Althouse: Who is Althouse voting for anyway?

October 29, 2016

Who is Althouse voting for anyway?

Do you even know? Take your best guess. The options are in alphabetical order:

81 comments:

320Busdriver said...: I picked McMullen for her, but I don't know because she doesn't know. She said so herself on that videopodcast.

I still think it would be a wasted vote, especually because now maybe Trump can win WI. Hope So; 10/29/16, 4:13 PM
Big Mike said...: I would've picked "she's leaving the presidential ballot bank and not voting for anybody" if it had been offered. Goes to show what I know.; 10/29/16, 4:13 PM
Big Mike said...: @320Busdriver, if she votes for Evan McMullen then her vote truly is wasted. It's McMullin, with an 'i'.; 10/29/16, 4:18 PM
Clyde said...: What, no SMOD option?; 10/29/16, 4:19 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Johnson. Too sane for Hillary but too hypocritical and socially constrained for Trump.; 10/29/16, 4:20 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Can you imagine if Evan McMullin won?
A guy with a CIA background that nobody ever heard of before is suddenly President?
A guy who just happens to look exactly like Moby?

America would be one big grassy knoll if that happened.; 10/29/16, 4:21 PM
madAsHell said...: America would be one big grassy knoll if that happened.

We've spent the last 8 years trying to figure out which Planet of the Apes sequel we were watching.; 10/29/16, 4:24 PM
Gahrie said...: Althouse wants us to think she's going to vote for Johnson, but when she's actually in the booth she'll end up voting for Hillary.; 10/29/16, 4:26 PM
Ken B said...: There is one write-in candidate, and only one, who can actually legally be elected by the electoral college. Laurence Kotlikoff.

Kotlikoff2016.com

Maybe it's him.

Otherwise it's easy. Johnson is a "stupid stoner", Stein is an unserious flake, and Trump is too crude for certain sections of polite society. She will vote for Hillary. Plus of course she's been near Obama and some of his lovely pre-missed musk must surely still cling to her?; 10/29/16, 4:27 PM
Sebastian said...: Regardless of who she votes for, she will make up a very good reason to justify her vote. Very good.; 10/29/16, 4:29 PM
Bob Boyd said...: There's no way to tell who Althouse will vote for.
If she even knows herself, Trump could come to her in a dream and change everything.; 10/29/16, 4:30 PM
chickelit said...: She'll vote for Hillary and the next morning will share text messages with her sons saying " we did it."; 10/29/16, 4:34 PM
Achilles said...: This is sure a cynical lot. I don't think you are giving her enough credit for being contrarian. She lives in a bubble but she looks around outside the bubble every now and then.

I think she wants to choose a choice that actually matters and I don't think she is a coward who will take the easy way out.

I also think Hillary is a step too far.

She also really enjoys everyone talking about her.; 10/29/16, 4:34 PM
tshanks78 said...: You are pretty lined up with Scott Adams and his pesuasion powers are too hard to resist.; 10/29/16, 4:40 PM
Bob Boyd said...: "I think she wants to choose a choice that actually matters and I don't think she is a coward who will take the easy way out."

Which means...?; 10/29/16, 4:40 PM
tds said...: There's no option "Althouse won't vote"; 10/29/16, 4:46 PM
James Pawlak said...: Why not Alfred E. Neuman. However, I do "worry" about Fascists (Previously known as Democrats) and will vote for Mr. Trump---Who I did not support until he was democratically (Lower case "d") by my fellow Republicans.; 10/29/16, 4:48 PM
rhhardin said...: Your vote counts a lot more if you persuade others than if you vote yourself.; 10/29/16, 4:48 PM
bagoh20 said...: Chances are she already voted for Hillary and doesn't even know it. Many of us will have our votes stolen. She may not even be legal to vote in this country.; 10/29/16, 4:51 PM
bagoh20 said...: Dees Nutz?; 10/29/16, 4:53 PM
Michael K said...: "Many of us will have our votes stolen. "

Probably the best answer.; 10/29/16, 4:54 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: There is only so much Asshole Juice you get before you get Shit instead.

Ponder that.

I am Laslo.; 10/29/16, 4:57 PM
traditionalguy said...: I trust in your brilliant mind.; 10/29/16, 4:58 PM
HT said...: I have no idea, but I said Johnson. I can't see her voting for either Trump or Clinton.

She predicted Hillary would run a long time ago, I thought she was wrong, I could not believe at the time that she would be an attractive enough candidate, and I thought age would be an issue, and I really did not want her to run. This election is going to bring both parties down.

bagoh20 said...

Chances are she already voted for Hillary and doesn't even know it. Many of us will have our votes stolen. She may not even be legal to vote in this country.

A Trump voter was recently caught voting twice bc she thought her vote the first time was going to be converted to a Hillary vote. Yeah, whatever, you broke the law.; 10/29/16, 5:00 PM
320Busdriver said...: 320Busdriver, if she votes for Evan McMullen then her vote truly is wasted. It's McMullin, with an 'i'.

Thats my bad, but really, if it is a mispelled write in such as what I did it will still be counted as a valid vote.
I would not have known that except for a discussion I heard this week on talk radio.; 10/29/16, 5:10 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "@320Busdriver, if she votes for Evan McMullen then her vote truly is wasted. It's McMullin, with an 'i'."

Oh! I didn't even spell it right. That seems like a tell. But which WAY does it tell.

I'm influenced by Egg McMuffin.; 10/29/16, 5:11 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: It doesn't matter who Althouse is for voting for, because she's done such an excellent job providing a forum for the free exchange of ideas. The universities here in the good ole USA have been hijacked by Left-Wing Zombies, but Althouse has discharged her duty to resist by NOT becoming a zombie and, instead, nurturing this fine blog, where we discuss and debate all issues.; 10/29/16, 5:15 PM
Francisco D said...: I expect Ann to make a protest vote, write-in or third party.

Jill Stein? slight chance, but possible

Gary Johnson? slightly worse chance

Tim Kaine? Hmmmm...

Scott Walker? Maybe Meade, but not Althouse.

Barack Obama? Bingo!; 10/29/16, 5:16 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Hey! I was right the first time. It is McMullin.; 10/29/16, 5:17 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Slightly off topic, but are there any right-wingers here who are not voting for Trump, because of some quasi-moral misgivings?

Let's have a chat!

Vote Trump-Pence 16. Because the Left is actively trying to ruin the US.; 10/29/16, 5:20 PM
Achilles said...: Blogger Bob Boyd said...
"I think she wants to choose a choice that actually matters and I don't think she is a coward who will take the easy way out."

Which means...?

If you don't vote for Hillary or trump you are a coward and taking the easy way out flushing your vote down a toilet.

If you vote for Hillary you are flushing your soul down a toilet.

There is really only one way to avoid the toilet.; 10/29/16, 5:20 PM
MaxedOutMama said...: poll should have an "I don't know" option. It would be interesting to see how many thought they knew vs how many thought they didn't.

I don't know, but I would guess you are voting for Clinton.; 10/29/16, 5:21 PM
Birkel said...: So now HT has found the one case of voter fraud that HT will believe? Now that's funny!; 10/29/16, 5:22 PM
heyboom said...: Vote Trump-Pence 16. Because the Left is actively trying to ruin the US.

There are 5 ENTHUSIASTIC Trump voters in my household precisely because of that reason.; 10/29/16, 5:28 PM
The Godfather said...: @Althouse: I don't care who you vote for. I give you credit for giving a fairer hearing to the pro-Tromp case than I would have expected, but that doesn't mean that you have to vote for him.

Nor does it mean you have to vote for Hillary! to assuage your guilt for treating Tromp fairly.

But please vote for one or the other of them. One or the other is going to be President. No one else is. Make your best judgment and vote accordingly. Or stay home. Those are the decisions that the rest of America has to make.; 10/29/16, 5:37 PM
Bob Boyd said...: @ Achilles

I basically agree with your assessment of where we're at now.
I have a lot of misgivings about Trump, but it's Trump or Hillary. That's it. That's the choice. And compared to Hillary, Trump looks pretty darn good.; 10/29/16, 5:37 PM
cubanbob said...: Bay Area Guy said...
It doesn't matter who Althouse is for voting for, because she's done such an excellent job providing a forum for the free exchange of ideas. The universities here in the good ole USA have been hijacked by Left-Wing Zombies, but Althouse has discharged her duty to resist by NOT becoming a zombie and, instead, nurturing this fine blog, where we discuss and debate all issues."

I second. Thank you Ann.; 10/29/16, 5:38 PM
dbp said...: "Slightly off topic, but are there any right-wingers here who are not voting for Trump, because of some quasi-moral misgivings? "

I am as right-wing as they come and am voting for Johnson. This is only because I live in MA and there is no chance of Trump winning here. If I lived 10 miles north in Nashua, I would hold my nose and vote Trump.; 10/29/16, 5:41 PM
Shawn Levasseur said...: I have no idea.

My guess is that Althouse is still in Cruel Neutrality mode, and this poll is a barometer to make sure she's coming across that way.; 10/29/16, 5:44 PM
Anonymous said...: 'poll should have an "I don't know" option'

And an "I don't care" option too. No one will believe whatever AA might claim after the election, unless she posts a selfie of her ballot, which I don't think she will do because there's nothing to be gained and much to lose by doing it.; 10/29/16, 5:45 PM
Strick said...: Where was the "none of the above" option? That's what my campaign button says.; 10/29/16, 5:48 PM
Anonymous said...: "I live in MA and there is no chance of Trump winning here. If I lived 10 miles north in Nashua, I would hold my nose and vote Trump."

Pretend you are a Bay State Democrat and vote twice, once in two different places, as so many MA snowbirds will be doing at home up north and then again at their condominiums in Florida.; 10/29/16, 5:49 PM
MSG said...: I picked Stein because Stein and McMullin are the only two I don't remember Prof. Althouse saying negative things about. And McMullin, I imagined, is only a candidate for diehard Never Trump Republicans. In any event, I strongly commend Prof. Althouse for being unusually fair to Trump, except for an overreaction to the groping issue.; 10/29/16, 5:51 PM
David said...: 34% of poll respondents think you're an idiot.; 10/29/16, 5:55 PM
SukieTawdry said...: Does Wisconsin have a write-in option?; 10/29/16, 5:57 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: @dbp,

By logic, why not write in David Duke - he won't win Mass either.; 10/29/16, 6:06 PM
Unknown said...: Come on, Ann will vote for Hillary. Why? 1) Hillary's the far left option. And Ann is a liberal. So she defaults to pulling the lever for "D".

Second, this is the First. Woman. Candidate. Ann was taken in by the wonder of voting for the first black guy; why wouldn't she go for the first girl?

So the default is Hillary. Plus, Trump and his allegedly sexist misogynist greedy grasping hands ways and his alleged racism.... even more horrifying for a white liberal like Ann. If this was Bernie, no question that Ann would be pulling the lever for him.

But, and this is the great but, it's Hillary Clinton, the woman cheerfully married to a rapist; whose corruption makes Nixon, Harding, and Grant's administration look like a piker. Will Ann's revulsion at the Clinton corruption outweigh all the rest?

I'm guessing not. She just won't pull the lever for Trump. Maybe Stein, but likely Hillary.

--Vance; 10/29/16, 6:10 PM
HT said...: Come on, Ann will vote for Hillary. Why? 1) Hillary's the far left option. And Ann is a liberal. So she defaults to pulling the lever for "D".

Second, this is the First. Woman. Candidate. Ann was taken in by the wonder of voting for the first black guy; why wouldn't she go for the first girl?

Hillary is not far left. Hillary is not the first woman candidate. There have been at least two prior (Cynthia McKinney and Jill Stein were on the ballot in recent general elections).; 10/29/16, 6:15 PM
rcocean said...: This time I expect - or hope - Althouse will vote 3rd Party or stay home. I'd lose all respect for her if she voted for Hillary! Anyone who votes for her and Bill to return to the White House given their record of corruption, sexual harassment, and lies, is Pond Scum. Sorry, for sugar coating it.

OTOH, she's basically a liberal Democrat - so any vote for Trump would be completely out of character.; 10/29/16, 6:15 PM
Unknown said...: HT: First serious woman candidate. First woman candidate from the major party. Mondale had a lady as the VP, and then Palin for McCain, but Hillary's the first major party candidate.

Anyone voting for Cynthia McKinney should have had their head examined. That lady makes Biden look sane.

--Vance; 10/29/16, 6:18 PM
MaxedOutMama said...: I think if Egg McMuffin were on the ballot voters could really rally behind this third-party candidate. The vegans would be deeply hurt by our cruel neutrality, however.

I did want to add that I have enjoyed the Ann/Meade House coverage as a baffled electorate contemplates a baffling and intimidating election cycle. The effort to be honest was admirable, and there has been little admirable in this cycle across our society, so I very sincerely appreciate and respect it.

I am very curious (I really cannot figure out why, and I've tried) about Meade's pick???

As for Ann's choice, well, we all have to do the best we can with this one. And then the rational among us will hope that if we individually messed up, the majority did not. Not that we can ever know, because we don't get do-overs. It's entirely possible that both the candidates with a chance of winning would be tragedies as president, but it does seem certain that one of them WILL be president.

My biggest remaining hope is that we don't have to face an impeachment case after this election, or, worse yet, no impeachment proceeding when one is really required. That's not a very optimistic outlook.; 10/29/16, 6:23 PM
Gospace said...: heyboom said...
Vote Trump-Pence 16. Because the Left is actively trying to ruin the US.

There are 5 ENTHUSIASTIC Trump voters in my household precisely because of that reason.

I suspect this may be true of many large families. I don't have any liberal friends with more then 2 kids. We've got 5. All of us are voting enthusiastically against Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife, alcoholic enabler of her sexual predator husband. A few also enthusiastically for Trump.; 10/29/16, 6:25 PM
Achilles said...: Hillary is not far left.

I agree. Hillary has no ideological purpose. She is a pure sociopath.; 10/29/16, 6:34 PM
rhhardin said...: My father proposed a "none of the above" option in the 50s, but with the twist that if "none of the above" wins, we don't have one of those for that term.; 10/29/16, 7:07 PM
DavidD said...: "For whom is Althouse voting?"; 10/29/16, 7:38 PM
StephenFearby said...: Who is Althouse voting for?

If her supposed vote in the Republican presidential primary is any guide, her vote will likely be a strategic one, for the lesser of two evils. Holding her nose, Cruz instead of Kasich in the hope that Trump wouldn't win the majority of Wisconsin's delegates.

And so, another holding her nose dilemma.

We both hate Trump. I couldn't possibly vote for Hillary. But if Trump became president, Congress could easily impeach and convict his ass, arguably just for being Donald Trump.

No such luck for Hillary. The House might impeach, but the Democrats in the Senate would never vote to convict her.

A vote for Hillary is 4 more years of the policies of Obama...or worse.; 10/29/16, 7:40 PM
William said...: Althouse has written some surprisngly sympathetic posts about Trump. That gives me pause, but birds gotta fly and fish gotta swim, so she'll vote for Hillary. In the way I'm stuck with Trump, she's stuck with Hillary.; 10/29/16, 7:41 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: The real question, will Althouse vote for the person the most people think she will vote for?; 10/29/16, 7:42 PM
retail lawyer said...: Too hard for me to even guess. I think it comes down to Fear or Loathing. Which trumps the other? I don't know her well enough. The nice thing about this election is that I don't hold supporters of my dispreferred candidate in such low regard. That's the only nice thing.; 10/29/16, 7:45 PM
retail lawyer said...: I think Meade will go for Trump. The two of you will work it out, no problem.; 10/29/16, 7:48 PM
eric said...: I don't think she will vote for a 3rd party candidate. So it's between Hillary and Trump.

Do you really think you'll vote for one of the third parties?

I realize you're trying to stay neutral until the vote, but even in neutrality you can know who you won't be voting for.

Why not narrow it down for us and see if we can, as a group, get it right?; 10/29/16, 8:16 PM
Lucien said...: It's Giant Douche vs. Turd Sandwich, but which is which?; 10/29/16, 8:25 PM
Static Ping said...: I do not envy your selection. I do not envy mine either, if that makes any sense.; 10/29/16, 8:30 PM
Ken B said...: The safest prediction is this. Althouse will sneer at those who say Hillary, because she hasn't decided that at all, but she will vote Hillary anyway. Unexpectedly, to steal a phrase.; 10/29/16, 8:33 PM
sane_voter said...: I chose McMullin in this poll. I thought she was going to vote Trump until the pussy grabbing audio came out.; 10/29/16, 8:48 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: "It's Giant Douche vs. Turd Sandwich, but which is which?"

Better question: Will the Army of the Giant Douche rape and pillage you harder than the Army of the Turd Sandwich?; 10/29/16, 9:37 PM
Big Mike said...: I agree with sane_voter. I am pretty sure that Althouse is repelled by Clinton and won't vote for her. I guessed Stein.

@Althouse, I didn't say you spelled McMullin's name wrong; I wrote the 320Busdriver did.; 10/29/16, 9:56 PM
Fen said...: Althouse will vote 3rd Party or stay home. I'd lose all respect for her if she voted for Hillary! Anyone who votes for her and Bill to return to the White House given their record of corruption, sexual harassment, and lies, is Pond Scum. Sorry, for sugar coating it.

But at this point, voting 3rd party is the coward's way out. You either hold your nose and get behind the candidate who has the best chance of stopping Hillary, or you keep your hands clean while enabling Hillary. Its a sideways move.

Even if both candidates were just as bad (they are not), Hillary Clinton has shown countless times that she is capable of breaking the checks and balances in our system, with audacity. And the media will cover for her. She just squashed an FBI investigation and managed to destroy their rep in the same move. The FBI... Trump doesn't even begin to have that kind of influence and power. And if he tried, he wouldn't get away with it. The MSM is going to be all over his ass 24/7 from day 1.

But I will actually respect Althouse more for voting Hillary than taking the cowardly way out and sideways electing an authoritarian on "principle". At least she's not trying to deceive herself or play us as idiots.; 10/29/16, 10:10 PM
Achilles said...: Clinton supporters are souless savages and pieces of shit.

I agree with Fen though. They are more worthy of respect than people that vote for mcmuffin.; 10/29/16, 10:46 PM
Craig Landon said...: Who in world would possibly care who you vote for?

So, I'll put your post down to 'agitation-for-the-fun-of-it', which you engage in rather routinely.; 10/29/16, 11:51 PM
Kansas City said...: I guess people do care from the votes and comments.

I assume Ann will explain who and why prior to the election, or else this will be a little aggravating. She should ask us for advice on who she should vote for.

I voted McMullin, Switched from Hillary at last moment.

Strategic vote would be for Trump.; 10/30/16, 12:25 AM
tim maguire said...: A week ago I would have said Clinton without hesitation or doubt. Today I have hesitation and doubt, but the prof. will probably still vote Clinton. Political choice resides in that part of her brain which is a bit spongy. See, for obvious example, her justifications and defenses for voting for Obama.; 10/30/16, 5:32 AM
CStanley said...: I don't even know who I am going to vote for, so trying to figure out someone else's vote is a diversion.

@Kansas City- I'd be interested to hear your rationale for switching from Hillary to McMullin. One of the things that has disappointed me about him is that he hasn't presented himself as an alternative to Hillary. I assume that's due to limited time and resources (plus I think interviewers bait him into making mostly anti-Trump statements, and he doesn't have the political experience to control the message better) but if he were to talk more about Hillary's unfitness it might peel off some Dem leaning independents AND help disaffected GOP see him as something other than a spoiler.; 10/30/16, 6:45 AM
Danno said...: Scott Adams is saying..."Russian hackers are better than we thought. They stole Clinton's emails from the NSA, put them on Huma's laptop, and pinned it on Weiner."

Adams certainly has added some interesting angles to this election! Or is that erection? I am not going to try to figure out how Ann will vote.; 10/30/16, 7:10 AM
CStanley said...: So, indulging in the diversion of guessing Althouse's vote-

Generally McMullin wouldn't be a natural choice since I think Althouse's main ideological leaning is liberal. But if Hillary is unacceptable to her and if she more generally has become repulsed by the corruption of our institutions by the Democrats, then McMullin might be a good choice for her. He represents a new generation with conservative ideas that are not anathema to classical liberals and he personally disfavors SSM but is fine with agreeing to disagree about the legal stance (for this reason alone, since it's an important issue to Althouse's, I think she might be happy to see that kind of evolution on the right and might want to support it.) He's pretty hawkish and I've read some posts suggesting that Althouse does think national security is important.

I don't see her voting for either Hillary or Trump, unless its strategic.

I don't think she would see Stein as a viable choice, because a vote for her doesn't advance any of her interests and I don't think she is a fellow traveler with the far left. The only way I see Althouse's considering Stein really is because she's a woman who is not Hillary, but I don't think that would be enough.

As for Johnson, I don't know, maybe. But there's the history of a bad experience with libertarians (which Johnson might overcome since he's not a doctrinaire libertarian, but she still might not want to make common cause with people she sees as immoral.)

So Maybe it's obvious but what I'm really posting is why Althouse's should vote McMullin, not why I think she will.; 10/30/16, 7:16 AM
DrSquid said...: There also 5 enthusiastic Trump voters in my house. I wish there were only 2, and the 3 kids had their own houses. Maybe a change of perspective in Washington could help us.; 10/30/16, 7:40 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: It's corrupt tax-rape liar liar pantsuit on fire V. blowhard who might be in this thing to hand it to the tax-raping money-hole liar liar pantsuit on fire.; 10/30/16, 7:45 AM
oleh said...: No abstention option? I would think this is a year when the "don't encourage them option" would be extra attractive.; 10/30/16, 9:15 AM
wildswan said...: I think she will vote for Trump because she has seen in Wisconsin just how bad things get with Clinton-type people in charge - the Walker recall campaign and all that. But she would like Hillary to be someone she could vote for but she is not.; 10/30/16, 9:25 AM
Ipso Fatso said...: In the end, Althouse will vote as her social and economic class allows her to vote and it will be Hillary!!!!; 10/30/16, 10:42 AM
Tarrou said...: She hopes her readers think she's voting for Johnson, she plans on voting Stein, but in the booth? Hillary, and she'll deny it forever; 10/31/16, 7:53 AM