The TMI Election: We Know So Much About Both Candidates, so Why Are There Still So Many Undecided?
As the world waits with bated breath to hear what Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, may or may not have to say about Hillary Clinton’s emails, it’s a good idea to take a step back from October Surprise Fever and think about the wisdom of basing our political decisions on big, shocking revelations that might not even exist.
I get that secrets are exciting, but both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been public figures for decades. They have enough public statements between them to fill a library. And they’ve both been angling for the job of president for what seems like forever. We know so much about both of their lives, more than we know about pretty much anyone besides our close friends and family. So the question is, what could possibly emerge at this late date that would change our opinion of either of these politicians?
Since Clinton is reportedly the subject of the leaks, let’s start with her. We know that Clinton spoke lightly about defending a rapist, we know that she is a habitual liar, not to mention her private email server and its contents. We know that a U.S. ambassador was killed on her watch as secretary of state, we know that her foundation has accepted millions in donations from foreign countries and big banks, the latter which she voted to bail out under TARP. We know that she has supported wars that have claimed a million lives. And we know that she wants to raise taxes, increase regulations, and further compromise our constitutional rights.
Is this not enough information? If all of the above is not enough to convince you that Hillary Clinton is unfit to be president, then what ever would be?
Trump is scarcely better. People are making hay about his tax returns, with the implication that the discovery of tax improprieties would somehow destroy his candidacy. But we already know things about Trump that are way worse than a little tax avoidance. In fact, there is a large portion of the GOP base (myself included) who regards keeping as much of your money from the government’s grasping hands as possible as more of a virtue than a vice. But even if you do frown on taking advantage of tax loopholes, would that revelation be more shocking than Trump’s public record?
We know that Trump has advocated killing the families of terrorists, that he regards immigrants broadly as rapists and murderers, that he has advocated shutting down portions of the internet, and that he thinks the proper role of the presidency is to bully individual companies over where they decide to build factories. We know that he has a short temper and is easily provoked. We know that he brags about taking advantage of crony subsidies at the expense of the taxpayer, and that he has tried to use eminent domain to force landowners off their property for his own benefit. We know that he habitually uses demeaning and offensive language towards women, and that personal insults are his rhetorical weapon of choice. We know that he has supported gun control and universal health care before claiming not to support those things. We know that he wants to strengthen libel laws, making it effectively illegal to criticize him. We know that, if elected, he would be fickle, capricious, and unpredictable, hardly desirable qualities in a commander in chief.
Come on, America. Stop pretending some October revelation is going to be a game changer. We know who these people are. We know their weaknesses and, to the extent they exist, their strengths. We have all the information we need to make an educated, well-informed vote. It may be an unattractive decision to have to make, but nothing Julian Assange or anyone else has to say is going to make it any easier. And hey, as much as the media may try to deny it, there are always third parties. (For more from the author of “The TMI Election: We Know So Much About Both Candidates, so Why Are There Still So Many Undecided?” please click HERE)
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