Trump vs. Clinton: History In The Unmaking?

Official portrait of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Donald Trump enters the Oscar De LA Renta Fashion Show, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Serenaded by the female-empowering pop hits "Brave", "Roar" and "Fight Song", Hillary Clinton took her place as the Democrats' choice to succeed President Barack Obama Thursday night in Philadelphia.  It was a moment most of us thought would never happen in our lifetimes--a woman nominated for President by a major party.  Then again, that's the same thing we thought when Obama broke the race barrier eight years earlier.

Clinton's otherwise riveting acceptance speech was a mixed bag.  It was one part greatest hits compilation of her stump speeches, one part new material, one part acknowledging the contributions of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and his supporters in the campaign, and a generous helping of Republican nominee Donald Trump-bashing.  Yet the speech didn't knock the ball out of the park.  It was more like an inside-the-park home run.  Something's missing here, and we can't quite put our finger on it. 

Otherwise, the Sanders contingent was heard from, even though their candidate had already conceded to Clinton and encouraged his followers to support her in November.  But they just wouldn't let go, wearing yellow at the coronation and heckling Clinton.  If Sanders had stuck to being an independent and ran as a third-party candidate, Clinton would have been in real trouble.

The hacked e-mails that cost Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz her job as Democratic party chair, detailing some biases against the Sanders campaign, are being investigated by the FBI for a possible Russian connection.  Trump, as usual, found a way to exploit the situation by calling on the Russians to please pass along any of Clinton's e-mails when she was Secretary of State.  The next day, after the predictable uproar he created, Trump tried to get out of it by claiming he was being sarcastic when he said that.

Unfortunately for Trump, most Americans don't seem to understand what sarcasm is.  They're not even sure if he's kidding about some of the outrageous things he's said during the campaign.  Unless you're a late night talk show host, it's not smart for any candidate during an election year to make light of a serious issue.  But Trump, who has yet to learn how to act like a real politician, will get a free pass from the media because of his entertainment value.

So here it is, America.  For the next 100 days, you have to make a choice between two of the most unlikable candidates in modern presidential election history.  One is an independently wealthy man  with no political experience, and for whom there is no filter between his brain and his mouth.  The other is a woman who has been in public life for decades, is married to a former President, and now wants the job herself.  But she leaves behind a trail of scandal and questionable judgment that would have done in any other political figure, yet has somehow survived them all.

Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton.  Be brave, America.