Dear Sulking Bernie Supporters: Do You Want A Trump Presidency?

I’m sick of the whining.  I’m fed up with the petulant temper tantrums of the Bernie Sanders supporters who are acting like toddlers in the throes of the “terrible twos.”

They’re stomping their feet, flailing their arms and throwing themselves on the floor kicking and screaming that they’ll NEVER vote for Hillary Clinton because their Bernie “bankie” has been taken from them.  Noses running snot, gulping air between wails, they’re hiccuping out vows never to vote for Clinton and renouncing their Democratic party affiliation. It’s the political equivalent of “I’m gonna take my toys and go home.”

I have one question to ask these crybabies:

Do you want Donald Trump for president?

Jill Stein has been trotted out yet again (…sigh…) for the Green Party.  They’d probably still have Nader but he’s too old. So, “Nader Lite” Stein, who has been mothballed for the past 4 years, once again appears to make the disaffected masses feel like they’re going to be able to change the country overnight.

Even more horrific –  there are those who say they’ll vote for Trump and not “establishment” Hillary, or will stay home.

What these Stein or Libertarian Party voters, along with the sulking Bernie-bots & no-shows could do is hand Trump the election.

What is wrong with you people? Is being pissy worth risking a Trump presidency?

As a Bernie supporter, yes, I am very disappointed too.  For awhile we all had really high hopes.  It looked good.  Then it collapsed.  It became clear that Hillary Clinton would probably be the nominee. We were devastated. It’s obvious that the race was truly stacked against Bernie Sanders from the beginning and that’s a shame.  If independent voters weren’t shut out of many Democratic primaries, Bernie would have won hands down. So, I sulked a bit, too.  Then I realized that our political process takes baby steps.  It takes time. Let’s work for it, OK?

If Bernie Sanders accomplished one thing it was to move the Democratic party toward the left.  He’s been fighting for these ideas his whole political career. They’re beneficial ones, too, and it’s long past time they were addressed.  Our country needs to be progressive, not regressive like the Republican agenda wants. Our nation is changing in its views & demographics. Democrats are prone to inclusivity whereas Republicans tend to be more restrictive.

The Bernie whiners are forgetting to see the bigger picture.  Our political process takes time.  It won’t change overnight.  It never has and never will. Just like the path to the women’s vote, worker protections, civil rights, and more recently, more acceptance of the LGBTQ issues, it has been a long time in coming. Programs which benefit our citizens like Social Security or Medicare, along with various regulatory government agencies or laws to protect us, took years to come to fruition.

We cannot give up!  We can’t let Trump’s campaign of fear, hatred & racism win! We must not let the Republican party gain traction and further pull this country down into its regressive, obstructionist, discriminatory agenda.

This is America! We are inclusive, not exclusive.  We build up, not tear down. We look ahead instead of longing for the past.

So, children – take a time-out, have a nap, and as my Dad would say, “Quit yer bitchin’!” There’s much more work to do – but we have to do it together.

Our immediate goal should be November with the defeat of Trump and to tell the entire world:  This is NOT who we are!

Bernie vs. Hillary – Democrats: Don’t Blow It

Don’t blow it, Democrats, or we could end up with much worse!

Any sane, intelligent person following the 2016 election can plainly see which party is running the more coherent campaign.

The three remaining Republican candidates are a joke.   Whittled down from a huge, laughable field, the entire Republican campaign has been one name-calling schoolyard brawl after another. They’re down to – Donald Trump: The egocentric, racist, narcissistic, loudmouth, demagogue, bully billionaire, who has no coherent plans or insight. Lacking any sort of tact or restraint required to deal with complex international situations, Trump  is not emotionally or mentally fit to be President. Ted Cruz proclaims he’s “a Christian first, an American, second.”  He’s a Conservative Christian right-wing religious nutcase – far too much religion too close to the White House. Cruz sets a dangerous precedent with wanting to wipe out any sort of gains made by women, immigrants and the LGBT community.  I can barely count John Kasich, who seems the most sane of the entire bunch. He’s hanging on in the polls and it’s probably only a matter of time before he drops out.

I truly want Bernie Sanders to get the nomination.  It’s time for this country to take a new direction.  Bernie is leading a political revolution because we are finally waking up.  Things aren’t working as they should be and Americans are finally speaking up!  Bernie has stood firm on his principles and fought for the American people from day one.  He has not changed his rhetoric – he’s saying the same thing he reiterated 10, 20 or 30 years ago. He is, I feel, the candidate who is really fighting for the American people and this planet.

There was a time that I would have automatically voted for Hillary Clinton.  There are several reasons now that I’ve changed my mind. First is that she’s flipped-flopped on many positions, probably as a grab for the more moderate Sanders-prone voter.  I don’t like that. Secondly, her voting record dismays me.  She cast “yes” votes on several key issues like trade bills that have helped decimate jobs in this country.  Sanders did not. She voted for war; Sanders didn’t. She’s voted for fracking, the Keystone Pipeline as well as an array of other damaging proposals.  Bernie Sanders voted against them. As is very clear in the difference in both campaigns, Hillary is backed by corporate America; Bernie’s base is the average citizen.  Lastly, there’s just something that I don’t trust about her. Can’t put my finger on it but it’s there.

So – we come down to the gist of this article:  There has been much talk of late on social media of Sanders supporters saying that they will not support Hillary if she gets the nomination.

My message is this:  DEMOCRATS — DON’T BLOW IT!

This country and the world cannot afford to have Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or any other Republican in the White House.

Their entire party platform is one of total destruction. They’re salivating at the prospect of demolishing Obamacare, rolling back women’s rights, decimating gains by the LGBT community and destroying what’s left of governmental agencies which are designed to protect us.  Climate change doesn’t exist for them.  They’re in it for the rich who want to keep us all subjugated, in the dark, helpless. More war is another real possibility that the mega-rich want to keep going.  In the Republican guise of smaller government, so dear to hearts of many, in reality it’s the little guy who’s getting screwed – YOU!

It is a frightening thought that millions of people have their noses so out of joint that they would stupidly risk the future of this country and the entire planet simply by not voting.

Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate is virtually unknown. Her Facebook page has only 141,000 “likes.” While her policies are exactly like Bernie’s, voting for her would be like not voting. She’s literally got no chance. We’re 7 months away from election day.  Now is not the time to push a splinter party, nor is it the time to be a crybaby or have a hissy fit!

My main point here is to say:

DEMOCRATS: VOTE FOR WHOMEVER IS THE NOMINEE.

We have an excellent chance to win – don’t blow it so that we end up with some rabid right-wing Republican as POTUS, a Supreme Court to do the bidding of the far-right’s Conservative Christians and the 1%.

Our other mission in the election year must be to vote out all those “do-nothings” in government, all the obstructionists and those who, by their voting records, do not work for the American people.  Those who continuously introduce or vote for legislation which harms you. Overwhelmingly they are Republicans. Don’t vote for them just because you did last time. If they didn’t work in your best interest, show them the door. You can do this!

We have the chance to change things, but it cannot come overnight. Our political system is very complicated with deep ties to corporate America. We must work to undermine their influence but it will take time.  There is no magic wand that we can wave to make it go away. Our most powerful tool is “We The People.”

Electing Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton will not change things, but it’s a start.  It is imperative that we keep Republicans out of the White House because it would undo all the gains we’ve made in the last 7 years.

Don’t blow it, Democrats!