Cindi Andrews

candrews@enquirer.com

Opinion editor Cindi Andrews is writing on behalf of The Enquirer’s editorial board: Publisher Rick Green, Editor Peter Bhatia and Senior News Director Michael McCarter. Email: candrews@enquirer.com; Twitter: @cindiincincy

Thousands of Greater Cincinnati residents – probably tens of thousands – are looking forward to voting for Donald Trump on Tuesday in Ohio’s presidential primary.

Finally, here’s someone who is telling it like it is, a number of Trump voters told me at his Sunday rally in West Chester. He won’t let the United States be pushed around, and by extension, it seems, voters feel reassured that he won’t let them be pushed around.

The thing is, voters only have Trump’s word for it. “Believe me,” he says, repeatedly. Because far from protecting the little guy, he freely admits that as a business leader he sends jobs overseas and brings in workers who take away Americans’ jobs. On the world stage, he has been complimentary of Vladimir Putin, a Russian leader who has rolled back democratic reforms, while saying he’ll make our southern neighbor build a wall.

Who really thinks that will happen? Will the Mexican president be scared by Trump’s tough talk and big hands, or will the United States invade Mexico and force its people to build a wall at gunpoint? (And pay for it, too.)

Stop and think before you vote.

Despite the town hall format of Sunday’s event, it was remarkably content-free. Instead of asking questions, several attendees asked for photos or hugs. Those who did have a question often didn’t get an answer.

Trump seemed as though he had never heard of the current controversy over whether to let 17-year-olds vote in Ohio’s presidential primary Tuesday. When Keith Maupin, the local father of deceased POW Matt Maupin, asked Trump to clarify reports that he’d said POWs failed to serve our country, the billionaire agreed the reports were wrong. And then moved on to the next question.

The Enquirer editorial board has taken issue with Trump’s inexperience as a statesman and his divisive comments about Mexicans, Muslims and “others.” His views on diverse groups weren’t a big topic Sunday, nor a big concern with the supporters I talked to beforehand. They generally gave him a pass, insisting his comments – from calling Mexicans rapists to saying millions of Muslims harbor extremist beliefs – were not intended to be racist.

“I don’t think he actually meant them,” one woman said. “I come out with the wrong words sometimes, too.”

Another Trump supporter said she would reconsider her vote for him “if it came out that he was a racist, if he really did support the KKK.”

But why should any of us have to tolerate such comments from a candidate who wants to lead us all? What’s missing – perhaps in large pockets of our country, but hopefully only temporarily – is empathy. Have we forgotten how this country was built? Have we forgotten the words on the Statue of Liberty?

Stop and think before you vote.

We get it: A lot of people are understandably angry and scared because the rules for survival and success in our world changed midstream. People who worked hard and did everything right now find themselves on economically uncertain ground with no clear way forward.

That needs to be addressed. But no amount of grandstanding, empty promises or bullying can return the economic security that so many in this country have lost over the past decade. Put simply: Trump lacks the skills and record to steer the country back on track and move it forward.

Slogans and walls won’t fix the complex problems of our time.

We do not need a president who promises to lift some groups at the expense of others. Those who feel Trump is on their side should remember the first rule of reality TV that Trump himself could have written: One week’s winner could be next week’s loser.

The Enquirer editorial board has endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich on the Republican side as having the pedigree, experience and vision needed in these perilous times. We would add Republican Sen. Marco Rubio to that list, and even Sen. Ted Cruz, despite being an obstructionist, at least has some experience and understanding of policy.

But not Trump. Anyone but Trump.

Americans may disagree about the best path forward sometimes, but we love and respect our neighbor, no matter their race, gender or religion.

What is this country about if not that?

Stop and think before you vote Tuesday, and make a selection that says we the people still stand united.