Hillary Clinton: We’re with her, all the way

We get one chance — there is no best of seven in the race for the White House, no do-over, no rematch, not even a timely opportunity for a recall if it all goes the wrong way.

We must elect Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8 and we must defeat Donald Trump.

The Wisconsin Gazette wrote a traditional endorsement detailing why Clinton is the most qualified candidate to ever run for president and why Trump is the most unqualified. But we tore up that celebration of an outstanding woman’s historic campaign. We were preaching to the choir and we decided instead to encourage the choir to preach.

If you read WiG and support our mission, you probably either have been with Clinton throughout or came around to support her, as did Bernie Sanders, who just recently encouraged Democratic Party unity in Wisconsin. “Just take a hard look at which candidate is better for the middle class,” he reminded voters in Madison.

We trust you’ve done this.

Now, take our endorsement for Clinton — or better, take your endorsement for Clinton — and connect with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who are undecided or back Trump.

Don’t unfriend these folks, bring them around.

Take a cue from the current first lady and make it personal. “We simply cannot endure this, or expose our children to this any longer — not for another minute, and let alone for four years. This has got to stop now,” Michelle Obama said in a lauded speech earlier this month in New Hampshire.

Strike up conversations with women wearing “Wisconsin Women Love Trump” T-shirts and ask them if they’d still love him if he called them “Miss Piggy” or groped their daughters.

Ask those in your life if they can dismiss Trump’s vulgar words and ignore the allegations of sexual assault against him. Can they abide the bigotry and bullying? Do they want a president or a dictator? Do they think America is not great?

In these final weeks of the election season, find someone to tell about Clinton’s lifetime of service — fighting for equality and justice, advocating human rights and opposing human suffering.

Find an undecided to talk with about why it is important to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who will protect liberty and equality for all, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or political viewpoint.

Find the Trump supporters who might be interested to learn about Clinton’s plans to deal with addiction and substance abuse, expand opportunities for people with disabilities, improve education opportunities, strengthen unions, level the playing field for small businesses, reform campaign finance, fully support veterans, combat terrorism and protect Social Security.

There was a time when the 2016 race for the White House was about policies, intellectual ideas and the American imagination — a time when we were focused on trade, climate change, immigration reform, poverty, health care and education.

That time was during the Democratic Party primary.

Democrats were focused on two progressive candidates and how they would move America forward. Back then, we could laugh at or ignore the not-ready-for-prime-time carnival staged by the Republican Party.

Well, now the clown has become the ringmaster of that scary circus. Something wicked this way comes. We get one chance to keep it at bay — cast your vote for Hillary Clinton and court others to do the same.