One of my best friends tells me he will not vote this year. He hates Hillary Clinton, and he hates Donald Trump even more.

"I hope to be in the woods hunting," he tells me.

This election is close enough for me to lose sleep, so part of me wants to strangle him. The outcome could hinge on how millions of people like him sort through their competing dislikes.

I get where he's coming from. Pulling the lever this November will bring no joy to me.

But I keep thinking about the mopes on the left who voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 because they couldn't stand Al Gore.

That tipped the outcome in Florida, handing the presidency to George W. Bush, who gave us the Iraq war, tax cuts for the rich, and a return of massive deficits. Thanks, Ralph.

I think about the Bernie Sanders supporter I spoke to when Clinton came to Newark in June. He said he'd never vote for her, even against Trump.

"She's just the lesser of two evils," he said.

Well, yeah. But isn't that better than the greater of two evils?

In my exasperation, I called Prof. Julian Zelizer at Princeton University to talk me off the ledge. My basic question was this: How can intelligent people make voting decisions that are so self-defeating?

Why do they not focus with a steely eye on the practical impact of their votes?

It's not that simple, it turns out. Because for many people, the act of voting is a statement that helps define who they are. It's not about the outcome, it's about identity, about standing with someone you're proud to support.

Those Nader voters just didn't want to be Gore people. They wanted to be the tip of the spear for the left, uncompromised and pure. And they wanted it badly enough to ignore the obvious risk that it could backfire.

That Sanders supporter in Newark is not going to vote for Clinton, even if it hands the election to Trump.

"It's not all rational," Zelizer said. "This is how people identify in this day and age. I'm not sure how many voters are really practical voters."

All this makes me want to scream. I consider Trump to be a grifter who is working his biggest con. He's a bigot, a sexist, and a genuine danger to national security. My daughter, a sophomore in college, knows more about public policy than he does.

But if Trump were running against Joseph Stalin, I would pull the lever for the grifter. He's bad, but Stalin is worse. What is so complicated about that?

I worry that identity voters may help rescue Trump from the crushing defeat he so richly deserves. Because so far, nothing he has done is shaking his hold on Republican voters.

The latest polls show that Clinton is drawing only 7 percent of the Republican vote - the same portion that crossed over to support Barack Obama, John Kerry, and Al Gore.

Among elected Republicans, only a handful has broken with Trump. The Star-Ledger editorial board recently surveyed all elected Republicans from New Jersey at the state and federal level, and none would break with Trump.

I called former Gov. Tom Kean about this, because I think of him as the opposite of Trump, a gentleman and a unifier. He hasn't endorsed Trump, but he won't rule it out. His son, Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union), takes the same stance. Depressing.

As for former Gov. Christie Whitman, I want to officially recant all my criticism of her over the last few decades. She compares Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

That's a tad overboard, sure. Trump hasn't invaded Poland yet. But give him time.

I asked Whitman back in February if she could ever vote for Clinton, assuming that Trump captured the GOP nomination. She hinted that she would, but left wiggle room.

"You'll see a lot of Republicans do that," she said. "We don't want to. But I know I won't vote for Trump."

But on Friday, she said she is trying to recruit a credible independent candidate with a real shot at winning. And even if that candidate had little hope, she said, she would vote for him or her on principle.

"If you don't like what your choices are, then send a message," she said.

Hmmm. Sounds like she's getting ready to repeat the folly of Nader voters back in 2000.

Clinton is likely to win this race, even if Whitman flakes out, the Keans embrace Trump, and my friend spends Election Day grilling fresh squirrel meat. (Yes, he has done that.)

But a narrow win is not enough. I want Trump to be crushed mercilessly so that the Republican Party is forced into a healthy period of soul searching, so that opportunists like Gov. Chris Christie learn that bigotry and bombast does not sell in America any more, and so the world can see that we are better than this.

So here's hoping that all those who can't stand Trump cast ballots for Clinton. That coalition is big enough to build the needed landslide.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.