At long last, elect Hillary Clinton

Few election seasons in the nation’s history have been as brutal and ugly as the one that will end Nov. 8 with the election of the 45th president of the United States. And few alive today can recall a time when the country was as divided and in need of healing as it is now.

Without a doubt, both the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, and Democrat Hillary Clinton are flawed candidates for the most powerful office in the world.

But an election is a choice, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser believes the choice is clear: Voters should send Hillary Clinton to the White House.

This conclusion is evident despite Clinton’s past stumbles. Most notably these include practices as secretary of state that exhibited her penchant for secrecy, particularly concerning emails she had directed to her own private server.

And regarding the work of the international charity, the Clinton Foundation, she still has not dealt sufficiently with questions about influence held by donors with State Department dealings.

The result: If she is elected, Clinton will face a public trust deficit she must work to overcome with transparency not forced on her by WikiLeaks.

If anything, however, real estate executive and billionaire Trump has exhibited even more disturbing proclivities, including his irrationality, self-aggrandizing and reflex for divisiveness. If Clinton has been dissembling, Trump has contradicted himself outright throughout the campaign, and disturbingly, denigrates Americans across the nation’s diverse spectrum.

So if the voter is looking for an affirmative reason to pick Clinton, beyond Trump’s erratic and crude remarks, there is this: her superior capacity to do the job.

Clinton’s record of public service underscores what she could bring to the presidency, starting with her years as first lady and especially continuing through her two terms on Capitol Hill as a senator from New York.

Even after losing her campaign for health care reform in the early 1990s, she pushed instead for establishing the Children’s Health Insurance Program, an effort that involved Republican and Democratic forces on the Hill. And when she became a senator herself, she continued to work with members of both parties.

For those who question whether that inclination remains intact, Clinton throughout this campaign has courted Republican supporters. Meg Whitman, the executive who formerly sought the GOP nomination for the presidency, was a featured guest of Clinton’s at the last debate.

Trump shows no particular allegiance to the party he only recently joined, an independent streak his fans adore. But he has shown little deference to conventions of statesmanship, either, and increasingly, has sabotaged even small measures of goodwill along the campaign trail.

Even setting aside the appalling recorded statements on sexual behavior and the accusations from women, his rash assertions — about the legitimacy of the election, about the U.S. role in NATO, about nuclear proliferation, about welcoming hacking by Russia — all certify that he lacks the steady hand the presidency requires.

He is credited with business success — but there remain many unresolved questions, especially given his refusal to reveal his tax returns.

Supporters claim he can offset his lack of government experience by hiring the right team, but he’s shown little ability to keep advisers or the willingness to follow advice he’s been given throughout the campaign, let alone on knotty domestic and foreign affairs.

Someone who can’t resist going on offense against a former Miss Universe can’t be expected to apply diplomatic disciplines where they’re needed.

In her debate appearances, former Secretary of State Clinton demonstrates her command of current realities and a focused set of proposals. She is smart, with clear policies that mesh well with values of Hawaii voters; they should show their support at the ballot box. Clinton is prepared to serve, and has earned her way to a four-year term.

On Capitol Hill

The Star-Advertiser also endorses the Democratic slate for Congress and to the U.S. Senate. Brian Schatz has represented Hawaii well, advancing an agenda pursuing environmental goals and other progressive issues. Returning him to the Senate to join Sen. Mazie Hirono for a full term would be the optimal choice. Both have committee assignments that would work in the state’s favor should the Democrats take back control of the Senate, an advantage not to be ignored.

Far outpacing their GOP rivals, as well, are incumbent U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; and Colleen Hanabusa, a former congresswoman who should fill the late Rep. Mark Takai’s seat then win a full term.

The state will be served by their experience, which is what Clinton also brings, in abundance, to the table.