Earlier today, I ran into an enthusiastically pro-Hillary supporter on Facebook who posted something about the results of the Nevada caucus this past weekend. This guy basically mocked Sanders and his supporters, suggesting that all of that talk about how America was ready for a revolution had not panned out.
Personally, I sure am tired of all of those pro-Hillary supporters who try to mock supporters of Bernie Sanders, and then turn around and are surprised when many of these same people simply cannot see any value in Hillary (and her supporters) and what they stand for, because what they stand for is a laser-like focus on winning political battles, at the expense of everything else.
This time, it irritated me enough to do what I usually try to avoid doing, which is to get into online arguments with a stranger. But I could not leave this particular gloating session unanswered this time around. So, I thought I should share my response, because it is probably similar to what a lot of Bernie supporters feel about mainstream politics in general, and perhaps Hillary in particular:
Yes, you're right, (unnamed). America is not ready for a revolution. Politics is not much more than a game in this country, and Clinton is one of the favorites to win it all. Let us get the same old same old with Clinton instead. Another politician focusing only on how many millions that can be raised, and promising to be everything to everyone. When she thought she had the race wrapped up months ago, she proudly proclaimed to be a moderate, but now claims to be the "real progressive." We could have had someone who fought for civil rights in his youth and was arrested for it, but we got the self-described "Goldwater girl" instead. We could have had someone who stood almost alone in opposition to the invasion of Iraq and the Patriot Act, but we predictably got someone who voted for both instead. Could have had someone with a long history of fighting for the middle class, but we got someone who stands opposed to bringing back Glass-Steagall Act. Thank goodness, Hillary restored order, because we certainly would not want to try anything different than the policies that have seen the living standards in this country consistently decline - yes, right through the years with Bill Clinton as president. She wisely sided with Goldman Sachs & other big banks and corporations, and the party establishment made sure of the rest. Winning is everything, and the Clintons clearly are consistent winners in the American political game. So, let's get on with the scheduled coronation, so that you & people like you can continue to celebrate. Yay, ra-ra! Go 'Murica!
I have not voted Democrat, much less Republican, for many years now, although I might have scratched my head this time around, seriously contemplating voting for one of the big party candidates. I joined the Young Democrats fresh out of high school, and believed that I would meet other people who felt as active and motivated for real change to make the country better. But the first meeting that I went to reminded me instead of the Sunday football shows before the game, when they talk about each team's strengths and weaknesses and possibilities for winning. It was all about winning elections, and not enough about what mattered to impact lives. That turned me away from either of the two major parties, and being an independent, neither of the two major parties have felt like a viable option for me, since they look and feel too similar, both taking money from the same big banks. It felt like neither party was serious about addressing real issues, opting instead for political pragmatism. You, in your enthusiasm for the "can't opt for real change" line, helped to remind me of why being a born & bred Democrat is never, ever a good idea. Too much emphasis on making sure the party wins political battles, and not enough on substantive matters, sacrificing what is actually good for the country for political victories instead. I'll bet it even truly baffles you why so many people like me just can't trust Hillary.
Did this luminary have a rebuttal to that? I fully relate to your disgust and disillusion. I once believed in the political process, and in humanity itself for that matter. In a particularly glaring case of youthful naïveté, I even wrote an essay back in high school entitled "Why We Are Headed, Ultimately, for Anarchy". As you can imagine, I didn't mean "anarchy" the way most people think of that word, i.e. all hell breaking loose in an appalling display of wanton violence and destruction. I meant it in the noble, idealistic sense, i.e. people rising above the need for politics, police forces, courts – in short, authority itself. It was made vividly, even painfully clear to me long ago just how Utopian and delusional I was to think such a thing. I used to be a big fan of the United Nations for much the same reason – I felt it would play a central role in slowly but surely bringing about a world wherein wars, abject poverty, exploitation and injustice would simply cease to be. Instead, I've come around to George Carlin's position: feeling like a spectator in a world gone mad, and in which our species continues to circle the drain. He summed it up quite succinctly, actually: "Please don't confuse my point of view with cynicism; the real cynics are the ones who tell you everything's gonna be all right."
ReplyDeleteHe "liked" my comment, but that was about it.
ReplyDeleteThe kicker is this recurring phenomenon of people claiming to be "sick and tired of politics as usual", "ready for some real change", "fed up with the status quo" and so forth, then electing the umpteenth milquetoast, finger-in-the-wind caricature trying to be all things to all people.
ReplyDelete