‘Boy talk’ or true leadership? The choice is clear

We are just a few days from Election Day 2016. There is no question this election is incredibly consequential and voters have much at stake, not the least of which is what kind of country they want to live in and what values they want reflected in the White House that their children will grow up with.

The contrast could not have been clearer this week as the candidates and their surrogates were out campaigning at full blast.

{mosads}First lady Michelle Obama laid out that choice yesterday in her first joint campaign event with Hillary Clinton.  She was stark in describing the decision at hand. 

As always, she did not mince words as she painted a picture of a country led by Donald Trump — deftly, without ever mentioning his name — where women and girls would be disrespected, demeaned and devalued, and where America’s communities would be pitted against one another. 

She emphasized what it takes to be a commander-in-chief and said the country deserves someone “with the temperament, with the maturity to have access to our nuclear codes.”  That was no discreet reference to the fact that most voters do not believe Donald Trump possesses those qualities. 

She was humanizing as she described how Hillary grew up with a mother who had been an orphan and fought tooth-and-nail to provide her children with a middle-class upbringing.  She described Hillary’s dad who owned a small business and worked night and day to keep the family afloat.

“We have never had a more qualified and prepared candidate for president than our friend Hillary.” —@FLOTUS https://t.co/tTgeqxNqYm pic.twitter.com/uIRTK8MlQs

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 27, 2016

She was emotional as she spoke eloquently about her own upbringing on the South Side of Chicago and marveled at how the great- granddaughter of slaves could go to the finest institutions of higher learning, and how her husband, a bi-racial kid from Hawaii raised by a single mother, could make it to the White House.  

She declared in no uncertain terms that Hillary Clinton was the most prepared and qualified presidential candidate in history, and that included President Obama as well as President Clinton.  Then she delivered the money line:

“And she just happens to be a woman.”

Now let’s compare that with what Donald Trump and some of his surrogates have been saying in recent days. 

Donald Trump has been threatening to sue the 12 women who have come out so far and accused him of sexual harassment and outright sexual assault. 

He sprinkles his rallies and interviews with statements that he won’t concede if he loses the election, that the system is rigged, and that the Democrats are trying to ensure that people get so discouraged that their vote won’t count, that they stay home on Election Day.  

But in fact, we saw in a Bloomberg News report on Thursday that his campaign already “has 3 major voter suppression operations underway.”

And what about his surrogates?  Asked whether the Trump campaign was worried about Arizona and the Latino votes there, Trump surrogate and former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer dismissively declared “no, they don’t vote,” her voice dripping with disdain.  

What a bad mujer.

Also this week, we saw Trump surrogate and former GOP Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich get into a nasty back and forth with Megyn Kelly on Fox News. Gingrich disturbingly wagged his finger at Kelly, scolded and berated her and accused her of “being fascinated by sex and not about policy.” 

Trump just said “why r we even having an election, we shld just give it to Trump right?” & once again demonstrating how #UnfitToLead he is.

— Maria Cardona (@MariaTCardona) October 27, 2016

This mere statement, again betrayed the dangerous ignorance Trump and his surrogates demonstrate every time the issue of Trump’s alleged sexual assaults against multiple women come up. 

Sex is not sexual assault. In fact, sexual assault has nothing to do with sex, sexual attraction or physicality of any kind. It has everything to do with usurping the victim’s power. 

Gingrich, apart from being the last person who should be defending Trump about conduct with women (Gingrich has been married multiple times and was a known philanderer in his past marriages), made a fool of himself going after Kelly, and once again alienated the one voting group Trump desperately needs to win — women.

And the latest from Trump himself: He told supporters at one of his rallies, “Why even have an election?  Why not just give it to Trump, right?”

To quote both Hillary Clinton and President Obama, “Who does that?” and “Come on man!!!” 

We are also hearing that Melania will now be going out on the campaign trail herself to support her husband’s floundering campaign. 

That, however apparently came as a surprise to Melania as she sat next to Trump during a recent interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. Melania’s mouth fell open as Trump told Stephanopoulos that said she would give two or three “big speeches, important speeches.” 

She did give a lovely speech at the GOP convention, as one of her surrogates reminded me recently. Yes, she did.  So maybe Michelle Obama could help her out again.

Melania Trump appears surprised after Donald Trump says she agreed to deliver some speeches https://t.co/MEEuvhHvqL https://t.co/RditBNEu30

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 27, 2016

I highly doubt Melania really will give said speeches. She is clearly not thrilled campaigning for her husband. And if Trump’s promise that Melania will give speeches is anything like his promise to release his tax returns, well, we know how that will turn out.

But if she does, would it help Trump with women voters? Highly doubtful. It is too little too late. Melania is lovely, but she has no built-in constituency of support. She is not all that relatable and what she has said so far in defending her husband from the sexual assault charges was not in any way helpful to him.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper, she blamed her husband’s “boy talk” on Billy Bush and stated that sometimes it is as if she has two children at home instead of one. Ick. 

America’s families have enough to worry about keeping their own children from acting up or acting out.  The last thing they need is to worry about a spoiled child inside the body of a grown man, an accused (and self-described) sexual predator, masquerading as leader of the free world in the oval office.

Like Michelle said.  The choice is up to us, and the choice could not be clearer. 

Cardona is a principal at the Dewey Square Group, a Democratic strategist and a CNN/CNN Español political commentator. Follow her on Twitter @MariaTCardona.