It’s official. Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton – two people disliked by six out of 10 Americans.
Now, for readers wrapped too tight politically, it would be best if you were to move along to another page. If you stay here I’m afraid you’ll just get pissed.
Try sports. Please.
Gone? Good. Let’s get real: How in gawd’s green Earth did this happen? The greatest nation in the world, populated with kind and caring people, and we nominate Trump and Clinton?
Were we mass drugged by the Russians or something?
Even natural political allies of these deeply flawed candidates can’t help but scratch their heads.
Consider the words of Michelle Goldberg, a columnist for the liberal leaning Slate.
“I’ve interviewed Trump supporters, conventional conservatives, Bernie Sanders fans, and even a few people who reluctantly voted for Clinton in the Democratic primary but who nevertheless say they can’t stand her. Most of them described a venal cynic. Strikingly, the reasons people commonly give for hating Clinton now are almost the exact opposite of the reasons people gave for hating her in the 1990s. Back then, she was a self-righteous ideologue; now she’s a corrupt tool of the establishment. Back then, she was too rigid; now she’s too flexible. Recently, Morning Consult polled people who don’t like Clinton about the reasons for their distaste. Eighty-four percent agreed with the statement “She changes her positions when it’s politically convenient.” Eighty-two percent consider her “corrupt.” Motives for loathing Clinton have evolved. But the loathing itself has remained constant.”
George Will, a well-regarded conservative writer and Pulitzer Prize winner, actually left the Republican Party and registered unaffiliated after Trump sharded himself by criticizing a judge for his Mexican heritage.
Trump on Twitter – the 140-character social media vehicle – then tweeted that “George Will, one of the most overrated political pundits (who lost his way long ago), has left the Republican Party. He’s made many bad calls”.
Asked about Trump’s tweet on a Sunday interview show, Will, in his biting style, he said Trump “has an advantage on me, because he can say everything he knows about any subject in 140 characters and I can’t.”
This is quite a choice we Americans have carved out for ourselves — Trump the boor or Clinton the ick girl.
I find no solace in this year’s presidential election, save a bit of humor here and there. For example, one wag poll asked voters whether they’d prefer to see Trump or Clinton in the White House … or a meteor hit the Earth.
Thirteen percent voted for the meteor. Can you register to vote as a member of The Giant Meteor of Death Party?
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@FatherTim For those of you who enthusiastically embraced yesterday’s #NationalTequilaDay, happy Monday morning.
@SwedishCanary My biggest problem is that I have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other but I’m deaf in one ear…
@ClareMaura My brother has been replacing family photos with pics of Steve Buscemi and my mom hasn’t noticed.
@ABCNews $3 million lottery winner pleads guilty to using prize money to fund illegal meth ring.
Sherman Frederick is publisher of the Sparks Tribune and a proprietor of Battle Born Media. You can reach him at shermfrederick@gmail.com.
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