Democracy - It's a Good Thing
Some thoughts on the various demographic blocs that voted for Clinton in the NY primary, and why:
Bloc 1: Hard-working white Americans a.k.a. the Archie Bunker vote. I am including upstate voters as well as white Christian blue-collar voters in urban areas in this bloc. In 2008, “hard-working white Americans” was Clinton’s racist dog-whistle she used to appeal to this bloc. In the 2016 cycle, thankfully we haven’t heard any overt anti-Semitic messages — the closest Clinton came to reminding everyone that all good Christians should vote for her was attending a photo-op church service on Sunday. Clinton’s relatively popular stint as NY Senator, strong work ethic, “pragmatism”, and overt (Christian) religiosity clearly helped her with this bloc.
Bloc 2: The Owner/Investor Class — a.k.a. the Gordon Gekko vote aka the Wall Street vote. A slam-dunk for Clinton in the boroughs and affluent suburban counties. I am including the wealthy Jewish vote in this bloc, boosted by the MSM’s helpful positioning of Hillary’s pro-Zionist policies versus Sanders’s more balanced views on the Middle East. Clinton didn’t need to do much more than she has already done to secure this vote i.e. she has clearly demonstrated her eagerness to get into bed with corporate interests — who gets to be “on top” is another question entirely.
Bloc 3: African Americans — Unlike in the South, where Clinton’s appeal to A-A’s had a lot to do with regionalism, the fondly-remembered Bill Clinton legacy, and viewing Hillary as a more-or-less guaranteed bulwark against GOP racism, in the North I suspect her appeal has more to do with her “traditional Christian values” e.g. her Janey-come-lately “evolution” on LGBT rights, and of course the fact the she is not Jewish (cue the SNL skit of Eddy Murphy as Jesse Jackson, performing “Hymie Town”).
Bloc 4: Second-wave Feminists — a.k.a the Gloria Steinem vote. Another slam-dunk for Hillary last night, and if you’ll excuse the expression, the vagina in the room. Any Clinton supporter reading this is required to express outrage at me, you know, telling the truth, but if you are intellectually honest you’ll acknowledge that a high percentage of female support for Clinton is predicated on not much more than her breaking the glass ceiling.
There’s nothing wrong with that per se; like every true progressive liberal, I believe electing a female President would be a wonderful and historic event for our country. Unlike uncritical feminists, however, I refuse to compromise my ethics and swallow my principles to bring that about. Hillary Clinton is a phony, flawed and compromised candidate, and I have zero desire to see Hill & Bill occupy the White House for four more minutes, let alone four more years. I am not supporting Sanders because he has a penis, and no-one should support Hillary Clinton simply because she has lady parts.
So, fellow Sandernistas, shrug off yesterday’s disappointing-but-not-devastating result and carry the revolution on to next week’s primaries, on to the delegate mother lode in California, and on to victory at the Democratic convention.
We have to keep going — millions of progressive voters, eager for a bright future and to reverse 30+ years of middle class decimation at the hands of the 1%, have spoken, and millions more remain to be heard from!
And, remember, as the MSM likes to lecture us after every Sanders win, “Sanders won, but the race has not changed”. Using that very same logic, “Clinton won, but the race has not changed”.
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Bernie Sanders should...
Carry on exactly as planned
Keep going, but tone down the negative rhetoric
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