Though someone with large name recognition and personal resources would be ideal, the emergence of former CIA agent Evan McMullin – whom nobody knew of before his announcement – as an alternative presidential candidate will have to do. That said, McMullin boasts a very impressive resume and his ideas are more in line with true conservatives than even Ted Cruz.
Is McMullin ideal? No. Is it likely he'll win? No. But I would rather work for the next two months to get him elected than stand by and watch two deplorable candidates run -- one of which will become president and cause even more damage to this country.
First, McMullin's résumé.
He worked as a clandestine officer for the CIA for over ten years. During an interview with Mark Halperin and Donny Deutsch on their Bloomberg TV show "With All Due Respect", McMullin was asked point blank if he has killed anyone. McMullin hemmed and hawed, and seemed to want to dodge the question. However, when pressed, he acknowledged that his actions as an officer led to the capture and death of many terrorists.
After leaving the CIA, McMullin received an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. He then worked in investments for Goldman Sachs. While there he was asked to return to government service. Most recently he has worked as the chief policy director for House the Republican Conference.
McMullin has both foreign and domestic policy experience. He is quite young, only 40, and he has never served in elected office. That said, his resume is much more impressive than Barack Obama's was when he was first elected. It's more impressive than Trump's, whose argument to be president is that he's rich (which is due to his daddy's largesse), he's famous (because he's rich), and he's not Hillary. That's not a lot to hang your hat on. Hillary has an impressive resume on paper, but her career has created a wake of corruption, scandal, and more than its fair share of dead bodies.
In addition to his impressive résumé and his seemingly humble character, Mr. McMullin has great ideas. In his "My Letter to America," McMullin first pays homage to the founding of the country. After noting that both candidates are unfit for the presidency, he writes:
"Those... who believe deference to our Constitution outweighs partisan political priorities are all looking for something better than the two major party candidates are offering. These foundational and time-tested principles transcend party and politics but sadly have no champion in this election. We must not abandon the fight for these values, for doing so will deprive future generations of Americans the bright future we want to give them."
Under the "On the Issues" tab on his website, he discusses the size and influence of the federal government. He notes "there is too much power in Washington," with an executive branch that legislates. He then writes, "Power should be shifted back to the States where it is closer to the people to whom it belongs."
Furthermore, he points out that a better effort needs to be made to combat terrorism and that the U.S. needs to provide leadership for the world. Regulations and taxes need to be reduced, education needs to be modernized and Common Core needs to be eliminated. Regarding healthcare, he points out the ObamaCare is a failure and needs to be replaced by free market solutions. The list goes on, but on every point, McMullin takes a strong conservative stand.
If you are a NeverTrumper, and you supported a stronger candidate, you now have a real option. Not only that, you have someone with a strong résumé. Most of all, you can now vote for someone who understands what makes America great, not just a dopey trucker's hat. We are facing dire times in our country's history and we need someone, who understands that America is the greatest country in history, to take the reins of leadership. We need to be led out of this mess we've been led into. A retread with a history of past failure of corruption or a loud-mouth who inherited millions from his daddy are not the answer.
There will be some of you who read this that will point to Gary Johnson. He's fine because he's not the other two, but his ideas are suspect also. As a libertarian he supports a withdrawal from the world, which is dangerous, and his policies would further erode our culture and society.
There are others out there -- those who are NeverTrumpers or who are becoming disaffected by Trump -- that will say McMullin has no chance, so what's the point? I admit McMullin has little chance. The two-party system paradigm has put a chokehold on our country and driven it into the ditch, so to speak. My question is, would you rather go down fighting for someone you can believe in, or do you want to sit on your couch and complain that nothing can be done? I, for one, will not go down without a fight and sit by and watch my country be further degraded.
Layne Hansen is a PhD student in American politics. He can be reached for comment at layne.d.hansen@gmail.com.
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