For some asinine reason, the Chronicle refused to endorse anyone in the June primary, deciding instead to pussyfoot around the Bernie vs. Hillary debate and come to the conclusion that none of the candidates this year were good enough for an endorsement. But now that a Trump-fueled Rapture is potentially around the corner they've decided to issue an early endorsement of Clinton, for whatever it's worth, saying, "The contrast could not be more profound. One candidate is fit for the presidency. The other is not."

Much like the typically Republican Houston Chronicle did last week, the SF Chron echoes the thoughts of many on both sides of the political spectrum, suggesting that everybody better wake up, stop chuckling, and get to the polls unless they would like to see the Constitution set on fire and nuclear winter arrive by 2018.

This is no ordinary race between a Republican and Democrat, or conservative and liberal, or reformer and defender of the status quo. It is a test of whether American voters have the wisdom to identify and dispel a demagogue with authoritarian instincts who is treating a run for the presidency as if it were a reality TV show where outlandishness is the coin of the realm.

In a separate piece, reporter John Diaz explains why the paper chose to run the endorsement this early, just a week after the conventions finished, noting that the earliest endorsement he's seen in his tenure was October 17th. "There is no need to wait or equivocate."

Nonetheless he takes the chance to undercut Hillary, attempting to justify why the paper's editorial board chose not to endorse her in June.

As anyone who has followed our pages over the years knows, our editorial board has not exactly been enamored with Hillary Clinton. We have challenged her actions many times, from the Whitewater scandal to her role in bringing soft money into her husband’s re-election campaign to her use of a private server as secretary of state. We endorsed Sen. Barack Obama in the 2008 California primary, praising Clinton’s policy acumen and senatorial skills, but expressing concern about the unsettling signs of a resurrection of the “reflex to scorch the Earth” that typified the Clintons’ White House years.

He does make one good and obvious point:

It’s distressing to contemplate how trivial and vitriolic the campaign is going to become in the next three months. Immediately after the Democratic National Convention, Trump warned, “I’m taking the gloves off,” leaving anyone who has followed the 2016 election to wonder: Hasn’t that been the case from the start?

Brace yourselves, everybody.

Previously: Everyone Is Awful: Chronicle Declines To Endorse Anyone In Presidential Primary
Chronicle Called Out For Putting Bill, Not Hillary, On Today's Front Page