Let me be clear -- if Bernie Sanders wins the nomination, I will vote for him. I will enthusiastically support him. No hesitation, no bitterness, no hissy fits. Just pragmatic decisions to keep the country moving forward. It is ridiculous to think otherwise.
However, I think Hillary is the better candidate.
And I don't have to explain why. There's no litmus test in the Constitution (or the Voter ID laws) that requires me to satisfy your nebby self. It doesn't matter how you spin her record or Bernie's record, I still get to make my own decision. And I can make that decision based on any criteria I like -- voting records, establishment ties, street cred, hair styles, etc.
The vitriol among Democrats about whom we are supporting in the primary election is exasperating and sad. I'm personally most exasperated by heterosexual cisgender people lecturing me about their mutual LGBTQ records. Actually, I'm the most exasperated by people who can't stop, who can't let it go. I'm voting for Hillary, you aren't going to change my mind so please move on to actual undecided voters instead of browbeating me or insisting I allow you to have your say. That's patriarchal bullshit.
Yes, I think Gloria Steinem was out of line for shaming younger women who support Sanders. The matter of why younger feminists are rejecting the candidate of their elders is worth another entire post, but for the sake of consistency I want to emphasize that shaming someone is very different than educating them. And when someone says 'no thank you' to your education efforts, you don't get to force them to listen to you.
I was amused to run across this post yesterday 'All the terrible things Hillary Clinton has done -- in one big list.' I'm going to share this when anyone tries to persuade me to change my vote.
But it made me rethink my position a bit -- not my support for Hillary Clinton, but my eye-rolling stance about the ardency of the Bernie Sanders enthusiasts. I realize that their silencing shenanigans are leading me to avoid really publicly sharing my support of Hillary because I want to avoid those inevitable discussions. And that's not okay.
So I'm going to roll up my sleeves and delve in to the fray a little bit. What I'm not going to do is engage Bernie Sanders' followers when they try to derail me. No more. You have your venues to make your points. So, expect more Hillary content in this spot without Bernie bashing. I might even share some of my reasons for admiring and appreciating Bernie Sanders.
But I won't tolerate any more guff. You don't have to read my posts or my blog or follow me on social media. You don't have to support my candidate. But you also may not insert yourself into my decision-making without my consent.
If you give me guff about this, I'm going to make a donation to Hillary. No arguments, no back and forth, none of that. Just me deleting your comment and moving on with my life.