This morning I responded to Ninox’s post on Five Reasons to be Excited About Hillary by discussing my own feelings about Hillary as our nominee. This seems to have exposed a wound in our community that clearly needs debridement and healing if we expect to win the White House less than eight months from now. I’m glad I wrote it, and here’s why.
I’m married to a wound care nurse. She’s terrific at her job and loves her work. She is a true hero to me and to every patient she touches. Every morning she leaves at 6:30 to spend the day caring for people, often in the worst times of their lives, healing painful open wounds that can take weeks or even months to close up. She saves limbs. She saves lives. Many of her patients, even under the improved healthcare system of the ACA, lack the insurance coverage or ability to pay for their care. Many are forced into bankruptcy. That is still happening today to millions of Americans, and without Bernie as President, this is likely our new status quo for the next four to eight years or longer. That’s depressing.
My older sister is a 53-year old grandmother who cleans houses for a living and provides home aide care for an elderly friend. In November, my sister was sentenced to a year in state prison for a drug possession charge (less than 1 gram). She lives in a small town in central Texas run by teabaggers. So now she’s halfway through a 12 month prison sentence with no jobs when she gets out, no place to live, and no opportunities for employment because of the conviction. We send non-violent drug users to prison where they are degraded and dehumanized while we ruin their lives, but the people who cost millions of Americans their homes and their jobs because of their rampant fraud go unpunished and get to host expensive dinners for our chosen candidate. This broken justice system is not likely to change for four to eight years or longer. That’s depressing, and it’s okay to admit when we are depressed about something real. It’s how acceptance and healing begins.
Those of us who support Bernie will continue our fight, and there is still a possible path to victory, though it is narrowing with each passing primary. I can accept that Hillary is the likely nominee, and I’ll get on board and fight for voter turnout and highlight Hillary’s accomplishments and qualifications because the Republicans are dangerous to our nation’s stability. But I’m not going to ignore the many flaws of the DNC or of Hillary Clinton either. Doing so makes us look as ignorant and close-minded as we accuse teabaggers of being who refuse to see the dangers of their ways, and it gives away our own leverage to hold her to her pledges once elected. It is more credible and powerful to both trumpet HRCs strengths and openly acknowledge her flaws at the same time. Doing so takes away the power of the GOP trying to use them against us. It makes her stronger. It makes us stronger. It lets us heal.
The response to my diary shows clearly that we are wounded. It’s what happens when two sides fight. There are casualties and there are wounds. What I have learned from my amazing wife is that wounds that fester under the surface are the most dangerous to the organism as a whole. There is clearly a lot of anger and frustration here. I think Kos’ goal with his post-March 15th edict was to begin trying to heal these wounds by focusing on the positives and coming together and pulling together as one. It’s noble, but it can’t happen by just talking positive and moving on. We must debride this wound first.
That’s why I’m glad I wrote that post. The response in the comments has been tremendous, and discourse is good. Ignoring the rabble ad hominem and other simple fallacies, there is excellent discussion and strong arguments made by both sides. It’s also my first time on the rec list… so THANKS all for that. I’m going to be writing a lot more over the next few months as the election approaches and I hope you all enjoy my 2016 election coverage diaries.
Peace,
Beast