Donald Trump has been
nominated to be President of the United States. Sixty percent of
America believes he is unfit to hold that office. Yet some number of
them will vote for him anyway because he is not Hillary Clinton.
The Right Wing has
accomplished what it started out ot do more than 25 years ago. They
have delegitimized the Clintons. Almost every mention of Hillary in
this contest has mentioned that she is considered untrustworthy, now
the most untrustworthy candidate ever in the race. She is derided by
her opponents as “crooked” and the many people who don't
particularly like her have accepted that as a given. None of this
has been proven. Even dozens of investigations have proven no real
wrongdoing. She is no more untrustworthy or crooked than most of the
men we have elected over two centuries. We can go over the scandals
and deceits of so many of them point by point, but it doesn't matter.
The impression has been imprinted and after all this time, not
likely to be changed. Unlike the teflon that seemed to cover
different “liked” politicians, she has been slimed and each time,
some of it did not wash off. Never mind that up to two years ago she
was among the most admired women in the world. Never mind that even
her Republican colleagues could compliment her and work with her in
the Senate when they weren't considering her Presidential opposition.
Never mind that she has served the country for more than two
decades. She is an opportunist because she is also ambitious and
wanted to do these jobs. That is the ultimate sin apparently in a
politician, at least a female one. So many people, while they
believe she is competent, temperamentally suited for the job she
clearly wants, either will not vote for her or will vote in the most
grudgingly fashion possible even when her opponent is Donald Trump.
Unlike almost every
politician who has run for office, Trump has been given a free pass
by a substantial minority of America to say almost anything. He has
been given a pass as a bully, charlatan, fascist, deceitful human
being. The proof of these insults is out there. Many of his
supporters even admit most of these facts. He's declared bankruptcy
multiple times. He's involved in so many lawsuits over his business
dealings most of us have lost count. He bullies those he can, and
disparages those he cannot. There is little disagreement about this.
Yet he receives 40% of the country's support. The fact that Hillary
cannot breach that 40% is blamed on her. She is the problem as far
as 20-40% of the rest assume. Young women are interviewed and they
repeat the Republican talking points against her. Many Bernie
supporters are adamant they won't vote for her because they don't
like her Wall Street connections, and she will work within the system
we have given her to do the job. They ignore the 25 years of mostly
progressive or left of center positions she has taken on the
environment, education, women's rights, reproductive rights, health.
As Secretary of State she was highly respected around the world and
at home for her untiring efforts on behalf of the country. None of
that counts in this election.
The world is a dangerous
and unsettled place. The world as we knew it in post WWII America is
changing. Our country is changing. Many men feel under siege,
economically and culturally. FOX News has provided many of them with
scapegoats: Muslims, African Americans, illegal immigrants, uppity
women. Those scapegoats are being personified by Hillary, the
Democrat. Her husband signed NAFTA which kicked off the sucking
sound of millions of jobs leaving our cities and country behind.
Never mind the GOP has been the party of free trade forever. The
Clintons are the Democrats that made it happen.
In more normal political
times, her position on issues such as NAFTA would be criticized. Her
hawkishness on foreign policy would be attacked. Her ties to Wall
Street would be raised. These are legitimate issues to be concerned
with. In normal times, she would be weighed against an opponent who
held similar views on those issues and compared to that opponent on
the positive values she also possesses. But these are not normal
political times. Those who don't want to vote for Hillary, for
whatever reason, use these as the excuse. They exclaim in their high
and mighty principles, they are through voting for the lesser of two
EVILS. They will not vote, or they will vote for a third party who
cannot win under our electoral system. And on November 9th,
they may wake up to a Trump Presidency just as UK woke up to BREXIT,
and say we were mislead, we didn't understand. Many young people were
outraged that the vote went against their future, but many of them
didn't vote to remain. We may have the same result here. There are
no do overs.
The fact is there are no
perfect candidates. There are people who are more or less qualified.
There are people who we agree with on some things, strongly disagree
on others. There are people we like and people we find off putting.
But there are two choices in this election. You can choose a very
qualified, but flawed candidate who will make a reasonable President.
That candidate will accomplish some things you support and some you
do not. The Presidency may be very successful or not; but it will
not result in a roll back of so many progressive accomplishments made
over the last 50 years. The election of Trump and his VP will have
the opposite effect. With a GOP Senate and House, the country we
have in 4 years will not be the country we have today and hope to
have tomorrow. It will establish a reactionary Supreme Court for
decades to come. It will roll back protections of equality, any
progress on inequality, and issue in an era of open bigotry and hate
against those who aren't “America” . And all those angry,
resentful, disadvantaged, put upon white people who voted for Trump
knowing he was unfit but too angry to care will be as much losers of
a Trump administration as the people who believe in the principles of
the Democratic Party as written in the platform even though not
practiced in large measure in our flawed political system. But
instead of progressing by inches and feet we will roll back that
progress and create an even more angry and aggrieved populace in an
angry and aggrieved world full of weapons and people who are willing
to use them.
No wonder I can't sleep.
