So, Is it Going to Be Chicken or Fish?

Thankfully, it's Friday, Friends,

The campaign has boiled down to a binary race as the majority of voters seem to be saying they want to work within the conventional framework for this very unconventional election.

While Libertarian Gary Johnson's Aleppo gaffe didn't hurt him in the polls, he didn't help himself either, and he won't get the 15% poll average he needs to make the first national debate.

One thing is for certain, Johnson will never forget what Aleppo is again.

Frankly, I love the Johnson/Weld ticket. But the reality is that with so little time left until Election Day, they don't have a legitimate chance.

So, at least the first debate, which is now just 10 days away, will be between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton exclusively.

Thank you for this, Donald Trump. You did the country a real service. You telegraphed
to us years ago that someone who does things like this should never be President.

As you know if you're a regular reader, I can't support either candidate. In my opinion, both are too flawed to even have made it this far and don't belong anywhere near the Oval Office.

But as President Obama said, "We have a choice--chicken or fish."

I may want steak, but I'm not gonna get it. So, if I want to eat at all, I'm going to have to choose between two things I don't want.

I must admit, Hillary Clinton gave one heck of a good speech in Greensboro, N.C. yesterday. It was full of substance and policy. I had to pinch myself because it almost seemed like we were in a normal election.

In contrast, Donald Trump gave a scripted "economic policy" speech in New York City. He stuck to the script, but it was pretty short on exactly how he'd achieve his goals of creating 25 million new jobs, cutting taxes by trillions, and attaining 4% annual economic growth.

The speech was full of "only I can do it's" and "buhlieve me's." It didn't explain how his plans would not wind up creating a three trillion dollar deficit as most economists predict. Nor was the deficit even mentioned.

I'm not a Buhliever.

The presidential race is in a dead heat. In fact, today's LA Times/USC Tracking poll, though usually an outlier, actually gives Trump a six-point lead.

I think the country is floundering right now with the unpopular choices it faces. I believe, though, that all that will change after the first debate, and the candidate of substance will emerge.

I also believe in an American electorate that usually does the right thing, even if many of us are still truly hurting from the recession and simply want any kind of radical change.

When push comes to shove, I feel that enough Americans would rather build on the progress we've made in 240 years, than tear everything up and start over.

That is the essence of the choice we face in November.

So, do you want chicken or fish?