Pander Bear

A good presidential campaign recognizes the issues confronting the country and delineates programs to deal with those issues. This year there is no good presidential campaign. There is not even an adequate presidential campaign.

This year we have the two worst examples of presidential politics that I can remember. On one hand we have an oversize man with an oversize ego shouting oversize ideas with no true plan to fix any of the multitude of problems we face.

Slightly, and only slightly, does he deserve credit for, at least, naming and sort of describing those problems. Recognizing the problem, being the first step in  solving it, gives hope that he may surround himself with smart and competent people and charge them with getting the difficult jobs done.

The other candidate can barely pander enough. There is no group, voting bloc, ethnicity, or social program that she will not pander to. She waxes poetic and gives big hugs to people that she would not live within miles of, as long as it is on camera. 

And when she has no immediate group to pander to, she reverts to that old Clintonian standby, originated in the Bubba campaigns, "it is for the children". When there was no logical reason to begin a program dear to their hard little hearts, it was always "for the children". It almost never was, but since the obedient press never questioned, all was good in Clinton's Washington.

This year we have the best of two sad choices to select. Since "none of the above" is not going to work for us, we have to choose the least bad for the country. With all of our difficulties, I cannot see the pander bear doing anything but digging the hole deeper.

So, once again, I will hold my nose as I vote, and go for Donald Trump. Please God let me be right.