There are a lot of properties in a prospective candidate. You can talk about morality, ideology, experience, competence, compassion…I could go on. Which matters the most? And how should they be weighed, relative to one another?

In my opinion, the one that matters the most is intelligence. Yes, yes, there are probably many different types of intelligence, and some are probably more important than others. Also, intelligence may be diminished or magnified by other psychological or moral factors, and we probably can’t even agree on exactly what intelligence actually is. But still, in my opinion, intelligence (or judgement, reason, intellect, wisdom) is the one character trait that matters most. It is the one I tend to consider as most important in a leader.

Now I don’t know who is actually more intelligent, Trump or Clinton. I don’t know either one of them personally, and I haven’t studied their careers and writings carefully, other than the loose facts we see in the press and pick up from the news and popular culture. But there is one thing which cannot be denied, that is at least totally obvious to me. And it should be obvious to the rest of us, if we’re paying attention. Trump is not speaking to or courting the support of the more intelligent of his fellow citizens. Clinton is. Trump is aiming his campaign at people I fear, and do not trust, the people with a deficit in intelligence as well as a lacking in many other qualities I tend to respect and admire. And he is doing so deliberately and systematically, and in my opinion, cynically. He is doing so in order to exploit and manipulate their ignorance, hate, anger and fear. Clinton is doing her best to appeal to people like me, and people I am more likely to feel I have something in common with. She is speaking for those I, rightly or wrongly, tend to characterize as intelligent.

Maybe Trump isn’t as dim as he pretends to be, and perhaps Clinton isn’t as bright as she would like us to believe. But there is no doubt in my mind that Trump seeks to command the votes of those I feel should not have the deciding voice in my country. He is going after the stupid vote. Maybe all his followers aren’t stupid, but that is who he is going after. That alone is unforgivable, intolerable. Clinton speaks to the rest of us, and she rejects those Trump seems to favor. Because of this I would rather be counted among her supporters than his.

I don’t want Trump to lead my country, and I don’t want those who choose to follow him, those he chose to speak for, to have a voice in how it is run either.