With Election Day two weeks away, most polls show that Hillary Clinton will surpass the 270 electoral votes needed to beat Donald Trump and win the general election, making her the 45th president of the United States.  What does this mean?  It's easy to talk about the candidates and their impacts on the contest, but what stories will the results tell about who we are as a nation and where we're headed?

Hillary Clinton isn't a name that America is unfamiliar with, especially in recent years as a Democrat presidential candidate and secretary of state.  From a 30,000-foot level, she really isn't notable one way or another.  She's a liberal Democrat; her record and platform up to this point reflect as much, and her presidency would be viewed as Obama's third term.  Zoom in, however, and some significant negatives come into focus.  Her extremely careless handling of classified information, the private email server, the Benghazi debacle, and to a lesser degree her health are working against her.  The landscape is relatively barren when looking for any standout positives.  Despite her status as the first major-party female presidential candidate, she generates virtually no enthusiasm among Democrat voters, a stark contrast to the rock star candidacy of Barack Obama.

Enter Donald Trump.

The most unconventional and polarizing presidential candidate in history prevailed over a crowded field to take the Republican nomination, pulling no punches as he vanquished opponent after opponent.  A significant bloc of Republican primary voters grew tired of the Republican establishment and what they saw as acquiescence to Democrats at every turn, and these voters were drawn to Trump and his brash, plain-spoken, direct, and decidedly anti-establishment style and platform.  They saw Trump as a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffy, politically correct politician-speak from the rest of the mostly establishment Republican primary field.  That, paired with his positions on immigration, the borders, refugees, trade, and other issues important to Republican voters, resulted in his nomination.

Unfortunately, his style cut two ways and alienated many Republicans and undecided voters.  Even worse for Trump, it mobilized many on the left who may have just stayed home, given the "meh" candidate they were left with after the rigged Democrat primary election.

If Hillary Clinton Wins

This is the likely scenario.  Many pundits believe that any one of the other Republican primary candidates would beat Clinton in the general election without breaking a sweat, but that's irrelevant now.  Whether Hillary Clinton wins a close race or by a landslide is equally irrelevant.  Simply put, a disturbingly large chunk of the American electorate is ignorant and/or apathetic, and this ignorance and apathy plays a bigger role in our elections than both of the candidates put together.

This general election features two candidates with favorability ratings in the toilet, which increases the apathy factor.  After all, who wants to choose between horrible and terrible (or is it "crooked" and "deplorable")?  Then you have the media perpetuating ignorance by censoring or downplaying stories that may have a negative impact to Clinton.  They take it a step farther by amplifying negative stories about Trump, ad nauseam, while variety shows like Saturday Night Live and celebrities are all too happy to join in the excoriation of Donald Trump.

Given all of this, the ignorant who pay only passing attention to politics but decide to vote will vote for Clinton.

Honestly, I can't blame those who are willfully ignorant.  It's no fun paying attention to the Dumpster fire that is American politics.  But this is the fate of our nation we're talking about, and this election cycle is more important than any in recent memory, with the future of the Supreme Court – and, indeed, the entire country's cultural makeup – at stake.

A Hillary Clinton win is a story of ignorance and apathy to be sure, but the bigger story is one of American sentiment toward the bedrock principles our country was founded upon.  The ideas of freedom and liberty lose out to the firm hand of big government guiding and "caring for" us through life as it deems appropriate.  Who needs the Bill of Rights anyway?  Personal responsibility gives way to a mass entitlement mentality.  "Justice for all" is discarded in favor of "social justice," perpetuating the deeply divisive identity politics of the last eight years, where feelings trump reality.  Our borders and sovereignty are replaced with more uncontrolled immigration and the diktats of the United Nations.  The elusive and mysterious "greater good" as secretly defined by globalists is deemed by The People to be more important than the rule of law and what's best for America and Americans…the productive who are forced to bankroll these grand progressive designs even as the national debt continues its unabated rise into the stratosphere.

Maybe someone else will have the answer to that problem, someday.  Anyway, hey…did you see The Walking Dead last night?

If Donald Trump Wins

Who knows?  Maybe those grassroots conservative NeverTrumps are right, and Donald Trump won't be a good Republican.  After all, as a private citizen, he hobnobbed with and donated to his share of liberal politicians, and there's his uncouth behavior and the questionable things he's said.  It's understandable that hardcore conservatives would have a hard time supporting someone like Trump, and it's never any fun choosing the lesser of two evils.  An analogy I've used is a choice between stage 3 liver cancer (Clinton) and b) an unknown malady (Trump).  The latter could be anything from a mosquito bite to stage 4 lung cancer.  Which would you choose?

The point is, of course, that the "unknown malady" that is Donald Trump would be an obviously far better choice than the certain "stage 3 liver cancer" that is Clinton.  Even if Trump doesn't toe the conservative line most of the time, how is that at all different from the vast majority of most Republicans today?  Some conservatism is better than none, and none is what we'd have with Hillary Clinton.

A Donald Trump win would tell the story of a nation determined to once again put the interests of its own people first, including a clear rejection of the corruption and dishonesty found with disturbing frequency at all levels of government.

Perhaps another great story is that Americans aren't really asleep at the wheel, and not ready to end the great American Experiment just yet.  Maybe we're not so ignorant after all!  Maybe we would rather focus on what unites us rather than our differences.  Maybe we do have the ability to think critically and parse the fire hose of bias, dishonesty, and chaff that has been a hallmark of the political and media establishment this election season.  We really are a people that cherishes freedom and liberty and rejects the notion that our Constitution and Bill of Rights are either outdated or too dangerous for us all to exercise.  A people that will hold government representatives accountable for their actions and is determined to ensure the United States remains united, as a unique, distinct, and strong sovereign nation that is not perfect but is indeed a force for good in the world.

What an awesome story that would be.

America is at a critical crossroads, and the choices that the electorate makes in 2016 – either by voting or sitting out – will determine our path into the future.  While Trump can be summed up as a question mark of sorts, it's not hard to imagine the United States being unrecognizable after 12 or 16 years of liberal Democrats in our wheelhouse.  That would be a disaster from which there is no turning back in our lifetimes.  And that's not a good story at all.