Clinton for president? In a heartbeat

There is no better choice than Hillary Rodham Clinton for president of the United States in 2016.

Clinton is highly qualified and experienced on the world stage. She’s flawed in her reluctance to be candid at times, but well informed and more reliably on the side of those who make up the political and economic middle and disenfranchised than the alternative.

Republican Donald Trump is simply unqualified, unsteady and dangerous — an angry man seemingly eager to stir up a mob or turn a bellicose voice toward other nations.

His proposals to build a wall on the Mexico border, round up and deport millions of undocumented immigrants, target Muslims at the border, and bring more aggressive policing on our country’s streets make him unfit for the presidency. All of these smack of a dangerous authoritarianism, fear and an intolerance that cuts against America’s better grain.

The Libertarian ticket of former GOP governors Gary Johnson and William Weld is interesting but not up to the task. Other third party candidates are too single-minded to belong in the White House or are too late to the game.

Clinton alone brings the combination of depth, policy substance and clear-eyed view of the world that is tempered by the decades she has spent under fire.

Such a capacity for equanimity is essential for leading our mighty, sprawling democracy during a time of social, technological and political upheaval.

Trump is an endorsement of thug-styled treatment of those who seem different. It says something that he’s drawn acclaim from white supremacists whom he’s been slow to disavow.

On the economy and taxes, Trump promises more top-heavy benefits, helping the rich, which hasn’t worked to lift the economy in the past. He’d also swamp the economy with trillions in government debt, while assuming economic growth projections that are pure fantasy. Clinton would add far less to the national debt.

Clinton has unique preparation for the job — not just as a former White House resident during the Bill Clinton presidency, or when she served New York in the U.S. Senate, or when she served as secretary of state for President Obama. Criticisms of her years leading the State Department rightly put a target on her improper use of a private email server, her lack of truthfulness about the email system and deleted messages, and the too porous separation between her office and her husband’s Clinton Foundation.

But it’s worth noting that the Clinton Foundation has a proven record of helping the needy and disadvantaged around the globe. As for Trump’s foundation, there’s evidence of self dealing.

Though Clinton has flaws, these pale next to Trump’s braggadocio, his cult of the strongman, his incessant lying and failure to take personal responsibility, and his breathtaking criticisms of minorities and women. He was actually up at 3 a.m. recently using Twitter to publicly shame a former Miss Universe, whom he once branded as fat, and who now was criticizing him.

By contrast, Clinton lived through the Newt Gingrich-led revolution in the 1990s that brought our Congress and federal government to a budgeting standstill — until President Clinton and House Speaker Gingrich found a way to reach across the abyss.

Clinton also suffered some of the worst indignities — living through her husband’s infidelity in a way that was not only national news, but broadcast globally — as the House moved to impeach her husband in 1998.

Yet Hillary Rodham Clinton came away from these experiences still committed to a life of public service, even knowing that it would ensure more slings and arrows came her way.

We could go on. Clinton’s vision is not well articulated on the campaign trail. But her roots in advocacy for everyday Americans and those facing disadvantages are as deep as the South’s wisteria. Genuine, in other words.

Many Americans feel left out of the economic recovery since the Great Recession. Clinton is better fit to address those concerns.

Then there is Trump balking at the release of his federal tax returns, which lends credibility to the evidence he hasn’t paid federal income taxes for years.

So the alternative to Clinton is a rich man whose patriotism stops on a dime when it comes to paying a fair share of taxes.

This election needs to be over. Our country needs Hillary Clinton. It’s time.

This story was originally published October 8, 2016 at 9:45 PM with the headline "Clinton for president? In a heartbeat."