The Washington Post editorial board endorsed Hillary Clinton “without hesitation” and said the Democrat could be an “excellent president” Thursday.
“In gloom and ugliness of this political season, one encouraging truth is often overlooked: There is a well-qualified, well-prepared candidate on the ballot. Hillary Clinton has the potential to be an excellent president of the United States, and we endorse her without hesitation,” the Post’s editors wrote.
“If we believed that Ms. Clinton were the lesser of two evils, we might well urge you to vote for her anyway — that is how strongly we feel about Mr. Trump. But we would also tell you that was our judgment,” the board added.
The statement said Clinton is a “dogged, resilient, purposeful, and smart” leader with executive experience, stating the first female president doesn’t have a history of letting her emotions get the best of her.
“She does not let her feelings get in the way of the job at hand,” it said. “She is well positioned to get something done.”
It acknowledged “that many Americans distrust and dislike Ms. Clinton. The negative feelings reflect in part the bitter partisanship of the nation’s politics today; in part the dishonest attacks she has been subjected to for decades; and in part her genuine flaws, missteps and weaknesses,” before listing a slew of scandals Clinton has been accused of being involved in since her time in the White House.
The editorial board said its “biggest worry” about a Clinton presidency is her apparent refusal to learn “the right lessons, namely openness and accountability” after failing to adequately respond to her private email server “mistake” as secretary of state and being less-than-responsive to the press.
Despite arguing Clinton’s “slow, grudging explanations” of her email usage “worsened the damage and insulted the voters,” the editorial board argued voters would take pride in casting their vote in her favor.
“We believe that Ms. Clinton will prove a worthy example to girls who celebrate the election of America’s first female president,” it said. “We believe, too, that anyone who votes for her will be able to look back, four years from now, with pride in that decision.”
