Just look at the facts

Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it, otherwise let it roll right off you.

- Hillary Clinton

Early this summer, before the political conventions, a friend's daughter came to visit. We have known her for many years. She is now in her early 30s. She and I have a history of heated political discussions. We both love to argue politics and we did so into the wee hours.

This has been an excellent year for those so inclined.

We got on the subject of Hillary Clinton's low trust polling numbers. She argued it was because Hillary is a woman and that alone is the reason. I told her I thought gender was a factor, but that Hillary had so many other reasons to give voters pause regarding her trustworthiness. Now, after the conventions and into the fillet of the campaign season I think while there are reasons she is considered less than fully trustworthy, those reasons have been dramatically amplified by the fact she is a woman.

In short, her gender is a huge factor in the way she is regarded by voters, and the most important factor.

I have wondered why it is that Hillary, who is objectively one of the most qualified candidates presented to us to date, is almost neck-and-neck in the polls with a licentious, ludicrous, lying lunatic.

It hit me while watching the commentaries on the media both before and after the first debate.

Every media outlet talked about how low the bar was set for Trump and how expectations about his performance were minimal.

Then I wondered why that was the case? Why such a low bar just for him? Is it because he is unstable, unpredictable, just plain nuts? Why is the standard of accomplishment so much lower for him than for her? When all is said and done I see only one logical conclusion: Hillary is a woman.

One of the disadvantages Hillary has is the fact that for most of her adult life her life has been subject to public scrutiny, so lets look at that a bit. Her time as First Lady, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State have all been public displays and everything she has done has been viewed with a microscope. Living with all this she has proven to be one of the toughest people who have run for this office. She can handle anything.

Trump's life has been opaque and hidden from public scrutiny. So we don't really know anything but snippets like the fact he probably paid little or no income taxes, he is a misogynist, and obviously very bigoted. We see the little he cannot help but display: his middle-of-the-night crazy tweets, his race-baiting, his unstable nature.

Hillary has made some poor choices at times but, really, eight Congressional Benghazi investigations by mostly white, Republican males which found nothing, "lock her up!" chants at the Republican convention, deprecating political buttons, 51 interruptions by Trump at the first debate, incredibly horrible political paraphernalia by Trump supporters using the B-word, and the list goes on.

A look at the demographics explains it all. She has the greatest unfavorability rating among white men. In all the elections, by all the fact-checkers since they have been doing this kind of thing, for over twenty years, with all candidates Republican and Democrat that have run for president, Trump heads the list for lying. He is at the top, she near the bottom. Yet, "Lying Hillary" is the Trump chant. Suffice it to say this has been the most bizarre - and scary - election ever held.

So listen up fellas. I mean you, the white males out there. We have been in control a long, long time. Long before recorded history. Somewhere in the back of our heads, deep in our inner recesses, is the thought that we should always be. Accepting a black president was difficult for many of you. This election could be tougher, as the bias goes back far longer. Perhaps we are even hard-wired that way, I don't know. What I do know is that this is the beginning of the 21st century and we need to change and let this one go.

Remember Sergeant Friday on Dragnet? He used to say: "Just the facts ma'am." The facts are that three out of five college graduates are women, in law schools women are a majority, same goes for medical school and most professionals. With all the inroads made in recent years in business and finance, women are still disproportionately underrepresented in Congress.

In short, mostly white men are clinging to power and don't want to share. A last gasp. Come on guys, we need to stop being dinosaurs and begin to evolve. The country and the world depend on it. Make Sergeant Friday proud - just look at the facts.