2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: For those saying you won't vote for the Democratic nominee [View all]CoffeeCat
(24,411 posts)I watched the Democratic National Convention on television when I was 10 years old. I was so moved, that I phoned in and donated $10.
I've voted in every election since I was 18 and always voted for Democrats.
I wrote a political column for several years that touted Democrats and debunked right-wing radio. This was during a time when Rush Limbaugh was fairly new. I met Bill Clinton once and we chatted about politics and I handed him one of my columns with a note attached. A few days later, I received a personal letter from then-President Clinton, telling me to keep writing and to keep up the good work. That letter is framed in my home office.
I've volunteered for many political campaigns. I was an absentee-ballot courier and canvasser for John Kerry; a precinct captain for Obama and I spoke for him at our caucus. Newsweek included my caucus experience in a lengthy article about the Obama campaign.
This year, I supported Bernie wholeheartedly--canvassed in the snow, made phone calls, served as precinct captain and welcomed four out-of-state Bernie supporters into our home for a week--so others could help Bernie win the Iowa caucuses.
If Hillary Clinton is our nominee, I will consider myself politically homeless. A huge part of my identity will evaporate. It will be a huge loss.
That's just how it is. I never, ever thought I'd see the day when our party would be touting a candidate that surrounds themselves with neocons like Robert Kagan--the founder of PNAC. That is who Hillary chose as her Middle East foreign-policy adviser while she was Secretary of State. That chills me to the bone. I can't believe Democrats would tout a candidate who snags untold millions from powerful Wall Street interests--in speaking fees, "donations" and campaign donations. Those bastards decimated our economy!! They're destroying the middle class!! And their money is funding her campaign. She's a champion of the corrupt campaign-finance system that is converting this country from a democracy into a nation run by the corporations.
I won't vote for her. I won't apologize for that either.
I was told today by a Clinton DU supporter to just "take my marbles and go home". That's their usual schtick when someone truly grieves about the loss of their party. They try to paint us as immature children, but I'd like to know how much maturity it takes to perpetuate lie-based war in the Middle East--to profit the corporations? How "adult" is it to taint our democracy and our party with corporate bribes?
I hold out hope that she is not our nominee. I hold out hope that our party doesn't nominate her and run our party into the ground.