WASHINGTON ― If Donald Trump does what he claims he does to women, he’s guilty of a crime punishable by time in prison. There’s no telling what Trump’s legal fate is over the next few years, but the first chance that the American public will have to cast judgment comes at the ballot box.
And that judgment holds the potential to be devastating: The American people are within striking distance of delivering the most brutal rejection of a major party candidate in U.S. history.
That title is currently held in the modern era by Democrat George McGovern, who won 37.4 percent of the vote in 1972 against Richard Nixon, a defeat so thorough that it marked the beginning of the end of the liberal wave that had begun with FDR and the New Deal.
Trump, according to HuffPost Pollster’s analysis, is now pulling in 42.5 percent of the vote. That was before he was caught on audio boasting about his penchant for sexual assault.
Trump supporters can do their part in driving Trump down to 37 percent by abandoning him in droves, as at least some elite Republicans are starting to do. But there’s also a role for people who were planning on sitting this one out because the Democratic alternative is less than inspiring, or because they don’t live in a swing state.
Helping make Trump the biggest loser in American history doesn’t require you to vote for Hillary Clinton. A vote for anybody other than Trump ― Green Jill Stein, Libertarian Gary Johnson, writing in your own name ― drives down Trump’s overall national percentage by driving up the total turnout.
Pushing his number down to 37 percent ― just 5 points below where he is now ― sends a signal to the rest of the world that America has not lost its mind, that we don’t stand for or with what Trump represents. It lets our children know that his behavior is deplorable. It’s a message to immigrants, to women, to Muslims, to the disabled, to veterans, to everybody he has humiliated or assaulted that Americans are on record declaring that Trump does not represent the values of this country.
No matter what state you live in, or which of the many candidates you want to vote for, get out and cast a ballot, and send that message. Make Donald Trump the biggest loser ever.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularlyincitespolitical violence and is a