The Cincinnati Enquirer announced its endorsement of Hillary Clinton Friday, breaking its nearly century-old streak of backing only Republican presidential candidates.
The paper’s editorial board, which appeared not exactly thrilled with its eventual decision, explained that of the two candidates, the Democratic nominee is simply the least unpleasant option.
“Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, the most unpopular pair of presidential candidates in American history, both have troubled relationships with truth and transparency,” the board wrote Friday. “Trump, despite all of his bluster about wanting to ‘make America great again,’ has exploited and expanded our internal divisions. Clinton’s arrogance and unwillingness to admit wrongdoing have made her a divisive and distrusted figure as well.”
“Our country needs calm, thoughtful leadership to deal with the challenges we face at home and abroad,” it continued. “That’s why there is only one choice when we elect a president in November: Hillary Clinton.”
The Democratic nominee has her own problems, though, the board warned.
“We have our issues with Clinton. Her refusal to acknowledge her poor judgment in using a private email server and mishandling classified information is troubling. So is her lack of transparency. We were critical of her 275-day streak without a press conference, which just ended this month,” the board wrote.
“And she should have removed herself from or restructured the Clinton Foundation after allegations arose that foreign entities were trading monetary donations for political influence and special access,” it added.
Still, they continued, Clinton does have an impressive track record of governing. She also has years of experience in government, and she’s running an inclusive campaign, they added, explaining these qualities helped them make a decision.
Trump, on the other hand, “is a clear and present danger to our country,” the board wrote, adding that Clinton’s shortcomings “pale in comparison” to its “fears about” the GOP nominee.
“He has no history of governance that should engender any confidence from voters. Trump has no foreign policy experience, and the fact that he doesn’t recognize it … is even more troubling,” the board wrote.
“Do we really want someone in charge of our military and nuclear codes who has an impulse control problem? The fact that so many top military and national security officials are not supporting Trump speaks volumes,” they wrote.
The paper’s problems with the GOP nominee goes on for quite awhile.
We’ve condemned his childish insults; offensive remarks to women, Hispanics and African-Americans; and the way he has played on many Americans’ fears and prejudices to further himself politically. Trump brands himself as an outsider untainted by special interests, but we see a man utterly corrupted by self-interest. His narcissistic bid for the presidency is more about making himself great than America. Trump tears our country and many of its people down with his words so that he can build himself up. What else are we left to believe about a man who tells the American public that he alone can fix what ails us?
While Clinton has been relentlessly challenged about her honesty, Trump was the primary propagator of arguably the biggest lie of the past eight years: that Obama wasn’t born in the United States. Trump has played fast and loose with the support of white supremacist groups. He has praised some of our country’s most dangerous enemies — see Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Saddam Hussein — while insulting a sitting president, our military generals, a Gold Star family and prisoners of war like Sen. John McCain. Of late, Trump has toned down his divisive rhetoric, sticking to carefully constructed scripts and teleprompters. But going two weeks without saying something misogynistic, racist or xenophobic is hardly a qualification for the most important job in the world. Why should anyone believe that a Trump presidency would look markedly different from his offensive, erratic, stance-shifting presidential campaign?
So, as to the question of who should be the next president of the United States, the Enquirer explained the choice is clear.
“America needs a brave leader, not bravado. Real solutions, not paper-thin promises. A clear eye toward the future, not a cynical appeal to the good old days,” they wrote.
“Hillary Clinton has her faults, certainly, but she has spent a lifetime working to improve the lives of Americans both inside and outside of Washington. It’s time to elect the first female U.S. president — not because she’s a woman, but because she’s hands-down the most qualified choice,” the board concluded.
