Enough Already, Do-Over Please

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

10 October 16

ow low can we go? Donald Trump is unfit to be president of the United States. He would make a great dictator in a banana republic that has no nuclear arsenal. Hillary Clinton is qualified to be president, but brings too much baggage to the table. To all you corporate establishment Democrats: WE TOLD YOU SO! If Bernie were the nominee, we wouldn’t have to be worried about what scandal is coming next.

I know, we lost in our rigged process and we have to move on with Hillary Clinton, but it doesn’t mean we can’t tell you now that WE TOLD YOU SO!

The Republicans are doing it too. So many of them warned that Donald Trump didn’t have the temperament to be president. He conned enough middle-aged white men to beat a 17-candidate field and win the GOP nomination. Donald Trump doesn’t oppose the TPP; he doesn’t believe Obama was born in Kenya; he doesn’t believe all Mexicans are rapists. Donald Trump is a con artist who knows which buttons to push. Donald Trump has a public and a private position, like any other snake oil salesman.

Hillary Clinton also has a public and private position. For her, it’s effective politics. We know where Bernie stands: he doesn’t change his positions for political expediency. If Bernie had been on that debate stage last night in St. Louis, Donald Trump would have had nowhere to go but the issues. Bernie would have been ready to defend his political positions. He wouldn’t have had to defend his spouse’s infidelity, or deleted emails, or his speeches to Wall Street. We wouldn’t be deciding whom we trust less.

It wasn’t locker room talk on that bus. Donald Trump said he just “grabs them by the pussy.” Trump said he could do it because he is wealthy. He was bragging that his wealth puts him above the law. Imagine what he would think he could do if he were the leader of the free world.

We won’t get a do-over, so we are stuck with a choice between a con artist and a career politician whom we don’t trust. Since the job is a political one, the smart choice is Hillary Clinton. She can handle job.

Last night we had no discussion of climate change or income inequality, and very little talk about the economy period. When there was discussion of important issues it was riddled with lies. For example, on health care, Trump told the American people that Hillary Clinton wants single payer health care and has been fighting for it for years. I wish that were true.

The debate was in St. Louis, only a few miles from Ferguson. There was no talk about racial justice. The moderators have to take some of the blame – they could have chosen questions that would have let the voters know where the candidates stood on racial justice and many other issues that were ignored.

Donald Trump threatening to put Hillary Clinton in jail is reminiscent of a dictator jailing the leader he just ousted in a coup. I know many of us wanted Obama to go after the Bush administration, but Obama chose to be a statesman and put what was good for the country ahead of politics. We have a judicial process in this country. Hillary Clinton was investigated and was not indicted. Move on. Bill Clinton was impeached. Everyone knows what he did. He is not on the ballot. Republicans are hypocrites: they criticize Hillary for standing by Bill and at the same time they condemn divorce.

Hmm, I’m defending Hillary Clinton, not something I ever thought I would do. Without a do-over though, we have to choose one of these two flawed candidates. I know many are tired of having to choose the lesser of two evils. I wish Bernie were on the ballot, or that the system weren't rigged against the Greens and other parties, but we have to make the choice that is best for our country. I believe it is clearly Hillary Clinton. Again, that doesn’t mean I can’t say we should have nominated Bernie, and WE TOLD YOU SO!

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

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