The Single Issue Voter

Zeroing in on a single issue sounds good in theory. Be passionate about something, something that you feel is more important than anything else in the whole wide world. Throw all of your support to a candidate that agrees with your issue and refuse to vote for anyone who disagrees. All you have to do is convince more than 50% of voters of the importance of your issue and we're on the road to utopia.

Not so fast, Skippy.

The problem wit being a single issue voter is that our lives are not single issue lives. What's the most important? Abortion rights? The ACA? The candidate's morality? Tax issues? Defense? Immigration? What if all these issues (and more) are equally important? Or even pretty darn important if not as important as issue #1? What if the available candidates include one who agrees with you on issue #1, but not on issues 2, 3, 4...10; and another who disagrees on #1, but agrees on all the others? Most single issue voters will choose the candidate who agrees with them on issue #1.

This is the problem that we are dealing with in the age of Trump. We had a candidate (and now a President) who ran an unquestionably hateful campaign; has been credibly accused of over a dozen women of sexual harassment, even caught on tape admitting to it; lied repeatedly and obviously during the campaign and still does as President; shows no aptitude or competence and makes many statements betraying his ignorance; undermines the press and law enforcement;  is reckless in his discussion of military options...I can go on and on. But what many, many people based their decision on is one issue: abortion. Now I'm not going to argue for or against abortion, choice or any associated issues. But for those who vehemently oppose abortion in all circumstances, nothing else matters.

This is what we are up against when we bring up sexual harassment allegations against Donald Trump and now Roy Moore. To the dyed-in-wool abortion opponents, none of that matters because the other candidate is an abortion supporter. Abortion is their single issue. Nothing else matters and nothing will sway them.  And frankly, we're wasting our time trying to change the minds of people like that. Work on the people who are open to changing their minds.

And get your ass out and vote so that there are more of us than there are of them.