Using LeBron James as endorsement vehicle for Hillary Clinton a perfect fit for an awkward election

clinton-trump.jpg

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump

Today we make a most unconventional endorsement in a most unconventional race for president of the United States.

In an election marked by the absurd emergence of a candidate best known for fabricating his own celebrity, we have opted to go with the spirit of this election season and use an over-the-top vehicle - our concurrence with Northeast Ohio's own international celebrity -- for announcing our choice.

We say, quite simply, we agree with LeBron James' choice of Hillary Clinton.

This decision is anything but simple, however. It is, perhaps, the weightiest decision American voters will make in this lifetime. In a rare moment of accord, the 10 members of the Editorial Board of The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com are unanimous is declaring that Donald Trump is dangerously unfit to lead this great nation.

The members do not feel Hillary Clinton is a good candidate, either. They are mostly aligned in their sentiment that Clinton has significant and well-known flaws. But, as either Clinton or Trump will be president as of next January, the board feels no choice but to endorse Clinton, fearing that a Trump presidency threatens our national security and basic civic values.

We want people to understand how disastrous we feel that a Trump presidency would be, as we hope to influence their votes. To do that, we feel we must reach as many people as possible, so we have taken a page from Trump's playbook and pegged our endorsement to celebrity commentary. We feel certain that using LeBron James as our vehicle will reach audiences that our endorsements historically have not reached.

Our goal is to catch your attention and persuade you to read the arguments by most members of the Editorial Board for Clinton over Trump. Although we say we agree with LeBron James' endorsement of Clinton, we do not say we agree with James' reasons for that endorsement. The members of the Editorial Board each have their own reasons, which you can read here.

Yes, this is a stunt, a gimmick. It befits the circus atmosphere of this election. Like the ringmaster, we hope we have grabbed your attention. Now, we hope we can influence your choice.

Note on comments: We hope our presidential endorsement and the arguments in favor of it spark a constructive conversation, so we're trying a new approach on comments. If you have something to say that helps foster the conversation, please leave your comment here for consideration. Once comments have been reviewed, those that make the cut will appear below. Critiques are welcome but comments that attack other commenters or do not add to the conversation will not be published. Some readers may need to click here to comment.

to load this Caspio

to load this Caspio

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.