Character Counts

If you are a full-throated supporter of Donald Trump for President, I have little to say to you. If you tacitly support Trump because you don’t like Hillary Clinton, I will tell you to grin and bear it. I have little doubt that Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States. Deal with it. Many of the people I talk to who really just don’t like Hillary Clinton continue to call her out for being a liar. It is a common refrain. However, they can point to nothing substantive with which to indict her.

If you have been in the public eye as long as Ms. Clinton has been and have had your statements parsed as often as she has, any politician will more than likely be called a liar. Let’s not forget that Ms. Clinton was the first lady for eight years and was vilified by the right wing for every single day. I have looked at the “lies” to which her critics point and I must conclude the following: has Ms. Clinton embellished her personal narrative in order to make a political point? Yes. Has she stretched the truth in order to bolster her political rhetoric? Guilty. Has she made questionable statements about complex issues that are very difficult to disprove? Possibly. But when it comes to policy matters, I have no doubt that Ms. Clinton is guided by a strict moral compass and has the courage of her convictions. I can find nothing regarding policy matters that would be termed a lie. I cannot point to a single issue where she changed her position for political expediency. Has she evolved on some issues? I suppose so, as a good politician should.

Bill said in his speech at the Democratic Convention that Hillary does not necessarily lead on issues and she may take longer to understand and evaluate the nuances of a particular subject but when she takes a position, she will fight hard to defend and advance it. To me, that speaks to a person who is thoughtful, reasoned and doggedly determined to do the right thing.

Earlier this summer, immediately following the Brexit vote in the UK, Donald Trump made a statement that David Cameron had misread the mood of the electorate and if he had just fallen in line with the popular consensus, he could have held on to his job. Is that the kind of leadership we seek in this country? Someone who reads the tea leaves and will say and do anything in order to hold on to power? I hope not. I am convinced that a true leader does not fear defeat as long as their moral compass is in tact and that they are defeated on principal and not personality. So to those of you who are voting, not for Donald Trump but against Hillary Clinton, I would ask you to think hard about what kind of leadership you want in this country. You may not agree with her on policy issues but when it comes to character, you could do much, much worse.

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