Conclusion

I chose to title this conclusion, rather than the end. After the dust settles on Election Day I don't believe it will be the end. Far from it, I believe it will signify the conclusion of an acrimonious campaign and the beginning of yet more polarization and dissent. 

After all the innuendo, backstabbing, smearing and who knows what, what will be left? I want to try to verbalize this without sounding prejudicial about either candidate. I have held a disdain for the Clintons for one simple reason. I grew up where the office of the President of the United States was respected, regardless of who held it. Bill Clinton shattered that belief, with a push and assist from the information age. A generation has grown up without ever knowing what Camelot was all about. Ironically, I have to admit the much revered Kennedy administration (and others) was as corrupt and disrespectful of the office. It just wasn't publicized as much. Respect for the office precluded such behavior. That aura and mystique is gone and cannot be recovered. The Clintons are demonstrative of  a system that is corrupted and broken by money. They have mastered the acquisition of it and adroitly maneuvered in the sewer that high finance and politics creates. It is painfully significant that a vote for a Democrat is a nod to big government, more intrusion in our lives and support (and fear of losing) the welfare state. You are correct if you're thinking how is Trump any better than the alternative? For one thing, his purported indiscretions are far less damning than anything the Clintons have committed. The worst of it is dredged up from over a decade ago. Yet, he is another example of someone bending the American Dream to fit his rabid pursuit of power and money. If he prevails it will be revealing to see how he comports himself in the most powerful position in the free world. If this campaign accomplishes anything it should serve as a reminder that our system is irrevocably broken. One of the hallmarks of America and what it stands for, has been the protection and support of freedom loving people anywhere and everywhere. It would be a shame if this campaign signifies the end of that.