Like so many Democrats, I am sick and tired of voting the "lesser of two evils" ballot.
The fact is, Bernie Sanders gave us hope that the pendulum was indeed swinging further left.
And perhaps it is...but the wider the swing to the left, the wider it moves to the right.
As a result, there is a natural tendency to compare the candidates on either end of the spectrum.
While most Dems will agree that Trump is a dangerous, self-serving zealot, our party is too diverse for some not to regard Sanders in much the same way.
Aside from the whole "socialist" moniker, which still leaves a bad taste in the mouths of baby-boomer liberals, there remains a constant barrage of fear-mongering media, making them afraid of radical change.
I am a staunch supporter of Bernie. In my opinion, he is the only candidate with a true liberal agenda AND a common-sense way to pay for his plans. His platform contains sorely needed changes to our oligarchic system.
And Hillary represents business-as-usual.
But to those that have pledged to either NOT vote, or vote for Trump, if Hillary wins the nomination, I have to say that I fear your decision, even more than the rantings of the madman on the other side of the aisle!
Respected Dems, like actor George Takei, have already been stressing the importance of "vote blue, no matter who." I would like to throw in my two cents...
One point that hasn't been pointed out, should Trump become our next president, is the immense support he would have in Congress. Granted, I hope that even the BernieOrBust people will still vote Democrat in the all-important congressional elections this year. But if they just stay home, that won't happen, either. Trump could end up with free reign to enact some of his racist, and misogynistic ideas.
As do-nothing as this congress has been the past 8 years, imagine if no one had been there with veto power. While they said NO to anything Obama wanted, he was there to say no to their agenda, as well.
While I abhor Clinton's war-hawk foreign policy and her Wall Street masters, at least the social programs can be retained and maybe even improved upon.
The presidential election isn't as important as the states, especially with the Koch brothers and ALEC making our country red, one state at a time. But if frustrated Dems, like myself, don't vote at all, we'll ALL be seeing red…
If Hillary does win the nomination, I WILL vote for her. I believe Bernie will, too. There will still be people like Bernie and Elizabeth Warren to help keep her honest.
If you find that you just can't bring yourself to vote for Hillary, I understand. But PLEASE, for everyone's sake, vote anyway. Elect Dems in state and local elections. Write in Bernie's name, if you must but don't skip the vote.
At least we can make sure the wall Trump builds will be between Congress and himself!