Here's the thing. I love Bernie and have been supporting him for some time. But just because I love Bernie, will support/work for and vote for him does not mean I have to trash Hillary. This is what the right wants. This is what disturbs me. I have seen here, some so called progressives, echoing right wing talking points against Hillary for a while. Maybe it is for the sake of pushing their choice; maybe they are trolls; maybe there is left over resentment from 2008. Don't know why. Don't care. Just hope it stops and this is why I loved Bernie even more when he explained he would not be trashing Hillary; he is not running against Hillary but FOR US.
I had originally started this as a comment in another diary. Lost it (glitch) and decided to just do a diary.
More below the squiggly!!
I want to be clear. I will vote for Hillary if she wins the primary and I will work for her and support her enthusiastically. Choosing Bernie as my first choice does not require hatred toward Hillary or any other candidate in our primary. Unlike the right, I do not want the left to make this a contest of personal destruction, personal insults, lies, exaggerations, and scorched earth.
No candidate is perfect. Not Bernie, Not Hillary. But let us deal in facts.
Voting records. Bernie is #1 when it comes to voting progressive/liberal in the senate. Hillary was #11 and Obama was #23.
Clearly for me, Bernie is my first choice. I have already contributed. I have already put my personal desire as a woman, to see a woman in office before I die, aside because I truly believe it is important to put the future before anything else. But I am also a realist, and I believe that no one person is ever the ONLY one answer. That is just foolish. I am nearly 70 years old, and if there is one thing I think I have learned over time, is this. No one person can be all things to all people all of the time. I was a teacher and as frustrating as it was to learn this, I KNOW that no matter how hard I tried I did not succeed with 100% of my students, 100% of the time. As well, to put that task on one person in terms of governance is just foolish.
I watch and/or have listened to Thom Hartman for years. Now, as a retiree, I watch on FSTV almost daily. Thom is a liberal. Bernie has been his guest for years on “Brunch with Bernie.”
Thom has been discussing the pros and cons of potential candidates in the primaries with callers. He is thrilled to have Bernie running. Like many of us, he supports Bernie. Unlike some on the left, he refuses to trash Hillary and Thom explores the details.
**Hillary is not as bad as some on the left would like others to believe
**FDR was pulled to the left when elected and no one sees that kind of “change” (as in listening to the people, changing with the time, growing and changing as a person, admitting to and learning from mistakes as the embodiment of evil).
**The conundrum of money in politics. We all know the right will take/have lots of money; have more control of the media. Bernie will not take any money. Hillary will. Some believe it is better to stay true even if one loses. Some, like myself, believe common sense dictates you must sometimes play the money game to change the money game.
**SCOTUS No matter how idealistic any of us want to be this is the truth. We cannot, dare not, should not let one more republican get to pick any more SCOTUS seats. Do we really want to risk getting yet another Scalia, Alito, Roberts, Thomas?
The electing of a president is not the electing of a king or queen. Even if we get Bernie, without a strong, progressive MAJORITY senate, I fear the ability of anyone, even Bernie, being able to be truly effective. Yes, Obama was able to get “ACA” a republican plan voted into law. Yes, Obama was able to get marriage equality, pay equity, immigrations issues more noticed, some points improved. But still, even with Obama, we fight uphill battles on everything. We need a strong president unafraid to do battle with the right ALONG WITH A STRONG CONGRESS and a change in the laws. We need Citizen’s United destroyed; we need gerrymandering destroyed.
Let us not, on the left, play the game, as the right would like us to do. Ingrained in our cultural identity and mentality is the competition being more important than anything. We have a chance to have a primary that, instead of being a competitive personal trashing game, can elevate the discussion to be about policy. That, I believe, is what Bernie wants because it is about, for him, what is best for the country, not what is best for him. We have a chance to get voters engaged in issues, as opposed to who did this, who did that gossip game. Imagine, if you will, the discussions/debates focusing on WHY we need to raise the minimum wage; why the suppression of any one’s right to vote, to marry, to adopt are wrong; why civil rights are NOT to be voted upon, because they are RIGHTS.
I believe for too long, the competitive mentality, that is, the notion of there must be winners and losers, has taken hold, more on the right of course, but even on the left. RACE to the TOP implies winners and losers; Affordable Health Care instead of Health Care for All. Privatization is about competition. In opposition to that, the governance of keeping, financing through taxes the common good (public ed, public utilities, public prisons, public works) is about benefiting all, as in the community.
Privatized schools means winners and losers. Privatized utilities means clean water for winners, whatever you can find for the losers. Privatized prisons means gated communities for the rich; gated prisons for the rest.
This is a turning point, this election, and more importantly this primary. Bernie is in and I am elated. Hillary is in and I am elated. I want a progressive. I want a woman. I cannot lose. I do not believe any of us win if we insist on demonizing Hillary or any dem running. Disagreeing with any candidate on some issues is my right. Does not mean a) I cannot still vote for them b) I cannot trust that a human being can and does change over time.
FINALLY, and this is especially for people at MSNBC (I am looking at you Krystal Ball) stop calling Hillary “the Clintons”. Stop meshing the woman with her husband. I never hear that with male candidates. Hillary is her own person. I believe (and any of you can choose to disagree) Hillary has always been to the left of Bill. I don’t hold against her the desire to support her life partner when he was running for office.
In the end, this is about us all, about the progressive/liberals whose first concern is about the direction of the country in regard to the common good, and want to make sure the right gets no more power than it already has. Whether Bernie, Hillary or some other democrat we must come together and cannot allow anyone from the right wing to hold that office again until we get the country back to the people; until we have a SCOTUS that is looking out for the people instead of the corporate oligarchs. We need strong, healthy, honest debates between our democratic candidates. We do not need to become what we hate….trash talkers pushing our own private agendas. We need informed discussions from which we, the voters, can learn. We need to open our minds to learning, believing, and sharing what we learn through thoughtful, honest debates.
This is my view, this is what I hope to see here at Daily Kos. Good, intelligent, informative debates and discussions and in the end, coming together to make sure of, by and for the people prevails.