John Stubbs

At the Democratic National convention in Philadelphia and again in the final debate in Las Vegas, Hillary Clinton made a direct appeal for Republican votes. Last week, FBI Director Jim Comey reminded Republicans why they have reservations.

Americans of all political stripes know a lot about Clinton. Much of what they know is unpleasant, and there are lots of mind-boggling, unnecessary, unforced errors. She fails to embrace the transparency her public life demands, and her efforts to maintain a private life are often the core of the problem.

On substance, where Clinton is supposed to shine, Washington has failed to produce solutions to many pressing domestic and global challenges, and Clinton has played a role in some of those failures.

Yet Donald Trump is not the answer. You may believe Clinton to be a ‘2,’ but Trump is a ‘-11.’ And there is a difference.

The journey for Republicans to vote for Clinton is not an easy one. For me, the seven stages of grief went something like this:

1. Trump is a funny guy. Like a clown, he amuses me.

2. Wow, look at that: Clown = ratings. Could Republicans be popular again? It’s sure nice to have a celebrity act other than Clint Eastwood and an empty chair.

3. Let’s be real, we were never popular, and we shouldn’t try to be. Jeb, take control.

4. Yep, Trump’s surrounded by white supremacists. That dog whistle really works.

5. Wait, that’s it? We’re nominating the guy who seeks approval from Vladimir Putin? We’re really going to turn the Republican convention into the Temple of Doom?

6. Seriously, I have to look my kids in the eyes. I will do anything to stop this. This man can’t have the U.S. military as his new favorite toy.

7. Fine. FINE. I did say anything. Binary option. I’ll vote for Clinton, but let’s keep the Congress.

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For my fellow Americans who vote Republican, when you get to number 6, it’s time to talk about number 7. There is only one thing standing between Trump and the role of commander in chief, and that’s Hillary Clinton.

This is a serious job, and Trump is not a serious man. It’s telling the number of serious Republicans who cannot support Trump. These are not political operatives. These are the people we entrust with our global security. And they have kept us and the rest of the world relatively safe.

We were not relatively safe in World War II, a war both of my grandfathers served in, when more than 50 million people died. Since then, we’ve built institutions, partnerships, alliances and networks to integrate nations into a broad, layered global security framework. When countries are working together towards common goals, when they trade with each other, when they depend on each other, they are less likely to go to war. This is what Trump wants to light on fire.

Clinton will not solve all of our problems, but she will not risk Armageddon either. She will be a better president than Trump.

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With Republican majorities in the House and Senate, she could be even better than just better than Trump. It’s no secret that Washington has been plagued by partisanship. President Reagan was able to accomplish a great deal with Tip O’Neill, the Democratic Speaker of the House for much of his presidency. The economy under President Bill Clinton did much better with a Republican Congress than a Democratic one.

Today, millions of Republicans are planning to vote for Clinton. Millions more may join them before Election Day. If she were willing to move to the middle on some issues and engage her new constituency of Republican voters, Clinton could potentially find common ground with leaders such as Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. Rob Portman and other capable and reasonable Republicans.

Responsible Republican voters should split their ballots: vote for Clinton to defeat Trump, and for Republicans to lead the Congress and provide a stable, balanced government. In the process, we will restore credibility to the GOP by voting against Trump, and we may even be surprised by what Republicans and President Clinton can accomplish together.

John Stubbs, a founder of R4C16.org, Republicans for Clinton in 2016, was senior adviser for the U.S. Trade Representative in the White House of George W. Bush.

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