How are you enjoying the Trump/Clinton choice?

I DON'T KNOW about you, but I'm already ready for this election to be over.

Seriously, let's just vote.

Otherwise, we're looking at three long months of candidates we don't much like or trust trying to convince us he or she is somewhat less bad than the other.

After suffering through both conventions - and I mean suffering and I mean both - I'm pretty sure I understand what these two have to offer.

The Republican message got summed up in Cleveland with chants of "lock her up!" The Democratic message got summed up in Philly with singing "What the World Needs Now is Love."

It's pretty clear nobody's going to lock "her" up. And it's crystal clear the world, the nation, our states and cities need a heck of a lot more than love.

But one quick question: Does anger behind "lock her up" accrue to the benefit of Donald Trump in larger proportion than the caring warmth of "love" brings voters to Hillary Clinton?

In short, does rage result in larger support for Trump than rallying for us to be "stronger together" help Clinton.

There's no way to tell right now.

Trump got a bump after his convention. Hillary's getting a bump after hers.

Assuming the race returns to its preconvention malaise, it likely remains essentially tied in battleground states and nationally.

By the way, who'd you more enjoy getting booed out of their respective conventions, tart-tongued Ted Cruz or double-dealing Debbie Wasserman Schultz?

Hey, maybe they can join up, form a consulting firm: "Cruz/Schultz, we'll do/say anything."

Speaking of which, hope you noticed a main Clinton point hit multiple times by multiple people - that Trump said in his acceptance speech he alone can fix the nation's problems - is total bunk.

The award-wining FactCheck.org at Penn's Annenberg Public Policy Center says Clinton "misrepresented" Trump's "I alone can fix it" line since he was referring to fixing the insiders' "rigged" political system and not the nation's problems.

FactCheck also notes that Trump then went on to talk about working with others.

Oh, and did you happen to catch the Trumpian claim about huge tax cuts for everybody? And, if so, did you question what said cuts might do to the GOP's economic touchstone, the national deficit, currently $19 trillion?

Well, the nonpartisan, independent Tax Foundation, a respected D.C.-based think tank around since 1937, says Trump's tax cuts would add $10 trillion more to the deficit over the next decade.

But then who wants to think about facts? Better to drop a couple hundred thousand balloons in hopes of keeping people from thinking.

(Was it just me or did the Clintons appear to never have seen a balloon before?)

Also, I hope you enjoyed the hypocrisy of being told how both parties are putting you first at the same time they have their lavish conventions paid for with special- interest money.

Democrats are worse since their nominee keeps calling for getting such money out of politics, even doing so at a convention fed with funds from big unions, big tobacco, big energy, big law firms, and big companies like Comcast and General Motors.

On the other hand, the GOP nominee hasn't exactly been a fountain of truth or much of a source of comfort. The list is long but one of my favorites is his saying his foreign-policy info and insight comes from watching "the shows."

Oh, brother.

The election, we keep hearing, will turn on which candidate can keep us safe and bring us change.

Each major party has handed us a take-it-or-leave-it Hobson's Choice.

After watching both during two weeks of preening and promises, I suspect many voters will leave it - opening the door for third-party involvement and, with it, further uncertainty.

baerj@phillynews.com

Blog: ph.ly/BaerGrowls

Columns: ph.ly/JohnBaer