COLUMN: Right makes might? We'll know soon enough

I am nothing if not an optimist.

In 1972, I was a 17-year-old idealist who thought that the American people would reject the corrupt Nixon White House, exposed by the Watergate escapade, and by extension would reject the corrupt foreign policy that had led to the decision to fight the war in Vietnam without the will to win it.

Despite polls that showed Democratic Sen. George McGovern trailing by double digits against President Nixon, I was convinced that McGovern would pull it out through moral power and sheer determination. Right makes might, I told myself.

So, on Nov. 7, 1972, I was not just a little shocked, I was totally demoralized when McGovern managed to win only in Massachusetts and the District of Columbia and lost in the Electoral College by the astounding margin of 520-17.

I was demoralized, but I was not wrong. As it turned out “right did make might” — it just worked on a different timetable than the one I was pushing. On Aug. 9, 1974, less than two years after his landslide victory, Richard M. Nixon became the first person in American history to resign the presidency, exposed as a con man and crook, who valued power more than principle and paid the price.

On Tuesday, Americans face a similar choice. Donald Trump certainly has a much better chance to win the White House than George McGovern ever did, but he has been battered and bruised on the campaign trail and has been left for dead by the mainstream media more times than I care to count.

But once again, like in 1972, my money is on the underdog. I’ve been saying for a long time that I thought Trump would win the White House, and maybe like in 1972 I will be wrong, too. If so, blame it on my unrealistic optimism, or chalk it up to my unrelenting faith in the American people.

I simply can’t believe that given a choice between a blunt-talking patriot like Donald Trump and a deceptive, manipulative politician like Hillary Clinton, the majority of Americans will opt to ignore the cesspool in Washington, D.C., and instead hold their nose and vote for a woman who is under FBI investigation for corruption and violating national security.

Either way the vote goes on Tuesday, I am prepared for the worst, and on Wednesday morning I will do what a lot of Americans will do — pray for God’s mercy on our land and his guidance for our leader — and yes, I do believe the outcome for this election and for this country is in His hands.

Donald Trump can’t win without God’s help, but if Hillary Clinton wins, then God help us.