I love my sisters.
I think they still love one another.
But because of slights against one another, real (I’m sure) and perceived, they haven’t spoken to each other for a long time now. It’s a shame. A lot of love and strength and camaraderie lost there.
Their internecine spat came to mind as I, finally, had had enough, in reading the name-calling, the predictions of doom (dogs and cats sleeping together ...) on DK yesterday — and I wish it were aimed at the gentlemen and lady running on the Republican side. Rather (and yes, I have one sister in the Hillary camp and one in the Bernie camp,) it was various forms of insults and digs, from individuals on one side toward (generally) those on the other, questioning their or their candidate’s judgment, or moral fiber, or electability, or LDL cholesterol reading …
Now, I am not going to comment on any of those characteristics for folks on either side — I think both candidates (and Gov. O’Malley, for that matter) are very intelligent heads and sturdy shoulders above any of the R. cuckoo birds — nor even call into question the utility of the various blogs hurling negativity back and forth. Perhaps those folks had reached a point, as I had before sitting down to type this, where it was imperative that they say something (in their case, bad) about someone, and the other Democratic candidate just happened to get in the way.
But to quote Gru from “Despicable Me,” “Here’s the deal-io:” having just watched an election in the state where I live (KY — pity me) go to someone it should never gone to, and maybe wouldn’t have if the Democratic candidate would have opened up his mouth and said, “In just the first enrollment period, more than four hundred thousand Kentuckians signed up for health care under Kynect, and three-quarters of them didn’t have health care before that—please ask my opponent what his plans are for these citizens?” I say this because not a day goes by that in the Lexington paper or one of the local papers some low-information voter is quoted as saying, “I didn’t know Bevin was in favor of ending Obamacare ...”
So perhaps, just perhaps, a better use of time and energy for folks in both camps: get out there and let people know what your candidate thinks about issues. Get out there and get people registered to vote. (It pains this statistician to say this, but) ignore the poll numbers, get out there, and be a smiling face, shaking hands (friendly voice, making calls,) asking people if they’re going to vote and if so, would they like to know what your candidate would do about _______________?
If you can’t ignore the polls and your candidate isn’t doing well — work harder. If you can’t ignore the polls and your candidate is doing well — take a look at the first comment, realize that others will be working hard to catch you(r candidate.)
In the end, as Senator Sanders said, “Yes, we do agree on a number of issues, and by the way, on her worst day, Hillary Clinton will be an infinitely better candidate and president than the Republican candidate on his best day." So, assuming Bernie is rational and thinks he would be the better candidate, he puts Hillary at number two — so whoever triumphs, we then support. “Support” doesn’t mean “believe is perfect.”
I’d hate for these well-meaning, ardent admirers of two excellent public servants to end up like my sisters — because of differences, real and perceived, cutting off communication, and missing the opportunities for demonstrations of strength and camaraderie that come from intelligent discourse.
