By SJ Otto
Like it or not we now have two choices for president next
November. Both candidates seem to have a lot of hate from their own parties. In
all my election years this is the strangest election I've seen in many years.
This was the first year I actually got to vote for a
democratic socialist or a socialist of any kind for US president. That is not including
when the Communist Party USA ran Gus Hall. My Marxist friends condemned Bernie
Sanders and any kind of work for his campaign. They said he was not really a
socialist and would really just support the established order. However young
people poured out for him in mass all across the country. Even here in
conservative Kansas
the young got involved and Bernie won by a landslide. This is all good to see. I have not seen
anything like this since the 1960s and 1970s. In the early 1970s George McGovern was the most left wing candidate for
president I ever remember in my life time. I suppose the only presidential
candidate even close would be Franklin Roosevelt. I suppose we could also
consider William Jennings Bryan the most anti-imperialist candidate of
the last two centuries.
However the system has never welcomed such left-wing people.
McGovern was not supported by most of the Democratic Party when he ran. The
press gave him lousy coverage. Why then would the political establishment even
consider allowing a socialist to run as the Democratic front runner. Bernie ran
well in spite of the terrible treatment he got from the Democratic Party and
political establishment. The good news is that he may be able to get nominate
in the next open election season. Or someone like him maybe able to take the
reins. Such changes come with an establishment that is hostile to the left and
just nasty towards socialism.
And Bernie can do a lot of good at the upcoming Democratic
Convention. According to NPR:
"Speaking at the
White House after the meeting, Sanders reiterated that he would compete in the
D.C. primary next Tuesday and take his campaign issues to the July Democratic
National Convention. He also affirmed his commitment to working on issues of
income inequality. "We will continue doing everything we can to oppose the
drift that currently exists toward and oligarchic form society where a handful
of billionaires exercise enormous power over our political, economic and media
life," Sanders said. He added that he looks forward to meeting with Clinton
The meeting came at
Sanders' request, according to the White House. According to a statement, the
two are expected to "continue their conversation about the significant
issues at stake in this election that matter most to America
But Bernie has said he will support Hillary Clinton and get
behind her.
"Democrats took giant steps toward party unity Thursday as
Bernie Sanders vowed to work together with Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald
Trump in November and President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden
formally endorsed Clinton
Sanders' decision to continue his White House bid even after
Clinton became the party's presumptive presidential nominee has had Democrats
on high alert as they seek to quickly change gears and take on Trump, the
presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Sanders' first explicit promise on
Thursday to join forces with Clinton
Emerging from the White House after a meeting with Obama that
lasted more than an hour, Sanders warned that a Trump presidency would be a
"disaster" and that he would "work as hard as I can to make sure
that Donald Trump does not become president of the United States
So now we are stuck with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. I
agree this is not a great choice. Hillary is an establishment candidate to the
max. She is not left-wing, liberal or socialist. But she would be the first female
president. She will be in charge of picking the next supreme court judges. She
will support Obama Care which does work and does help provide some medical care
for lower income people. With Trump we can assume things will go back to the
way they were with poor people having few if any real options for healthcare.
Poor people in America
die earlier than any other industrialized country. We all deserve better than
that.
I know of many friends who refuse to vote for Hillary. Some
people have built a case that she is untrustworthy and dishonest. But I like to
point out that Donald Trump will win if she looses.
It may not matter to everyone but it does matter to me. We
can do better than Donald Trump. If Trump wins the entire country and every
branch of government will be in the hands of the Republican Party. That is a
party that has created a haven for millionaires and billionaires and the rest
of us have had to pay for all their privileges. I'm sick of that. I'm sick of
Republicans.
Let's vote for Hillary, because it is just plain foolish not
to.
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