I hadn't planned to address the election in this space, but am moved to following seeing the thoughts and feelings of many people on the political left who are my peers in terms of occupation and inclination. Okay, so initially I was cool on the prospect of the Hillary Clinton candidacy and thought Bernie Sanders was a breath of fresh air, and I planned to cast my vote for him in the Illinois primary: I thought him a forthright and courageous candidate and in may ways I still do...my admiration for Senator Sanders continues despite the changes I'm reporting here. I took that ISideWith test and found that I lined up (I think) 93% with Bernie, which made perfect sense to me and seemed to confirm my initial thoughts that I was indeed feeling the figurative Bern.
Yet, over the last couple months a curious thing has happened. On social media, as Secretary Clinton's victories began to pile up and momentum appeared to be on her side, I noticed a lot of friends supporting the Sanders campaign reposting right-wing talking points against Hillary, often involving Benghazi or her husband's twenty-year old policies and pronouncements, and too many times these friends would say they refused to vote for Clinton if she was the Democratic nominee. Following the GOP race as closely as I could and, like many, completely horrified by the rhetoric, policies and behavior of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, I changed my mind about my vote. I voted for Hillary in the Illinois primary, though I would happily vote for Bernie if he through some strange circumstance became the nominee- but the Sanders campaign really needs to put a muzzle on their limousine liberal mouthpieces like Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon saying they'd be fine with giving the country to Trump and basically saying the votes of black Democrats in the South are worthless (!) and all the white privilege/closet racism that those views imply. Bernie is a decent and amazing American who I would be proud to vote for, but I couldn't abide the antics of some of his supporters anymore.
That's about it: the stakes are just too high in this election and the outcomes possible in a Trump presidency for Latinos, African-Americans, the transgendered, Muslims, and countless others should be obvious to all, especially college-educated white progressives who wouldn't be the first targets of this toxic fascist bully...your vote as an American is a sacred right that people have actually bled for and died for, and it rarely has been as important as it is now. And there's no shame in using that vote strategically...as some of the smarter commentators have been saying, your vote is a lot more valuable than simply a tool to express yourself. There's social media and art for that, or shitty blogs that nobody reads, like this one!
Hillary Clinton may not be a perfect candidate, and she has sometimes, like most politicians, had to be pushed into some of her more progressive positions but she is a smart and honorable woman who is qualified to be the President of the United States. I was proud to vote for her and will be again in November. That's all. God bless you all.
Yet, over the last couple months a curious thing has happened. On social media, as Secretary Clinton's victories began to pile up and momentum appeared to be on her side, I noticed a lot of friends supporting the Sanders campaign reposting right-wing talking points against Hillary, often involving Benghazi or her husband's twenty-year old policies and pronouncements, and too many times these friends would say they refused to vote for Clinton if she was the Democratic nominee. Following the GOP race as closely as I could and, like many, completely horrified by the rhetoric, policies and behavior of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, I changed my mind about my vote. I voted for Hillary in the Illinois primary, though I would happily vote for Bernie if he through some strange circumstance became the nominee- but the Sanders campaign really needs to put a muzzle on their limousine liberal mouthpieces like Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon saying they'd be fine with giving the country to Trump and basically saying the votes of black Democrats in the South are worthless (!) and all the white privilege/closet racism that those views imply. Bernie is a decent and amazing American who I would be proud to vote for, but I couldn't abide the antics of some of his supporters anymore.
That's about it: the stakes are just too high in this election and the outcomes possible in a Trump presidency for Latinos, African-Americans, the transgendered, Muslims, and countless others should be obvious to all, especially college-educated white progressives who wouldn't be the first targets of this toxic fascist bully...your vote as an American is a sacred right that people have actually bled for and died for, and it rarely has been as important as it is now. And there's no shame in using that vote strategically...as some of the smarter commentators have been saying, your vote is a lot more valuable than simply a tool to express yourself. There's social media and art for that, or shitty blogs that nobody reads, like this one!
Hillary Clinton may not be a perfect candidate, and she has sometimes, like most politicians, had to be pushed into some of her more progressive positions but she is a smart and honorable woman who is qualified to be the President of the United States. I was proud to vote for her and will be again in November. That's all. God bless you all.
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