Once again, that would be tantamount to a contest where we are forced to choose between the "lesser of two evils."
In fact, I prefer borrowing from Michael Moore here in describing such a contest as the "evil of two lessers."
Granted, I would hope that Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump, but if that happens, it would nonetheless be a triumph of politics as usual, and that would be most unfortunate.
Clinton has been forced to the left by Bernie Sanders, who relentlessly (and correctly) attacks Clinton and other mainstream politicians for taking big money from huge corporate special interests and Wall Street. But the thing is, mainstream politicians (and the Clintons in particular) have always benefited from a certain elasticity that has allowed them to win election after election, with perhaps the 2008 election being the obvious exception, when Hillary lost to now President Barack Obama.
And so it is that Clinton looks well on her way to victory in 2016, at least for the Democratic nomination. And again, it is hard to imagine someone other than Trump emerging on the Republican side and, if this proves to be the case, it would be hard to imagine Clinton losing to Trump in the general election. Hard to imagine, yes, but not impossible. And even still, that threat is not enough to get me to vote for Hillary Clinton. She and her supporters sickened me during this election to the point that I could never again seriously consider voting for a Clinton. I made that mistake in 1992 and 1996, with considerably decreased enthusiasm by the second time around. Another Clinton presidency is not exactly a mystery, and we can pretty much get a good idea of what it would look like.
Right off the bat, there are certain things that she and her husband always seem to promise, and they know how to make their arguments sound good. No one can accuse Bill Clinton of not knowing how to give a speech, and a lot of that ability has clearly rubbed off on his wife, if the enormous speaking fees that she regularly gets from private interests are any indication.
The reality is decidedly less glossy. Still, the Democrats, particularly the establishment wing of the party, have long wanted Hillary as their candidate, believing that she is the biggest name, and thus best suited to give them the White House win they so desperately want. They remember all too well how her husband Bill, back in 1992, was able to overcome enormous odds against a popular president who had at one time looked like the prohibitive favorite, and gave the Democrats the White House after 12 long years of Republican rule.
They believe this, and their loyalty has remained to Hillary Clinton, even though polls have consistently shown that Bernie Sanders is the most popular presidential candidate, and would give the Democrats their best chance at winning the presidency for a third straight term.
As such, they have done everything in their power to minimize the impact that Bernie Sanders has had on the race, and the media has been complicit with this. Despite the favorable polls showing Sanders to be a far more popular and trustworthy candidate in the eyes of the American people at large than Hillary is, they have maintained on message that he is not a "viable" option, and that it is Hillary or bust for the Democrats.
This continued point of slighting Sanders continued last evening, when his speech was not even shown by the three major networks, who were "standing by for Trump."
Still, there is reason for Bernie backers to hold their ground, to stand true, and to keep the fight. In fact, to intensify it. Because, as a couple of the articles that I have included links for below illustrate, we have taken the best that Hillary can dish out, and we are still here. Still standing. And people are no less tired of business as usual politicians like her.
After all, the establishment candidates are hugely, and uncharacteristically, unpopular with both major parties in this election. Just witness how the Marcobot, the unofficial establishment candidate for the GOP, finally gave up the goose last evening, after a disappointing finish in Florida. And witness how Sanders, who was at 3% on the polls just ten months ago, soared as he became an alternative to the coronation of Hillary. She is still winning, but not by nearly as much as she was favored to, and that is after hundreds of millions spent, and after the entire establishment, including the media, have done all that they can to shut Bernie and his revolution out, and push their candidate onto the world as the next anointed leader.
She is at the height of power right now, but the remaining election should prove far more challenging, and this is the time to fight, and make it as difficult for her as possible. The presidency, and indeed American democracy itself, should not be up for sale to the highest bidder, nor should things be systematically granted as some kind of prize for those who feel so entitled, as Hillary clearly does.
This is Bernie's moment. Let it shine.
Presidential Primary 2.0 Is About to Begin by Rep. Alan Grayson, March 14, 2016:
Clinton Will Build Her Biggest Lead on March 15. Sanders Will Erode It After That. Posted on March 3, 2016 by WashingtonsBlog
All Three Networks Ignored Bernie Sanders' Speech Tuesday Night, 'Standing By For Trump' by Ryan Grim, March 15, 2016:
Thank you for giving me a reason to hope again after yesterday. And thanks to Bernie Sanders for all he does.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, anonymous. I will likely post more on Bernie and keeping that hope alive in the near future, because this is not the time to despair.
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