Why Bernie Sanders Won My Vote — a Long Time Ago
--
Since this race has started, friends and family have asked me why I will be voting for Bernie Sanders. So…I decided to lay out my reasons in a super long blog post that no one will read. Soooo…here goes:
I have been a huge fan of Bernie Sanders for ~10–15 years now. As a New Englander, I first heard of this spitfire, independent Senator from Vermont from some local coverage. While I don’t remember the exact specifics of this first encounter (I saw coverage of him giving some speech on the floor of Congress), I certainly do remember thinking — “wow…this dude is pretty awesome.”
I didn’t have to watch Bernie for very long to see that he was a different politician. In fact, he didn’t even seem like a politician. Again, I don’t remember the specifics of the issue, but I do remember that he was speaking in opposition to some popular topic — it may have even been the Iraq war. Regardless, when he spoke, I remember:
- That he was speaking out against something that was very popular. He was definitely a lone voice in this argument he was making — but he was making it with fearless conviction.
- The way he spoke was different than any other politician I had ever seen. It was raw, unrehearsed, unedited, fluid — but at the same time intelligent, well reasoned — and piercing. Watching him felt like someone had shot an arrow into a dormant part of my brain — flooding it with an energizing blood stream.
- How he spoke with such GENUINE passion. I was so used to listening to calculated political speak. Speech that was clearly influenced — no, check that, defined — by outside interests. But, when I watched Bernie, I couldn’t identify anything disingenuous. At no point did I find myself thinking, “Oh…he had to say that because if he didn’t, then XYZ wouldn’t support him in his re-election” or “He’s obviously saying that because that will allow him to get leverage on XYZ issue later” or “Clearly he’s hiding something.” I couldn’t identify an ounce of “political capital” driving his words. This was different. At times other politicians spoke with passion — but Bernie clearly spoke with genuine passion. Big difference.
And since that time, I have followed Bernie from afar. And the more I saw, the greater my admiration grew. I have been wanting Bernie to run for President for a long time. I was really hoping that he would run after George W’s disastrous tenure, but he didn’t (which wasn’t a huge disappointment because I was very happy that the door opened for Obama in ‘08. I was very proud to see America vote Obama into office. It was the right choice — his campaign and Presidency has definitely moved the country forward in many good ways.)
But I started to get excited by the prospect of Bernie running in this election. Granted, I never thought he would do it because I thought he would realize that running as an independent was too much of a “moral pursuit” versus a serious endeavor. But when I heard the news that he announced his candidacy — and that he was going to run as a Democrat (which meant he was taking it seriously and that he actually had a shot, albeit it a loooooooong one) — I was beyond ecstatic.
I am writing this on March 15th — after a bad night for Bernie in this primary. I was hopeful that Bernie could win at least a couple of states (OH & IL) and close the delegate gap, but it didn’t happen. I’m definitely disappointed and a bit discouraged.
Not that I should be. Bernie started this campaign as a virtual unknown (a life-long independent!) running against the Clinton aristocracy — a political legacy second only to the Kennedys in many ways. An institution with enormous recognition, awareness, history, full backing of the Democratic party…and a limitless fundraising capacity.
Bernie vs Clinton was like Hickory High taking on the ’96 Bulls.
In that context, what Bernie has achieved so far is beyond incredible. However, a night like tonight is still frustrating.
What is most disappointing to me is that America hasn’t yet been able to see beyond the Clinton brand and understand that Bernie Sanders represents something clearly different. They aren’t able to see that we have an opportunity to elect a truly historic president. One that could go down with the likes of FDR & JFK. Bernie is the most Kenedy-esque president we have seen since…well, JFK. We never got to experience the full effect of JFK’s progressive platform (for obvious reasons) and until now, we’ve never had a candidate who offered us the opportunity to do so. In my mind, Bernie represents our best shot at creating the country that so many hoped for when they rallied behind the longshot JFK.
I’m frustrated because I think that by taking the easy road, by making the easy decision, establishment Democrat voters are missing out on something great. Whenever I hear people say they are going to vote for Hillary, or I see her win a state in this primary, I can’t help but think — “don’t you see, people…you’re missing your God-given right to something better!”
IMHO, the BIGGEST thing they are missing is…
Reason #1 I’m voting for Bernie : HE IS THE FIRST, TRUE PUBLICLY FUNDED CANDIDATE WE’VE EVER SEEN
I just don’t understand how Democratic voters don’t see this. Well…maybe they see it. But they certainly don’t appreciate the enormity and significance of it.
No one living today has voted for a presidential candidate who has not been funded by — and therefore beholden to — corporate interests. Period. Not Regan, not the Bush’s, not Bill, not Barack, not Hillary. All of them had campaigns financed by corporations, lobbying groups, wealthy businessmen, etc.
I know, I know…who cares, right? It’s just a reality of our political system. This funding doesn’t affect policy. It doesn’t drive decisions in office. Riiiiiiight. Such bullshit.
The problem is that this funding and it’s effects on policy is subtle and abstract for those who aren’t close to it. Admittedly, it is hard to wrap ones head around it. So, let’s take a specific example. In February, the Walton family (major shareholders in Walmart) donated $350k to Hillary’s superpac. Why would they do this? Because they are just a charitable bunch and wanted to support American democracy? Hmmm….not really. Let’s take a look at how this donation would likely pay off for the Waltons if Hillary were to end up becoming President.
Let’s take minimum wage — one of the major issues of this campaign and clearly the one closest to Walmart’s heart. In looking at Walmart’s financials, it looks like their store employees cost them ~$18B/year. Let’s assume that 15% of them are on federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour). That’s ~$2.7B in wages to minimum wage employees. If that minimum increases even 10%, that could mean $270mm less flowing to Walmart’s bottom-line. So…for a mere $350k donation (although I’m sure there is much more than this funneling to Hillary), the Walton’s get access to Hillary. And that access will lead to an conversation about minimum wage. And in that conversation, they will be encouraging her to either lower the minimum wage hike she proposed during the campaign…or, better yet, why don’t we hold off on that legislation for a little while — just so we can think about it some more. After all, it’s a big decision. Why don’t you tackle that on year 3 of your term instead of year 1. Or better yet, why don’t you punt it until your second term? We’ll definitely be able to help with a sweeter donation for that run if you think that would help. That makes the most sense, right? I mean, you can tell American workers that you are working hard on a solution and that it’s a top priority for you. But we don’t have to actually make any rash decisions, right?
And because of their very generous donation that helped her win the office, Hillary takes that meeting, has that conversation, and very likely, acquiesces.
This is real. Walmart invests in candidates because pushing off this decision 0n minimum wage can mean hundreds of millions, if not billions, to the Walmart corporation. And given their P/E ratio, it could absolutely mean billions to Walmart stockholders — ie, the Waltons.
$350k donation → Billions of dollars in net worth for the Walton family. Simple math.
For the record, I have no confirmation that this scenario will happen or has happened in the past…but, come on…is it really that hard to imagine?
And Walmart is just one of her donors. A smaller one at that. She receives more from Wall St & other industries. Her rebuttal during the debates has been — “It’s ok if I take Wall St. money — Obama did!”
Which is completely true. But that’s like Barry Bonds claiming that he took LESS steroids than Mark McGuire.
And this is what makes Bernie special. Above all else. Sara Silverman hit the nail on the head with this one. In a world where everyone takes steroids, the player that comes along and performs at the same level (or better), WITHOUT steroids is, by definition, THE BETTER PLAYER. There is absolutely NO ARGUMENT here. None. Don’t even try it.
This doesn’t mean that Bernie hasn’t raised money. Of course he has. Running for President costs hundreds of millions of dollars (which is core to the problem) and Bernie is just as beholden to his funders as Hillary or anyone else.
Except…his funders are the American people.
Which means, he can say whatever he wants about Walmart. About Wall St. About the Insurance industry. About military contractors.
#WhateverHeWants.
It doesn’t matter. Because he doesn’t need their money. He is free to do what is right for the American people. His incentives are perfectly inline with the fundamental essence of Democracy.
I can’t emphasize this point enough. We have never before seen this in our lifetime. It’s historic.
For those interested in learning more about campaign finance and the cancer that it is to our society, school yourself off Lawrence Lessig:
Publicly-funded vs Self-funded
Don’t worry, Trumpers, I can hear you.
“Well, Trump doesn’t need their money, either!”
It’s very true. Neither did Ross Perot or Mitt Romney or Bloomberg (or I’m sure plenty of others in other races). They were wealthy enough to fund most of their campaigns themselves. Which is good because they aren’t beholden to interests that can work against the American people.
But there is a difference between self-funding and being publicly-funded. Being self-funded means you are beholden to no-one — except yourself and your own interests. Which I guess is better than being beholden to the oil & gas industry…but it does create an awkward incentive. It takes a very unique and pure person to continue to fight for the American people in a self-funded scenario. More likely, it leads to an f-everyone mentality where the candidate is free to do whatever is right for his own self-interests.
But when someone is publicly-funded, the incentive structure is absolutely as it should be. And this is Bernie in 2016. It’s really remarkable.
Reason #2 I’m voting for Bernie: CONSISTENCY
You simply have to do your homework on this one. And when you do, you will find and unbelievable, arguably unprecedented, consistency in his positions and message. This video is just one example from….1988. Yes…1988! Watch it. Actually, watch it with your eyes closed and pretend I didn’t tell you it was from 1988. You will think it was recorded last week. The consistency is amazing.
A quick search on YouTube will uncover many more old videos of Bernie beating the same drum he’s beating now.
Bernie’s consistency is especially remarkable in comparison with Hillary’s. It’s actually not even comparable.
Hillary started out as a Republican and a Goldwater girl. She is against most things she’s supported in the past — including the Iraq War, gay marriage, trade deals, crime bills, health care…and a lot more.
When it comes to consistency — there is simply no comparison.
But consistency by itself isn’t necessarily a virtue. If one is consistently wrong, then consistency is no longer a virtue. Which leads to my 3rd reason for voting for Bernie Sanders…
Reason #3 I’m voting for Bernie: JUDGEMENT
This is a big one.
Judgement: the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.
I believe that there is a big difference between Experience and Judgement.
The Hillary campaign likes to highlight Hillary’s vast experience as a First Lady, Senator, & Secretary of State. But experience does not equal judgement. Sometimes experience can help build judgement, but sometimes not. Sometimes experience just means that you’re old.
Great leaders have great judgement. Great leaders can see things and their impact of those things BEFORE they happen. Not 10 years after they happen. People like to say that Bernie has been on the “right side of history” his entire career. And I agree. I would propose that Bernie has show better judgement than any other politician in the past 40 years. If you know of someone you’d like to nominate to go against Bernie in this contest, please let me know. I’m very interested.
Just watch Bernie talk about the 2nd Iraq War:
The Clinton’s precious crime bill:
Or about Too Big to Fail:
Or about trickle-down economics and the effect of trade deals:
[update] Or how about the Panama trade agreement:
Bernie’s judgment and clarity of thought are just incredible. Remarkable.
Great judgment is a rare, priceless jewel. In fact, it just may be the most valuable strength of any leader.
Whereas, lack of judgment just may be a leader’s most fatal flaw.
Reason #4 I’m voting for Bernie: COURAGE — FIGHTING FOR THE VOICELESS
They say that a great way to judge a person is to look at the way he/she treats people who he/she doesn’t need to treat well. I think that’s a great measure of a person’s character.
But treating well those who you don’t have to is one thing. Speaking for those you don’t have to speak for is yet another thing. Standing up and fighting for people you don’t have to stand up and fight for is yet another level.
You can count on one hand the number of people that have dedicated an entire career — and entire life — to providing a voice to the voiceless. To fearlessly standing up to much greater powers in order to give a platform for the marginalized among us. Bernie Sanders is one of those people.
Going back to the 60’s when he risked arrest and being ostracized by fighting segregation at University of Chicago:
Or speaking up for gays in the military:
Or veterans:
Or endless support for the poor and struggling:
The hero on the playground is certainly not the one who picks on the weak and defenseless kids. That’s the bully. At the same time, the hero is not kid being bullied. That’s the victim. And it’s certainly not the kids that stand idly by, watching injustice happen. Those are the gutless spectators. The hero is the kid that stands up to that bully — against his or her best interests, when there is no clear personal gain—to protect that victim. This is a hero.
And if there is a greater measure of a person in this world, I don’t know it. Bernie’s been doing this for his entire life.
Reason #5 I’m voting for Bernie: COURAGE — FIGHTING THE ESTABLISHMENT
Bernie is the longest running independent in the US Congress. Early on, he decided that neither the Republican or Democratic party was doing the right things for the people of America (or…at the time he started, Burlington, VT). He was part of a movement to create a 3rd party in VT and, against all odds, won the mayorship. And then a seat in the House and then a seat in the Senate.
People thought he could never do any of this. Declaring as an Independent is an incredibly risky proposition — they very, very rarely win because they don’t receive the support, power, money, and influence of an established Party infrastructure.
This decision, in itself, shows one’s courage. Winning in this paradigm shows one’s strength.
I was very excited when Bernie decided to run for President as a Democrat. I foolishly thought that meant he would get the support he needed to make a full run. I completely underestimated the hold the Clinton aristocracy had on the DNC and the electorate at large. They are creating headwinds for Bernie that he may have anticipated, but I was too ignorant to predict.
Seeing how Bernie is being treated by “the establishment” makes me think — when did this country start placing such high value on “the establishment”? I mean, this country exists because we rejected the idea of “the establishment.” Look — I’m no anarchist — but I just don’t understand the current rhetoric which says Bernie should “fall into line” with the establishment and let Hillary win the nomination.
The establishment says,
“We don’t care what you say. We don’t care what you stand for. If you don’t wear our colors, then you’re not in our club.”
And Bernie’s been fighting that for his entire career (since 1972!). I don’t understand how this is American, but it’s the reality. And it takes courage to recognize this reality and take it on anyway…
Reason #6 I’m voting for Bernie: THINKING BIG
I like thinking big.
I like people who think big. And I especially like Presidents that think big.
Being President is a big job. We have big issues. Why would we want anyone who thinks…less than big?!? Can someone help me with the logic on this one?
Do I understand the realities of implementing big ideas? Of course. It’s not easy. And it sometimes doesn’t work out — sometimes you end up with less than the dream. I get that reality.
But while we’re in the dreaming phase— why in the world would you want to start with anything less than big? Why would we want to start with small ideas? Since when has this approach yielded great results? Hillary’s camp likes to throw out words like ‘practical’ or ‘realistic’ or ‘actually get things done’ — but I think they are just searching for ways to differentiate against Bernie. I mean she’s certainly not going to compete with him on ‘big ideas’.
Hillary’s approach to health care in the 90’s was ‘practical’ and it yielded nothing. Obama’s hope & change message brought the big ideas which led to the momentum and support that made the Affordable Care Act (an important 1st step) a reality. A smaller starting point would have led us nowhere.
When you’re looking to solve big problems, I will always agree with starting with big solutions. Sure, the reality of implementation may require adjustments, iterations, edits — but there is no reason to not start by shooting for the stars.
Reason #7–11 I’m voting for Bernie: SPECIFIC POLICIES
Now for a few specific, issue related reasons that Bernie has my vote.
INCOME INEQUALITY
Jesus Christ — why can’t we come together on this one? Can we please just cut the shit here?
Why can’t we all admit what we know — vast and extreme income inequality is a society crushing reality? This is something that shouldn’t need any explaining, but a few points from my perspective.
1- Bad for Business
Trickle-down didn’t work, right? We can all agree to that, right? I thought we had all agreed on that…shoot. Our current income & wealth inequality is not good for an economy. Let’s just be very simple about this. As a business owner, what is the one thing in the world you want to see more than anything.
A LOT of people with enough money to buy your shit.
If you run a coffee shop, which is better for you — one person with enough money to buy 50 cups per day or 50 people with enough money to buy 1 cup per day. Well, either way I sell 50 cups, right?
How many cups of coffee is one person going to buy?!?!
More customers with spending ability is better for business. Period. With our current income/wealth gap, we simply don’t have enough people with the ability to spend money. But don’t take my word for it, Gordon Gekko is more qualified to make this case:
2-Income inequality puts pressure on government programs
For all those tea-partiers out there who hate welfare programs (even though they are dependent on them), you should be all for a more even distribution of wealth. When a large number of people are at the bottom run of wealth and income, government has to spend more resources on ‘emergency’ welfare programs.
3-Unrest is borne from inequality
The seeds of unrest and violence can be found in inequality. When there is a situation of disproportionate equality (in this case we’re talking monetary equality), then eventually you have people operating out of desperation — which never leads to good things.
4-Happiness
It does no one any good to live in a world filled with anger & frustration. The very wealthy can sometimes afford to isolate themselves from the real world so to create a false fantasy land for themselves where everyone is happy, but in general, I believe that the more happier people you have in a society, the better and more functional the society. (btw — the US ranks 13th in the latest global happiness ranking — I think that is generous).
5-Self-worth
Sometimes you hear people defend the concept of extreme income inequality by saying that the richest people in this country contribute a lot of their money to charities that benefit those in need.
To that I say — fuck you.
That kind of statement, while it may be true to a certain extent, is so arrogant it makes me want to puke. There isn’t a person on this planet that wants to be a charity case. There isn’t a person on this planet who wants to be dependent on the ‘charitable whims’ of a few rich donors. Everyone wants the ability to be self-reliant and the opportunity to be independent.
People that make this argument are simply looking for a way to (a) appease their own guilty conscious because they know they are winning at a rigged game; and (b) attempting to distract you from the real issue.
Which is — a society that is reliant on the charity of the top 1% of its citizens is structurally unsustainable. Period.
TUITION-FREE PUBLIC COLLEGES
This is tremendous. Not because I’m a freeloader, but because the cost of college in this country has created a disincentive for the education of our next generation. The ROI of a 4-year college degree is just not there anymore. When I project out what college will cost by the time my two young kids get there — it’s quite shocking. I have already decided that I am going to encourage them to take a different path. I just can’t see the ROI. I started to think…what else could they do in that 4-year period with just a fraction of that money which could better prepare them for life? This is how bad this situation has gotten.
Freedom. The cost of a 4-year degree and the debt that now comes with that has enslaved our young people. It is forcing them into career paths that may or may not be good for them, or us. It is forcing them to take jobs that pay enough to cover the debt — which is literally the size and term of a mortgage payment in many cases. This is limiting their ability to spend their early 20’s exploring and figuring out where they fit in this world and how they can be most productive. It is moving them away from jobs that might actually provide value for our society, but may not pay very much.
It is absolutely limiting their freedom and their experience in this world — and that is pretty sad.
From a macro-economic perspective, education is an investment in our future. Higher education leads to a more productive workforce — especially in a knowledge economy. The cost of college in the US is putting the future productivity of our workforce at risk. Yes, Bernie’s tuition-free plan for public schools is ambitious and it’s relatively expensive — but it’s an investment. Overtime, the ROI should prove itself out…
PRISONS
Seriously, who thought that privatizing prisons was a good idea? No...I’m really asking. I don’t know the history of this. I’d really like to know how this happened.
Because it’s a RIDICULOUS IDEA.
Who thought that injecting the profit-motive into a criminal justice system would lead to good results?
I’d love to know.
And who was then surprised to learn that this resulted in our having more people in jail than any other country on earth. Forget per capita — literally, more people in jail than any other country. Even China. We have almost 2x as many prisoners as China — who has 4x as many people!
I can’t say much more than John Oliver did in this piece:
SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE
This is a no-fucking-brainer.
Let me say that again, so there is no confusion — Single-payer health care in the US is a no-fucking-brainer.
I do not accept ANY ARGUMENTS on the other side. I’ve heard them all. And they are all wrong — and driven by the corporate interests that profit under the existing systems.
I do agree with Bernie that his is a moral issue. The way we think about and administer healthcare in this country is morally perverse. So…just on a moral level, I believe in a single-payer system.
But beyond that, from a business and human perspective, I have always thought that the concept of having healthcare tied to a job was…wacky, at best. I don’t know how we got health & employment so entangled in this country, but it’s a bit ridiculous. Your health and your job are two completely different parts of your life and one should not be dependent on the other. It is just so ridiculous. Conceptually, it’s just broken.
Then there’s the actual realities of why this stinks. For businesses:
- The cost of providing healthcare for employees is enormous. As an entrepreneur, this cost can be downright crippling for an early-stage business. So, if you support entrepreneurship and small businesses in this country, you should be all-in on single-payer.
- The amount of time it takes to establish and manage healthcare for your employees is crazy. Every hour a company spends on this is a non-productive hour. It’s an hour we’re not building product, it’s an hour we’re not selling product, it’s an hour we’re not servicing our customers. So, from a macro-economic perspective, we, as a country, lose tremendous productivity because of our current healthcare paradigm.
- Having to compete for employees based on a healthcare package is insane. I am more than happy to compete for employees based on what kind of culture we build, the job satisfaction we provide, our vision for our future, type of work, etc. But I am NOT HAPPY competing with Google’s healthcare package. It should not be a factor.
Now…for people (not businesses…businesses are not people):
- The idea of needing to have a good job in order to feel secure in your health is simply perverse.
- Tying healthcare to employment limits people’s ability to pursue careers and life endeavors that interest them. Every day people make decisions to either stay in jobs they don’t like or not to take jobs they would like…because of health benefits. You’ve heard it, I know you have. “Ugh…I hate my job, but I can’t leave because the benefits are really great and my daughter has some special health circumstances that most plans won’t cover.” What good does it do this country to have people stick in jobs they don’t like or not pursue something they could be great at…because of health benefits?!? I find our current healthcare paradigm to be stripping people of mobility and, ultimately, freedom. Which is ironic — the very people who claim to fight for “our freedoms” above all else are the same people that oppose any healthcare system that will do more to provide Americans will freedom than any other policy on the table.
The next President must bring us in line with the rest of the world and bring us single-payer healthcare. Bernie is the only one who can do that.
FOREIGN POLICY
We have spent the last 40 years or more proving our strength in the international community through the use of our military. By puffing our chest and threatening those with less power with our ability to rain hell on their lands. By the promise of ‘regime change’ and never ending occupation.
And…how has that worked out? What value has that brought our country or our people? What value has this approach brought the world?
Seriously…how has this worked out?
Some Americans like to see our role as the world’s police. But these Americans don’t have the ability to comprehend how this looks on the other side of the equation.
What we may call policing, those on the other end see bullying.
To the rest of the world, we are no longer the benevolent heroes bringing justice and freedom (as we were perceived to be during WWII — at least in the European theater).
No…instead, we are the asshole bully on the playground. This is very true. And we have to ask ourselves — what reactions does a bully generate?
When encountering a bully, some people become pacified and obedient out of fear. This is of course is the goal of any bully.
Others run away and try to stay out of the bully’s way.
But others go home and buy themselves some free weights. And a bench. And a punching bag and a box full of kung fu movies. They start to learn ways channel their hatred into training and planning. They fantasize constantly about kicking that bully’s ass and ridding their local playground of that threat. They dream of how happy the other kids will be to not have to worry about that asshole — and the credit they will receive for making it so.
This is how others react to bullies. Sound familiar?
And do you really blame them?
Bernie offers us a chance to approach foreign affairs differently than we have been doing. He offers us the opportunity to try something new. To show the world our strength through compassion. Strength through understanding. Strength through restraint.
I truly believe that Bernie gives us the opportunity to change America’s perception on the world stage. An opportunity to build some equity for our brand and to lay the foundation for actually solving some of these major world conflicts.
Reason #12 I’m voting for Bernie: HUMANISM
I am not going to turn this into a full religious argument, but full disclosure, I am not a religious person. I am a proud atheist. I don’t know if Bernie would classify himself as an atheist or not, but I LOVE that he has had the courage to say he does not subscribe to a particular religion. In modern-day, American politics, this is a killer — a dagger through the heart. It’s impossible to win an election without pandering to the religious in this country and charading as some disciple of God. So…of course, all the politicians do it.
But not Bernie. In the founding documents of this country, the founders clearly outlined a separation of church and state. That is why, when answering question of religion, every candidate for President, for leader of a nation with an unlimited number of religions and one founded on the premise of religious freedom, should at the very least clearly show how they won’t allow religion to guide their actions as President. At the very least, this should be the case.
But for my vote, this is how every Presidential candidate should answer:
But only one does. It’s just another example of Bernie’s courage and integrity.
IN CONCLUSION — IT COMES DOWN TO INTENTION
I have been waiting a long time to cast a vote for Bernie Sanders. And I am looking forward to doing so. I’ve laid out a bunch of reasons for this decision here, but if I were to try to distill my support for Bernie down to one thing, I think it would be this:
Intention.
Here’s what I mean by that. And I’ll use Hillary as a counter point.
As I mentioned before, Hillary is, no doubt, beholden to her donors. That’s undeniable. She will make some decisions in order to repay their contributions. But that is not my biggest issue with Hillary. My biggest issue with Hillary is that she is beholden to something more scary then her donors — he own political ambitions. I am not knocking personal ambition — I think it’s a good thing. Except when it becomes the goal. I have thought for a long time that Hillary’s guiding light, her goal, was to get herself a place in the history books.
I don’t find Hillary to be a person of pure intentions. Of course, she is not alone. In fact, I would argue that there are very few people who are — especially in the world of politics at this level.
But Bernie Sanders is one.
The rarest of species. Someone who is dedicated, not to their own success, wealth or aspirations — but to the principle of doing the right thing.
For me, Bernie’s intention = Justice.
And his dedication to Justice is as pure as it gets. Which creates a phenomenon that has not occurred often in my life.
Bernie Sanders makes me want to be a better person. When I hear him speak, when I understand what he’s about, when I learn more about what he has fought for and how he has done it — it forces me to take a critical look at myself. It makes me want to do better.
And I can count on one hand the people in this world who have made me feel this way. So, for me, when you do find a person like this AND have a chance to support them with a vote…it’s an absolute no brainer.
And this is why Bernie earned my vote — a long time ago.
