Sammamish Comment focuses on elections that are specific to Sammamish. Accordingly, it doesn’t ordinarily consider Statewide and Federal races, nor statewide initiatives.

This election is unusual because of the divisive nature of the heads of the Republican and Democratic tickets. Donald Trump’s candidacy in particular has down-ballot implications for the Republicans because he is so divisive. The same can’t be said for Hillary Clinton, despite her divisive character.

Because of that, Sammamish Comment is deviating from its past a bit. In addition to making endorsements in the State Legislative races for those districts that cover Sammamish (the 5^th, 41^st and 45^th), for the first time The Comment will hazard into the presidential arena.

A colleague summed up the choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton nicely: “When you add everything up, you still get less than zero.”

Donald Trump

Readers already know that The Comment doesn’t think much of Donald Trump. He’s an irresponsible demagogue who doesn’t know the issues, buddies up to the thug Vladimir Putin, expressed admiration for Saddam Hussein, favors nuclear proliferation, makes outrageously false claims then tries to dismiss them as sarcasm; and more-and worse.

Trumps’ continued defense of and admiration for Putin and Russia–and Trump’s denial of Russian hacking despite clear evidence the FBI says it has on which he’s been briefed–is mind-blowing. It’s also downright frightening.

Every time you think he’s hit bottom with his tactics, he descends even further into the gutter.

Trump’s track record as a businessman is disgusting. His record is replete with unpaid bills, taking advantage of small business owners, putting some of them out of business, using bankruptcy six times to his advantages while leaving destroyed suppliers and employees in his wake.

His insults to critics, demeaning of religions and minorities, his silly and unconstitutional immigration proposals speak for themselves. His recent assertions that the election is rigged–widely disputed by even Republicans, including the Ohio Secretary of State (himself a Trump supporter)–is nothing more than an attempt to de-legitimize the fact he will probably lose the election because he lost it on his own merits.

He lies, obfuscates, mocks the disabled. His campaign against Bill Clinton is mind-boggling–and irrelevant to a presidential campaign 17 years after Bill left office.

This is a thoroughly disreputable man. His policies, such as they are, are also disreputable.

There isn’t a single newspaper in all of the United States except the National Enquirer that endorsed him. This is a first in US history.

Trump has made a mockery of family values, the brand of the Republican Party for decades, and which is of great importance to Evangelicals.

Hillary Clinton

Before there were Trump haters, there were Clinton haters. Hillary and Bill have been under partisan attack for 30 years. They’ve been accused just about everything you can think of, including murder (in the suicide of Vince Foster).

It’s well documented by non-partisans that Hillary is not a nice person. She’s ruthless. She’s mean. She, along with Bill, have a well-documented record that the rules don’t apply to them.

Hillary’s use of a private email server, while stupid and clearly meant to try and keep her correspondence out of the public domain, is not unprecedented. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Ash Carter used private email for some government communication.

(This routinely happens in the City of Sammamish, by the way. City Council members use private email in addition to the City email for some of their communications.)

Hillary’s “evolving” explanations of per private email use are cause for eye-rolling in its lawyer-ly parsing of words. It is reminiscent of Bill Clinton’s infamous, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” As soon as he said it, it was clear he engaged in oral sex instead. Black’s Law Dictionary is very precise about “sexual relations.”

Parsing words is a Clinton tactic—for both of them.

The Clintons’ pursuit of monetary riches, and the tone-deaf optics that surround perception if not reality of this pursuit, is mind-boggling. On this issue, the Clintons and Trump are in perfect alignment: they are all money-grubbing people.

Both Trump and Clinton lie, but Trump resides in a parallel universe where facts don’t matter at all and truth, for him, is fiction. For all her obfuscations, Hillary is far more fact-based than Trump.

Both believe the rules don’t apply to them.

Trump is ignorant of world affairs. Clinton, for all her short-comings, and they are many, is not.

Trump is dangerously unstable. Many view Clinton as dangerous, too. But you don’t see 50 members of her own party steeped in national security expertise writing open letters saying she is dangerous and unfit to be president. Even top Republicans of past presidents endorsed Clinton. We haven’t seen anything approaching this level of defection from the party’s nominee since George McGovern and Barry Goldwater.

The alternatives

This is truly the election of the lesser of two evils. What a choice to have to make.

Then there is Gary Johnson, running for president as a Libertarian. As the campaign wore on, Johnson proved what a doofus he is.

This is the man who, when asked at the Libertarian convention, whether World War II was worth fighting, said, “I don’t know.”

A war against Nazis and fascist Japan and Italy, the extermination of six million Jews, and Johnson doesn’t know if this was a war worth fighting? This is as scary as Donald Trump.

Then he didn’t know what Aleppo is, the ground zero, of the Syrian refugee crisis. Johnson said he blanked. (A conservative commentator said this was because Johnson, at one time the CEO of a marijuana company, had been smoking too much weed.) Then Johnson spoke of “East” and “West” Korea. If that’s not enough, after a bombing Sept. 17 in New York City and a multiple stabbing in St. Cloud (MN) the same day injured nearly 40 people, Johnson issued a statement in which he was glad nobody was hurt.

He couldn’t name the leader of North Korea (it’s unclear if this is “East” or “West” Korea.)

A protest vote for Johnson doesn’t even make sense.

It’s too bad Bill Weld isn’t at the top of the Libertarian ticket instead of running for vice president. (Equally, it’s too bad Tim Kaine and Mike Pence aren’t at the top of the Democratic and Republican tickets.)

Johnson, of course, has no chance of winning. But could he tip the balance in some key states, as did Ralph Nader in 2000 when George W. Bush was elected over Al Gore, who actually won the popular vote?

The choice is solely between Trump and Clinton; hold your nose and vote for Clinton.

Endorsements for the 5th, 41st and 45th Legislative Districts will be forthcoming.