Hillary Clinton Is Not Electable
Hillary Clinton is not electable. That statement is truer about Hillary than it ever was for Bernie. Even though, for the length of the primaries, Hillary's campaign, as well as the Democratic establishment, has framed the narrative with their slogan, "Vote for Hillary, the other guy isn't electable." You can observe Hillary supporters parroting those same lines when cornered with the facts about Hillary's lackluster record.
It's frustrating. Even if I successfully demonstrate to Hillary supporters that Bernie is the candidate that most represents the issues they care about -- health care, income inequality, climate change, education, immigration, racial injustice -- many still feel Bernie Sanders is not electable.
I tell them that poll after poll shows that Bernie has all the momentum; Bernie on average fares two points better against all the GOP candidates when compared to Hillary. When his campaign began he was at a few percentage points in the polls, Hillary having a 50 point lead. Now he's virtually tied with her. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. Polls don't matter now that he's caught up to her."
I tell them that Hillary gets the majority of her campaign donations from a small number of millionaires and billionaires while Bernie has received an unprecedented 2.5+ million individual donations. He wants to end the flow of big money into politics and he's leading by example. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He doesn't look Presidential."
I tell them that Bernie was talking about single-payer health care for decades and, until recently, Hillary was for it too. Then I point out a correlation between her acceptance of donations from the healthcare industry with her sudden opposition to single payer. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He's a socialist."
I tell them Bernie wants to raise the minimum wage to $15, eliminate wealth inequality, break up the banks, reinstate Glass-Steagall, and make public colleges free. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He doesn't have a vagina."
I tell them Bernie wants to end perpetual war, the War on Drugs, and the systematic subjugation of minorities in our criminal justice system. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He's a hippie commie. Just like you Sadiq. Go eat some Ben & Jerry's you hippie commie." I can't eat ice cream dammit, I'm lactose intolerant.
It's gotten to the point that it irks me to think that some of my friends only support Hillary out of fear of losing in the general election. It's the same tactic Republicans have used for decades to control their electorate: fear. It. Infuriates. Me. There have been moments where I wanted to yell at my friends, "Dude, I know you're fuckin' smart, so why are you being so stupid by voting for Hillary? I gave you all the reasons to vote for Bernie. You agree Bernie is a great candidate and he represents you, but your sole reason to vote for Hillary is electability? Give back your fuckin' citizenship. You're the problem. You're no different than those Republicans you despise for voting out of fear. You're doing the same damn thing, you educated fool."
Of course, I would never say that to someone because I'm not that big of an asshole and I also know that my anger won't be persuasive. Plus, I can empathize with those who are voting for Hillary. Many of these people have been supporting Hillary from the days of Bill Clinton. She was a role model to many of them. She passed legislation in the distant past that her supporters agreed with. There was a time when Hillary Clinton was not only a good politician, but also working for the people. I can totally empathize, but those days of her being a genuine person are gone. She is more tainted than the water in Flint. She's no Hillary.
It must be difficult when you find out the super hero you idolized looks like she's just another villain that is paid by the oligarchs we're trying to defeat. It can hurt one's pride, but I'm hoping my friends don't allow their fear to have a negative influence on the primaries. If Hillary wins because of her supporters reluctance to evolve to the better candidate, I'm afraid it may mean a Republican POTUS. Hear me out.
Hillary Clinton is Not Electable
Hillary Clinton is not electable. I've never voted for a presidential candidate before. I became a citizen in 2012 (before | after) and the first time I could vote was in the general election that year. I didn't vote for Obama or Romnney. I voted for a candidate in all the local elections, but in the box for President, I wrote myself in as a sign of protest. It sounds childish, but I didn't believe that either candidate represented my values. Even though Obama has made a lot of progress in our country, he is still a military interventionist and both him and Romney took money from millionaires and billionaires. That is unacceptable to me. I wanted to vote for President, but not for those guys.
Even though my actions may seem unorthodox, I'm very involved in politics and I have been since I was younger. Until 2015, I was also registered as an independent, because I believe that both parties are bought. Since New York law states that you have to be registered for a political party to vote in that party's primaries I changed my affiliation to Democrat to vote for Bernie Sanders.
I'm not telling you this because I'm unique, I'm telling you this because I'm not. Bernie is bringing out so many different types of people. There are millions who have been jaded by politics that are waking up to Bernie's electrifying message. Independents and even moderate Republicans are flocking to his campaign. Even if you don't support Bernie, I'm sure you can feel the the momentum of his movement sending vibrations of an eventual upset.
That's why I think Bernie is going to win the nomination. My instincts say that we're going to start by crushing in Iowa and New Hampshire. Those voters will help bring down Hillary's "firewall" in South Carolina like a group of elite hackers and on and on it will Bern. However, I think if, IF, Hillary wins the nomination, it will be bad for the Democrats. People like myself, and there are millions of us, that got involved due to Bernie, will just back away from politics because we will not be willing to vote for Clinton. I know many people will say, "but do you really want Donald Trump to be president?" And I'll have to respond with, "my family didn't immigrate to this country for me to vote for the lesser of two evil oligarchies. I don't vote out of fear. I don't vote for corruption. I live in America, not Pakistan."
As all the enthusiasm due to Bernie's campaign disappears, GOP voters will mobilize and be out in full force because they HATE Hillary (Bernie is the only candidate in either party with a net favorability rating. Which means, there are more people that like him, than dislike him, unlike every other candidate). With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary's primary win will hand the presidency over to the GOP nominee, like Trump. When there is a lower voter turnout, the Republicans do better. Did I mention the GOP hates her?
The cynic in me feels that a Trump win due to Clinton being unelectable would serve the so called "progressives" right for pussying out in the primaries. Our country would deserve the outcomes of our fears. Plus, I do stand up comedy, I was born in Pakistan, and raised a Muslim. Can you imagine the type of material I could do if Trump becomes president? I mean, sure, I'll probably be doing my jokes in a concentration camp, but my act is gonna be a hit!
Bernie Sanders IS Electable!
What do I know though right? I'm just speculating like everyone else and I'm not trying to sway anyone's vote with fear mongering. The rational (and partly bias) part of me thinks that Hillary Clinton supporters are feeling the Bern. That's why I think Bernie is going to win because we're enthusiastic and his message and candidacy are pure. We're going to be at the polls. We're organizing, knocking on doors, talking to voters, and calling thousands of people in primary states so that we can get others to the polls, too.
I really hope, that my friends or even others that are Hillary supporters, see the vision of a Bernie Sanders presidency. I think we're going to win without their complete support, but I rather persuade Hillary supporters to become a part of the revolution so that we can take down this oligarchy together, from the primaries all the way till Bernie's 8th year as president. It's going to take work, not only this election, but as we move forward past the elections.
Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: Sadiq Samani
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