Another Week. Another Convention

Last week I paid some attention to the Republican convention, mostly in print and on radio.  My attention was limited by the fact that I cannot hear ugly, bilious rhetoric for long periods of time, especially when interspersed with the perverse simplicity of current Republican ideology.  Still I made an effort to keep up with the convention.  For better or worse (and these days it's only worse), the Republican Party is one of the only two parties capable of nominating and electing a president.  As citizen I believe I have a responsibility to stay informed, even when the task is distasteful.  I got a few chuckles at the various gaffes and Donald outperforming Rudy Guliani in delivering an apocalyptic, spittle-filled speech.  The chuckles were fleeting when I rememberd that I was hearing a possible President of the United States.

This week has been more pleasant.  For all of its shortcomings the Democratic Party is the one of the two major parties in this country that speaks to my values and beliefs.  Much of what the Democrats say is rhetoric but, unlike last week, the rhetoric is not hateful and aspires to an America where all share in our national prosperity.  What I have not heard is anything to suggest that America will be less militaristic and seek diplomatic solutions to conflict among nations.  Hillary Clinton's history does not suggest that she would be any different from her immediate predecessor or even the hapless George W. 

That said, Clinton has full-throated support from Bernie Sanders and she has been pushed to run on a very progressive platform.  Donald Trump is a guaratee of strong-man, idiosyncratic, reactionay policy, both foreign and domestic.  In all, the Democratic convention and Hillary Clinton address America's challenges in a way that leaves me more confidence than anything that Trump can do.  I hope very much that Clinton will prevail in November.

That said, I am most likely to vote for Jill Stein for president.  I can do that with confidence since Washington is a reliably Democratic state.  The last time Washington went Republican in a presidential election was 1984.  If I still lived in Virginia or any other swing state, I would vote for Clinton but I don't and will use the opportunity to cast a vote for an even more progressive platform.  I did that four years ago and barring any change from recent history will do so again.

Donald Trump must not be elected.  Period.