Race for the White House Volume 96

10 Days Until Election Day

I definitely continue to not think too much about Presidential politics and really do not want to write about it with everything else going on. As it relates to politics, I am mostly just interested to see if Republicans can somehow manage to keep the U.S. Senate majority and keep losses in the U.S. House as limited as possible.

In spite of my abhorrence to the sprint to the finish between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, this is certainly a crazy election for the media and for whatever deranged individuals who will actually feel good about voting affirmatively for one or the other. This was a pretty bad week for Hillary Clinton, who in spite of holding most of the cards this cycle and having a huge edge, continues to show her ineptitude as a candidate. Do Democrats not realize what she is going to be in for as President? Maybe they are just comforted by the fact that Republicans will probably be engaged in all out civil war.

Clinton still has a lead in the polls and is expected to win, but the numbers appeared to tightened a bit in the past week, with all the media coverage surrounding Wikileaks and drama involving her campaign, the Clinton Foundation, and her tenure as Secretary of State. Since her campaign has largely been ignoring these matters, and simply trying to run the clock down on the election, without being very visible, they are taking some hits.

Hillary likely had a horrific day yesterday regardless of whatever the true and accurate implications are of the announcement from FBI Director James Comey that the agency is once again looking at emails regarding her tenure as Secretary of State. Trump backers and just Republicans in general who claim to only be concerned about other races were giddy. They think this will help them and that Clinton is now either headed to defeat, indictment, or impeachment. Those folks should be cautious. There really is no way of knowing how serious this new "development" is for Clinton herself and partisans on all sides of the divide look like fools for jumping to conclusions, either declaring this is a bombshell or a big nothing.

It does seem like former Congressman Anthony Weiner, whose perversity is now legendary and his estranged wife, Huma Abedin, perhaps Clinton's most trusted aide might be in some legal trouble now. Weiner is being investigated for doing his texting thing with an underage girl. If "something were to happen" to Weiner suddenly, lots of fingers are going to be pointed at a certain candidate. Let us just hope that justice prevails, however it is designed to.

Hillary Clinton is literally days away from becoming the first woman ever elected to the Presidency and this should be a time of glory, but I have to imagine she is hating every moment of this general election. Her backers should feel quite uneasy too. Frankly, everyone deserves to be unhappy about this election considering the choices. Clinton made the determination long ago in regards to her email setup which put her political and probably financial considerations well above the national security of the U.S. and then brazenly lied about it for months as a Presidential candidate. To this day, she still seems to not quite "get it" and neither do her apologists. Thus, in spite of how dirty this campaign is, from the despicable Wikileaks organization to a horrific major party opponent, they do not deserve to feel great about being on the verge of winning an election. It is more appropriate that they panic that they may lose it. Their candidate does not come close to deserving to be President.

However, elections are a matter of choices, and while I would certainly never vote for Hillary Clinton, I can with no hesitation say that Donald Trump is worse, across the board. I am more annoyed by seeing pro-Trump sentiments expressed than pro-Clinton sentiments, because I hold my side to a higher standard. We ought to know better and while opposing Hillary Clinton on the merits certainly makes a lot of sense in theory, there is just nothing in my mind that can ever justify actually voting for or rooting for Trump.

Soon enough this will be over. I hope these increased questions about Clinton and her ethics might possibly help save some Congressional Republican candidates. She will need some oversight but Republicans would be compounding their problems if they think they can somehow attempt to keep her from ever getting any kind of judge confirmed. Advice and consent is a pillar of our democracy. Blanket obstructionism is not. We need to act like we will one day deserve to win again and will rightfully want to reap the fruits from that when the time comes.

Once this election ends, we should pray for the country and unite as one people, regardless of our deeply held differences, against those who wish us harm, which would include many people and groups, but including the cyberterrorists at Wikileaks that Trump and his fans are so fond of now.

I just hope I will be in a better mood about politics on the eve of the 2020 election. Before that happens though, all sorts of people need to put harsh feelings aside and call for reluctant Trump voters and reluctant Clinton voters to join together and demand better, alongside those of us who are steadfastly on principle refusing to support either unworthy option.