Hillary Clinton should be our next president
We make no apologies for endorsing Hillary Clinton for president. Of the two major candidates and all the minor-leaguers, she is by far the most qualified, most prepared, most thoughtful, most experienced and most deserving of our votes. That doesn’t mean we don’t have concerns.
What doesn’t concern us, though, are her ideas, skills and demeanor. Throughout this bitter campaign, she has shown that she has what it takes to lead.
Few millionaires will like her tax plans, but the middle class will. So will those still looking for jobs.
She borrowed some of Bernie Sanders’ best ideas, including a debt-free college education and a $15-an-hour minimum wage. She opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal but holds out hope it can be salvaged – and so do we for the sake of our agricultural exports. Clinton would expand the Affordable Care Act and improve mental health treatment.
Donald Trump says climate change is a hoax, denying its role in California’s unprecedented drought, Florida’s ferocious hurricanes and deadly heat waves; Clinton would build on the Paris accord and focus on creating clean energy. Clinton’s judicial appointees are likely to be middle-of-the-road, just as she is.
On Day One, President Clinton will be a capable and stable commander in chief. It was Clinton who urged President Barack Obama to go into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. And it is Clinton whom Vladimir Putin fears, which is why his evil internet elves are meddling in our election.
Most worrying is the possibility her election will provoke some of the most unstable elements of society to violence.
We worry about outsized expectations – not from the right-wing fringe, but from Clinton’s most ardent fans. When President Obama tried to steer a moderate course in his first two years, liberals grew disenchanted. Will they be similarly frustrated with the first woman in the Oval Office?
Finally, we worry about her penchant for secrecy and unwillingness to engage with the media and the American people. Her changing stories about her email, speeches to bankers, connections between the Clinton Foundation and State Department have convinced millions that Clinton is untrustworthy. These were mistakes, some serious; but not crimes.
Are we worried about her role in the Benghazi attacks? No. It has been investigated eight times by Congress. Candid Republicans have admitted there’s nothing there except tragedy and political opportunity.
Are we worried this will be a continuation of Obama’s presidency? Not at all. Despite twisted statistics from conservatives, our economy is the envy of the world.
Are we worried about the 30 years of conspiracy theories – from not knowing how to bake chocolate chip cookies to murdering a lover to trying to intimidate a philandering husband’s playmates? Just because talk-radio blowhards repeat them ad nauseam doesn’t make them true.
Yes, Trump is more charismatic than Clinton. But he’s also a racist, clinically narcissistic, a liar, a cheat (according to lawsuits), a misogynist and a bully. Clinton, by contrast, can be as dull as a suburban grandmother. But she’s also tough enough to stand up to Putin, Bashar Assad or any other enemy. She’s smart enough, and compassionate enough, to lead.
That’s the kind of president we need. No apologies necessary.
This story was originally published October 17, 2016 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Hillary Clinton should be our next president."