Let’s begin with a question. Is anything troubling you these days? Maybe the upcoming election? Or maybe the COVID-19 crisis? Or civil unrest? As for me, having watched last week’s final debate, I’m stewing about November 3.

I’ve voted in more presidential elections than I care to count. The candidates haven’t always thrilled me, but never have I seen such sour alternatives as our two main choices this year, one being the egotistical, un-presidential man now occupying the Oval Office (“a self-obsessed blowhard” according to a recent column in the Wall Street Journal). His opponent is a fading ancient with signs of cerebral inertia and a spotty political record stretching back almost half a century (a span that fertilized the lush money tree for his family). If this pair doesn’t make you queasy, you have a stronger stomach than I.

I was a Jack Kennedy democrat when I came out of university, and my mind is still comfortable with what the democratic party stood for back then. But the Democrats, especially lately, have shifted far too leftward for me to embrace now. On the other side, most Republicans stumble around with glum faces, wringing their hands and accomplishing little. Sadly, I claim no political home.

Beyond that, neither candidate lights up on my personality scale. Admittedly, Trump can be charming, but that’s hardly his normal state. Although Biden’s demeanor generally is calmer, he too erupts with flashes of anger. As I see it, if the November vote rests on likableness alone (or more precisely unlikableness), Biden will steamroller Trump something like 60 to 40.

My problem this election, and I’m hardly alone, is to decide which candidate to vote against. It’s a tough job to find out what’s really going on in Washington. Deception is now de rigueur in D.C. Politicians seem to have reached a new high, or low, for lying. They stare directly into television cameras and spew utter crap with the straightest of faces. “Analysts” on television spout their own biased dogma 24/7.

I limit my exposure to TV, but I watch enough to cover the spectrum of views by shifting among channels. My sampling is spotty, but I’ve watched the gamut enough to realize that most networks are obviously left of center (MSNBC, and CNN being farthest left, followed by NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS to lesser degrees). Newspapers are no different. Even major sheets like the New York Times, Washington Post, and most large city dailies, season their “news” stories with democrat-approved salt and pepper. I balance this heavy left load with two sources of right-of-center news, namely the Wall Street Journal and Fox News.

This left-right difference was glaringly apparent to me during the extended Trump/Russian collusion accusations, which I followed closely as it slowly unraveled and the malfeasance gradually shifted from Trump and his associates to the FBI itself, and beyond. In retrospect, this particular saga was reported more accurately by my right-of-center sources.

After evaluating the obvious flaws in each presidential candidate, and other matters, I’ve come to the conclusion that the guy who moves into the White House for the next four years is less important than the furniture he brings in with him. I’ll explain in future blogs.