Within the past few weeks, the 2016 presidential election has taken clearer shape. Donald Trump's rivals have all cowered and bowed out, making him the likely nominee for the Republicans. Hillary Clinton is the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, although Bernie Sanders has not yet begun to give up.
I supported Sanders and voted for him in the Illinois primary. I think that on the issues, he has proven himself to be bold, sincere and forward-thinking. I think that his campaign has molded Clinton's in a positive way. But a nomination is not realistic. And I will vote for Clinton and the Democrats.
Clinton has been in politics for a long time, and while she doesn't have the consistency of Sanders's record, she was a very liberal senator during her time in Congress. She was a senator during the dark ages of George W. Bush's presidency, when it was often hard to speak one's mind. The entire country was deranged, so any missteps then should be understood as a product of the time. As a secretary of state, she performed valiantly. She does her homework, is a strategic thinker, has the savvy to strengthen relationships with our allies and would break ground as the first female president.
It's important that the Dems win this presidency and retake the Senate. As the physicist Niels Bohr noted, "It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future." Right now, the electoral map favors Hillary Clinton. But polling has been notoriously unreliable this election cycle. So let me toss whatever influence I have into imploring you the reader to vote against Trump and everything he represents. (Including, by the way, a foreign policy advisor who is a Knight of Malta, which influenced the George W. Bush administration, as I previously reported.)
What does Donald Trump represent? As Huffington Post states, "Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims -- 1.6 billion members of an entire religion -- from entering the U.S."
He represents our worst urges when we should be voting for someone who represents our best aspirations. He lies and doubles back, then lies again. We must unite to prevent such a person from holding power. My fellow Bernie supporters, keep the vision Bernie has inspired in us. Keep reminding yourself that Hillary Clinton can dream big too and vote for her in the general election. And with this, we can keep Donald Trump out of the White House.