quotes the National Inquirer as a credible new source. Really?? That's a disqualifyer right there.
    3. He is not pro-life. He has been pro choice his entire life and changed positions when he decided to run for president. This coupled with his inability to tell the truth gives me very little hope that he will fight for conservative judges' nominations.
    4. By his own admission, he is a sexual predator, but equally disturbing he talks of how his power will get him anything he wants. That is called abuse of power and no one with that characteristic should be given the keys to the White House.
    5. He is vindictive. He immediately resorts to personal attacks, name calling, and belittling if someone criticizes his opinion or record. This shows emotional immaturity and is a serious flaw. He also promises to destroy people that go against him. On the flip side of that he plays right into flattery which is a vulnerability that could hurt our country.
    6. He has a weird fondness for Russia and does not see them as the geopolitical threat they are to the world. During the GOP convention, the only change Trump's team wanted to make to the platform was he wanted them to soften their stance on Russia's aggression at expanding their borders. Why? I wonder. He has been trying to build a Trump tower in Moscow for years and I frankly fear what his personal ambition and vulnerability to flattery may compromise our national security. I feel there are extremely dangerous conflicts of interest here that disqualify him for office.
    7. He has no moral compass. I have seen people who are normally kind and good become mean and angry because of Trump. Civility is at a new low in our country. As a teacher, I prefer having a president who is decent, kind, and uplifts others with his speech. When I listen to Trump speak (rallies, interviews, debate) I just shake my head. He acts like a school yard bully.
    I could get into issues I don't agree with, but it doesn't matter. He does not pass the litmus test to get my vote. Because of his "locker room talk" he couldn't get a job as a janitor at a school, and some people want him as president?
    Trump is a horrible candidate. Only 5% of the country supported him during the primary. He has not been able to grow his base because he constantly offends whole blocks of voters and he did not develop the ground game necessary in a presidential election. He does not deserve my vote, nor does his political pal Hillary, who he has in the past called terrific and donated thousands and thousands of dollars to her campaign. One could argue, Trump stole the primary from good candidates to get Hillary elected. Hillary is the most corrupt candidate in our lifetime, but Trump is also as corrupt in his own way. Both are unfit. But you go ahead and vote your conscience. I will not vote for either, and if I could, I would vote for Evan McMullin. At least he gives intelligent interviews, is honest, and respectful of others. I also agree with him on about 85% of his issues.

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  23. I wouldn't mind actual vetting of McMullin because I am positive there could not be nearly as much dirt as has been found on the other two. C'mon press- start digging! I like him and he has my vote. His views on things like the wall, national security, abortion, and his calm temperament are better than the two primary candidates, and he makes more sense than the other two main 3rd parties.

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  24. You are very uninformed and it is sad that you would write this article and misjudge someone like you have before knowing obviously nothing about him. All of those things that you said were " confidential", "secret" etc. he has talked about quite extensively which leads me to think you haven't tried to listen. My suggestion is to learn about him first and then I will anxiously await a much better review 😊

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  25. You used no sources but a lot of words. Much of what you said is untrue, I can provide trustworthy sources which undeniably show my statement is true, so can many other McMullin supporters.

    Readers, opinion pieces without trustworthy sources (which you need to look at) lead people away from truth. I'm guessing most of you understand this truth. I wish you the best in finding information on all of the candidates in order to make an informed decision.

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  26. Evan McMullin is far from a "nobody". In fact, he was the Chief Policy Director for the House, he was a senior adviser on national security issues for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs as well. Honestly, for someone who calls themselves a "political junkie" that doesn't bolster the statement. Evan is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has Bachelor's degree in International Law and Diplomacy, and a Master's of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School, one of the best schools in the nation. I think the author of this blog needs his credentials checked.

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  27. The first thing I would like to tell the author is Clinton doesn't need Evan in the race for Trump not to get 270. He is going to do that all by himself. He's a terrible candidate and never had a chance of winning this election. The second the con of the century was and is Trump running has a Republican and winning our primaries. He's not now nor ever will be a Republican.

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  28. Your logic makes no sense. You're saying he doesn't make a good candidate because nobody heard of him until he entered the race? So trump makes a good president because he's a celebrity? What is this, a high school popularity contest?
    Next in your article you listed a bunch of other things that OTHER politicians have done but failed to really say anything about McMullin. Like it was stated above, if you want to know his policies then look them up. It's not secret information. Anybody who takes the time to research it can find what he believes in.
    Finally, how dare you talk so disrespectful about your own people? And not only that, but why does religion matter at this point anyway? I'm a Mormon but I'm not voting for McMullin because he's a Mormon. I'm voting for him because he's a respectable person.
    D&C 98:10- "wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil"

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  29. You know, it's people like you that muddy the waters of democracy. A 270 electoral vote would not necessarily mean a Hillary victory. It would mean congress would vote for our president. 60% of Republicans in congress are anti-Trump. I'll take my changes with a vote in congress over a disgustingly vulgar, ignorant, violent, man like Trump. I'm conservative. You've said multiple times in your article that McMullin is a good man. He would vote for Supreme Court judges that share conservative ideals. The whole basis of your argument is on the fallacy that a vote for McMullin is a vote for Hillary. That is false. Please educate conservatives on reality. Not your Fox News opinion. Here, use this: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-evan-mcmullin-could-win-utah-and-the-presidency/

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    1. Can I make a suggestion? Please call your state Republican party and discuss McMullin's plan with them. I called mine (Idaho) and was told that McMullin would never be voted in due to the political implications the House Republicans would face -- because most of their constituents have never even heard of McMullin. They won't vote in a no-name. Call your state Republican party and see what they tell you.

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    2. @Tauna: Well, I mean, *of course* that's what you'd expect the Republican party people to tell you, right? Their focus right now is on making sure Trump wins the election. Nobody really knows what would happen if the vote were to go to the house. In the House vote, it's one vote per state, so McMullin would need just 18 votes to win. Maybe he couldn't get that many, but there's nothing to suggest it's impossible. Heck, faced with the prospect of President Trump, it's theoretically possible that he could even get a couple of votes from Democratic states.

      Regardless, it's probably a moot point because Trump is doing so badly in the election right now.

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  30. Poorly writtten Article. The author states that McMullin is "unkown" -bf yet the author seems to know everything about his life and motives.

    Utahns are not being conned. They are standing for what they believe in. Utah isn't a protest vote. It's a vote of conscious.

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  31. Barf! The Republicans party completely botched this campaign. Hillary was the most beatable candidate ever and so the Republicans managed to come up with someone worse. If they are so manipulative introducing McMullin, how could they have come up with a guy that had no chance of beating anyone? All the crap about Trump was well documented for years. At least with McMullen I don't have to vote for trash.

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  32. Barf! The Republicans party completely botched this campaign. Hillary was the most beatable candidate ever and so the Republicans managed to come up with someone worse. If they are so manipulative introducing McMullin, how could they have come up with a guy that had no chance of beating anyone? All the crap about Trump was well documented for years. At least with McMullen I don't have to vote for trash.

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  33. You paint a dark picture of the Supreme Court as Clinton would make it. You didn't tell us what the Supreme Court would look like under Donald Trump. You implied, without stating it, that it would merely be the opposite of a Clinton court. Let me tell you what a Trump court would look like. Donald Trump doesn't care about conservatives, liberals, and he most certainly doesn't care about you or me. He doesn't even care about his wives. Donald Trump only cares about HIMSELF.

    If he appoints conservative judges, it won't be because they're conservative. He will appoint judges who, in his opinion, are easily controlled, easily swayed, or easily corrupted. He has already demonstrated his contempt for judges (Gonzalo Curiel, for one example) and his enthusiasm for taking advantage of the courts and manipulating them to serve his own ends (over 4000 lawsuits filed by or against him, according to USA Today - see also New York Times "libel per se").

    You're hoping I'm wrong about Trump, but all you have to go on is your Mormon "hope". I'm going on his record. Trump is only for Trump. He doesn't care one spotted fig about anybody else. "Donald Trump has vowed" this, and "Donald Trump has vowed" that. What percentage of stuff has Donald Trump said in the last 18 months that is not a lie? How can you believe anything that he promises? You're just as gullible as all those Utah Mormons you chastise.

    Since you're a Mormon, I'll use a Mormon analogy. Electing Clinton will be like electing the Gadianton Robbers. Electing Trump will be like electing King Noah.

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  34. The comments on this article show that people still refuse to accept the reality of the situation. Evan McMullin's deadlock scenario is a fairy tale. It is practically impossible. It will be Trump or Hillary. If we want to prevent the Supreme Court from going liberal, then there is no choice. Whether or not McMullin is a good guy or Trump is a bad guy is irrelevant. That does not change the consequence of not helping Trump win which is a liberal Supreme Court. The comments all try to defend McMullin's character or attack Trumps character. Not a single comment here makes a logical argument for why President Trump would be worse than a liberal Supreme Court.

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    1. The idea of Trump winning this election is, and has always been, a fairy-tale scenario. It was a frightening thought at first, but we keep watching him shoot himself in the foot, over and over and over. I'm surprised he has any feet left. Even if seven million Mormons vote for Trump, Clinton will still win. Why not use your vote to do something useful?

      My dog used to express his displeasure by pooping on the floor, wherever he was. Since we can't save ourselves from Trump or Clinton this year, let's poop on the floor instead. #votethirdparty #noneoftheabove #spreadtheword #makeithappen

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    2. The only entity that is helped by McMullin winning in Utah is McMullin.

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    3. Exactly. All you ever hear about in discussions about McMullin is emotions and conscience (which is really just sanctimonious self-righteousness)--never a discussion of the issues. A more immediate issue in this election is the potential for war with Russia. Both Hillary and McMullin support establishing a no-fly zone over Syria. This plan is insane, considering that the Syrian government has invited Russia to operate in their territory against US-armed rebels/terrorists. A no-fly zone means we start shooting down Russian aircraft. Nothing good can come from that.

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  35. Like others have said before, Trump doesn't stand a chance against Clinton regardless of Evan McMullin. Trump is the least conservative republican candidate in years, which is why so few republicans are willing to support him. He doesn't represent himself well in debates nor with the press. He is a lost cause. So a vote for Trump is still a vote for Clinton because Trump can't beat Clinton. So at least a vote for Evan McMullin is a vote for someone conservative. Republicans lost this election 6 months ago when they naively got deceived into believing Trump stood the best chance to Clinton, while polls clearly showed otherwise. So why do we have to suffer the consequences of millions of wrong republicans and vote for someone we haven't supported since he started? When republicans are clearly wrong, it is time for new leadership to step up. Evan McMullin's cause is more than just this presidency, as we all know it is a long shot. It is about doing more than that.

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  36. Twas an interesting article but I had a very hard time taking it seriously due to it being nothing but a string of logical fallacies.
    Examples of the logical fallacies she submits:

    (1) False Dichotomy - They've been told and sold that by voting for Evan they don’t have to shed their values and principles. They don’t have to choose the lesser of two evils. But that is the lie that the Evan McMullin candidacy is built on, because in 2016 you do have to choose between one of two people who will be the next President: Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. A vote for anyone but Trump helps Clinton to move ahead and to defeat Trump.
    (2) Slippery Slope - A Hillary Clinton presidency is one where she will most likely appoint three Supreme Court Justices. They will be radical liberals. They will stand against everything political that good and faithful Mormons believe in. They will gut the 1st, 2nd, and 10th Amendments. They will force all Christians denominations to have gay clergy and to perform gay weddings in their churches or temples. They will bring back abortion on demand at any time during the pregnancy, paid for by taxpayers, performed in church owned hospitals, performed by Christian doctors who will be forced to do so or lose their license. Euthanasia will be the law of the land, not just for the terminally ill and elderly but for handicapped and unwanted children.
    (3) Slippery Slope #2 - Hillary’s new liberal Court will steamroll the America you once knew. You won’t recognize it anymore. Her tried and failed economic policies of higher taxes and more spending will eventually bankrupt our nation. Her support for wars and conflicts not in our interest will bleed the best of our youth.
    (4) False Cause (aka post hoc) - Did you imagine 20 years ago that gay marriage would be legal in all 50 states, mandated by liberal judges despite the sentiment of voters? Did you imagine you would be forced to buy overpriced and underperforming health insurance or be fined by the government? And these things came about with a Supreme Court that was evenly split between conservatives and liberals. Hillary’s new liberal Court will steamroll the America you once knew.
    (5) Not sure if Hasty Generalization is the exact fallacy on this one but it's the closest I could think of - And these things came about with a Supreme Court that was evenly split between conservatives and liberals. (I.E. You CAN'T have an "Evenly split" Supreme Court - that's the whole point of it being a court with 9 members!)
    (6) Straw Man - Donald Trump is no saint, Latter Day or otherwise, but he loves America, he respects the rights of Christians, he has vowed to appoint judges who will protect life, the rights of churches, the rights of gun owners and our Constitution as it was written.
    (7) Appeal to Authority AND ad populum (Appeal to the People) - Read Dennis Prager's excellent article ‘In Defense of Pro-Trump Christians,’ and then join the millions of other Christians who will be voting Trump to save our country from the terrible alternative.
    (8) ad populum (Appeal to the People) - Most of the Mormons I know are voting Trump but you can and should be more vocal about it.

    I'm sure there are many more that I didn't completely pick up on, but if you needed a philosophy lesson for the day Stacy Stine deserves an 'A' for effort.

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  37. Great piece Stacy Stine! I agree.

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  38. Wow, name calling, huh? Way to lose anyone that MIGHT have listened to you.

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  39. This election is not about making yourself feel good on the way out of the voting booth. It is about where the country will be in 4 years. It's time to adult up and do what needs to be done, even if it may be unpleasant.

    There is a not-so-secret combination of the Democrats, GOP establishment, Hollywood, media, polsters, and even some parts of the scientific community all working to undermine freedom, dismantle nationhood, and destroy morality. The only outcome of the election that has a chance of rolling back some of their damage and dismantling some of their power is to elect Trump. Either you vote Trump, or you help the combination advance.

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    1. Exactly! This is a war. And war is never pretty or pleasant.

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  40. 2001 called. It wants its website back. This is seriously the sickest.

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  41. I don't know if he's good or not, but it drives me crazy that because he is mormon, every other mormon (I am one) thinks he'll be a good president.

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  42. Stacy, for kicks and giggles, I think you should re-write this article assuming that Mormons are more terrified of Trump than Hillary.

    By the way, how on earth would we be forced to have gay clergy? So the government would appoint our clergy? (Side note, there are openly gay LDS Bishops, living a celibate life, so I fail to see how that makes the sky fall). As for gay weddings, we don't have to perform those. The church pays property taxes on the temple in London because the British got mad. Good luck making us do that here. Muslims will never be asked to pay Property taxes on a Mosque.

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    1. edit. Preston not London. Also, we still get an 80% discount, and because it was forced by a court in France, I guess Brexit nullifies that decision.

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  43. I continue to hear and see written statements about the upcoming election. “Voting for the lesser of the two evils”. Whatever happened to voting for the person that will do the best job that has a chance to win.
    I remember back in 1992, George H.W. Bush was running against Bill Clinton, along came Ross Perot an independent and ran and was a spoiler for President Bush. That is how we got Bill Clinton. Who created the housing crisis, was impeached, the list is long, but you get the point. That is what brought the Clintons into power, republicans voting for Ross Perot, those votes took that election away from George H.W. Bush, who had an 89% approval rating.
    There are 5 candidates on the ballet for President November 2016, Donald Trump- Republican, Hillary Clinton - Democrat, Gary Johnson – Libertarian, Jill Stein – Green Party, Evan McMullin – Independent.
    The only President that was not affiliated with a party was George Washington. The last time the American People elected someone that was not a Democrat or Republican was Millard Fillmore, Whig Party 1850, one hundred and sixty six years ago.
    The chances of Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, Evan McMullin being our next President are so low. I hear friends say that Evan McMullin could win Utah. And they are reaching for straws with all the scenarios of how he could win. He is only on the ballet in 11 states! His odds of winning are not good, one to three percent, depending on how you do the math.
    Think of your vote like this, there are only two choices. Republican or Democrat, it’s like going to the drive in and you want a shake and they only have chocolate and strawberry on the menu. You have to choose one.
    For me the choice is simple for one reason alone. The next President will most likely appoint 4 Supreme Court Justices. The Republican Candidate released names of the individuals that he would proffer for his Supreme Court. These names that he has put forth are all for protecting the Constitution. The Democrat Candidate has not released any names, but history has shown us Democrats appoint liberals.
    The balance of power in the Supreme Court is what has protected the Constitution of the United States. Liberals want to rewrite the Constitution, the 1st Amendment, 2nd Amendment, 4th Amendment and the 5th Amendment. If you don’t want the protection that these Amendments, give the Presidency of the United States in control of the Democrats, to select and place liberal Judges on the Supreme Court, which will change our lives forever as we know it!
    Stop looking at it that you are voting for evil either way! The real evil is voting for the party that wants to destroy the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution is what protects us, when WE THE PEOPLE makes a mistake and put elected officials in the positions of power that can affect our lives and the lives of generations to come.
    If you are for the dismantling of the Constitution of the United States vote Democrat. If you are for saving the Constitution of the United States vote Republican. If you vote for the other three names on the ballet, your conscience is not as clear as you may think it is!

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  44. Sheeple?? This is a strange argument. So....if you align with Trump you're a Trump sheeple? If you align with Clinton you're a Climton sheeple? If you align with McMullin you're a McMullin sheeple?

    voting is making your voice heard by aligning with the person that most closely aligns with your principles and ideology.

    If you align closely to Trumps principles you should vote for him!
    If you align closely to McMullins principles vote for him.
    If you align closely with Clintons principles vote for her.

    It's called voting to have you're voice heard.
    Everyone has different lenses in which they see the world.

    Please everyone vote! Just realize we all have different principles and perspectives. And THATS what makes America great!

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    1. Proud Mcmullin sheeple here. I Agee Cyndi 100% vote FOR who you agree with and support.

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    2. Proud Mcmullin sheeple here. I Agee Cyndi 100% vote FOR who you agree with and support.

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  45. I don't know what in God's name is happening to the Conservative movement. If the Liberals wanted to destroy us, they could not have done better themselves. Since when do all "Conservatives" have to vote for the establishment republican? Since when are our votes already cast for whomever the GOPe puts into the nomination? Remember...most of us Never Trump people were that way before the convention. We tried to stop the train wreck. And Reince and his cronies colluded to crown Trump the winner. That's after they put in rules for open primaries and early voting. This allowed democrats, who were never going to vote for trump anyway, to help nominate the weakest candidate. Again, those of us voting McMullin were never going to vote for trump anyway, so it's impossible for us to "help" Hillary. The GOP does not own our vote.
    You say you are a Mormon. I'll take your word for it. I am not. If you have decided that voting for that pig trump is okay with you and your faith, I get it. everytime I hear Hillary talk I consider giving in and casting my vote for him, too. then he opens his mouth and I realize that I can't. Call me a chump, or a patsie. Whatever. I'll tell you this...If this is what the republican Party has become, then they left me. I didn't leave them. My values haven't changed. This country is screwed either way, because the cultural troubles run deeper than who is in the White House. Trump is not the savior.

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  46. Evan McMullin may be a good man, but he is absolutely an inexperienced butterbar (2nd LT) trying to position himself as a General while the siege of Bastogne is raging. What we need is a Patton. Someone who has proven himself as a leader and can motivate people to do things they couldn't do on their own. Give them hope and belief. Refuse to accept defeat. Inspire people to look at the big picture, give them reason to love their country and rise to the occasion. Patton was an arrogant, brash, foul-mouthed, egocentric and impulsive general who repeatedly got himself in trouble with the politically correct and mushy Washington DC types. Yet he was EXACTLY what the world needed at one of our most desperate and greatest times of need. So many parallels with Bastogne and the current state of the US it is scary. Everything is under siege from our values to our freedoms. I don't care what the potential, moral values, vision etc of a butterbar are when we are in the middle of a battle that will decide our future. He CANNOT GET THE JOB DONE. Right now we need a Patton and like it or not that is Donald Trump.

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  47. Evan McMullin will be remembered as the opportunistic man who exploited wavering Utah Mormons, thereby dividing the only force that could stop Hillary and ultimately aiding her election. He is an answer to Hillary's prayer.

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    1. Uh, no. As outlined in comments above, there is no scenario in which Evan winning Utah will throw the election to Hillary. It's mathematically impossible. If you disagree, read through the numbers and point out where I'm wrong and we can discuss from there.

      Further, Trump is, all by himself, losing badly right now. Clinton isn't praying for help beating Trump right now, she's in do-no-damage-and-coast-to-a-win mode. I don't like it, but that's the reality of the situation (current projections have her taking 340+ electoral college votes).

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  48. I agree with former LDS General Authority and 4-star AF/NATO General Robert C Oaks strong endorsement of Trump: "Trump's values are solid, he believes in family, country, military strength, and individual rights, and he is willing to put forth the required efforts to protect these values..." . Hillary welcomes your vote for Evan...it gives her unimpeded access to the Presidency and ultimately validates her agenda. Evan McMullin is a wolf in sheep's clothing...dividing and weakening the only real, formidable force that can stop Hillary while the Democrats rally and remain unified. He's an answer to Hillary's prayer; creating dissention in the opposing team and thus creating a modern day "spoiler/Nader effect".

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    1. Here, in case you can't find it: "If Trump has below 264 votes, he loses no matter what happens in Utah, and if he has more than 270, he wins no matter what happens in Utah, so the range to look at is if, not counting Utah, Trump has 264-269 votes. In none of those cases does Evan winning Utah cause Hillary to win" [because she won't get to 270 in those cases].

      Trump has divided the Republican party far more than Evan ever will. Suggesting Evan is "dividing and weakening the only real, formidable force that can stop Hillary" is way off base and not supported by data. For example, Trump has lost oodles of ground in key battleground states like FL and NC and those votes have not at all gone to Evan.

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  49. "Paid for by the Donald Trump for President foundation"

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  50. Trump is leading the only formidable force that can stop Hillary. I can't in good conscious step aside and abandon the only substantive conservative force that can prevent Hillary from reaching the White House. There's only one remaining team that can stop her and the leader happens to be Trump this time. Why desert the team when it needs you most? Why disown the leader of your team at such a crucial time simply over disagreements regarding personality differences and/or prior lifestyle choices?

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  51. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  52. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  53. This article supposes that Trump is actually conservative at all. They talk about how McMullan has been created 'out of thin air' and has no conservative political history to speak of. Or rather, "it's classified."

    The author then goes on to tout Trump as someone who, "respects the rights of Christians, [will] appoint judges who will protect life, the rights of gun owners and our Constitution as it's written."

    Well, if McMullin's lack of history is enough to condemn, then Trump's leftist history is certainly enough to castigate him.

    You say Trump will do better than Hillary to protect the 2nd amendment. Trump said depriving people on the "no fly list" of their constitutional rights to a firearm sounded like a good idea.

    You submit that Trump will appoint pro-life judges. Trump has said... Well actually he's kinda supported every stance on the spectrum here, really. (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/03/donald-trumps-ever-shifting-positions-on-abortion/)

    "But he has a list!" You'll retort, "he's already told us his nominees!"
    A list, of course, that has changed several times and one that he has said himself may not contain the actual nominees for the court that he'll seek.

    You submit that Mormons are the ones being conned in this election. That a man with no history has been fabricated to divert votes from the republican candidate.

    I would say that Trump is the con. A man who's history includes donating to the Clintons, attending their parties and, until recently, aligning with their politics. Yet he's now is conservatisms last hope?

    Please.

    You'll be hard pressed to find a more suitable example of crony capitalists in bed with corrupt politicians than that of the past Trump/Clinton relationship.

    You paint mormons with the broad-brush of well-intentioned naivete with one hand while drinking the Trump Kool-aid with the other.

    If you really think that that man will stand up for the values of conservatism, it may not be the mormons who are ignorant.

    When faced with a choice that isn't really a choice, when we stand to lose any way you slice it: Your vote isn't about winning. It's about sending a message.

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  54. Any vote for anyone other than Trump is a vote against yourself! Stop being easily offended, stop whining!

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  55. Any vote for anyone other than Trump is a vote against yourself! Stop being easily offended, stop whining!

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  56. Here Evan states his purpose....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LduQ4o36eY&feature=share

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  57. Great article, I too am amazed that so many LDS/Mormons are falling for Evan McMullin.

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  58. Despite the fact that the article is basically an amalgamation of FUD, it is worth considering the points it raises. Anyone who supports a candidate because of the candidate's religious label is doing it for the wrong reason. But there's nothing wrong with supporting a candidate because of their morals, their views, their statements, etc.

    I disagree with some of Clinton's morals, but she's far more agreeable than Trump because he basically doesn't have any at all. As the Deseret News editorial board aptly put it, "The belief that the party and the platform matter more than the character of the candidate ignores the wisdom of the ages that, 'when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.' (Proverbs 29:2)"

    I'm supporting McMullin, even though I think he'll lose. I want to use my vote to send a message. And if that helps Clinton win, at least she's better than Trump.

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  59. This article supposes that Trump is actually conservative at all. They talk about how McMullan has been created 'out of thin air' and has no conservative political history to speak of. Or rather, "it's classified."

    The author then goes on to tout Trump as someone who, "respects the rights of Christians, [will] appoint judges who will protect life, the rights of gun owners and our Constitution as it's written."

    Well, if McMullin's lack of history is enough to condemn, then Trump's leftist history is certainly enough to castigate him.

    You say Trump will do better than Hillary to protect the 2nd amendment. Trump said depriving people on the "no fly list" of their constitutional rights to a firearm sounded like a good idea.

    You submit that Trump will appoint pro-life judges. Trump has said... Well actually he's kinda supported every stance on the spectrum here, really. (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/03/donald-trumps-ever-shifting-positions-on-abortion/)

    "But he has a list!" You'll retort, "he's already told us his nominees!"
    A list, of course, that has changed several times and one that he has said himself may not contain the actual nominees for the court that he'll seek.

    You submit that Mormons are the ones being conned in this election. That a man with no history has been fabricated to divert votes from the republican candidate.

    I would say that Trump is the con. A man who's history includes donating to the Clintons, attending their parties and, until recently, aligning with their politics. Yet he's now is conservatisms last hope?

    Please.

    You'll be hard pressed to find a more suitable example of crony capitalists in bed with corrupt politicians than that of the past Trump/Clinton relationship.

    You paint mormons with the broad-brush of well-intentioned naivete with one hand while drinking the Trump Kool-aid with the other.

    If you really think that that man will stand up for the values of conservatism, it may not be the mormons who are ignorant.

    When faced with a choice that isn't really a choice, when we stand to lose any way you slice it: Your vote isn't about winning. It's about sending a message.

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    1. This. A million times this. Stacy Stine roasted. Mic drop.

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  60. Wow Stacy Stine sounds like an arrogant ignoramous. Choose your candidate Stacy and let others do the same. Have fun supporting Trump, the worst POTUS candidate of all time.

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    1. The nation has been going down the drain and Trump is the most promising candidate in decades to change the course.

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    2. I left the Republican party when Trump was nominated. Any of the other candidates would have been a shoo-in against Hillary.

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  61. What interesting about Evan and Mitt Romney is there self-righteous indignation of Trumps views of minorities when there religion believes in a mythical kingdom called "pre-existence" and the spirits living there that were non-valiant came to this world as Negro's, Mexicans and handicapped .

    "Let us consider the great mercy of God for a moment. a Chinese, born in China with a dark skin, and with all the handicaps of that race seems to have little opportunity. but think of the mercy of god to Chinese people who are willing to accept the gospel. In spite of whatever they might have done in the pre-existence to justify being born over there as Chinamen, if they now, in this life, accept the gospel and live it the rest of their lives they can have the Priesthood, go to the temple and receive endowments and sealings, and that means they can have exaltation. Isn't the mercy of God marvelous?

    Think of the Negro, cursed as to the priesthood... This Negro, who in the pre-existence lived the type of life which justified the Lord in sending him to the earth in the lineage of Cain with a black skin, and possibly being born in darkest Africa--if that Negro is willing when he hears the gospel to accept it, he may have many of the blessings of the gospel. In spite of all he did in the pre-existent life, the Lord is willing, if the Negro accepts the gospel with real, sincerer faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessing of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. If that Negro is faithful all his days, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there as a servant, but he will get celestial glory. (Race Problems--As They Affect The Church, An address by Mark E. Petersen at the Convention of Teachers of Religion on the College level; Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, August 27, 1954.)

    Even before the migration to Mexico had begun, Apostle Brigham Young, Jr. had warned members of the Church living in Arizona ‘that the blood of Cain was more predominant in these Mexicans than that of Israel.’ For this reason he ‘condemned the mixing’ of Mormons with ‘outsiders.’”

    - B. Carmon Hardy, “Cultural ‘Encystment’ as a Cause of the Exodus from Mexico in 1912,” Pacific Historical Review, v. 34, 1965, p. 447

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  62. Evan supporters appear to be a self-righteous, unforgiving, whiny, and easily offended lot.

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    1. I'm gagging on the miasma of ad hominem here.

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    3. Your statement says more about you than it does anything else.

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    4. Yes, it says that Rob and Deborah are observant, thoughtful, and discerning.

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  63. Thank you! As a fellow mormon I appreciate you also speaking out. I may not have wanted Trump as the nominee, but he is, and is the only viable option to stop Hillary. I'm voting Trump and know I'm doing the right thing. Being outside Utah, I'm already seeing the negative backlash that mormons are getting from McMullin using his faith in this race. I respected Mitt for not advertising he was a mormon and not pandering to fellow members...McMullin doing so casts a dark cloud on his intentions.

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  64. A friend of mine posted this. But this is false. That has literally nothing to do with it. At the McMullin event this Tuesday there was overwhelming evidence that many of his supporters in the region are not Mormon. There could be some shared values as Mormons- but that is not voting for him "because he is Mormon"- it's voting him for shared values. Compare that to the evangelicals who voted for a strip club, casino owner who well before the Access Hollywood tapes made several statements that are not in line with mainstream christian beliefs. Trump is not just rough around the edges- he is unfit. The author didn't take the time to examine what McMullins supporters believe they jumped to conclusions. Most of us would have voted for literally any other conservative but Trump. Trump lost his Utah support long before Evan entered the race. There is little evidence but lazy conjecture to support the claim "only because he's Mormon". Heck Evan wouldn't even had run of the LP nominated Austin.



    There is other false information in the article. His role in Goldman was not related to cronyism- but was to assist IPOs. Which is as Austrian as it gets. The claim that Evan was involved in cronyism indicates a lack of understanding in how investment banks even work and are organized. We also do know what he did in the CIA at a high level. He recruited people in foreign governments and anti-American organizations to supply the US with information.

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  65. I'm going to call Bull Shit on this post. I also have been a Republican my entire life, worked in the US Senate, taught political science, blah, blah, blah. But, I also am a student of history and a pretty good predictor of what is likely to come based on what we learn from history. Trump or Clinton would be horrific for the leadership of this country going forward.

    Oh, and I've known Evan for a while now (more than 5 years) so having a hack like Stacy Stine say he was a "nobody" is mildly insulting.

    Evan is running for two reasons. First, to prevent Clinton and Trump from receiving the necessary 270 EC votes to become president. Both of those candidates are awful and neither should have the privilege of becoming President. Second, should Evan not win, his candidacy and the traction it is receiving both from LDS voters and otherwise sends a very loud and clear message to the whiny adolescent contagions that are running both the RNC and the DNC that their brands of partisanship are no longer acceptable to common sense conservatives. True, the GOP has lost its identity. My hope is that the McMullin ticket replaces the bland unidentifiable Republican brand with one of federalism, personal responsibility, fiscal conservatism, respect for all cultures and orientations, common sense social policies, and the protection of the freedom of religion.

    So, Stacy, sorry but you post misses the mark...severely.

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  66. The problem with this article is that it hinges on the assumption that a vote for McMullin is a vote for Hillary.

    However, now that McMullin is winning in Utah polls, the OPPOSITE is true: a vote for Trump helps Clinton win Utah by splitting the anti-Hillary vote more evenly.

    So, if my goal is to stop Hillary from winning Utah, what is my only course of action? To vote McMullin.

    If Utah's electoral votes go to McMullin, it doesn't help Hillary reach the 270 threshold, it only creates the chance that the whole election will go to the House.

    This article in its entirety is now void.

    #mathematics

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  67. I will not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. I do not think that either of them believes in the rule of law.

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  68. With or without Utah, Trump cannot win. He is offensive, dispicable, and does not represent conservative morals and values. Bravo to Utah for taking a stand against politicians (and their spouses) with bad character, who lack of integrity, and lack morals. Bravo to Utah for sending the strong message to the GOP that a Trump or Clinton presidency is NOT in the best interest of this country. Bravo to Utah in leading the way for other states to follow, electing a 3rd party candidate, providing the possibility that Hillary won't get to 270, offering congress the ability to choose our next leader, Mike Pence or Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio or Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush, anyone but Trump!

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  69. Early on Trump lost me. I don't like his arrogance. his ideas, his veiws on women, his immigration suggestions, or anything else about him. I won't vote for Hillary, so what is left? McMullin seems to fit with my feelings. He gets my vote over Trump any day. Supreme court liberals scare me far less than Donald Trump!!!

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  70. Apparently Stacy doesn't understand the power of the Senate in appointing a Supreme Court Judge. They have the power to confirm. Read remarks of John McCain this past week. Unless the presidential appointee meets criteria of Republican Senate, they cannot be seated. RE: Obama's current nomination that the Senate rejected, even though prior to the nomination, Hatch said he wanted him as a Judge. Hypocritical on so many levels. Paul Ryan states we need to ensure the Republican majority in the Senate and House. That is where our power lies. I agree. Trump's promises mean nothing.He's already reneged on his promise of a Wall and that Mexico would pay for it. He hired illegal immigrants over American citizens, has claimed bankruptcy many times and is a vile, vulgar, bigot, who is unworthy to be the leader of this great nation. I absolutely resent being called a sheep and a sucker. How dare she tell me who I should vote for. It is my right to choose someone I believe to be upright and honest. STOP telling me how to vote. I choose to vote for someone who does not throw water on more qualified candidates, berate people he thinks sweats too much, call people names, who threatens to sue anyone who says anything bad against him, who constantly blames others for his failures, and claims conspiracy theories about voting. If he wins, does that mean that the polls were rigged? NO. He is an egomaniac and a narcissist. For years, I heard on Rush Limbaugh and Hannity that character matters. This was the mantra during Clinton's presidency. So all of the sudden, that doesn't matter??? Grow up people. Every party is hypocritical. Just depends on what you want to emphasize.How dare Stacy criticize and demean the integrity and knowledge of the Bush and Mitt Romney families??? Are you calling them sheep and suckers as well?? She questions their integrity but not Trump's?? Hypocrite. She may follow politics, but she doesn't know everything. I'm voting my conscience. This is my right. Never Trump, Never Hillary. It's my vote.

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  71. As a Mormon I was tought Christs gospel is forgiveness and to deny the atonement is a sign of the antichrist. Although I know Trump has not lived a moral life and was not raised a mormon either, but he is running for president. only on social issues and economic issues he will be 100000x better than Hillary, there is no comparison, night and day. And trust me, at 70 he will not go back to being a player...

    If you worry so much about the commandments, Trump has never drank or smoked. And Hillary is an alcoholic.

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  72. "This privilege of obtaining a mortal body on this earth is seemingly so priceless that those in the spirit world, even though unfaithful or not valient, were undoubtedly permitted to take mortal bodies although under penalty of racial or physical or nationalistic limitations...." (Decisions for Successful Living pp 164-165) TLDP: 497- Harold B. Lee

    “There is no truth more plainly taught in the Gospel than that our condition in the next world will depend upon the kind of lives we live here. …Is it not just as reasonable to suppose that the conditions in which we now live have been determined by the kind of lives we lived in the pre-existent world of spirits? That the apostles understood this principle is indicated by their question to the Master when the man who was blind from his birth was healed of his blindness, ‘Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind?’ (John 9:2.) Now perhaps you will have a partial answer to some of your questions as to why, if God is a just Father, that some of his children are born of an enlightened race and in a time when the Gospel is upon the earth, while others are born of a heathen parentage in a benighted, backward country; and still others are born to parents who have the mark of a black skin with which the seed of Cain were cursed and whose descendants were to be denied the rights of the priesthood of God”
    (Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living, pp. 164-165).

    Does Evan or Mitt condemn these comments ?

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  73. As a Mormon do you agree with this continuing revelation ?

    "This privilege of obtaining a mortal body on this earth is seemingly so priceless that those in the spirit world, even though unfaithful or not valient, were undoubtedly permitted to take mortal bodies although under penalty of racial or physical or nationalistic limitations...." (Decisions for Successful Living pp 164-165) TLDP: 497- Harold B. Lee

    “There is no truth more plainly taught in the Gospel than that our condition in the next world will depend upon the kind of lives we live here. …Is it not just as reasonable to suppose that the conditions in which we now live have been determined by the kind of lives we lived in the pre-existent world of spirits? That the apostles understood this principle is indicated by their question to the Master when the man who was blind from his birth was healed of his blindness, ‘Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind?’ (John 9:2.) Now perhaps you will have a partial answer to some of your questions as to why, if God is a just Father, that some of his children are born of an enlightened race and in a time when the Gospel is upon the earth, while others are born of a heathen parentage in a benighted, backward country; and still others are born to parents who have the mark of a black skin with which the seed of Cain were cursed and whose descendants were to be denied the rights of the priesthood of God”
    (Harold B. Lee, Decisions for Successful Living, pp. 164-165).

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  74. I agree with the author. Something about McMullen just doesn't sit right with me. Goldman Sachs, hmmm a big Hillary supporter. And can't say what he did? He is a pawn in my book. Sadly, Mitt Romney went to U of U and made a speech against Trump. I lost respect for him that day. So then Utah went to Cruz, well Mitt supported him so why not. Then Cruz didn't support Trump at first so the Utah republicans were thirsty for a candidate and here shows up this guy. Hey, he is one of us, lets do this. Personally Trumps language hasn't bothered me at all. I cuss myself and heard cussing on my scout trips growing up. I worked with technicians whose language made Donald look like an angle and that was the women at work. Its been proven that he did NOT make fun of the disable man it was taken out of context. What has Hillary done in 30 years? get rich and love late term abortions, lie and lie and lie. Someone will win, I am willing to give Donald a try. He is rough but aren't we all? Rocks get their edges smoothed over. So much corruption in the Clinton Foundation, Bills trips to Epsteins Island, Bills affairs and Hillary threatens those women. McMullen is a distraction from Hillary and her evil ways. I don't trust him one bit. He talks nice and has a nice web site but who really knows about him? TRUMP all the way, give him a chance like a chance was given to all new people in government.

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  75. Thank you I'm a scriptorian and know Mormon teachings

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  76. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I'm so relieved that I'm not the only "card-carrying" Mormon woman out there whose gut didn't let her jump onto the McMullin train (and who wanted to puke everytime another Mormon friend whined about not having Romney take another stab at the presidency...). THANK YOU for being 20 times more articulate than I could be and voicing what my head and heart were nagging me to say.

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  77. Here's an idea: stop stereotyping all Mormons as Republicans. We're not. Some of us feel that Hillary is the very OBVIOUS choice next to a hateful, ignorant Trump.

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  78. Here's an idea: stop stereotyping all Mormons as Republicans. We're not. Some of us feel that Hillary is the very OBVIOUS choice next to a hateful, ignorant Trump.

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  79. Vote for someone, not to keep someone else out. Find your own voice when it comes to politics, religion and personal lifestyle choices. It is possible to agree to disagree.

    Can you imagine if more than one state ended up voting for a Third Party Candidate and the Electoral College had no one that received the 270 votes? Stop and think about it for a minute. There are 27 running for POTUS. So lets say Gary Johnson takes a couple of states, Jill Stein takes a few and Evan McMullin takes a few. (Yes, I know it's highly unlikely because so many are voting based on the fear of one candidate or another winning.)

    What would happen for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? If you said that the vote would then go to Congress and each State receive one vote you would be correct.

    Does your vote REALLY count? It does. The important thing is you get out there and VOTE! Get involved in YOUR government.

    Stop the name calling and mudslinging use primary sources for your information, don't read things into something that isn't there. Repeating what candidates say or the sound bites and headlines are is not being informed. Government leaders and POTUS candidates often get things wrong and then it gets repeated so much people believe it as fact. Be careful of the fact checkers too. Who backs them. Who's behind the research? Where do they get their information to determine if something is true or false. Go to the primary source for your information. Look at the candidates character, their actions speak much louder than words and sound bites do.

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  80. I agree, we have to unite behind Trump to defeat Hillary. Otherwise they will be there eight more years and the country will be gone.

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  81. I don't agree with Trump all that much, but I'm not really voting for Trump, but against Hillary.

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  82. As someone that went looked seriously at many candidates, that endorsed Carly Fiorina last year, and decided to support Ted Cruz, who had at least read the constitution and would follow it, I am appalled at this distorted blog post. I believe Hillary is a corrupt liberal, but I also believe Trump to be a corrupt wannabee dictator. No wonder he seems to like Putin. Trump could be worse than Obama, and that is staying something. Even though Obama doesn't follow the constitution, at least he has read it.

    By August 1, 2016 I was going to vote for Castle/Bradley. Then Johnson/Weld wrote the op-ed in the Deseret News. I went to meet them and picked up a yard sign and put it in my trunk for 2 months, checking out Evan McMullin. He isn't the nightmare you paint and I believe he can do the job. He can also win, providing Trump stops purposely losing. It is Trump that is giving away state after state. Evan has a better chance if Trump and Hillary both do well. It is not to Evan's advantage to see Trump tank.

    If you want to support a wannabe dictator, vote for Trump. If not, vote for McMullin, or Johnson, or Castle. McMullin is the best chance we have to beat Hillary.

    Fred C. Cox
    Utah House of Representatives

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  83. I am voting for Evan McMullin because he is the only person on the ballot who isn't a dumpster fire. You can tell me I'm playing into Hillary's hands all day, I don't care. I will sleep like a baby on November 8th. Will you?

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  84. McMuffin is a Gadianton Robber. McMuffin is leading the people astray with flattering words. He wants more CIA black-opp activity in Syria to bait/provoke war with Russia. Just because someone is "Mormon" and went to BYU doesn't mean their appearance and title is what it appears to be.

    We should judge all candidates on whether they follow the Constitution and that's it. If he were catholic and went to Ohio St. would anyone in Utah be voting for him then?

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  85. Hillary will appoint 3 disgusting liberal justices who stand for everything Mormons are against...things like feeding hungry kids, caring for the poor, health care for everyone, taking care of Mother Earth, taxing the wealthy, fighting only wars that are necessary, equality for all...not just white men...Well, this white Mormon man can deal with that.

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  86. And McMuffin is CIA, Goldman Sachs and worked at the U.N. He's also a member of the CFR (Council of Foreign Relations) Those are HUGE RED FLAGS. Trump said some mean things. McMuffin is a war-mongerer. Big difference. But hey McMuffin went to BYU and he's "Mormon". If we learned anything from the Book of Mormon, the enemies to freedom are within the church and are all about keeping up appearances and leading people astray with flattering words. In summary, don't vote for Gadianton-puppet McMuffin.

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  87. Trump called in LIVE on CNN in 2003 to defend Michael Jackson from the false accusations. Trump said MJ was 100% innocent and there was a conspiracy against MJ by the media. Which all turned out to be 1000% true! This showed me Trump's true character and his heart. He had nothing to gain from calling in except the knowledge in his heart that he did the right thing for his friend. How many people would call in and defend me if I was falsely accused? Trump is a champion.

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  88. Beautiful article, but I have to disagree on part of it. There is a better choice out there than Hillary, Donald or Evan. Unfortunately a lot of people don't know about them because they are blocked from the big media channels. Why? We can't say for sure. They are Darrell Castle and Scott Bradley. Running on the Constitution Party. Social Media has been doing all they can to get the names out there. We are a grassroots movement most of us volunteers and do not have big money to buy our way onto the sites, into debates or any of that. If you are unhappy with these other three, please go to Castle2016.com and see what you find.

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  89. That's why I'm voting for King Morianton:

    Ether 10:9-12

    9 And it came to pass after the space of many years, Morianton, (he being a descendant of Riplakish) gathered together an army of outcasts, and went forth and gave battle unto the people; and he gained power over many cities; and the war became exceedingly sore, and did last for the space of many years; and he did gain power over all the land, and did establish himself king over all the land.

    10 And after that he had established himself king he did ease the burden of the people, by which he did gain favor in the eyes of the people, and they did anoint him to be their king.

    11 And he did do justice unto the people, but not unto himself because of his many whoredoms; wherefore he was cut off from the presence of the Lord.

    12 And it came to pass that Morianton built up many cities, and the people became exceedingly rich under his reign, both in buildings, and in gold and silver, and in raising grain, and in flocks, and herds, and such things which had been restored unto them.

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  90. I was a "Republican since I registered to vote" too. I identified as one even longer, having first noticed politics in the 1972 election. I voted for the Republican candidate in every Presidential election in which I cast a ballot, but it wasn't the letter next to their name that caused me to do so. I don't care one whit whether a candidate is Mormon or not. I'd punch Harry Reid in his bad eye long before I'd ever vote for him. But I do care that any Mormon would try and use our religion to shame me into voting her way. I'm perfectly happy with my choice and religion has nothing to do with it, but it's interesting that so many Trump fans, while wrapping themselves in a "Conservative" flag, are so comfortable using leftist tactics in order to bully others toward their view. The "truth" I see is that the author of this piece is as despicable as her candidate and every other Trumphumper out there trying to harangue the rest of us into voting their way. No thanks. You can have him.

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  91. I agree with her about this: "The reason so many people look at politics today and say there is no difference between the Republican and the Democrat on their ballot is because all too often it’s true." But I'm offended that she believes that if you are Mormon and voting for Evan McMullin, you must be a sucker because you don't see that it will give the election to Hillary. I think it is clear that Trump is closing that door all by his big, loud, offensive self and the only way for intelligent, prayerful people to decide what to do about it is to study, think, and pray. For some that may mean voting for Trump because of the Supreme Court issue, and I can definitely see their point and reasoning. For others of us, we want to use our vote to send a message to the country about our complete and utter dissatisfaction with both parties, their candidate choices, and the direction this country is headed under either one. I think you can vote for a third party candidate purposefully and deliberately in order to be sure that a voice of dissent is being heard. I don't think that makes me a Sucker.

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  92. http://www.millennialstar.org/why-i-am-nevermcmullin/

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  93. Lore I will still vote Trump
    To defeat Clinton!
    P

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  94. I see several problems with this opinion piece. First the assumptions about Trump- that he is a truthful, selfless, conservative Christian outsider who will shake up the corruption in politics and lead the country to financial prosperity. Why do people believe that? Because Trump has said it, but that doesn't mean he really means it or that he can actually make it happen. In fact his track record would beg to differ and should be enough proof to anyone that he is a lying, money loving, egocentric, sex crazed, corrupt to the core businessman who is only running for his own self interests. If I am supposed to believe that McMullin is simply a puppet for the Republican elite based on the conjecture and speculation of a guest writer no one has ever heard of then surely people can more than certainly prove that Trump is exactly what I have claimed based on actual evidence rather than conspiracy theory. Next, if Trump is the "OK" choice for Christians to vote for considering all the arguments against him, wouldn't you be able to argue that McMullin is a better choice. The only reason we want Trump to be the right choice is because he has a large amount of support and a good chance of winning. If McMullin had similar support and was not considered the spoiler candidate then he would be the “right choice” for Christians and you wouldn’t be writing this article. It's not like Jesus has come down and told us that anyone who votes for Clinton will go to hell so you better vote for Trump. There is no evidence that McMullin is a puppet for corrupt politicians way so you can't just claim he is and call it the truth. Yes there is a lot we don't know about him, but we don't know everything about every presidential candidate and there are no perfect candidates. So who do we vote for? The one we believe in the most, the one with the best record, the one who shows the fewest inconsistencies, the one who we believe will do what they claim they will do, the one who aligns best with the principles we believe in. When voting you take what evidence you have, you weigh it against the other candidate, and you make a choice. Weighing McMullin against Trump and Clinton will see McMullin at the top every time. There will always be reasons not to vote for a 3rd party candidate (or any candidate for that matter), that doesn't mean I can't vote for a 3rd party candidate in an effort to do a little good for this country. If Stacy Stine really wants to take advice from Dennis Prager she should watch the PragerU video "Who NOT to Vote For" by Adam Carolla. This article really should be "My Conspiracy Theory about Evan McMullin and Why I Think Every Mormon Who Votes For Him Is Gullible and Stupid" because it most certainly is not the truth. If anything this article is real con because it is the perpetuation of the big party (talk about corrupt politics) lie that if you don't vote for Trump then you are really voting for Clinton. Just because Mormons are supposedly more gullible and prone to falling for scams than everyone else doesn't mean that everything they believe in is a scam, it just means we like to believe in people and give them a chance rather than being suspicious and doubtful of everyone.

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  95. There's absolutely NO POSSIBLE WAY that this McMullin person (that no one knows) will be President of the United States. Your vote for him takes away a vote for the two candidates that actually have a chance of becoming President. Trump DOES NOT support abortion and Clinton DOES. So if you do not help him win this election, you are essentially helping her. So if you want your tax money to go towards partial birth abortion (aborting babies in the 9th month which is murder in my opinion) go ahead and vote for McMullin so that Utah's votes will not help Trump. It's up to you.

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  96. Funny thing is, you're the sheephole following the 2 party system and backing the candidates that only a tiny percentage of the country even wanted. You are so open minded and intellectual but because others feel differently they are sheep... Come up with your own arguments for a change.

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  97. If your post is one to convince, I'm afraid you missed the mark. You don't convince by assuming or stating personal opinions as facts. You don't convince by insulting...(I'll admit, I insult sometimes, not outright, but the insults are there If the person can recognize them. ;) I only do that when I know I won't convince anyway...I'm trying not to do it at all or at least not very often. It's not nice...but i digress.. ;)...
    I personally know a few ward members, Republican ward members ( since we are addressing Mormons here) who cannot stand Trump and have stated they would vote for Clinton instead. I don't get that, but whatever. Maybe McMullin will give those people another choice. Trump is a fraud and I understand anyone not wanting to vote for the guy.
    "....he loves America," (does he?) "he respects the rights of Christians,"(really?)" he has vowed to appoint judges who will protect life," (yeah, but he lies all the flippin time)" the rights of churches,"(i doubt it) "the rights of gun owners" (maybe) "and our Constitution" (he is clueless) as it was written."
    I'd say most who are voting McMullin feel Trump is no different and no better than Clinton. Different sides of the same coin. They may be correct. You obviously feel differently but your comments are not based on facts or history or Trump's record, quite the opposite, actually, and are in no way convincing to me.
    After listening and watching and listening some more then asking others whose opinions I respect and bouncing my thoughts of them, daily...many of whom ARE voting McMullin, btw...., I finally came to the conclusion, Why not take a chance? Yes, I voted for Trump, not because he represents me, but because I'm going to take a chance. Though I feel no shame in my decision, I feel awful that I've been put in this position. It seems to me that the few issues most important to me, Donald doesn't really care about one way or the other. That being said, I'm betting he'll go with it. I don't think he cares one way or the other about abortion and I don't think he cares about gun control. Regarding his supreme court justice comments and the names he has thrown around, I’m not sure I believe him but again, why not take a chance? Those 3 issues are huge to me personally--so I'll take a chance that he'll go along with laws, bills, propositions etc., issued by the local representatives whom we vote in, hoping they will be conservative for the most part.
    As far as Evan McMullin goes, after looking at what a vote for him, or even a win here in Utah could do, I concluded that it would not be helpful in defeating Clinton, whose policies have been laid out, defended, and lived by her for the past 50 plus years of which I find sickening and have proven disastrous time and time again. But, I cast no blame on others who come to another conclusion, it's to be expected with a candidate as horrible as Donald Trump. Let's just hope we don't lose The House too!

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  98. If you're so upset maybe you should have run for President. As I said these are our only TWO possible candidates for President. This is the country you and I live in and this is the country that will continue to tax you. That is if you legally work for a living.

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  99. You want to question so much about Trump. I have a million more questions about McMullin who noone really knows, and he didn't even come forward to run until ways late in the process. Where was he a year ago?

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  100. I read the entire article. She actually didn't say anything of substance to discredit him. She asserts only the following:

    1 - We don't know much about him because his past employment responsibilities are top secret.

    This assertion is true, and quite frankly doesn't bother me. I'd rather have someone I know nothing about than someone that has been proven to be dirty.

    2 - A vote for McMullin is a vote for Clinton and therefore wasted.

    She even goes so far as to suggest that he could be a planted candidate. Calling him a "conman." Really? Based on what evidence? She admits herself that she knows next to nothing about him. How is it a wasted vote if it sends a message that there are a large contingent of people that don't like mediocrity?

    3 - You won't be able to feel good about yourself voting for Evan in order to avoid voting for the lesser of two evils.

    This one is completely baseless and grabbing because she's suggesting that she knows what will make every potential conservative voter happy. If either Trump or Hillary are elected, I will be unhappy with America's choice for President.

    Will Trump or Hillary be chosen? - Of course they will! That's not the reason all of us vote. I live in California - so no matter what I chose my state will always pick a liberal democrat. I don't vote to win. I vote because it's a responsibility that I feel I have, and because I want to feel as though I stood for what was right.

    Anyway... that was my take away and opinion.

    And before anyone says anything about me being "unknown" so I shouldn't bother say anything... (like they slammed someone else for earlier) I'm not going to make an additional account on some random thing to be able to post here. My name is Michael, and you can find my facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DemoniousRex

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  101. Why did no one hear about him before? Because he wasn’t publicly involved in politics, and until recently wasn’t working directly in politics either. If he was not working on a campaign, then how is his social media presence at all relevant? It is perfectly reasonable (and possibly legally obligating) for him not to disclose his activities at the CIA or Goldman. That he volunteered to work with refugees and was employed in field operations in the Middle East of all places should speak volumes about his character.

    The author asserts that “Crony Capitalists” made some back room deal with McMullin to throw the election to Hillary and protect big corporate interests. The closest the author comes to substantiating this claim is pointing out that he worked for the GOP—which proves nothing. As far as I can tell there is no evidence that Romney or other “establishment” people have really supported him.

    The probability and game theory suggestive of a strategy that corporate interests are using McMullin as a spoiler are also weak. Utah is only worth 6 electoral votes. Based on the electoral map on realclearpolitics.com (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_elections_electoral_college_map.html), there are 9 “toss-ups”, assuming each candidate is equally likely to win any one of those states, the ONLY way Trump wins is if Clinton loses every single one of those states except Nevada OR Iowa. Assuming McMullin takes Utah, then the ONLY way Trump wins is if Hillary loses EVERY “toss-up” state. The probability of a Trump win in these scenarios are about 0.6% and 0.2% respectively.

    The author is a Trump supporter largely because (is is a sheep just like he accuses others of being and) he feels he will continue to espouse conservative values. Although this is what he says, do we really believe it? Who will hold him to his word? He obviously wouldn’t be worried about sacrificing a career in politics. Does anyone honestly believe that pressure from his political base will sway his opinion? The only thing we can be sure of is that any decisions he makes (which may even include supreme court nominations) will be those that maximize the benefit to Donald R. Trump. The only difference between Donald and Hillary in this regard is that the Clintons have already exploited political power for personal gain, whereas Trump is still eagerly awaiting his turn.

    Assuming it really is a question of voting for Hillary vs Trump based solely on the consequent Supreme Court nominees, what options do we have in the likely outcome of a Hillary victory? 1) As McCain suggested, if we retain a Senate majority, conservatives could just flat out refuse to confirm any new justices. 2) We could hope the Senate negotiates with Clinton on the choice of nominees, possibly in exchange for something else of value to her party. 3) In the dismal scenario where the presidency and Senate go Left, then we will have to accept a liberal court for a long time unless an eventual GOP monopoly allows additional justices to be appointed beyond what is currently enumerated.

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