I am told by news media, pundits and Bernie or Bust(ers) that I do not exist. I am an ‘enthusiastic’ Hillary Clinton supporter.
Somehow, the Sanders campaign has become a metaphor for purity and if you disagree you are siding with evil. I do not believe former Secretary Clinton is evil, a blight on society or out to cause harm to me or the Democratic agenda. Has she been perfect, NO! The idea that somehow a woman who has dedicated the majority of her life to public service and liberal causes is a threat, is ridiculous. Yes, she voted to invade Iraq and Senator Sanders did not. Yes, she supported trade deals that have hurt the economy that Bernie Sanders adamantly opposed. That does not make her the evil ogre she is being painted out to be, it just made her wrong on some issues, like thousands of decision makers before her. When she recants, she is accused of using it as a political ploy.
If you are searching for a perfect candidate, he or she does not exist
Senator Sanders, has explained his stance on what some would term as pro-gun votes as being a product of his rural constituency in Vermont and that he is voting the will of the people. I live in the city of Philadelphia and see the ravages of gun violence every day. Do I believe that Bernie Sanders wants people to die from gun violence? HELL NO! Do I believe his votes were wrong? HELL YES! Mrs. Clinton is often accused of political expediency. Senator Sanders, is attacking the Executive Branch record of President Obama, as an expedient method of implicitly blaming societal failures on Hillary Clinton. Political expediency is not the exclusive domain of Hillary Clinton.
Now despite all the outward appearances of this great divide between the Sanders’ camp and Clinton’s camp, they had a senatorial voting record of agreement, ninety-three percent of the time. I do not want hyperbolic rhetoric about revolution, I want effective change. This election is too important for me and those who share my vision of the future to excoriate Mrs. Clinton to the point of making her unelectable to satisfy some notion of purity. That’s the nonsensical philosophy of the Tea Party. If the Democratic primary brings Mr. Sanders to the brink of the Presidency, I will not have to ask permission of Killer Mike or Susan Sarandon and hold my nose to vote for Bernie Sanders, I will do it willingly and enthusiastically. I hope the Bernie Bros. and Bust(ers) use the same logic. Leave the circular firing squads to the Republicans, they are the good guys with the guns.