To think, this election season started out so optimistically. There was a wide field of options on each side, and some of them were even good. Bernie Sanders, Martin O'Malley, Lawrence Lessig, John Kasich... all four, three Democrats and a Republican, were without a doubt men of integrity and good ideas, standing apart from a wide field of men and women that were... something less than that.

Unfortunately, it was far too good to be true. O'Malley and Lessig dropped out rather early. Kasich stuck it out almost until the Republican National Convention, then made the biggest mistake of his life by teaming up with Ted Cruz, killing what little support he had left and securely handing the nomination to Donald Trump. Bernie made it all the way to Philadelphia, before throwing his support behind the woman who cheated him out of his candidacy.

So now here we are, left with what many would say are two equally bad choices: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. But, what we all seem to be forgetting is... this is a true case of having to pick between the lesser of two evils, and exactly which one gets that dubious honor should be obvious. Sure, Hillary Clinton is a bad choice for president. She's certainly no Bernie Sanders or Barack Obama, and has gotten so caught up in scandal that many Democrats (myself included) would rather settle for a Kasich-style Republican than have her win. But against Donald Trump... well, she's by far the better choice. And here are thirteen reasons why.

1. She's a Politician, He's a "Business Man"

One of the things that people hate most about Hillary Clinton is that she's just another politician. And I will never, ever disagree with that claim. She takes what essentially amount to bribes from anyone that offers. She lies about everything, all the time. She even changes her position to whatever will get the most support. She is the stereotypical politician in every sense of the word. Trump is different. He's not a politician. He's a business man... sort of. And many people see that as making him a political outsider, which he is... kind of. But let's not forget what we're asking the two of them to do. The president is, among other things, a politician. So doesn't it make the most sense to put a politician in the position? Somebody that knows how to maneuver politically, who has a lot of friends in Washington? In other words... shouldn't we pick a politician to do a politician's job?

2. She's Actually Good At Her Job...

As a general rule, the First Lady isn't somebody who wields a lot of influence. They're there to handle the more ceremonial things, not get involved in the dirty world of politics... at least, that's the perception. Today we look at some of the amazing women that have held that position and recognize that they often accomplished much, much more than we give them credit for. But how many of them have ever gone on to be elected to the United States Senate? Or been chosen for Secretary of State? And forget about how many have gone on to come anywhere close to the presidency. Hate Hillary Clinton all you want, but you can't deny... this woman is damn good at her job. The former First Lady of Arkansas has fought tooth and nail through all kinds of hostility to get to where she is today, and there's something to be said for a woman with that kind of ambition, determination, and political skill.

3. ...While He's Actually Awful At His

Trump supporters often like to say that Donald Trump will run this country like he runs a business. Perhaps they mean like Trump Steaks, which failed after a single year and almost no sales whatsoever. Or perhaps they mean like GoTrump.com, which did the same thing as websites like Travelocity and Orbitz... just worse. That failed after a year too. Or maybe they mean Trump Airlines. Trump Vodka. Trump Mortgage. Trump: The Game. Trump Magazine. Trump Ice. The Trump Network. Tour de Trump. And, of course, the notorious sham that was Trump University. These are only a few of the many, many failures Donald Trump has had in his long career of putting his name on everything. Add in his four bankruptcies, his tendency to not pay his employees (more on that later), and his compulsion to put his name on everything, and I have to ask... why do we want our country run like one of his businesses?

4. Her Scandals Aren't That Scandalous...

Let's be honest, aren't we all kind of sick of hearing about Benghazi and emails? I'm not going to downplay the significance of Hillary's actions, but come on... aren't we blowing them a little out of proportion? Yes, Hillary lied about Benghazi, but it's not like she allowed it to happen. The blame for that falls on the Republican-held Congress, which blocked attempts by the Obama administration to increase funding for embassy security. Yes, she used a private server for her emails. But... so did multiple members of the Bush administration. And let's not forget that much of what was in her emails was classified retroactively, meaning that when she sent them, the information wasn't considered classified. Was she wrong to lie about all of these things? Of course. But let's not pretend like they're enormous scandals that disqualify her from the presidency, when her opponent and her predecessors have all done worse. Speaking of which...

5. ...But His Are Outrageous

Dear God, where do I begin with the things this man has done? Each of them could probably stand alone as a list item (and a few will), but for the sake of being concise, I'll try to get some of them out of the way. For years, his company has discriminated against minorities, denying apartments to African Americans simply because of their skin color. There have been ties reported between Trump and the New York Mafia... unsurprising, considering the Mafia controlled the concrete and construction industries in the city, and a real estate tycoon would need both. He cut off heat and water to the apartments of tenants he wanted to evict, so that he could tear their building down and build luxury condos once they'd left. He hired two hundred undocumented Polish workers, paid them below standard wages, and threatened them with deportation when many complained they weren't even paid what little they were promised. And worst of all, allegations of marital rape against his first wife, Ivana Trump. A man guilty of so much deserves to be in prison, not in the White House.

6. The Clinton Foundation

The Clinton Foundation has admittedly come under scrutiny in recent weeks. Large donations from citizens of foreign countries and rumors that Mrs Clinton used her position as Secretary of State to benefit the Foundation are certainly nothing to shake a stick at. But the Clinton Foundation has still done a monumental amount of good, from giving medication to treat HIV and AIDS to people in Africa, to fighting climate change, to tackling heart disease and obesity, and helping with disaster recovery. As shady as the Clinton Foundation might be, it has helped millions, and that's not something that can simply be ignored. And Bill and Hillary Clinton pour millions of dollars of their own money into the Foundation's coffers, helping it do good for the world. For some comparison...

7. The Trump Foundation

Why is it that every person who opens a charity names it after themselves? Like the Clinton Foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation gives the occasional donation to healthcare related groups... but just as many, if not more, to groups associated with conservative politics. An interesting difference, however, is that while the Clintons pour millions into their charity, the Trump family gives very, very little money to their own. None, in fact, since 2008. And it's worse... the Foundation's money has been used to cover Trump's personal expenses. Thousands of the charity's dollars, for example, went towards the purchase of a six foot tall portrait of Trump that hangs in one of his board rooms. The Foundation also gave thousands in bribes to the former Attorney General of Florida, in order to get her to drop the fraud lawsuit against the Trump Institute, the Florida branch of Trump University. How exactly this qualifies as charitable in any way is beyond my understanding.

8. Foreign Policy

As the former Secretary of State, Clinton is clearly qualified to handle foreign policy. Has she always made the wisest decisions? God no. Iraq and Libya were utter disasters. But it's not like her opponent has any better ideas... he supported both of those disasters (then changed his mind after they were done), and worse. This is, after all, the man who asked why, if we have nuclear weapons, we aren't supposed to use them, and suggested that the best way to beat the terrorists would be to torture their families. In addition to the fact that her foreign policy agenda is something that could be accepted by a sane person, Hillary, from her time as Secretary of State, is already well known and well respected by foreign leaders. Of course, there are leaders who have a similar opinion of Trump. One in particular, actually. Who was that again?

9. Vladimir Putin

Oh, yeah, him. Vladimir Putin, the Joseph Stalin of the modern day. Putin and Trump have an awful lot in common, if you think about it. Aggressive foreign policy agendas, centering around military intervention. Cults of personality, that allow their charisma and perceived "manliness" to cover up their actual insanity. And, of course, the belief that their countries have fallen from glory, and must be made great again. Oh, and money. Lots of it. Several of Trump's advisers, most notably former campaign manager Paul Manafort, have been traced to major business deals with Russian businessmen and pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine. This, and the fact that Russia's brutal dictator has given his endorsement to the Republican nominee is a chilling reminder that a Trump presidency will be a wonderful thing for Putin's regime, and could lead to Russia taking back its position as a global superpower. And although our generation has been spared from experiencing it, our parents surely remember what that was like.

10. A Blue White House, A Blue Capitol

If Barack Obama's presidency has taught us anything, it's this: a Democrat in the White House is great, but with Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, there's little that can be accomplished. Which is why it's essential that the Democratic Party - until the point a third party can get into power - controls both the White House and Congress. Although Hillary isn't any progressive's ideal president, her being in power means that progressives in Congress, such as Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy, and, of course, Bernie Sanders, have much more room to work than they would under a Republican. And isn't that something worth casting a vote for?

11. She's a Woman

Yeah, yeah, I know. Those of us who don't like Hillary tend to get this point thrown in our face a lot, as if not supporting her makes us sexist somehow. It doesn't, of course, any more than disliking Donald Trump means we're discriminatory against people with bad spray tans. But, let's me honest. The first woman president will be a milestone for this country that much of the developed world has already reached. Little girls across the country will know once and for all what little boys have known for centuries: they can be the President of the United States. And if you ask me, it's about damn time that happens.

12. The Greatest President Ever Is With Her

That's right: Josiah Bartlet. Okay... so technically speaking, Josiah Barlet is not, nor has he ever been, the President of the United States. Or, well, a real person. But, were the character from "The West Wing" a real person, he would most certainly have been at least one of the greatest presidents ever, and his staff the greatest White House staff ever. While they may not be real, the actors that play them most certainly are, and they've all thrown their support behind Mrs. Clinton. Martin Sheen, the man behind the fictional Josiah Bartlet, appeared with many other celebrities endorsing her, and the rest of the show's cast is actively campaigning for Hillary in Ohio. Of course, it would be foolish to vote for a president based off of the opinion of a group of actors. But if you're on the fence... it might be something to consider.

13. She's Bernie's Choice

As a proud, longtime supporter of Senator Bernard Sanders, I can't ignore one simple fact: he himself has endorsed her. The man who millions of us trusted enough to put in the White House has told us that, in his opinion, Hillary Clinton should be the next President of the United States. He didn't tell us to vote for her. On the contrary, he told us that he wouldn't tell us who to vote for. But he, personally, has thrown his support behind the party's nominee. And for me, combined with all of the above, that's enough.

To put it in another context: Hillary is the iPhone 7 to Trump's Galaxy. One of them is basically as bad as the ones before it, even a bit worse, since there are some things missing. But the other one explodes. Between you and me? I'll take the iPhone 7.