The idea that one must hold one's nose and vote for a bad candidate to prevent a worse candidate from being elected, is one of the most pernicious and manipulative arguments used by politicians against the populace.
If political parties can count on their subjects to vote for any candidate they field, even if the candidate is poor, all that means is they'll keep fielding poor candidates. It also betrays a sense of entitlement, a sense that they own your vote by virtue of your political or ideological alignment. It also acts as a means of smothering the possibility of new political parties and leaders breaking the two party duopoly. It is by its nature a self-serving and manipulative position.
This assumes that the voters don't have much say in who gets nominated. But as we've seen, more people voted for Hillary than Bernie during the primaries. It wasn't "the party's" choice (although those in charge of the party did do what they could to help her). It was ultimately the primary voters' choice. The
voters' choice.
But the main thing you're missing is that, by not voting for the better candidate, you may end up with the worse candidate. As in this election.
If you
truly believe that both candidates are equally bad, then, sure, go ahead and don't vote. It doesn't matter which one wins.
But then you can't complain about which one wins, either.
Assuming that this is more than just a philosophical exercise for you, you didn't vote for either candidate. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, jasonr.) Which means that you don't really care that Donald Trump won. He's just as good as Hillary, and the outcome would be about the same if Hillary won. Which is fine. That's your opinion.
But if you have any reservations, like I do, that this might be a disaster for the country, and that Hillary would have been a better choice--well, then you are to blame.
Because now we are going to have to live with that worse choice. If you had reservations, you did
nothing to help avoid that.
Pressuring the party for a better choice is what you do during the primaries.
Avoiding the worse choice is what you do during the general election.
Don't get the two mixed up--or we may keep ending up with Trumps.
