What do you think?

I know a whole new generation of young folks have come up and might not fully see this, but for anyone old enough to have been eligible to vote back in 1996 (or anytime prior), ponder this:

Back in 1996, it was assumed by most that Clinton would beat Dole. Regardless of how you felt about either candidate, or whom you voted for, it was sort of understood Dole would lose and there'd be 4 more years of Clinton.

Since then, it's been really unpredictable. Hindsight is 20/20, and you can say they're all hand-picked, maybe so. But since 2000 onward, it's been hard to zero-in on the president presumptive during the election season. At least for me.

2000: The whole Bush/Gore thing and the Supreme Court had to finally sort it out. I had no idea who'd be declared president in the months leading up to the election. Even afterward, it was all up in the air for a spell.

2004: Bush/Kerry. Not that Kerry was all that spectacular, but lots of anti-Bush rhetoric leading up to the election that Bush ultimately won. Because Kerry was lackluster, and the anti-Bush rhetoric was so prominent, I truly didn't know if Bush would get another term or not.

2008: Obama/McCain: The whole question of whether a black guy with a Muslim name could ever really win a presidential election was still on the public's mind until he actually did.

2012: Obama/Romney: The question of whether we'd still continue with another 4 years of Obama was a big one. Not that Romney was wonderful, just that he might have a chance to end the Obama reign, which he didn't.

2016: Trump/Lady Clinton: Personally, I have NO idea, it seems like it could go either way. GLP is no help in making any sort of prediction. During the primaries and caucuses, it was clear it would be the two of them. Sanders had ZERO chance on the Democratic side, as Hillary was the shining star. Compared to the others, it was obvious to me Trump would become the Republican candidate, especially when I saw how quickly the other contenders fell out. So the two choices aren't a mystery, just who will win (or will be picked).

1996 was the last time it was obvious. Since then, it's like they've orchestrated Super Bowl-type elections, or some such.

What do the rest of y'all think?