Should I Care About The Primaries?

By J.R. Holmsted

Questions I'm often asked: 

Why should I even worry about the primaries? 

Does my vote count in a state that leans one way?

Why does it matter anyway, the party will select the nominee!

Anyone is better than Hillary, so who cares?

Here’s the deal. I get going with the lesser evil. I’ve voted that way a few times. But we are not there yet. These are primaries, not the general election. Don’t think about how you should vote because it’s the “lesser evil” compared to Hillary.

Vote for your ideal candidate. Nobody has to know but you. Go with your gut, your heart, your head, but don’t go with the polls. Don’t go with what your best Tweeps tell you. Vote for YOU.

But most importantly VOTE!

So I present a challenge to you. Yes, you over there trying to read this discreetly. Ahem! This challenge was inspired by some of my astute and badass friends, @AviWoolf, @Lifebythecreek, and @cdpayne. (Sidenote--if you don’t follow them, you’re doing Twitter wrong. 

Anyway, I'm asking you to talk about which candidates you support. What you believe and why. What conservatives stand for. To actual people in your life. Explain why. Get your apathetic friends involved. Most likely they do care, they just don’t think it matters or don't want to be flamed. This crap line of thinking will give us Trump (or even Jeb!). Which inevitably gives us Hillary.

Don’t be chicken. I understand not wanting to take a FB stand, that’s not what I mean. Hell, I don’t. FB is reserved for family and friend connections and photo sharing for me. You can more effectively engage personally. People tend to listen better when you articulate your position while looking them in the eye, instead of from behind a keyboard.

“Dude! Political discussions are not polite! I was always taught not to discuss them!”

Don’t give me that nonsense. You don’t have to be abrasive. You don’t have to be a bully. You can inquire positions and engage in civil discourse. Our forefathers did this all the time. More often than not, around beers at a tavern until the wee hours of the morning. Surely many of you can relate. (Don’t pretend you don’t go to the bar or have drinks at home with friends on the reg.) They felt it was imperative. Had they adhered to “politeness” we would not have our democratic republic or worse, our mind-blowingly brilliant Constitution.

Encourage people to get involved. Whether you agree with them or not. Engage, engage, engage, engage, engage!

Your convictions will be better for it. Your resiliency in your principles will be better for it.

America will be better for it.