EDITORIAL

Ready for the home stretch

Posted 9/19/16

The home stretch has arrived. Campaign 2016 – a seemingly endless, regrettably joyless and angst-ridden affair – has entered its last 50 days.

The presidential contest, of course, has drawn …

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EDITORIAL

Ready for the home stretch

Posted

The home stretch has arrived. Campaign 2016 – a seemingly endless, regrettably joyless and angst-ridden affair – has entered its last 50 days.

The presidential contest, of course, has drawn the most headlines and attention – if only by virtue of the fact that it has been underway for the better part of two years.

The prevailing narrative is by now old hat. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump carry the unenviable distinction of being the two most unpopular major-party standard bearers in the nation’s history, or at least in modern times.

In a deeply politicized era, tens of millions of Americans see one candidate or the other as wholly unacceptable, or even dangerous. Millions more seem to view both candidates in that light. Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Party hopeful Gary Johnson have each drawn significant attention as alternatives, if not to the degree needed to truly break through into the popular consciousness.

Polls have tightened considerably in recent weeks, and the nation will soon tune in for what may prove the most decisive events of the entire race – the presidential debates. The first will be held Sept. 26 in New York, with the second slated for Oct. 3 in Virginia, and the third set for Oct. 19 in Missouri.

We have in this space previously shared our view of Mr. Trump, which frankly has only been reinforced in the months since. Beyond that, we simply urge all voters to participate in the process – to shake off apathy or frustration with the options, and to instead focus on the vital role that civic involvement plays in the well being of our democratic process. After all, the sun will rise on Nov. 9, regardless of which candidate emerges victorious.

The anti-establishment sentiment that has fueled much of the national campaign this year has also been felt on the local front, with several long-tenured members of the General Assembly – most prominently House Majority Leader John DeSimone – falling to challengers in last week’s primary.

Progressives, buoyed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ surprisingly strong victory in the Rhode Island presidential primary, have claimed credit for the primary successes and have ambitious aims to transform the state’s Democratic Party.

Republicans, meanwhile, are eying potential gains of their own with voters seemingly hungry for change. At the vanguard is Steven Frias, who will take on House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello on Nov. 8 in one of the most-watched local races on the ballot.

There will be countless other races on local ballots, for school committee, city council and legislative seats. In Warwick and Cranston, incumbent mayors are vying for new terms.

We look forward to sharing the stories and visions of candidates in our communities in the weeks to come. As the old saying goes, all politics is local, and in an election year as tumultuous as 2016, every vote truly counts.

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  • Justanidiot

    Mr. Trump remarked today in North Carolina that he was going to bring the jobs back to where they belonged.

    This is great news for Rhode Island. The mills can reopen and all the manufacturing jobs that went to states like North Carolina and south will be brought back here.

    Thank you Mr. Trump. The days of privation are over!

    Happy days are here again

    The skies above are clear again

    So let's sing a song of cheer again

    Happy days are here again!

    Tuesday, September 20, 2016 Report this