To vote or not to vote will be on the minds of many Americans this November. The nominees of both major political parties are a bit shocking and not what has been the “normal” for decades. For someone who has voted in presidential elections for over 50 years, the decision to cast a vote this year will be both a quandary and a challenge. One candidate is very rich and one was “dead broke” when she and her husband left the White House. And now she is apparently involved in a “pay and play” scheme as Secretary of State. The last Secretary of State who was elected was James Buchannan. Not the greatest of presidents in the American pantheon of presidents.
Hillary Clinton has finagled her way through the morass of the Democratic Party. From Arkansas to the White House to the United States Senate, she has built a political machine and throng of liberal supporters. From purchasing a mansion in upstate New York—just to qualify for a Senate seat—to making a deal with her arch political rival, her sole objective has been get to the White House. No matter that she has been subsidized by the American public while engaging in several nefarious scandals that extend into her presidential campaign.
The most prominent scandals are the email saga and the Clinton Foundation’s international misdeeds. There one really has to pay to play. This is the background and record of the Democratic nominee whose coronation took place in Philadelphia.
Then there is the Republican Party nominee. Donald Trump is in no way the typical presidential candidate of a major political party.
Never a politician, Trump has tapped into the swath of angst and frustration found in the American electorate. The width and depth of this component may well decide the result of this election.
Trump is brash, bombastic, and highly opinioned. Perhaps more opinioned than informed. His views scare some Americans and inspire others. Generally, those who feel inspired, have in the past felt overlooked, let down, and not capable of finding a job in the 21st-century economy. And they totally abhor the federal government, the bureaucracy, and the gridlock we have all witnessed in our nation’s Capitol.
Many Americans of both parties feel that gridlock has harmed the United States for years now. Trump is seizing this emotion and hoping to make his way to the White House. Upon entering the political fray, Trump has been tough, and perhaps has evolved into an even tougher brawler who is always striving to win. He and his opponent are very much alike in this way.
Trump may not have the ground game and, at this point, Clinton has spent a projected $70 million on paid TV advertising for September and October. Trump may be the most controversial and intriguing candidate in modern American history. Clinton may be the most dishonest and conniving candidate for the highest position in the land. The election this year will be a real duel to the end.
Each day seems to produce new revelation that may prove damning to one of the candidates.
Voting for the best candidate for president this year may well be a leap of faith. Recent revelations have caused more dilemmas for Clinton. Clinton hopes these too shall pass. There will probably be no special prosecutors before the election. Americans will have to make their own decisions as to the lesser of two dubious candidates. As for me, I am confused and undecided.
Perhaps for the first time, the vast majority of American voters are waiting and watching. The three presidential debates may be a decisive factor in making our national collective decision.
To quote the late, great Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Carol Voyles says
“Clinton may be the most dishonest and conniving candidate for the highest position in the land?” Virtually no other politicians has undergone this level of scrutiny, either.
I generally enjoy your insights, and I never imagined you falling for an ongoing litany of unproven allegations. I was not a fan of Hillary Clinton, either; but I am beginning to appreciate her strength and endurance. She has acknowledged her bad judgement. We might take the high road and simply try to remember that virtually no wrongdoing has been either proven or prosecuted in over 20 years of what amounts to stalking.
The very existence of the foundation does pose a problem, though; and we will know far more once we see how that is handled. But until Hillary becomes president, it seems we will have to be satisfied knowing more about that foundation than just about any other.
Kathleen Carroll says
My option this year is to vote for one of the minor party candidates or write in a name. I want to show that I care enough to show up to vote but don’t like any of the major party nominees.
Robert A. Potter says
Mr. Hall is masquerading as a voter in a dilemma. The dilemma is real, no doubt, but Mr. Hall has not presented a fair description of the choice. He dwells on Clinton’s warts, which are real, but soft-pedals Trump’s. The real question is whether a person like Trump, who seems not to have bothered to learn anything about world affairs, can really function effectively as President? Trump truly seems not to know what he really believes on any topic other than his own ambition–and coupled with his racism (both historically documented and currently expressed) and appointment of Steve Bannon (a notorious white supremacist) to oversee his campaign–which make him intellectually, morally and ethically unfit to be President. Hillary Clinton is not without blemishes, but she does have another side to her history, a side that includes much good work in worthy causes–including the Clinton Foundation–and she certainly will not be in the business of currying favor with Vladimir Putin. But Trump’s vindictive temperament, coupled with his breathtaking ignorance, makes it doubly important for anyone contemplating voting for him to take a careful second look.