Another thing that will likely not change in the near future, and is likewise a sad thing, is politicians telling us what we want to hear, shading the truth and outright lying. Politicians generally will not lead, that is, will not stake out a position that they hold dearly and idealistically, the consequences be damned. People like that sometimes run for office, but seldom get elected, and if elected seldom get re-elected. Rather, our politicians attempt to determine what position will garner the greatest number of votes and financial support (not necessarily in that order) and stake out that position. It's not unusual for politicians to tailor their speeches and policies depending on who they are talking to.
This is why I am not upset or at all surprised that Clinton has said things to Wall Street executives (or is alleged to have said) that differs from what she says on the campaign trail, or that her position on the TPP has changed. I'm not worked up that Trump's position on immigration has somewhat changed over the course of the election season, or his "plan" to defeat ISIS has bounced around. This is normal, run-of-the-mill stuff. The same with a candidate doing whatever it takes to win an election. Clinton called in a lot of chips, Trump used his own chips, neither one pulled any punches. I'm okay with that.
As a Clinton supporter, I'm not irked about Trump bringing up Clinton's deleted emails, or the appearance of impropriety with The Clinton Foundation, or his spin on her record as Secretary of State, including Benghazi. It's all fair game, these are weaknesses that Clinton has and he's right to try and bring attention to them. Honestly (or, as Trump would say "believe me") I'm of the opinion that much of the mud thrown at Clinton is fabricated, blown out of proportion, or assigned meaning and significance that it does not really have.
What I have a real problem with is that we have, running for President, the most unprepared person who has run for the office in my memory, and probably in my parents' memory as well. Some will, and do, argue that what we need in Washington is an outsider, someone not tainted by politics as usual. I'm not going to debate that point, but being an elected official is a job like anything else, and there has to be some minimal level of qualification for the position.
Of all of our Presidents, most had some level of government or military experience. Herbert Hoover was Secretary of Commerce, Chester Arthur and George HW Bush held appointive office below cabinet level; all other Presidents had experience either in Congress or as a governor, or were elected immediately after military service, like Eisenhower. Even among the military men, other than Ike, only Zachary Taylor had no political experience.
While Donald Trump's abrasive and demagogic style annoys me, it is his utter lack of understanding of how government works, including what a President actually does that bothers me. He shows no knowledge or even curiosity about international affairs, economics or even about the way people in this country live. Unlike the usual politician, who "clarifies" a position when it causes consternation among the electorate, or apologizes and moves on, at least acknowledging a realization that the wrong thing was said, Trump often denies that he said something that he is on the record as saying. He makes baseless accusations without even a shred of evidence (remember Ted Cruz's father being accused of colluding with Lee Harvey Oswald?), and when it is pointed out that there is no evidence, or his allegation has been debunked, he just repeats it louder and more often. It's not that I disagree with him, it's just that he makes no sense.
His attacks and insults on multiple segments of our society, his vicious attacks on his kinda, sorta allies in his own party, the gratuitous insults to anyone who disagrees with or opposes him, should worry all of us. And then there's his promise, if elected, to instruct the Attorney General to "look into [Clinton's] situation"; bellowing that she should be in jail. He is dangerous in his ignorance.
Trump appeals to much that is deplorable in our country. He has whipped up paranoia among a segment of our people with his cries to jail his opponent, to ban immigrants based on religion, and his allegations that the system is rigged and that the media is in Clinton's pocket. A crowd cheered at a woman's suggestion at a Mike Pence appearance that if Clinton is elected, we stage a "revolution" to prevent her taking office. The bigots and the ignorant among us have been given a safe place to express their bigotry. I'm not saying, like Clinton did, that half his supporters are a "basket of deplorables", in fact, the Trump supporters that I know, friends and family are pretty upstanding, good and decent people. But when I see video of Trump rallies where people are shouting out racial slurs, screaming to lynch the opposition, including the opposing candidate, using violence against protesters; when white nationalist and racist groups support him, I can't argue that he is appealing to that which is deplorable and shameful in this nation.
Fortunately, it looks less and less likely that Trump will win this election in four weeks. It might be easy to shrug it off and, if a Republican, look to 2020, but the genie is out of the bottle.
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