This election season reminds me of nothing so much as a root canal--it's agonizingly uncomfortable, I can't wait for it to be done, and I know new pains await me when it's over.
If Hillary Clinton wins, the Supreme Court is lost to progressivism for at least a generation, probably forever. The nation, as originally founded, will be finished. Big Government will rule and grow stronger and more centralized, with basic rights such as freedom of speech and religion imperiled. That's not even mentioning what a President Hillary would do to the Second Amendment. In short, the Constitution would fade into history as we march on towards a totalitarian state. And never mind the Clinton Foundation and email scandals, which are shaping up to be post-election catastrophes that will make Watergate look minor league.
On the other hand, if Donald Trump wins--what will happen? Nobody can predict with any certainty what a Trump presidency would represent. Some people find his unpredictability refreshing, while others are terrified by it. Some like his brash outspokenness; others are disgusted by it. Many Americans will forgive his wild misstatements and blunt insults; many will change their vote because of them. Which swaths of voters will turn out in greater numbers? No one knows. How many people are not admittng that they'll vote for him? No one knows that answer, either.
I just know that in November, when the USA gets out of the dentist's chair that is the 2016 presidential campaign, we will have a large bill to settle and a lot more painful work ahead of us.
