I found it hard to believe, but the other day a friend of mine posted on Facebook that he was not sure yet who’d he’d vote for in the upcoming presidential election. He is dismayed that his choices are a “racist, sexist, fraud” or “someone who carries the blood of those who died in Benghazi.”

I know that there are still undecideds out there, but I was a little surprised given that everyone I know has strong feelings one way or the other. I don’t see much willingness to be open to considering a vote for anyone other than the person you support right now. And that includes me. There is no way on earth I would ever cast a vote for Donald Trump, and I am a long time Hillary Clinton supporter.

I was going to reply to the thread, tell my friend why he should vote for Hillary, but it had quickly filled up with spewing vitriol, and I just didn’t want to wade in. In fact, I have not posted much at all about where I stand, or why I’m voting for Clinton. What’s the point? No matter what comes out in the news, or no matter what is posted online (including content from credible sources, and from those that are less so), most people I know have made up their minds, and are not going to be swayed by the constant stream of reports that are “breaking, newly uncovered, you won’t believe how damaging this is” bs. Not to mention the rampant confirmation bias that leads many voters to only follow “news” sources that support their candidate and bash the other.

So what would I tell my friend who is undecided? I would say: set aside everything you think you know about both candidates, everything you’ve read or heard on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Twitter, Facebook, Politico — all of the spin and interpretations and bits and pieces out of context … and think about WYSIWYG instead. What You See Is What You Get.

I first heard the WYSIWYG phrase (pronounced wiz-ee-wig) when I was learning how to create a website in the early days of the internet. I was teaching myself basic html, back in the day before website templates and content management systems. WYSIWYG was used to imply that as you were generating web content, the interface would allow you to see what the end product would look like as you were creating. Prior to the adoption of WYSIWYG techniques, one would not know for sure if the formatting and layout was what they intended. WYSIWYG was also a popular catchphrase used by comedian Flip Wilson while in character as his drag persona Geraldine.

I think it fits well with my take on the candidates. Strip away everything else about them — the good, the bad, and the ugly that you read and hear about. Instead, what do you see? What do you see? What direct quotes have you heard from each of them? Look at what they have written regarding their proposed plans for health care, the economy, education, and our national security. Listen again to their nomination acceptance speeches from the conventions. Read what they post through social media, and pay attention to what they say in press conferences and interviews while out on the campaign trail. You may or may not agree with their stance on issues, and you’ll have your own bias for how you interpret what you hear them say, but that’s just part of the decision-making process.

If there really is media bias and news reports that aren’t trustworthy or aren’t true, then the bias exists for and against both Trump and Clinton. It’s not fair or reasonable to say that the polls are skewed or that news reporters are partisan when they favor your opponent, but accurate when they favor you.

Here’s an example: I was seeing a Trump quote pop up in my news feeds over and over. It’s the one supposedly published in People Magazine in 1998, where Trump said if he ever ran for president he’d run as a Republican because “they’re the dumbest group of voters in the country.” I did not read that quote myself in a People magazine, but I sure did believe he said it. And I could not believe any Republican would support him because of it. Turns out it is not a Trump quote; it could not be verified. I believed it all summer, and it never occurred to me that it might not be true. Little did I know that, during his campaign, I would directly hear Trump make countless remarks much more offensive. But the point is, I believed something I did not have first-hand knowledge of.

I’ve become quite skeptical of the overwhelming amount of information out there regarding both Trump and Clinton and frankly do not trust it anymore. But what I see myself, live on television, and what I believe each candidate is directly responsible for (yes, even tweets), leads me to see two very different candidates.

If you’re a Trump supporter reading this, you likely will not agree with my premise — again, I’m not speaking to you. I don’t expect this would change your mind. Nor am I interested in engaging in any sort of argument about it. I’m speaking to the undecideds, the still open-minded folks, and imploring them not to buy in to all the wild reports they read.

What I hear from Hillary Clinton I agree with, so the choice is easy for me. I see an intelligent, competent, experienced person. Someone who can articulate her thoughts clearly, and who has an appropriately adult capacity for spelling.

What I hear from Donald Trump is hateful and dangerous. I see an immature, irresponsible bully. Someone who rambles on incoherently, spouts vile rhetoric, and rarely produces a grammatically correct tweet.

After an already long string of despicable statements uttered by Trump, which I heard him say, just yesterday another one is added to the list: “If [Hillary Clinton] gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks. Although, the 2nd Amendment people. Maybe there is, I don’t know.” There will be spin, of course, provided by the Trump campaign to defend this, as there is for all his outlandish statements, but for me it’s a new low.

As I said, I’ve already made up my mind. If you haven’t, I urge you to not ignore what you see and hear directly from the candidates themselves. Trump may even attempt to revamp his campaign — an effort to dial back the venom and try to sound more “presidential.” Don’t buy it, because what you’ve seen all along is what you’ll get.