Hillary Clinton

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton smiles while speaking at a rally at the Zembo Shrine in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. Thomas Suddes writes that Clinton's in-depth knowledge of the nation's security challenges and grasp of economic realities compared to Donald Trump's narrow skill set make her the clear choice for president.

(Andrew Harnik, Associated Press)

This election isn't to decide whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump would be the lesser evil. Nor is it a contest to judge whether Trump or Clinton is the more likable. Trump's words have proven him despicable. And even on a good day, Clinton's controlling personality appears brittle. The real question is which is prepared to lead the United States.

Our country's changing ethnically, racially, religiously. A voter can fear that, lament that, or welcome that. But one thing she or he can't do, no matter who becomes president, is reverse it. Clinton understands that. Trump clearly doesn't.

Then there's free trade. Trump has said, correctly, that for many Ohioans, free trade is a plus for Wall Street, a minus for Main Street. Cheap Walmart prices don't offset stagnant wages.

But Trump, like King Canute, thinks he can order back the tide. Free trade isn't going away, however; too many big shots want it.

Meanwhile, it's worth recalling that, as PolitiFact reported, "Trump is right that Clinton once supported NAFTA and [the Trans-Pacific Partnership]." That's why Clinton must stop word-parsing and triangulation. As president, she must ensure that free trade is fair trade. That's all working Ohioans want - fairness. With that, they can succeed.

Another fact of life is the rise of China, Russia's machinations and the quicksand that is the Middle East. Clinton's experience as a U.S. senator and secretary of state qualify her to address those realities. There's not much Trump doesn't know about real-estate speculation and sweet tax breaks. But what Trump doesn't know about foreign policy would fill a big public library. Those factors demonstrate why this election must pivot on qualifications. Clinton's qualified. Trump's not.

And if Clinton's candidacy is a referendum on Barack Obama's stewardship, she's earned Ohioans' votes. When Obama became president in 2009, Ohio's unemployment rate was 8.9 percent; in August, it was 4.7 percent. The day Obama was inaugurated, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 7,949.09; on Wednesday, it closed at 18,281.03.

Freddie Mac reports that for the week that ended Thursday, rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages it surveyed averaged 3.42 percent; the annual average in 2008, the year before Obama was sworn in, was 6.03 percent.

And in constant dollars, 2008's average pump price for regular unleaded gas was $3.61 a gallon; it was $2.45 last year, the Energy Information Administration reports.

You don't have to like Hillary Clinton or for that matter to loathe Donald Trump to consider Clinton the better presidential prospect. She is. Demonstrably.

Thomas Suddes is an editorial writer and member of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

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