Dear Susan Sarandon:

[LiberalLovinLug]

267. You can hate her if thats what you think will help

But don't mischaracterize her.
1. She did not willingly ignore the racism, sexism, homophobia, islamophobia. She was a Bernie supporter. She is a progressive. Even Jill Stein I'm sure is against all of those. Now you can have an opinion that because she didn't swallow all of her personal principles and follow the crowd and vote Hillary, because she believed there had to be deeper changes that she felt the Democratic party seemed unwilling to waver on, and her one little biddy vote for Stein resulted in Trump winning....fine, I can't tell you not to feel that way, even though I find it quite irrational.

2. She did not repeat RW conspiracy theories. Ties to Goldman Sachs and Wall Street are not RW talking points. Neither is getting money out of politics or single payer healthcare. The email server problem was not a RW conspiracy as Hillary admitted to it and apologized. So what RW talking points? Did she use Benghazi? Did she say the Clintons are murderers?, Did she say their foundation was crooked? Did she say Clinton was too unhealthy to govern? Did she accuse her of laughing at a rape victim? Did she accuse her of attacking the women that accused her husband of sexual abuse? Did she accuse her of running a child prostitution ring? What? Please list them for me.

3. Yes, I do empathize with her. I do not agree with her not voting Democrat but I understand her frustrations. And I don't expect others to be as forgiving. But she did not betray millions of people and expose them to Trumpland, she was just a lone woman, a brave woman, that spoke truth to power, even if some of that power resides at the top of the Democratic establishment as well. And her exact words were “I believe in a way she's more dangerous (than Trump)" She parsed that statement with "in a way" because of her belief that the Democratic party was going the wrong way towards permanently attaching itself to a growing oligarchy. Only they were doing it much more slowly like frogs in a pot, so in a way, that seemed more dangerous than the bumbling fools in the GOP that are rash and stupid and transparent about it. She was making a point.

There was/is a frustration with those on the left in the party (the ones that are usually correct when the dust settles) that they have been used to win elections, but then are marginalized once the party wins. Even though there hasn't been much winning lately. That Obama had such a great opportunity when he came in to do so much more, and then the second blow when Bernie didn't win, someone who represented real change, and even harder to take that loss when realizing that the MSM, and the DNC were working against him. For some it reached a boiling point and they jumped out of the pot. I don't agree but yes, I empathize. And this demonizing of anyone who dares be that critical is counterproductive IMO. Why are we not strong enough to listen to criticism? Obviously there are others that feel as she does. Making all those on the fringes of the party the enemy, holding these grudges is childish and doesn't move us forward. IMO.