Let’s get one thing out of the way: Donald Trump is not the nicest person who’s ever existed. He may not even be in the top half. His personal life is messy at best. He tends to be vulgar and crude at times. In terms of the personal values conservatives tout, Trump hasn’t applied them in his own life very well. All this is baked into the cake.

That said, there were some serious issues with the Republican Party and our government. In fact, the extent of those issues was not fully known until Trump won the 2016 presidential election. Many Americans really had no idea just how bad things were — the pattern of abuse of power, how far it would go, and to what extent ostensible political allies would excuse it.

In essence, a very real cancer had spread and was threatening the health of the republic. Given how long and widespread the abuses were, cancer is a very apt metaphor. Cancer is often treated with chemotherapy, but chemo comes with some very bad side effects, including damage to the body.

Consider the alternatives. In the case of Trump, the alternative would be to see Hillary Clinton in the White House — and Hillary would have continued the pattern of scandal and abuse, from Fast and Furious to IRS targeting to Operation Chokepoint to Spygate. Indeed, she would almost certainly have ramped it up, citing Russian interference to justify new abuses.

The fact is, the 2016 election had far higher stakes than the presidency and a Supreme Court seat (or two). The ability for grassroots Patriots to even make their argument was on the ballot, and far too many Never-Trump types refused to see it. They touted their “principles” but forgot the need for strategy and tactics. They still refuse to see and hear what many of us are seeing and hearing with our own eyes and ears.

They also forgot that sometimes, just as when fighting cancer, you don’t get to choose between a good option or a bad option; you sometimes have to pick the least bad option. In this case, supporting Trump has been the least bad option. Do they want a packed Supreme Court and a judiciary flooded with activists who will essentially rig the legal system in favor of the Left? Do they want a government that sics the IRS on not just the NRA but on other fighters for freedom, like the Second Amendment Foundation, the Alliance Defending Freedom, or FreedomWorks? Elect Joe Biden and that will happen.

The thing is, reelecting President Trump won’t be a guarantee the swamp will be completely drained. It won’t end leftist hatred for grassroots Americans. It won’t end the fact that the First Amendment rights will, for all intents and purposes, be on the ballot again and again. Of course, chemotherapy doesn’t always beat cancer.

But when it comes to beating the cancerous attitudes of the Left and deep state that have taken hold in our government, Trump gives grassroots Patriots a fighting chance, just as chemo gives patients a fighting chance against cancer. And a fighting chance beats just giving up and dying.