To My Friends Supporting Hillary Clinton
To My Friends Supporting Hillary Clinton
You are probably not aware, but you are trying to take something from me. And by extension, you are trying to take something away from our country.
I recall a conversation I had last year with my 32 year old daughter and some of her friends. We were discussing politics of course. In trying to help them understand what it means to be a Democrat I suddenly realized that they were way too young have experienced a true Democratic President in their lifetime.
And this is true. I believe that the last true Democrat to be President was FDR. One only has to read the “Second Bill of Rights” to understand that FDR carried the banner for the Democratic cause higher than anyone else. Unfortunately, FDR would not live long enough to enact the tenets of his vision. Ironically, we applied some of FDR’s vision when we rebuilt Germany and Japan.
Some would say that JFK was a true Democrat. And you wouldn’t get much of an argument from me. Simply read his statement on “what it means to be a Democrat” and you will quickly realize that while some of his policies were not strictly in line with his party’s thinking, inside he held the heart of a true Democrat.
I’m purposely avoiding the use of the word Progressive in that I believe this term really refers to a purer form of Democratic thought.
Many of us have become complacent about our Party and in politics in general. This complacency (over the past 30+ years) has allowed our Party to slowly shift to the Right along with the Republican Party. We barely noticed it…the change. It was incremental in its pace but destructive in its application.
We had become so complacent that we hardly noticed how corrupt our campaign system was becoming. How else do you explain the steady growth of money’s influence over our policies? I think that we simply let this complacency turn into acceptance. That is, we accepted the corruption as simply a part of “doing business” in modern politics. We even went as far as to set aside our concern as the corruption grew. We were in some form of denial.
And then, like some long lost friend stepping out of the fog, came Bernie Sanders.
What is it about the Bernie’s campaign that has struck such a chord with many of the American electorate? For me it is simple; Bernie Sanders represents the “original” soul of the Democratic Party.
How long we have waited. How many decades have passed us by where we simply accepted the changes in our Party? And even though we were in denial and complacent about what has happened to our cause, there was always a small part of our being, a tiny spark that remembered.
There is a lot of talk about how Bernie Sanders has captured the attention and support of the youth in our country. While I wouldn’t argue this point, I assure you that there are plenty of people my age (63) that are as passionate about Bernie’s run as any Millennial. While we are not old enough to have lived during FDR’s time, there was enough residual present that we remember.
We remember that our Party once stood for the people, especially those that were under-represented and had fallen through the cracks. Remember? We were once known as the “party of the people.” Over the years, we have lost sight of our purpose, our dream.
Once Bernie stepped onto the stage, we began to remember. Millions who held that spark deep in their soul saw a familiar face, familiar words…a familiar dream.
I am not anti-Hillary. Unlike some of my more passionate friends, I do not blame her for taking money from corporations or allying herself with the interests that often go against the true nature of our party. She can’t help it. Like the rest of us, she was drawn into the incremental changes that our party and our country was experiencing. So small were those changes that it was barely noticeable.
It took the arrival of someone like Bernie Sanders for us to clear our eyes and see exactly what has happened. Only with his presence in the campaign have we seen the overwhelming changes, and thus, the overwhelming differences in what our party used to be and to what it has become.
I firmly believe that if Bernie had not entered to stage, we would have never gone as far as we have in criticizing Hillary Clinton. Yes, there would be some of us that would challenge her positions on a variety of issues, but we would have pretty much given her a pass.
I sort of feel sorry for Hillary. She is a casualty of our times. You see, I hope and believe that she is the last of the “old party.” Now that we have seen the resurgence of the “original” Left, I don’t think we will ever look back. The future is in the heart of Bernie Sanders. He may not be the actual representative…but someone will be. And soon.
And so, what is this that Hillary supporters have endeavored to take from me? It is nothing less than the opportunity to return our country to the people. When you ask me to abandon Bernie Sanders, you are asking me to give up all that I believe in when it comes to our country. You are asking me to take the proverbial “two steps back” after I’ve taken “three steps forward.”
Is it any wonder why so many Bernie supporters refuse to give up? Do you understand now why so many will not let go of the dream? You can’t seriously ask me to do this when the opportunity is so rare…and the consequences so dire.
So, to my Hillary friends, be patient with those of us who support Bernie Sanders. It has taken a very long time for this opportunity to arise…and after all, WE have been very patient.
-Paige
= new reply since forum marked as read
While I prefer Bernie's message, he's unlikely to have the friendly environment that our revered Democrats had during their presidency's. Thus, even though he may be more 'pure' than Hillary, he is unlikely to be a successful President due to the current environment in this country. And to get back to my title up there, Hillary is at least 2/3 as progressive as Bernie, so really you're taking one step back of 3 IMO. I don't see the opportunity lost in as dramatic terms as you do due to the influence Congress and the mood of the country have on a President. Maybe perhaps Bernie is "The One", but my political instincts say "no". Good thoughtful post though, thanks - gave you a rec and I'm pretty cheap with handing them out 
The one thing that helps me when I have doubts about her is that I believe her when she says that she's a poor campaigner. I believe her when she says she's much better at the job than she is at the interview. I feel like she's the kind of person who doesn't over-promise. I believe that she's actually too honest - she says what she's thinking at the time and gets into trouble because it might vary from a statement that she's made in the past. She's a somewhat self-conscious introvert and as an introvert myself who sometimes has issues selling my abilities (and may do so awkwardly depending on the audience), I can relate to Hillary. I met her, shook her hand and looked into her eyes - she's actually a genuine person and her daughter is even more awkward socially and she's modest to boot - which I actually find compelling and a sign that Hillary is a good mother. I root for the socially awkward. 
Reason to vote for somebody? No. But I don't doubt her abilities or drive to do the right thing for this country.
