Character Counts

To me, the most important measure of a man or woman is their character.  How much money they have, what charities they give to, what business success they have achieved are secondary to their character.  Everyone has a different measure of character.  Some people value loyalty and friendship, others find ambition and hard work most important.  I think a lot about character these days as we examine our presidential candidates.

I have tried to keep politics out of my blog, but with the choices we have, I have to speak up.  We have two choices.  Yes, there are several other candidates running but let's face it, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be our next president.  They're both smart, one has years of business experience, the other years of government and political experience.  We've all decided that the status quo is not working, and many people see Trump as a chance to try something new.  But is he prepared to be president?  Does someone who thinks he knows more about foreign policy than our generals really who you want with the nuclear codes?

The negative ratings are high on both candidates, in fact higher than any other presidential candidates in history.  Hillary has shown to have a steady hand, to make thoughtful decisions, to ask for advice, and to be able to work with politicians on both sides of the aisles.  It's funny now that she's running for president Republicans have a different opinion of her.  When she was senator of New York and Secretary of State she was praised by members of both parties.  Now that she's running for president they see things differently.   She has spent 30+ years working on behalf of children, trying to see that all children have a chance for educational success and healthcare.  Trump has spent the last 30+ years building some beautiful buildings, but also stiffing the little guy.  He wants to make America great again, but he ships all his jobs overseas!

There is no perfect candidate, and both presidential candidates have flaws, but to me, character counts.  Do I want a president who belittles disabled people, calls immigrants rapists and murderers, thinks he knows more than the generals, and demeans GoldStar families?  Do I want someone who bullies journalists, calls everything that doesn't go his way "fixed?"  Or, do I want someone who is intelligent, hard working and has a record of trying to bring people together, not divide them?  Which person do you want your grandchildren to emulate?  It's not hard for me to decide.  Character does count.