What about impeachment?

The series of presidential debates has come to a conclusion and apparently it came with mixed reviews. Most news commentators say the biggest winner was the moderator, not the candidates. Many people have expressed disappointment in the outcome of the character assassinations expressed rather than gaining meaningful information on the programs being offered to improve our economy, control illegal immigration, deal with our healthcare costs, etc. At our house we were turned off by both candidates and still feel "none of the above" should be on the ballot as a choice. That might lead to a restart to begin the process of selecting the parties' candidates all over again and we can hope for a better couple of choices.

Since the die has been cast and we have two unpopular candidates who will apparently share the great majority of the votes, maybe we need a fall back alternative. Perhaps we should listen to Donald Trump's comment and ask ourselves if neither candidate manages an overwhelming majority -- like 60 percent of the popular vote -- should we accept the outcome as the person to lead our nation? The electoral college process leaves much to be desired when we have two candidates so vastly unpopular in so many categories. We can't use the "none of the above" category, but maybe we could have a unique agreement if the popular vote is too close. Maybe it would shock all groups, special interests, PACs and those disgusted with the candidates into a sense of reality.

Immediately after the votes are counted and if neither of the two primary party candidates is a decisive winner, start "impeachment proceedings" against the winner. If we began the process immediately after the votes are counted, the name of the winner being known, then as soon as the person was sworn in, the impeachment process could swing into action. This might sound absurd, but if you think about what we have been hearing during the campaign, there should be plenty to use in any proceeding against either of the candidates. What a relief it would be to have two new faces to look at.

I'm not a fan of politics when it takes the form we have witnessed over the duration of this campaign, starting with the primary campaigns of both parties. What we have learned about the campaign committees behind the candidates should tell us a lot about the candidates themselves. And, whether we agree with Wikileaks or not, the exposure of some activities behind the scenes, should tell us what to expect after the final votes are tallied. It sounds more like there is a Nixon undercurrent going on "down there" in the depths of the party organization. The phrase "all is fair in love, war and politics" seems to be the war cry of those who rise to the top in the field of politics.

You may not agree with the idea of impeachment, but think a bit about what four years of either Clinton or Trump could do to our nation and it seems a lot more appealing. Certainly the immediate impeachment idea is tongue-in-check, but do you have a better suggestion?

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Editor's note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. A native of Benton County, he is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Editorial on 10/26/2016