North Texas Daily

As the election comes to a close, it’s time to take a close look at our two leading presidential candidates, though the view isn’t exactly pleasant.

Both nominees are facing equal amounts of debacle, with Hillary Clinton’s email scandal and Donald Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns as promised.

Though Hillary’s emails have impacted her campaign from the start, there is one thing that has completely damaged Donald Trump’s campaign: his sexual assault accusations.

By actively admitting he does not wait for consent, he has become the national pariah to a subculture of women altogether. Since the video emerged, at least 14 women have come forward to claim Donald had been touching them without their consent.

This breaking news has severely damaged the Trump campaign, dropping his polls and popularity enough for the nominee to throw childlike tantrums while making offensive remarks that the election is rigged in Hillary’s favor.

As all this information makes way into the news, keep in mind that while Donald Trump is a bad man, Hillary isn’t far off either.

Somehow, Secretary Clinton has slipped past media interrogations on issues regarding the women who have come forward over the years, ignoring claims that former president Bill Clinton committed acts of sexual assault upon them.

Though Hillary didn’t commit these acts herself, she still has a disregard for the victims of Bill Clinton’s sexual pursuits, blaming and embarrassing these women instead of punishing her husband for his disgraceful and untrustworthy actions.

One victim, Juanita Broaddrick, accused Hillary of threatening her to keep quiet about the situation and called Monica Lewinsky a “narcissistic loony toon” once her affair with Bill came to light.

Hillary also publicly denounced another of Bill’s mistresses, Gennifer Flowers, telling ABC News that she was “some failed cabaret singer who doesn’t have much of a resume to fall back on.” She proceeded to hire a private investigator to discredit and embarrass Flowers in the tabloids.

There can’t be justice when Hillary calls out Trump for his disgraceful sexism, when she reacted to her husband’s in a similar way.

The blatant disregard for the Clintons’ actions is disgusting, if not revolting. The cold shoulder and nasty attitude these victims received from Hillary and her supporters are just as dangerous as Trump voters brushing off his racism.

It’s unfair and shady for mainstream media to leave these factors alone simply because Hillary is the one running for president, not Bill.

She has made her stance known, staying beside her husband, choosing to sweep the accusations under the rug. But just because Hillary panders to our generation — promising to help our student debts, equality and dabbing — doesn’t mean her past actions should be ignored either. She’s still with her husband, which says a lot about her character.

Yes, Donald Trump is a degenerate who shouldn’t even be running for president. He spews prejudiced remarks and doesn’t understand how to form logical arguments. The standards that he holds for himself are certainly not America’s core values.

Nonetheless, Hillary isn’t great either. Many of the aspects of Hillary’s campaign have been brushed off because she presents herself with a more professional attitude. But with Hillary’s email scandal, the Benghazi incident and her husband’s controversies, I’m not sure she should be in the candidacy either.

Featured Illustration: Samuel Wiggins