in·teg·ri·ty
(noun)
- the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
The cultural norm is to accept the fact that American politicians are corrupt. While many of us complain about our government's efficiency, we are also responsible for the corruption that continues to take place as we continue to elect and re-elect people with clear records of unethical and immoral behavior. With all the media smog in today's society, we have become apathetic in truly caring about the character of who we elect to office so long as they align with our personal views.
While there are differing views on the upcoming presidential election, I wanted to narrow in on the Democratic race to highlight an important personal characteristic that has been lacking in all mainstream politicians since I can remember. This one characteristics can't be bought, taught or photoshopped; it must be earned. This characteristic is integrity. While the value of integrity has diminished when it comes to politics, there is one candidate who is brimming with it. The one candidate who has the most consistent, transparent, and honorable record as a public servant is Bernie Sanders.
It isn't difficult to prove this claim of integrity about the Sand Man. If you research his stance (articles and videos) on civil rights, education, the environment, war, wall street, banking, health care, economics, etc., you will see the same Bernie Sanders you saw over 30 years ago. He has been a champion for the middle class and has always made sound and rational decisions while in public office (even while many of his colleagues in the Democratic party did not). All of his stances have been directed at creating a more opportunistic and fair American society. It's in Bernie's incredible and consistent background before he entered politics, and every day since, which proves he has the experience to be our next president.
Before I point to the chart below which should clearly prove my point about who the real progressive candidate is, I would like to point out three major concerns true progressives should have with Hillary in respect to her integrity. The first and most obvious is her voting to go to war in Iraq in which Bernie was against. In dangerous times, Bernie stayed cool and made the right decision (which we now know). This is the resolve and clear-headed decision making we need in the White House.
The second big concern is in regards to who she brought on to run her campaign...the ex-lobbyist of one of the most immoral and corrupt corporations in our country, Monsanto. Yes the same chemical company that created Agent Orange for our bombing during the Vietnam and decided to move into corporatizing, genetically modifying, and poisoning our food.
Finally, we must address the major issue at hand in regards to real change in the Democratic party. While Hillary has a some positives about her domestic record, we have to recognize her business as usual political and corporate connections. She, like all the other candidates for president, have major funders from different special interest groups (banks and Wallstreet) which continue to perpetuate the corruption in American government. Oh wait...El Bernerino doesn't have any corporate sponsors and is funded by the people #BOOM!!!
I personally feel this election can directly impact the fate of America and the world. We have seen how past government officials have run our country and their model clearly failed. There are many that claim Bernie doesn't have a chance at the nomination due to the political power of Hillary. Despite this claim, I know one thing for sure, integrity will always get my vote. #FEELtheBERN