I was just telling my coworker how tempted I am to sit this election out.
To me, the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees -- Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, respectively -- are equally lousy. And I think we have the media to blame for glorifying them.
We know all politicians have a few skeletons in their closet, but these two take it to a whole new level. Trump has made disparaging remarks about women, Muslims, fellow Republicans, and other groups. His reluctance to release his tax returns has dogged his campaign.
And many within his own party don't even regard him as a true conservative, for he has taken liberal positions on a host of issues in the past. (Not to mention he, as a former Democrat, donated boatloads of money to various Democratic campaigns.)
For Clinton's part, the email scandal has proven to be an albatross around her neck, as are Benghazi and her husband's affairs, which many feel will forever blight his legacy. Poll after poll shows that the American people just don't trust her.
This election has devolved into a fierce mudslinging contest between two dishonest, flawed people. We've been left to scrape the bottom of the barrel as far as our choices for president in 2016.
Imagine how differently things would have played out if we had Marco Rubio going up against Joe Biden, or John Kasich battling Martin O'Malley. None of these guys have the clout of the Trump brand or Clinton machine, but I would guess that they would conduct themselves far more civilly than this year's presumptive nominees -- and have considerably less baggage to foist upon each other.
I commend Trump for speaking his mind, and I think a lot of what he says resonates with an American public weary of Washington politicking. He is entertaining to watch -- I've watched every season of Celebrity Apprentice -- but I find him too uncouth for the presidency.
Clinton is your traditional Democratic politician. She certainly has the pedigree to become president, having served as senator of New York and Obama's secretary of state. (In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the post of secretary of state was considered the stepping stone to the presidency. That's the path Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams took to ascend to the highest office in the land.)
While I like some of her plans and the fact that she's knee-deep in experience, I am not crazy about having another Clinton in office -- especially one who's shown herself to be untrustworthy.
Right now, I'm seriously considering not voting for either of the candidates. I still have a few months to decide, but it goes to show how pathetic the election process has become. How'd we downgrade so severely from geniuses like Jefferson and Madison to Trump and Clinton?
By the way, Kanye West said he's considering running in 2020. Let that marinate in your mind for a while.
To me, the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees -- Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, respectively -- are equally lousy. And I think we have the media to blame for glorifying them.
We know all politicians have a few skeletons in their closet, but these two take it to a whole new level. Trump has made disparaging remarks about women, Muslims, fellow Republicans, and other groups. His reluctance to release his tax returns has dogged his campaign.
And many within his own party don't even regard him as a true conservative, for he has taken liberal positions on a host of issues in the past. (Not to mention he, as a former Democrat, donated boatloads of money to various Democratic campaigns.)
For Clinton's part, the email scandal has proven to be an albatross around her neck, as are Benghazi and her husband's affairs, which many feel will forever blight his legacy. Poll after poll shows that the American people just don't trust her.
This election has devolved into a fierce mudslinging contest between two dishonest, flawed people. We've been left to scrape the bottom of the barrel as far as our choices for president in 2016.
Imagine how differently things would have played out if we had Marco Rubio going up against Joe Biden, or John Kasich battling Martin O'Malley. None of these guys have the clout of the Trump brand or Clinton machine, but I would guess that they would conduct themselves far more civilly than this year's presumptive nominees -- and have considerably less baggage to foist upon each other.
I commend Trump for speaking his mind, and I think a lot of what he says resonates with an American public weary of Washington politicking. He is entertaining to watch -- I've watched every season of Celebrity Apprentice -- but I find him too uncouth for the presidency.
Clinton is your traditional Democratic politician. She certainly has the pedigree to become president, having served as senator of New York and Obama's secretary of state. (In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the post of secretary of state was considered the stepping stone to the presidency. That's the path Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams took to ascend to the highest office in the land.)
While I like some of her plans and the fact that she's knee-deep in experience, I am not crazy about having another Clinton in office -- especially one who's shown herself to be untrustworthy.
Right now, I'm seriously considering not voting for either of the candidates. I still have a few months to decide, but it goes to show how pathetic the election process has become. How'd we downgrade so severely from geniuses like Jefferson and Madison to Trump and Clinton?
By the way, Kanye West said he's considering running in 2020. Let that marinate in your mind for a while.
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