I’ve been fighting a severe case of “writer’s block.” I realize there are folks out there who have been hoping for the last several months that my writing could be blocked, but there is a difference between disagreeing with that which has been written, and not being able to write anything in the first place.

          I think it has to do with the presidential election. If I’m wearing my “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, it’s obviously all Hillary’s fault, because Hillary can, and should, be blamed for every ill affecting mankind. If I am wearing my Hillary button, well, I guess you know where this is going …

          As a writer, you don’t want everything you write to be a warmed-over version of what you wrote before, but it’s hard to ignore the all-consuming cage match that is being played out before our eyes and ears 24/7.

          The irony is that all the sound and fury, all the negative advertising, all the pundits, all the twitters, all of the surrogates, all of the charges and countercharges will have little to do with the final outcome.

          Most of us already have made up our minds. If we are presented with evidence that conflicts with the version of the facts we accept as being true, we are not inclined to test the validity of the evidence presented. We are much more likely to double down on our original position.

          Bottom line, the partisans on each side can rant at each other until the cows come home and all they will have done is contribute to global warming – assuming you think it exists. (Feel free to double down on this one to your heart’s content.)

          However, there are 5 to 10 percent of next November’s voters who are truly still undecided. You know who you are.

          I am going to ask a favor.

          Please make the informed decision that most of us are too partisan to make for ourselves. In a closely divided electorate, it is you who will spell the difference between the winner and the loser.

          Pay attention to both major candidates with an open mind. Sure, there are minor candidates on both the right and the left who are out there scavenging for the support of the disaffected, but at most, they are spoilers, not players. Have the intestinal fortitude to make the hard choice, even if neither choice is without its flaws.

          Evaluate what you hear.

          For example, if one candidate says both the hair and the hair color are real, and the other says the hair is real, but the color comes out of a bottle, and both candidates are the age of your grandmother, which one do you suppose is more likely to be telling you the truth? (Grandmothers of the world: I personally believe the color of all of your tresses are natural – except maybe the blue ones).

          As in the television commercial, look for someone who is more than just a “monitor” pointing out what is wrong. Look for someone who makes an effort to suggest a way to fix whatever it is that needs fixing.

          Look at the “fix” itself. Does it make sense? How realistic is it? As a practical matter, can it be done? Does it square with American values and norms?

          Think about the United States’ place in the larger world. Whoever is elected becomes the personification of our country in the world community. Who is more likely to engender confidence in America as a partner who can be relied upon, and who is more likely to engender a degree of uncertainty about our reliability as a partner in the larger world?

          In an unsettled and dangerous world, it is understandable that we sometimes have the jitters on a national scale. Which candidate is more likely to soothe them, and which is more likely to add to them?

          I realize that all of this puts undue pressure on you, undecided voter. I truly wish the partisans on both sides of the political divide could be of more help to you in arriving at a final choice, but unfortunately they are too wrapped up in their respective camp to be of much assistance.

          Do the best you can.

          That’s all that can be asked.

          Thanks.