So I took a long hiatus from Daily Kos to tend to life, work, and generally enjoying my existence. I’ve am living and working in China, and it’s been a trip to see how our elections are being displayed from across the Pacific. Trump is seen as...well comical. The Chinese believe that if Trump comes to power he will be easy to manipulate with his giant ego. Remember, he can complain about trade with China all he wants to, but he telegraphs his intentions too clearly. If you’re clear headed, it’ll be easy to get around him. Clinton they see as a formidable nemesis. They know that they will not be able to pull the wool over her eyes so easily. For me, that was an endorsement if I had ever heard one.
This can’t go on. I’ve been watching the primary unfold, and I’ve been noticing some things that are troubling. We have a two party system. Even in countries with multi-party system, things devolve into a two party system just ‘cuz letting one party gain too much power means you lose. First off, before you cast aspersions on me, I’m an HRC supporter through and through. I voted for Obama twice although I did not participate in the primary the first time he came around because I was young and didn’t get into party politics that closely. I’m young and Black like this president is Black (which means only half), and I have celebrated his many progressive victories over the years and have had his back even when I didn’t agree.
What I’m seeing on my Facebook feed (yes, I still get Facebook, because I know what I’m doing), Daily Kos, and other places, is a lot of hatred pointed straight at HRC from people who are supposedly on her side of the field. I’m even reading articles written by people who think that they wouldn’t see any difference between a Trump and HRC candidacy and threaten to stay out if their candidate, Bernie Sanders doesn’t win.
Truth be told, I’m not a Bernie fan. I know, now I’m the enemy! I am controlled by the MSM, the elite business class, Wall Street, and the pundit class. I believe every poll shown to me and will be blown away by the reality of people power. Perhaps I was paid to give a speech, and now, I’m writing this diary years later because I know that the speech fee was to buy my undying loyalty to the cause of neoliberalism. Maybe I haven’t researched him enough as a candidate? I assure you, I know what democratic socialism is, am already well aware of the governments of Scandinavia, was not born during the Cold War era so I don’t have a negative view of socialism, and understand that the problems that face the world are grave. I know, now I’ve really made you mad and you have dismissed me as the enemy and must prove your superiority with belittling comments.
Perhaps the reality based community can hold their passions in check for a moment?
#1. I don’t let irrational followers reflect on the candidate his/herself (will someone take this quote and twist it against me in the comments section? Let’s wait and see!) I don’t let his more zealous followers deter me, but some things his followers say are illogical and insulting. HRC supporters are supposed to unite with Sanders supporters after you spend the campaign saying she is a tool for the upper class and that she is a “corporatist monster” and warmonger, but if the shoe were on the other foot, you could never vote HRC? We’re supposed to vote for you after all that, but you wouldn’t reciprocate? When BS supporters are called on it, they act as if “Hey, my position is clearly, logically right. I’m not insulting you, I’m just telling you the truth.” No, you’re insulting. Just own it and move on.
#2 I don’t agree with a number of Sander’s positions. $15 national minimum wage? Don’t support it. Bad idea. I think the Affordable Care Act is a great achievement and it does leave open the possibility of single payer in states whose voter base wants to go for it. I mean, some people are talking as if no health care reform took place ever. It leaves open a lot of room to be expanded and improved to fit what people want and need state by state. Renewable energy is a question of technical prowess and will take time. Not using fossil fuels for heating and locomotion will take time and technology. Capitalism is not evil inherently. Wall Street is not inherently evil and
#3. Foreign policy HRC is superior. The world is an awful place. It is filled with bribery, selfishness, death, and violence. I disagree with progressives on a number of issues with respect to foreign policy. A lot of the “evil” things HRC has done overseas has been done to further American interests against interests who unequivocally DO NOT CARE about their own populations. She can make hard decisions to try to go for the best consequence whereas I think Sanders will simply rely on ideology and not the facts on the ground which could lead to humanitarian catastrophes. I also feel some of his policies will eventually lead nations, especially China, to gain advantage where they shouldn’t because Sanders wants that, but because sticking to his principles would lead to that result.
#4. We parse through her record with a fine toothed comb. We have a treasure trove to go through, right? I’m sure that for each bill, for each issue, within the context of where she was in and where America was at the time, she made her decisions because she thought it was for the best. The crime bill from the 90s? A lot of Black people supported it. I know, unthinkable given the private prison and school to prison pipeline right? The mystification of Sanders supporters on Black supporters in the South proves that they don’t see the holes in their argument. If a Black person commits a crime legitimately, they should go to jail, like anybody else. Black people do not support lawlessness. The bill went after criminals who no one would disagree should be behind bars for the maximum amount of time you could give them because they were inhuman animals. You had people shooting people over a pair of shoes. You could make an argument that the unintended consequence was that non-violent drug offenders went to jail and that a large number of Black men are in jail, but here’s the solution: legalize drugs and until drugs are legalized, don’t do them. Second, do a better job of monitoring state legal systems because a lot of the reason Black men are disproportionately in jail is because of state government. Getting on a soapbox won’t accomplish that, but being able to twist the system will. You can’t make people not racist, but you can make laws to try and take the stick out of their hand. HRC said something along those lines once. People are still responsible for their own behavior. HRC has done a great deal to help women and children to help them raise young men and women whose behavior will not give them a higher probability of entering the jail system in the first place and to try to mold the system itself.
#5. I have no idea if the MSM is conspiring against Bernie Sanders, or if they just simply see him as the left wing version of Ron Paul and don’t take him seriously. For example, I congratulate him on his win in Michigan. But the Schadenfreude from some of his supporters, gleefully saying that the MSM and their rich fat cat backers were all proven wrong, and that their magical polls were all wrong, as if to say that this was part of some bigger conspiracy, is bonkers. If you’re a pundit, you look at polls. I mean, Sanders backers will be the first to tell you that HRC will lose to Trump because this poll or that poll, even though polls on the general election this far out are totally useless. We trust polls when they say what we want, but don’t when they don’t. That’s something Mitt Romney would do. The polling firms have not adapted to the changing electorate. That argument you can make. But you cannot cast unspoken aspersions on them. Pundits and commentators looked at polls, and with that information, which was the best information they had, made predictions. They were wrong. So what? It doesn’t play into this victim hood narrative I keep seeing where Bernie has to fight the evil fat cats and their lapdogs.
Truth be told, if the contest were Bernie vs. Kasich (barely) or Bernie vs a sane moderate Republican, I would hold my nose and choose the center right Republican. However, there are no sane, center right Republicans and even if there were, they’d be un-viable on the Republican side. I’m sure one of you will mine this quote to say I’m really a Republican and beyond redemption, but you’re missing the point because you think in black and white. The world isn’t “Progressive” vs. “Everyone else who must really be a Republican.” I don’t know if the Democrats will find unity at the end of this primary process, but we’ll see. Hillary supporters will probably vote for Sanders to avoid the totalitarian nightmare that would be Donald Trump, but don’t blame us if we’re not fired up and don’t volunteer. In fact, some HRC people may in fact stay home, because if the electorate wants Trump that badly, let ‘em have him.
In fact, it’s ultimately unfair, isn’t it? You’ll sit by and watch Trump be President, but I have to hold my nose for you?