Pearly Gates

Trump is more a fan of gold, but I doubt he has objections to pearls.  But the pearly gates may have objections to him.  Forget Hillary's shading of the truth, and Trump's braggadocio.  Forget her pant suits, and his hair.  Focus on the test that matters.  Have they each helped more people than they have hurt?   Is the world better because of them?

The answer is easy for Hillary.  As an attorney, and as first lady, in Arkansas and in the White House, she championed the cause of women and children.  As a Senator she worked to help New York rebuild after 9/11, and particularly worked on behalf of first responders.  GOP senators satisfying their base by vilifying Hillary, privately, and not so privately, admit they can work with her.  As a Senator she reached across the aisle.  Because of Bill's charisma, friends of Bill has become a catch phrase.  But her friendships are more telling.  At the convention we heard from a few.  She has long and deep friendships.  The kind that only endure by caring and listening.

The case for Trump is far less secure.  His life has featured self promotion, whether about his love life in his youth, or his business acumen in later years.  His goal has been to retain, and sometimes expand, the fortune left to him by his father.  His business dealings have spawned thousands of law suits.  He has used financial leverage to beat down vendors.  Employees and other stakeholders have suffered the costs of his bankruptcies, while he has bragged that he profited.  Trump has indiscriminately sold his name to scammers.  Thousands have lost all, or much of their life savings, through Trump Institute, Trump University, and numerous condominium projects that never broke ground.  Where are his life long friends?

Both Trump and Clinton have foundations.  With all the hyperbole around hers, it is easy to forget that it is a charitable foundation that does good works.  The Clinton tax returns show a pattern of donating roughly 10% of their income.  Media reports that Trump has stiffed his foundation since 2008.

Finally there are the campaigns.  A candidate cannot be blamed for who choses to support him.  But there is a reason that Trump has been endorsed by the American Nazi party, former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, and various white supremacist groups.  From his birther attacks on Obama, through his immigration polices,  his campaign is about fearing and hating "the other."  It will not go down in history as a great campaign slogan, but Hillary's "Stronger Together," stands in stark contrast.

Judgement Day

Reasons to vote against Trump are legion including, his expressed attitude toward women and minorities, his lack of experience, his narcissism. and his unrealistic, and often unconscionable, policy proposals.  But his lack of judgement is the most compelling.  After a year of discussing current problems, the defining moment for the next president is most likely over the horizon.  Trump's hand size is of no moment, but his stunted judgement could be momentous.

Time and again Trump has sold his name to questionable ventures.  Trump lent his name and infomercial presence to two bunko artists, with complaints against them by attorney generals in 33 states, to form and promote Trump Institute.  With worthless and plagiarized material, the institute earned its "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau.  Condo buyers in Baja California and Florida have been lured by the Trump name into making deposits with projects that lacked the financing to break ground.  Trump prostitutes his name indiscriminately.

The campaign has been no exception.  Trump has lent credibility to white supremacist groups through retweeting their messages.  Consider the source, is not in his lexicon.

Trump gets his fee off the top, and woe to those who rely on his good name and reputation.  His presidency would be no different.  The problem would be "yuge."