Greetings
I'm an undecided Democrat.
This is the first election cycle since 1991-1992 that I have been undecided. It is very unusual for me to be undecided in the Primary season, so I'm taking my time to listen and learn about the candidates.
I like Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders. I think any one of them would be fine. I will enthusiastically and actively campaign and support whomever wins the nomination. I will give them my time and money.
And yet, as for Primary season, I'm undecided. Each of them has things about them that I really like. Each of also comes with a basket of concerns, doubts and questions. Nobody has convinced me that I should support one of them over the other two. I do not have any reason to throw shade at any of them. OTOH, I am curious about their most dedicated supporters here at Dkos. Why are they animated with a passion that I just don't feel?
So I thought I would reach out to folks who are decided with a series of questions.
Let's go to the jump...
Hard as it may seem for those of you who have already decided who you want to support, some of us do not care about the Primary. We have three great candidates. One will win the nomination and we will move forward from there.
I live in Baltimore. The odds are very strong that the nomination will have been decided long before my state gets to vote. In many ways, I am a spectator, but perhaps that could change. After all, the Maryland Primary did matter in 2008, so I guess lightning could strike twice.
So, convince me about your guy or gal.
Up first for me is Immigration.
Here is my view (please understand that I am a lifelong liberal):
I believe that migration is a human right. I believe that as a species, migration is what we do.
I know that America did not have any firm immigration laws until 1882 when the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed.
I know that by 1891, the Bureau of Immigration was established to "manage" the flow of migration to the USA.
I know that the laws governing immigration were based on protecting white supremacy and that they established quotas for immigrants based on race.
I know that this system of racist immigration laws lasted into the Sixties and since then, the extreme White Right of America has been trying to restore a race-based immigration system.
I know that since the Chinese Exclusion Act, our immigration laws have been rooted in white fears and hate.
I know that a race-based immigration system is bullshit.
I know that it would be a crime against humanity to try and deport 11 million people.
I know that mass deportations would be ethnic cleansing.
I know that ALL of the migrants currently in the United States should have a pathway to citizenship--regardless of how they came to the country.
I know that we should not fear human migration.
I know that any "guest worker" program is a government sponsored Theft-of-Labor program.
I know that migrants do not lower wages and folks who claim otherwise are hyping fear-based politics.
I know that lower wages are created by systems to steal the labor of workers for the profits of the few--systems like our current immigration system.
I know that our immigration system needs to have a major overall and I believe that the human rights and dignity of migrants should trump all other concerns.
So, that is how I think about immigration.
Where does Bernie stand on immigration?
Where does Hillary stand on immigration?
Where does Martin stand on immigration?
What is their rhetoric on the issue?
What is their plan to reform the system?
How will they get Immigration Reform done?
What is their record on immigration?
What priority do they give Immigration?
Tell me, how they have respected, promoted and fought for the unalienable Rights of migrants in the past.
Tell me how they would push back on the wingnuts who actively paint migrants as illegal humans.
Cheers
