Least enthusiastic endorsement.

I really don't think that either of the major candidates for president of the United States deserve to run for mayor of a small and insignificant town, but a vote for one is a vote against the other, so there's at least some consolation in that.

I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, but I will tell you some of the criteria I use in my decision. Bear in mind, if you're not happy about it, that I'm not happy about it either.

1) Competence. Both these candidates have shown public incompetence in their careers, but only one has resulted in massive bloodshed. So far. And only one has, for personal reasons, allowed classified information to fall into the hands of foreign and likely antagonistic governments. So far.

2) Respect. One candidate shows women a revolting lack of respect. The other counts on women for support, but evened the field by marrying a creep who shows women a revolting lack of respect. (On a more personal note: One campaign may give nothing but lip service to the concerns of us Catholics, but the other is positively antipathetic toward us.)

3) Middle class values. Both candidates have shown contempt for the values of the middle class, but one founded a campaign on the economic concerns of the middle class*. It is my belief that the existence of a thriving middle class is the #1 bulwark against tyranny in any society. Otherwise you get nothing but a small cadre at the top and a vast, terrified, helpless, economically dependent mass at the bottom. Voting the candidate who pledges to help the financial concerns of the middle class does not make us greedy or shallow; it is what keeps a small group from controlling everything else. There is no freedom without economic freedom.

4) Media. Having spent a great deal of my career in print media, I can tell you that my experience is these people are quite antagonistic to the reasonable desires and heartfelt beliefs of the bulk of Americans. A vote against what they like is a vote for everything that is decent in the world.

These people are no smarter than you, but every single one of them thinks that he is. A metaphoric punch in the nose is just what they need.

So those are my thoughts, and while I've never wanted to vote less in an election, I am obliged to do what I can to vote against the worse candidate.

*Even those who hate him can give us some idea of what the Trump campaign is about. What's Hillary's campaign about besides her greatness and people coming together because together people have togetherness?