To say that this presidential election season has been atypical is an understatement.
By now, most of you who are eligible will have made up your minds. But, for those who have not, I offer the following.
This is an era of rapid-fire social media that offers opinions without facts at the speed of light. So I targeted major daily newspaper endorsements because typically a newspaper's editorial board will offer plenty of factual reasons for choosing the candidates they support.
The Democratic presidential candidate has received the support of 215 daily newspapers, while the Republican candidate has received only 8. Overall, the Democratic candidate has garnered a total of 389 newspaper and magazine endorsements, while the Republican candidate has received eight. Only one major daily newspaper (the Las Vegas Review-Journal) has chosen to endorse the Republican candidate.
USA Today's editorial board broke a tradition of not supporting any presidential candidate, by endorsing the Democratic runner. In part, USA today explained, "Trump has demonstrated that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents."
One of the more noteworthy endorsements for the Democratic candidate came from the Arizona Republic. It has never endorsed a Democrat since its inception in 1890, being a fiercely conservative newspaper. Nonetheless, the Arizona Republic's editorial stated "The 2016 Republican candidate is not conservative and is not qualified. That's why, for the first time in our history, the Arizona Republic will support a Democrat for president."
One of the more noteworthy endorsements for the Democratic candidate came from the Arizona Republic. It has never endorsed a Democrat since its inception in 1890, being a fiercely conservative newspaper. Nonetheless, the Arizona Republic's editorial stated "The 2016 Republican candidate is not conservative and is not qualified. That's why, for the first time in our history, the Arizona Republic will support a Democrat for president."
In such a heated campaign, it's natural for the candidates to cherry-pick the truth to make their points. But there is a marked difference between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in this regard.
PolitiFact, which has earned a Pulitzer Prize, reported that the Democratic candidate has a 50 percent truth telling ratio (145 out of 287 statements being true or mostly true), while the Republican candidate came in at 4 percent (15 of 315 statements being true or mostly true). Perhaps more telling, the Republican candidate had 55 statements being rated as liar-liar-pants-on-fire while, the Democratic candidate had a total of seven statements in this category.
Even among conservative evangelical Christians, support for the Republican presidential candidate has been dropping. Most notably in response to the release of a video in which the candidate bragged about his sexual advances on women. Women make up more than half of the evangelical church in America. And over 800 of them signed on to a letter denouncing the Republican candidate within hours of its publication.
And the dissent among evangelicals isn't limited to whites. Minority evangelicals voiced their disapproval of the Republican presidential candidate way before the outpouring tied to the letter written a few weeks ago.
The Republican candidate has made many attention-getting remarks throughout the campaign. There are too many of them to go into detail here, but if you're interested I'll refer you to what Newsday has recorded.
This tactic of making outrageous statements that stoke fear and bigotry has worked very well for the Republican candidate. One wonders, without this questionable trait, would he have even been nominated in the first place?
The Republican candidate says he has the ability to Make America Great Again. It would seem a leader would need to be able to draw a diverse population together in order to achieve that goal. Something the Republican presidential candidate and the Republican party, in general, have not been able to do.
A recent article in the LA Times noted that the candidates seem to be getting their support from two different Americas. The Republican candidate's base is white and heavily male. The Democratic candidate's support is much more diverse and reflects the reality of present day America. (The LA Times referenced a report from the Pew Research Center that estimated a 17 percent increase in Latino voters and 16 percent increase in Asian voters from 2012 to 2016.)
In the end, the choice, come election day, may come down to which version of America do you prefer? One that seems rooted in the past, giving in to fear of the future; or one that embraces the future, believing that America will be able to face its challenges? The choice isn't yours if you don't choose to vote.
Regardless of how you feel about the candidates, or the campaign process itself, please vote on November 8.
Photo Credit. uconntoday
Even among conservative evangelical Christians, support for the Republican presidential candidate has been dropping. Most notably in response to the release of a video in which the candidate bragged about his sexual advances on women. Women make up more than half of the evangelical church in America. And over 800 of them signed on to a letter denouncing the Republican candidate within hours of its publication.
And the dissent among evangelicals isn't limited to whites. Minority evangelicals voiced their disapproval of the Republican presidential candidate way before the outpouring tied to the letter written a few weeks ago.
The Republican candidate has made many attention-getting remarks throughout the campaign. There are too many of them to go into detail here, but if you're interested I'll refer you to what Newsday has recorded.
This tactic of making outrageous statements that stoke fear and bigotry has worked very well for the Republican candidate. One wonders, without this questionable trait, would he have even been nominated in the first place?
The Republican candidate says he has the ability to Make America Great Again. It would seem a leader would need to be able to draw a diverse population together in order to achieve that goal. Something the Republican presidential candidate and the Republican party, in general, have not been able to do.
A recent article in the LA Times noted that the candidates seem to be getting their support from two different Americas. The Republican candidate's base is white and heavily male. The Democratic candidate's support is much more diverse and reflects the reality of present day America. (The LA Times referenced a report from the Pew Research Center that estimated a 17 percent increase in Latino voters and 16 percent increase in Asian voters from 2012 to 2016.)
In the end, the choice, come election day, may come down to which version of America do you prefer? One that seems rooted in the past, giving in to fear of the future; or one that embraces the future, believing that America will be able to face its challenges? The choice isn't yours if you don't choose to vote.
Regardless of how you feel about the candidates, or the campaign process itself, please vote on November 8.
Photo Credit. uconntoday
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