So overnight my feed filled with people votesplaining to me what are and aren’t the only legitimate reasons for how I should vote. Some friendly, some not. To all of you: Please peddle it somewhere else. 1/

There is no single “only way to decide.” There is no lone consideration — policy, character, sending a message. People have been shouting binary choice at me for five years as if saying it makes it true. It’s not. 2/

They shriek how voting “symbolically” wastes a vote. Well, my vote is definitionally symbolic in DC. And B) it’s only wasted in the sense you think I should use it differently. “Why are you wasting good steak on chili?” Well, its my steak and it’s my f’ing vote. 3/

The thing that bothers me the most about votesplainers is they rarely stop there. Implicit in their view is that if I’m going to vote for X or Y I must then alter what I say and write to fit my partisan choice. Hard pass. Not my job or responsibility. 4/

I never really fully appreciated why the secret ballot is so important in non authoritarian countries too. As I’ve learned, people use the “how’re you going to vote?” Q as a form of bullying and conformity policing. It’s very high school/state of nature. I detest it. 5/

So please, take your heuristics & your ironclad reasoning & your you-just-dont-understand hectoring & your sanctimonious disappointment in me — and pick on someone more pliable. I’m not voting for Trump and I see no reason to vote for Biden. Mitch Daniels 2020 Baby!

- Fin -