I have a difficult message to send. Pretty sure it's gonna make some
people pretty angry at first, but I really hope that it will be read and
considered. I do my best to share any message I have passionately, but
with facts and resources to back it up. I am not forwarding a meme here,
I am speaking from the heart and mind. Thanks in advance for reading.
(Edited to add: I have been getting some accusations of being a "Hillbot". For one, that is a childish term and I think we should be more respectful of people who may not share our political reviews. Secondly, I have been an ardent, vocal, and active Bernie supporter, volunteering at the local office, volunteering at the local caucus, and advocate online at every opportunity. This is not something I take lightly, and I am not a Clinton apologist by any stretch. So please read with an open mind and don't decide you know me from a single online post. This is carefully considered and deeply personal to me on many levels.)
(Edited to add: I have been getting some accusations of being a "Hillbot". For one, that is a childish term and I think we should be more respectful of people who may not share our political reviews. Secondly, I have been an ardent, vocal, and active Bernie supporter, volunteering at the local office, volunteering at the local caucus, and advocate online at every opportunity. This is not something I take lightly, and I am not a Clinton apologist by any stretch. So please read with an open mind and don't decide you know me from a single online post. This is carefully considered and deeply personal to me on many levels.)
Bernie supporters/disillusioned Dems who say they are voting third party because they "refuse to vote against their conscience" are admitting:
a) they don't understand how voting works in America
and/or
b) they honestly feel their personal comfort in knowing they "voted their conscience" is more important than the greater good of their fellow citizens.
Newsflash: Trump is far far worse than Hillary--whatever your personal collection of progressive issues may be, I promise you Trump has it covered in spades and WORSE:
- War? Worse, including killing innocent women and children, and bragging about being willing to commit war crimes against allies, check.
- LGBTQ issues? Worse, wants to overturn Obergefell/rights to marry, check.
- Income equality? Not even on his radar and wants to gut social programs to boot, check.
- Racial equality? Do I even have to spell it out for you?
- Want a Supreme Court which will represent your values? Justices outlive presidencies, friends, and you don't want who the GOP will put into the office deciding our law for 10+ years do you?
- Shall we get into his bigoted, women's-rights-hating VP running-mate while we're at it...?
(*Here is what is wrong with how voting works in America, and I have linked you in at 5 minutes where you can see why voting third party creates the spoiler effect and is basically a vote for the worst for your values. https://youtu.be/s7tWHJfhiyo?t=300 )
Voting third party does not "send a message" to the Dems. Believe me, the two party system is working as intended, and as anyone who saw the votes split by Perot and Nader in their respective races, it doesn't send any message or change the system to vote third party. I encourage you to read more about it from FairVote, an organization devoted to changing the system:
http://www.fairvote.org/third-parties-and-the-spoiler-effect-in-the-2012-election
If you really want to change the world, start by holding your nose and vote Dem--vote strategically, not emotionally; vote the platform, if not the person--to control the blast radius of this shit show of an election. Trump would be far far worse. Unconvinced? Read more at this link with some of Trump's Greatest Hits. https://www.facebook.com/notes/shay-moore/stop-trump-the-facts-part-1-war-and-human-rights-violations/10153920359189195
Then turn all your indignant energy (which believe you me, I share with you!) to changing from the ground up. That means election reform at your local level, voting for true progressives at every viable opportunity, pressuring your representatives for election reform, demanding third party organizations to get their shit together (Green Party, I'm looking at you and your lack of ANY respectable cohesiveness across the nation), and many other options that will actually make a difference.
( http://www.fairvote.com has you covered with ways to get involved.)
Why do you think Bernie, a man who has been in politics longer than some of us have been alive, has endorsed Hillary/the Democratic nominee? Because he already knows what every progressive needs to understand: the GOP nominee is a death sentence for all the values we hold dear. Bernie has put his energy behind the only other viable alternative at this time, because he understands how politics work, and he is doing what he must--what we *all* must--to do the most damage control. He knows endorsing anyone else or running third party will actually divide the vote, creating the spoiler effect, and get Trump into office.
If you ever believed in Bernie--his clear heart, his keen mind, and extensive experience in the real world of politics--you need to listen to him now. Our future depends on it.
Some links for further reading:
A three part series of Trump's Greatest Hits (ie why we need to keep this monster out at all cost, shared above but worth linking again in case you missed it)
Hillary is Fundamentally Honest & Trustworthy (despite what the rest of the media has been feeding you)
And don't miss this handy chart showing the most truthful and least truthful candidates. You won't be surprised who is the worst, but did you know who's among the best?
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