Good Morning.

So it's Hillary. I guess she'll have to do.

I don't say that to be mean or disparaging; I know it's me. Hillary is just not that exciting or inspirational to me. I did not support her in 2008 for these same reasons.


I'll draw another name into this, that of Jeb Bush. While he was still an active candidate on the other side, I did some figuring.

I came of age politically in 1984. At that time, a gang of thieves by the name of Reagan and Bush were in the White House. (Locally, I got to vote for Governor Dukakis and his Lieutenant...John Kerry.) It's now 32 years later. Over those 32 years, except for the last two since Secretary Clinton resigned, there has been somebody named "Bush" or "Clinton" somewhere in power.

It's very odd to me how divisive those names are. President Clinton did a lot of good - it's very easy to look back in the rear-view mirror and think of those as the 'good times'. If Trump wants to "take America back", Hillary Clinton could, too. I wouldn't mind the prosperity of the Clinton era again.

The Bushes have their own issues, but as I have seen circulating around the intertubes recently, both father and son were at the very least civil, diplomatic, and mostly proper, whether or not you agreed with their policy.

I did vote for Bernie. Not because of any rabid belief in his policies or vision for the future - it's really because his name wasn't "Clinton". Perhaps that is why I don't understand the vitriol on the democratic side this time around. My candidate didn't win, but I harbor no animosity towards the other. I presume that when the time comes, I'll hold my nose and pull the lever next to the "D" on the ballot.

The real trouble now comes with the general election. I don't think Hillary is that great of a campaigner. From where I sit, she seems to be relying almost exclusively on image and perception - "The first former First Lady" "The first Woman" "The most prepared and experienced candidate ever". We heard all these things here in Massachusetts a few years ago. A candidate by the name of Martha Coakley was expected to cruise to victory, but instead we wound up with Senator Scott Brown.

Fighting a demagogue can be a difficult thing. It sure feels like the longterm strategy of the Republican Party is finally paying off; by dumbing-down America, fostering division, spreading lies and false information, they've created a class of low-information, low-intelligence, and low-curiosity voters. GOP voters on the whole have always marched in lockstep; when one of their information sources spouts a talking point, within a matter of hours they all do, and their supporters just absorb it like sponges without question.

One has to wonder where the tipping point is? Are there still enough smart people in these United States to take a step back and say "Wait a minute..." or are we doomed to a Trump Presidency here? Only time will tell, I suppose.