However, I plan on living in the US for at least another 10 years, and any shift to the far radical fringes on either side
It's not what side they're on, just how authoritarian there are. There's little economically differing Singapore from Hongkong, but one of them is ruled by a way more oppressive government than the other. Although Hongkong is a special setting, same deal with America. Same with Sweden and Belarus.
At any rate, I really truly doubt that war will come to America, and I doubt picking one of the most economically extremist mainstream candidates would do much for keeping it middle in America.
I also generally don't like having a gov't enact policies I entirely disagree with
In my thought, it's truly terrible how folk make their picks on candidate. Charisma, yes, but the problem doesn't stop there. They weigh what happens there like what happens here, and there, they don't get to vote. What this means: vote for the candidate that would have the lowest death count. Sanders is probably the mainstream candidate with the lowest death candidate, but Libertarians all the way, for they're way lower - imagine ending all wars America's in.
Anyhow, just don't be selfish. It's awful that 325 million folk pick policies not just for themselves, but for 7k million other folk, who don't have a vote and usually suffer graver consequences then, say, gays having to be paying higher taxes or Muslims and Jews not being allowed to be presidents (both bad things, but as bad as one death? NO.).