Scott Adams reminds us that candidate alcohol use is the biggest risk factor in this election, pointing out: "Because of nuclear codes and terror attacks and whatnot", that it is *not okay* for a President to drink. He writes:
"Imagine you lived in a world in which no one except one senior citizen ever drank alcoholic beverages. Would you think it is a good idea to choose this one person – the only drinker in the world – to be in charge of the nuclear arsenal?
"No, that would be crazy. We know alcohol impairs judgment. And a president is on-call for emergencies 24-hours a day. Alcohol plus life-and-death decisions is a dangerous combination."He says Americans overlook candidate drinking because lots of us drink too, but just as we now know that an expectant mother must cease all alcohol intake during her pregnancy, we also need to choose leaders who avoid the dangers of alcohol:
"I would argue that alcohol consumption is the biggest risk differential in this election. We’re just blind to that risk because alcohol is socially acceptable. But even in your own life, you see alcohol being the force behind unwanted pregnancies, drunk driving, bar fights, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and just about every bad decision you’ve ever made.
If we humans were even a little bit objective we would never select a leader who is likely to be impaired by alcohol several hours per week, including the workday. (Allegedly.)"(Go over and read his whole article - there's an excellent Risk Assessment for both candidates)
Donald Trump does not and has never drank, or smoked anything, or taken any illegal drugs. He also advises parents that the best way to help their kids avoid substance abuse is to lead a "straight edge lifestyle" themselves:
“If you don’t drink and you don’t do drugs, your children … are going to have a tremendously enhanced chance of really being successful and having a good life,” he said.
“The world is so tough and it is so competitive that you can’t put yourself, as a child, or even as a parent, if you want that child to be successful, at a disadvantage of letting them drink or letting them take drugs because it is not going to work,” Mr. Trump said. “They are going to be at a tremendous disadvantage and ultimately they may not recover.”
Hillary Clinton's drinking, on the other hand, is "legendary", as reported by her own staff and friendly media, and she is frequently photographed drinking.
In an schmoozy article last summer promoting her titled "‘President Hillary Clinton?’ She Wants Progress on Immigration and to Drink With G.O.P.". the New York Times says if elected she will be "negotiating over adult beverages", quotes Nera Tanden of the Center for American Progress that Hillary "really loves talking over drinks” and goes on to say:
"Mrs. Clinton’s ability to use alcohol as a political lubricant came up repeatedly when allies and advisers were asked how she might work with Republicans. Her tale about a drinking contest with Senator John McCain of Arizona is now a Washington legend. "
The UK's Telegraph reported on that incident during her 2008 campaign against Obama, when Hillary's campaign manager went into detail with the BBC about how Hillary Clinton knocked back four shots of vodka to "win" a drinking contest against John McCain:
"...the story was finally confirmed by Mrs Clinton's campaign manager, and by the owner of a restaurant in the Estonian capital of Tallinn. Dimitri Demjanov, proprietor of Gloria's, said the two political heavyweights managed four shots each before Mrs Clinton was declared the winner, though the rules of the contest remain somewhat opaque.
"Was it first past the post? Did Mr McCain demand a recount? Mr Demjanov refused to say, but when asked who was the winner he did not hesitate before answering: 'Hillary won. She stayed correct after four shots. And John McCain too.'"Do you know how much, and how often, and how long, a little woman has to drink hard liquor in order to still appear sober after four shots of vodka? That is a classic sign of daily drinking that starts every morning. A sign of going through life in a near-constant alcoholic haze.
The Telegraph continues:
"Mr Demjanov spoke briefly to the BBC after Terry McAuliffe, Mrs Clinton's campaign manager, said in an interview that Mrs Clinton had 'beaten' Mr McCain in the drinking contest.
"He said: 'She loves to sit, throw 'em back. We all hear about the story that she and John McCain actually had a shot contest, I think in the Ukraine or somewhere around the world. And she actually beat John McCain in a shot contest. She's a girl from Illinois who likes to throw 'em down with the rest of us.'
"Mr McCain's 'people' were rather less forthcoming, saying their man had been for a few drinks with Mrs Clinton but denying a contest.
"Quite why Mr McAuliffe chose to reveal the story at such a crucial time in the Democratic campaign is unclear, but tales of hard drinking rarely turn out to be vote winners.
"William Hague famously bragged about how he had been able to drink 14 pints of bitter a day as a teenager, before he lost to a Labour landslide in the 2001 general election.
And Charles Kennedy stepped down as leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2006 under pressure from his own party after admitting to having a drink problem."
CBS News reporter Fernando Suarez reported Hillary Clinton drinking Crown Royal at an Indiana bar in 2008. He was kind, talking about "the glass mug she waved in the air so proudly as
the crowd chanted her name. " But The Spectator called it "an excruciatingly embarrassing scene".
In 2012 while Secretary of State, her barroom antics in Columbia for the "Summit of the Americas" resulted in a New York Post front page headline "Swillary". "Secretary of PARTYING" was the tagline used by the celebrity news website TMZ.
And Mediate reported: "Across the pond, a blog post in the London Telegraph asked if Clinton is “becoming an embarrassment” as Secretary of State. As some reports note, Cafe Havana’s about as close to Cuba as Clinton will be getting any time soon."
During the 2015 primary campaign, Hillary's staff apparently wanted to show of her "fun" side, and used her drinking as proof. One of her former advisors-turned-CNN-commentator, Patti Solis Doyle spent most of 2015 chatting about how much fun Hillary is to drink with, pointing out in her very first article:
"So, do you want to have a beer with Hillary? Having worked for her for more than 17 years, I've had a beer (or two) with her and I can tell you it is a hell of a lot of fun. "She later repeated her talking points to Bloomberg and Politico reporters in a HuffPo Live round table, noting that Hillary prefers "wine and vodka".
The Free Beacon, bemused by Sollis Doyle's insistence on stating the obvious, noted:
"New York Times reporter Amy Chozick would likely corroborate Solis Doyle’s claims. The journalist, who covers Clinton, told ABC News in a February interview ahead of Clinton’s official campaign launch,
“She likes to drink. We were on the campaign trail in 2008 and the press thought she was just taking shots to pander to voters in Pennsylvania.”
“Um, no,” Chozick continued."Esther Goldberg, in the American Spectator article "We Need To Talk About Hillary Clinton -
A party girl who’s a saloon series all by herself.", gives a compassionate history of Hillary's drinking, and observes that Hillary's "health has manifestly been destroyed by alcohol " and people who should care about her enough to intervene, instead suggest she "should drink even more."
Goldberg winds up with a modern parable about the dangers of pretending all is well, and finishes:
" There’s a lot of rationalization, but the matter is never discussed.
"We live in a society where there are things we don’t talk about, important things. We tell ourselves, or we are told, how “capable” and “steady” Hillary Clinton is, though she’s proved herself to be the opposite and getting worse every day.
"Who knows what tragedy a Clinton presidency will bring down upon the world the country and the world?
"We really do need to talk about Hillary Clinton, but not now. Another time."
I've touted Donald Trump's clean life style and freedom from addiction issues for the entire campaign. So has he, and have others. But the media, the Republican Party, doctrine-absorbed Christians who should find abstinence from alcohol a singular reason to champion him, have all ignored this element of character in Mr Trump, and the critical character flaw that alcohol use represents in Hillary Clinton.
So: if not now... when?
Whether Hillary Clinton has a drinking problem, or 'just likes to party', it is clear from her own staff and friendly media that she drinks hard liquor, and that she drinks frequently.
Are Americans really willing to risk having a drunk President when "that 3 am phone call comes in"?
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