“America is great because it is good.â€
Dealing with reality is an essential part of growing up. A wise person can weigh risks and benefits before making a decision. At Sunday night’s debate, we saw two different portraits of America. Secretary Hillary Clinton said repeatedly, “America is great because it is good.â€Â Donald Trump recited a list of evil things about Modern America and claimed he would “Make America Great Again.â€Â The voters have a clear choice between these two descriptions of reality.
At this point in the campaign most voters are siding with Secretary Clinton. As a matter of fact, Jobs are easier to find. Wages are on the rise. Gas prices have stabilized. More Americans have health insurance. Inflation is low.  Crime rates are at historic lows.  All of these positive trends have made President Obama the most popular second term President since Ronald Reagan.
Donald Trumps has been frantically bad mouthing America and anyone who stands in his path to power. Trump mocked Senator John McCain for being captured in Vietnam. Trump ridiculed the grieving mother of a heroic soldier when she stood side by side with her husband in defense of religious liberty. Trump launched a racist attack on a Federal Judge overseeing a law suit against him.
Secretary Clinton also has the advantage over Donald because of her service to the American people. As Donald Trump himself said, “She doesn’t quit. She doesn’t give up. And I respect that.” In the 1990s she fought to expand health care coverage. When conservatives blocked reform, she went back to Congress, and they expanded medical care for children–SCHIP. After 9-11, then Senator Clinton fought in Congress, demanding medical treatment for the first responders at ground zero. As Secretary of State, Clinton rallied friend and foe alike to impose tough sanctions on Iran. Those sanctions forced Iran to give up its military nuclear program.
Where was Donald Trump during all these years? He bankrupted a New Jersey Casino. By his own admission at the debate, he dodged 100% of his federal income tax liabilities since 1995. Trump also was a frequent guest on the vulgar Howard Stern radio show, talking sex and conquest over the public airways.   Trump then gained nationally attention when he championed the racist lie that Barack Obama was foreign born. He continued to repeat this lie despite definitive proof because of the personal attention it generated.
It is no great mystery to hear this week that Hillary Clinton’s nationally polling lead is growing. Nor is it any wonder that a growing list of Republican public officials say they will not vote for Donald. He is toxic.
What I do wonder about is “Why now?â€Â His toxicity was well-known. Trump built his whole public persona around this “bad boy image.â€Â Why were conservative leaders so afraid to expose him in the primary? The answer is really simple. They played with the fire of racism, xenophobia and paranoia for forty years. They never expected to be burned.
Secretary Hillary Clinton on the other hand has played the part of the wise tortoise winning the race against the hare. She stood by her husband during his successful Presidency, a Presidency that witnesses a shrinking deficit and a growing economy. Hillary then campaigned for her own turn to serve the American people, and she won elections.  She won despite 40 years of official investigations and baseless allegations. After millions of dollars, all the investigators have are rumors, gossip and downright lies to peddle on extremist websites.
Secretary Clinton will emerge victorious because she believes in the American people. She knows deep in her heart that “America is great because it is good.â€Â Her experiences as First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State have prepared her for the job. Secretary Clinton has shown the world how to face adversity with grace and poise.   Trusting the basic goodness of the American people will ensure a Presidency that will make us safer, stronger and more prosperous.
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