The Arizona Republic, which has never supported a Democratic presidential candidate in its 126-year history, has endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. In this historic break from its tradition of unwavering support for conservative candidates and policies, the Arizona Republic says:
This year is different. The 2016 Republican candidate is not conservative and he is not qualified.
This is not a wishy-washy, “lesser-of-two-evils” endorsement. It’s a point-by-point takedown of Donald Trump in comparison to Hillary Clinton. And it starts with temperament:
The challenges the United States faces domestically and internationally demand a steady hand, a cool head and the ability to think carefully before acting. Hillary Clinton understands this. Donald Trump does not. Clinton has the temperament and experience to be president. Donald Trump does not.
Who’s finger do you want on the nuclear button, asks the editorial board:
Clinton has argued America’s case before friendly and unfriendly foreign leaders with tenacity, diplomacy and skill. She earned respect by knowing the issues, the history and the facts.
She is intimately familiar with the challenges we face in our relations with Russia, China, the Middle East, North Korea and elsewhere. She’ll stand by our friends and she’s not afraid to confront our enemies.
Contrast Clinton’s tenacity and professionalism with Trump, who began his campaign with gross generalities about Mexico and Mexicans as criminals and rapists. These were careless slaps at a valued trading partner and Arizona’s neighbor. They were thoughtless insults about people whose labor and energy enrich our country.
The newspaper’s editorial board reminds readers that there were negative consequences when Arizona passed the 2010 “Show Me Your Papers” law. Trump is also taking a very hard line on immigration, and the Arizona Republic is now rejecting that position:
…SB 1070, the 2010 “show me your papers” law …earned Arizona international condemnation and did nothing to resolve real problems with undocumented immigration.
Arizona understands that we don’t need a repeat of that divisive, unproductive fiasco on the national level. A recent poll shows Arizonans oppose both more walls and the mass deportations Trump endorses.
We need a president who can broker solutions.
Clinton calls for comprehensive immigration reform, a goal that business, faith and law enforcement leaders have sought for years. Her support for a pathway to citizenship and her call for compassion for families torn apart by deportation are consistent with her longtime support for human rights.
The endorsement also praises Clinton for her work in support of gender equality; it calls Trump’s long history of objectifying women a “character flaw.” And it calls Trump out for “a stunning lack of human decency, empathy and respect. Taken together, they reveal a candidate who doesn’t grasp our national ideals.”
As secretary of state, Clinton made gender equality a priority for U.S. foreign policy. This is an extension of Clinton’s bold “women’s rights are human rights” speech in 1995.
It reflects an understanding that America’s commitment to human rights is a critically needed beacon in today’s troubled world.
Trump’s long history of objectifying women and his demeaning comments about women during the campaign are not just good-old-boy gaffes.
They are evidence of deep character flaws. They are part of a pattern.
With regard to all-important Supreme Court nominations,Clinton is a “centrist,” while Trump is a “wild card” says the Arizona Rebublic.
Trump’s conversion to conservatism is recent and unconvincing. There is no guarantee he will name solid conservatives to the Supreme Court.
Hillary Clinton has long been a centrist. Despite her tack left to woo Bernie Sanders supporters, Clinton retains her centrist roots. Her justices might not be in the mold of Antonin Scalia, but they will be accomplished individuals with the experience, education and intelligence to handle the job.
They will be competent. Just as she is competent.
Trump is a candidate who can’t control his words
Trump’s inability to control himself or be controlled by others represents a real threat to our national security. His recent efforts to stay on script are not reassuring. They are phony.
The president commands our nuclear arsenal. Trump can’t command his own rhetoric.
Were he to become president, his casual remarks — such as saying he wouldn’t defend NATO partners from invasion — could have devastating consequences. Being the leader of the free world requires a sense of propriety that Trump lacks.
We have an opportunity to heal the nation, and Clinton is the one to do it.
This is Hillary Clinton’s moment to reach those who feel left behind.
We understand that Trump’s candidacy tapped a deep discontent among those who feel left behind by a changed economy and shifting demographics.
Their concerns deserve to be discussed with respect.
Ironically, Trump hasn’t done that. He has merely pandered. Instead of offering solutions, he hangs scapegoats like piñatas. In a nation with an increasingly diverse population, Trump offers a recipe for permanent civil discord.
This is Hillary Clinton’s opportunity. She can reach out to those who feel left behind. She can make it clear that America sees them and will address their concerns.
She can move us beyond rancor and incivility.
End note: Since the Arizona Republic endorsed Clinton, many long-time readers have cancelled their subscriptions. This is to be expected. But in a much more troubling development, the editors have even received a death threat. You have to wonder if this kind of reaction has been made acceptable by the violence-inciting rhetoric of the candidate [Trump] whom the Arizona Republic has bravely rejected in this election cycle.