Election Years Suck

I'm talking, of course, about the United States Presidential Election.

It's no secret that I don't like either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

Forced to choose one or the other, however, I would definitely prefer Hillary over Donald.

After Monday's debate, I have the following thoughts...

Donald Trump

• He did a miserable job throughout. He was clearly unprepared. He was easily flustered and had a hard time staying on topic.

• He denied saying things that public record shows he said.

• He was not only rude to Hillary, he was rude to the moderator. He interrupted them both constantly and the few times that the moderator tried to get him to answer the question he was asked, he would say, "Did you ask me a question?" and then talk around, over, and under the question without actually answering it.

• When asked why he hadn't released his income tax returns, even through the IRS said it was all right to do so, he responded that he would release them if Hillary would release her deleted emails. What does one have to do with the other?

• He spent a lot of time patting himself on the back. For example, while he admitted that Obama is a US Citizen, he also said, "I'm proud of myself for making him show it."

Hillary Clinton

• Hillary was clearly prepared. Her answers were mostly relevant to the questions she was asked, despite the fact that Dondald constantly interrupted and tried to get her off-track.

• Hillary was as polite as it was possible for her to be, considering the fact that Donald was constantly interrupting.

• She clearly explained her plans. When Donald accused her of having an ineffective plan, she responded, "Well, at least I have a plan. What are you going to do?" (And that is the closes she came to being rude to him, as far as I am concerned.)

• Yes, Hillary was clearly on the attack. She brought up things that Donald has said in the past that were less than appropriate for a president. (How unfair for someone to call you on your stupidities!)

After the Debate

• Afterwards, instead of having the good grace to say he was unprepared or that he had a bad night, he made excuses that sounded an awful lot like, "The ball took a bad hop" or "the sun was in my eyes." Do you honestly think he will make a good president?

• Now he has concocted a story about how Hillary rigged the debate. He is never wrong, he only loses if the other side had it in for him.

The fact checkers found that Hillary said things that weren't true about 13% of the time. Donald? He was saying things that weren't true 53% of the time. More than HALF!

I don't like Hillary, but I think she is a far better choice than "The Donald".

Why do I Care?

I've made my choice. Why am I bothering to discuss this? Because the thought of Donald Trump as president scares the hell out of me. A friend of mine said it best. In response to a similar post I made on Facebook, he said, "But I do agree with Irene that Hillary, criminal that she is, is probably a safer bet than Trump. Her uber-liberal programs may bankrupt the country, but Trump might get us into any number of international conflicts. You can survive bankruptcy; nuclear war, not so much . . ."

And that is why I am talking about this. I am confused. Many of the people I know who are Republicans (and I am a registered Republican myself, by the way) have said that they think Donald Trump will make a good president. They think he is an honorable person and that Hillary is a crook and a liar.

When shown evidence to the contrary, they tell me that the "liberal media" has made it all up to make poor Donald look bad.

I have tried to look at this campaign and the two candidates objectively, but I can't see anyway that Donald J. Trump would be a good choice for president with his thin skin and disrespect for others and for the truth.

Am I missing something?

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Who is Irene P. Smith? I am an author, programmer, and web designer. A former Contributing Editor to PC Techniques Magazine, I have written about computers and programming since 1989, and began publishing fiction in 2003. My home is in New York State, along the Delaware River, where I live with my husband and son.

You can also find me elsewhere on the web:

• My "other" blog: An Irene Thing
• My Author's Website: irenepsmith.com
• My Professional Website: irenesmith.com
• Facebook: IrenePSmithAuthor
• Twitter: @Story_Teller

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