Do you want this guy to be president? I sure don't.
I am a Sanders supporter. I voted for him in the Massachusetts primary and have supported him since I found out about his candidacy. I think his becoming president would be part of the change we need in this country, especially with regard to foreign and economic policy. He’s not perfect by a long shot, but there’s a lot I respect in Bernie.
But let’s get real here: Hillary Clinton is probably going to be the Democratic nominee, barring any dramatic changes after the next few primaries.
I know there are a lot of left-leaning independents and progressive Democrats who swear that they’ll sit out the election, write in Bernie’s name or vote for Jill Stein or another third-party candidate because their loathing for Clinton is such that they feel their purity will be sullied if they vote for her. I’ve seen it on Facebook. I’ve seen it on Twitter. And I’ve seen it on this site, which is purportedly a place for us to support more and better Democrats. Not supporting Republicans. Not supporting third-party candidates who don’t have a prayer of winning elections.
Purism does not win elections. It does not prevent vulnerable populations from the rapacious, destructive policy brought on by the Republican Party’s politicians. Purists sitting out elections is part of what brought up the Tea Party-filled House of Representatives. It’s what helped the Republicans sweep the Senate and engage in even more obstruction of President Obama’s agenda. It’s what brought us George W. Bush—twice. Would you honestly rather Trump or some other Republican win the White House, create a right-wing dystopia in the image of Mussolini or Jerry Falwell, so that pure progressivism can rise from the ashes, rather than vote for a moderate Democrat who can give us the framework to work towards a progressive agenda without fucking everyone else over? I choose the latter.
Interestingly, a lot of these people happen to be white. I don’t see this as much from Black, Latino, Asian and other liberals of colour. Possibly because the stakes are lower for them if Trump gets into office.
Am I claiming that Clinton is a perfect candidate? Of course she isn’t. I take issue with much of her foreign and economic policy, and think that Sanders would be less likely to start more Middle Eastern wars. But do you think Trump, Cruz and Rubio will be better? Of course not. They’ll be even more aggressive abroad, and will institute domestic policies that marginalise women, people of colour, immigrants, Muslims, LGBT people, disabled people and anyone else who isn’t a straight, white, cisgender, able-bodied, culturally Christian man. Yes, I know both Hillary and Bill Clinton have been known for neoliberal economic policies. I’m definitely to their left—I know they are centrist moderates. But I would rather see a centrist moderate who can at least be persuaded than a dyed-in-the-wool fascist like Trump who refuses to disavow the Ku Klux Klan. As a black person, I cannot stand idly by when I see fellow liberals refuse to vote for a candidate because she’s not pure enough, only to let a man with endorsements from white supremacists win the presidency. Trump has tacitly encouraged his supporters to engage in physical violence against those who oppose him. He’s used his Secret Service detail as blackshirts. Would you honestly avoid voting to help THAT man get into office, or a theocrat like Cruz or Rubio who thinks that women should carry their rapists’ babies to term?
Now is not the time to get mired in purity debates. The stakes are too high for that. If the Republicans were running a moderate who wasn’t fuelled by hate, that would be one thing, but that is not the Republican Party of today. That is not the reality we live in. Right now, we’re facing a fascist and a pair of theocrats. We can continue to advocate for true progressives in downballot races. But folding your arms, shaking your heads and refusing to vote for a centrist because she’s impure accomplishes nothing for those of us who are most at risk from a Republican presidency, especially a Trump presidency.
We need to keep Donald Trump—or if he somehow loses the nomination, Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio—out of the White House. Abstention will not keep Trump away unless it’s a Republican abstaining. Voting for Jill Stein will not keep him away. Writing in Bernie’s name will not keep him away. The only thing that stands between Trump and the White House is voting for the Democratic candidate.
