An Open Letter to Clinton Supporters and the Clinton Campaign From a Bernie Sanders Supporter4/21/2016 There will be more science fiction fun fairly soon, but for a moment I'm going to take an aside to talk politics politely. Dear Clinton Supporters and the Clinton Campaign,For the last few months I’ve been the guy who has talked down other Bernie Sanders supporters when they say they won’t vote for Clinton if she gets the nomination. I’ve done it over and over at this point, and every single time I did it I 100% believed it when I told them why Hillary would be a great 2nd choice. The last few weeks though have more than soured me. I can’t even remember what I said at this point, and I can’t give a better argument than that we need to vote for her because Trump and Cruz will lay waste to the civil rights of millions.
That’s a pretty big deal. I’m definitely 100% voting for Clinton if Sanders does not get the nomination… But I’ve lost all passion for campaigning for or supporting her. I hit a breaking point this week when after Clinton won New York a Senior Clinton Staffer was quoted by Politico saying this about Bernie Sanders: “f--- him.” I thought this statement was horrid, uncivil, and worthy of an apology. However, when I brought it up online, plenty of Clinton supporters seemed to agree. Some joined in the chorus of “f--- him,” some made excuses for why it was okay for someone to say that. Hey guess what—it isn’t. And I shouldn’t need to explain outside of a Trump rally why “f--- Him” isn’t civil discourse. I agree with Bernie Sanders a lot. According to those silly internet quizzes, I agree with him around 98%. So, “f--- him”? What does that mean they think of me? This wasn’t the first straw though. That was just the last straw, and just a good and recent example. Truth is, I don’t feel welcome anymore in the Clinton campaign, and don’t feel excited about it anymore. And I know I’m not alone in this: I’ve heard this from plenty of other Sanders supporters. "If we lose, are we going to back Clinton fully? … Should we?" When our genuine concerns are so often treated as foolhardy or naïve? When it’s beginning to feel like our votes are taken for granted? So no, I’m not excited anymore. But I want to be. I want to believe in Hillary Clinton. I want to believe that she will work to build a better future for this country, and not just churn the status quo we have. I want to believe she’ll be willing to listen to the concerns of Bernie’s base if she wins the nomination. I want to live in a country where my friend’s civil rights aren’t constantly in danger of being removed, where our healthcare is safe and functional, where people rights aren’t violated, where children don’t have to take on a mountain of debt like I did to get an education. I want to believe. So, you think Clinton is going to be the nominee? Make me care again. Convince me. Convince us. There is a comments section on this article, use it. Tell me why I should be excited about Hillary Clinton. Because I’d like to be, and there are plenty of other Sanders supporters who feel the same. I’ll post the best arguments I find in a second blog post. Thanks, take care. Vote for Bernie 2016. -James Wylder A few rules and helpful suggestions (I reserve the right to delete any and all comments that do not follow the guidelines below): -Don’t try to convince me to vote for Clinton in the primaries. That ship has sailed. -If you want me to take you seriously, don’t talk down to me and tell me, “When I’m older…” I’m not older right now; I’m the age I am right now. Convince me now, not hypothetical future me. -No hate speech. No slurs. Keep your language PG-13. -No endorsements for other candidates, products, or general off topic points. -Please be civil.
16 Comments
Gwen
4/26/2016 09:32:03 am
I'm not the campaigning type, so I won't be the one to get you excited about Clinton again but I do urge you to take a step back for a second. Look at the presidential campaign environment as a whole. It's a very emotionally charged election, especially this far into primary season. There is a lot of hate flying around, and sometimes people say ugly things when they're passionate about something. Is it worthwhile to pull your support from someone you otherwise believe in because of something an overworked campaign staffer let slip to a reporter? Or because of how commenters reacted when you brought it up (because we all know the best of humanity comes out in the comment section)? I understand your disappointment in the level of discourse, because I feel it too, but it's certainly not limited to the Clinton campaign. Nor is it remotely in her control. If you want to get excited about Clinton again, focus on her platform and agenda—on what she would do with the office if she wins it. Personally, I can envision her as a capable, level-headed and resolute president whom I can be proud to have elected. So, that's why she has my vote. What her other supporters do and say is their own business.
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James Wylder
4/27/2016 01:54:04 pm
You make some really good points Gwen. Both you and Luther think I should take a step back for a bit, and that might be a good idea. Elections get intense, and since its become clear Clinton is the winner (despite Bernie fighting it out to the end, as he should), there will doubtless be some tensions.
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4/27/2016 08:40:47 am
Okay. First things first, and in all seriousness: disconnect for a little while. A week or two. Mute all the politics people in your Twitter feed and hide anyone on Facebook who's likely to gloat. Without trying to justify it, because it's just reality, one team just won and they're gonna do some gloating even if gloating isn't the smart or nice thing to do. I think the best thing to do is just let them have their moment and walk away for a minute. You do not need to be enthusiastic about voting for Hillary Clinton in April. The election's in November. You have time to be mad/upset/disillusioned that your guy didn't win. It's okay.
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James Wylder
4/27/2016 08:53:10 am
I look forward to reading the rest, and please do reuse it on your own blog. I'd simply request that you give a link back to this blog to encourage others to give me and others more reasons to be enthusiastic :).
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4/27/2016 08:48:18 am
My first reason to be happy to vote for Hillary is one that I know is probably going to catch me some crap: I am deliriously happy to be able to cast a vote for a woman for President. Period. We can argue about whether identity politics are "good reasons," but ultimately I don't care. We elected Obama; now I want a woman President. I want the stranglehold white men have on the corridors of power in this country broken, and this is another big crack in that foundation. Others may feel differently; that's fine.
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4/27/2016 08:56:11 am
Third, and again this was a reason I frequently cited when I voted for Obama: I want the President to be clearly and obviously smarter than I am. Obama has spent his Presidency being the smartest guy in the room, and when I hear Clinton talk, while I don't think she's at his level (very, very few are, I think) I hear someone who is in full command of the details and the minutia of policy and someone smart enough to know their own mind and understand the nuances of what they're trying to do. This has hurt her in the past (one of the big complaints about her health care bill was how complicated it was) but I need that from a Presidential candidate. She's got the facts and figures and numbers at her fingertips, and she earned a reputation in the Senate of being 1) a very hard worker and 2) someone who was not afraid to get into the weeds of a new subject rather than rely on advisors. I want that type of person in the Oval Office, and I think she's the only person in the race who IS that type of person. Maybe Cruz, actually; there are lots of reasons to vote against him but "he doesn't know what he's doing" is generally not one of them.
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4/27/2016 09:04:18 am
Finally, and this ties in with my first point, I find a lot of the reasons people cite to NOT vote for Clinton to be, frankly, unconvincing.
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James Wylder
4/27/2016 09:17:56 am
The start of this is probably the least helpful of all the parts of your thing for me, because I do care about speaking fees and "something something Wall Street". Those are actually major issues for me, and many.
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Caela Maynard
4/27/2016 12:17:38 pm
I'd like to point out that while smaller they are, Bernie has investments in both Wallstreet and fracking.
James Wylder
4/27/2016 01:41:08 pm
I'm really not sure what your goal is in the context of this blog post Caela? If you're tired of Bernie as a candidate, congratulations: its mathematically impossible he will win after yesterday. He'd need to win every remaining state by ridiculous double digit percentages to achieve victory at this point. 4/27/2016 09:09:15 am
This should probably have been in the last paragraph: I also find accusations that she's a warmonger to be unconvincing. Is she more hawkish than Sanders? Sure. So am I. But the idea that she's going to start six wars the day after she enters office is flatly ridiculous, ESPECIALLY in a context where her opponents on the other side have literally and unapologetically threatened to glass the entire Middle East as if it wasn't a big deal.
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Josephine Smiley
4/27/2016 01:51:00 pm
Everything Jim said here also applies to me, by the way. I have fought hard for Bernie, I've put my education and my future career and my mental health on the line for him. Now.... I still support him all the way, but I have to admit there is a possibility that Hillary will be the Democratic nominee. I know how third parties and write-in candidates work in the current American political system: they don't. They split votes. That's how we get Republican presidents. So I will probably have to vote for Hillary in the general election.
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Caela Maynard
4/27/2016 02:12:52 pm
Fair enough.
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Rebecca J
4/27/2016 02:47:25 pm
I voted for Bernie yesterday and it's looking very likely that I'll be voting for Hilary in the fall, and there are a lot of voters who are going to take that same path. But just because we may ultimately have to shift our support to another candidate doesn't mean all of our concerns and the reasons we chose to support Bernie in the first place will disappear after the nomination is set. I think the fear that we'll be swept under the rug is a valid one. We know that if we want a Democrat in the White House next year we have to work together. But I agree with Jim, and I agree with Josephine. Why should we be excited to vote for Hilary?
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4/27/2016 04:38:46 pm
Two points:
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James Wylder
4/29/2016 06:44:32 pm
1. I don't think anyone here is "picking" a president based on excitement. We're picking a president on issues, and myself, Josephine, and Rebecca all stated we're voting for Hillary if no Bernie. Leave a Reply. |
James Wylder
Poet, Playwright, Game Designer, Writer, Freelancer for hire. Archives
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