I've been reading the comments following my first Daily Kos diary post, "Dear Mr. President." First, thanks to the people who've welcomed me and shown support. Second, I am not at all surprised that many people opposed my idea. What seemed to really get an emotional reaction is that I closed my diary by saying I will vote for someone I truly believe in, probably write in Bernie Sanders, and let the chips fall where they will--even if Michele Bachmann becomes president.
I am interested in having a discussion of ideas. If you're interested, let's do it. If you want to get some understanding of my background and the evolution of my thought from Obama volunteer to someone who will now vote for Bernie Sanders, you can visit FireDogLake and read several of my diary posts, including "Dinner? Really, Mr. President?"
If your purpose is to call names like troll or stupid, I will just skip over your comment.
Here are a few things for all of us to think about:
-Michele Bachmann's name really got people going.
-If Michele Bachmann had proposed raising the Medicare age to 67, would you call the White House switchboard or the office of your senator or congressperson?
-When President Obama proposed raising the age of Medicare to 67, how many of you placed a phone call to protest?
Sure, there's a big difference between Bachmann and Obama in rhetoric, but in the actual substance of policies that would become law or remain law, how much of a real difference would there be?
Up until the debt ceiling debacle, I wasn't sure whether or not I would vote for or against Obama (although I was gradually leaning away from him). But the debt debacle was my personal tipping point. I no longer trust Obama to fight for anything--including a decent Supreme Court nominee.
After capitulation after capitulation and Obama inches closer and closer to the right, at what point does Obama become so close to the Republican that the difference is virtually indistinguishable?
Also, consider three final points I want to emphasize:
I have the right to vote my conscience. And for me, that means Bernie Sanders.
2. I believe that in politics, it's best to know who your enemy is. Look at Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio. They galvanized unions and progressives. Imagine a governor running as a Democrat claiming he supports collective bargaining and then chips away at it once he's in office--the way Obama has done with the Public Option, Social Security, and Medicare.
3. If you're interested in discussion and a real exchange of ideas, I'm extending an invitation to you right now to use this diary post as a springboard.