A couple of questions have come into my Tumblr ASK thingy recently. If you’re interested in what I’m thinking about the election, keep reading. If not, please enjoy this picture I took of the clock in my kitchen. I think it’s neat.
About Tim Kaine as Hillary Clinton’s VP pick:
I wanted someone more liberal, and someone who was more unambiguously antiwar.
But that’s who I wanted at the top of the ticket, and I didn’t get that, either.
I don’t know too much about him, but people I know and trust who do know lots about him — even Sanders supporters — think he’s a good choice.
Ultimately, it just doesn’t matter to me. The reality of this election is thatwe can choose between a disappointing Democrat and the end of the world. (Unless you’re in a deep deep deep blue or deep deep red state,voting for a third party is irresponsible this time around, given the stakes for the election, in my opinion. Younger me would have argued fiercely against that. Younger me voted for Nader, and look how that turned out.)
What’s really, really, really important is that Democrats take back the Senate, so people like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown and Al Franken are in leadership positions. We need to get as many strong progressives in congress, and in our state and local governments, as we can, to ensure that Clinton’s neocon foreign policy instincts and fealty to Wall Street are held in check as much as possible. It’s really important to get as much of the House back as possible, to neuter the Tea Party and force whatever is left of traditional Republicans (like, the non-insane ones who aren’t in the Trump or Cruz wing of the party) to compromise and actually get shit done. Most important of all, Trump has to be defeated in an historical landslide. He needs to be humiliated, and he needs to take as much of his party down with him as possible.
I remember in 2004 how shitty I thought Kerry was, and what a terrible candidate he was. But I remember feeling like America needed to show the world and ourselves that Bush was an anomaly, that Bush was installed by SCOTUS, and when we were given a choice, we rejected him. It was really, really bad when America basically reaffirmed that the Bush/Cheney reign of terror was A-OK with us, and I believe it’s one of the reasons, if not thereason that not a single person was ever held accountable for the Iraq War lies.
So we have another chance this year, and we have to loudly and unambiguously say that We, The People, totally reject the fascist, nativist, white nationalist cult of personality that is Donald Trump.
So Kaine is safe. Kaine is boring. Kaine says that Hillary Clinton takes the votes of the liberal wing of the party for granted. Kaine says that the Clintons are stuck in the 90s and always will be. And all of that is disappointing to me, but it ultimately doesn’t matter because the stakes in this election are as high as they’ve ever been. If Trump is elected, America will never recover. We can’t allow that to happen, and voting for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine is the best way to do that.
—
Have you seen Michael Moore’s post about how Trump is going to win, and if so, your thoughts?
It’s a useful call to arms that everyone who is #BernieOrBust needs to hear and think about.
I’ve made it really clear that Bernie Sanders is who I wanted for my president, and I did what I could to make that happen … but he didn’t get the nomination, and now my realistic choice is between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
I think Michael Moore is right about Hillary not exciting young people the way President Obama did and does. It’s now our job to help everyone who is upset and disappointed and thinking about staying home to realize that we’re going to need every single vote we can get to defeat and utterly demolish and humiliate Donald Trump and everything he stands for.
I don’t like that Clinton is a warmonger. I don’t like that she’s too close to Wall Street. I don’t like that she and her campaign were condescending and dismissive of Millennials during the primaries.
But none of that changes the reality we are facing: it’s Clinton or Trump. I understand that younger voters don’t remember the 2000 election when SCOTUS installed Bush, and I understand that younger voters who were in elementary school during his disastrous presidency were effectively insulated from it because they were kids. I was *exactly* that kid in 2000 when I voted for Nader, because Bush was an asshole and Gore was a terrible candidate.
But if I could get my vote back now, I’d build the time machine with my own hands. Think of the millions of people who have died because of Bush. Think of the destruction of our climate that is now a total crisis, because Bush and his administration did nothing to address it. Think of how much horrible debt college students have, because Bush put people who just wanted to take their money away from them into positions of power. Think about the militarization of our police, which began under Bush.
President Obama did everything he could to roll back the damage Bush and Cheney did to our country and the world, and we aren’t even halfway to where we need to be. I don’t know how much President Clinton will work to continue rolling it back, but even if she keeps it in the same place, that’s better for our country and the world than what will happen under a President Trump.
If you, like me, wanted Bernie Sanders to be our president, if you, like me, believe in his revolution, if you, like me, believe that we have to make America work for the 99%, then your choice in this election is Hillary Clinton.
She’s not perfect. She’s not my first choice, or even in my top five choices. But she is the choice I have if I want to protect my country and my children from Donald Trump.
So that’s why, even though I still Feel the Bern, I’m With Her.
The picture or the clock? Because while the clock is kind of meh, the picture actually shows some really neat gradient shading effects. Is that a photoshop filter?
I took it in black and white, and then I posterized it in gimp.
You do a great listing of Hillary’s faults – she is a warmonger who is bought and paid for by wall street, and thus will get lots of favors from her. She will also be doling out lots of favors to other major lobbying groups that work against our interests.
And yet you fall into the same problem many liberals have when trying to argue against Trump: you speak from your gut about how he will destroy the world and make us all doomed. How is the near guaranteed outcome of going to war under Hillary and more bank payouts … ahem … bailouts not doom? Liberals want to raise minimum wage, which is great in theory, but without tariffs our current minimum wage has pushed all low skilled manufacturing overseas. Trump is looking to end that which really is the only realistic way to bring manufacturing by humans back here. He wants to stop islamic refugees from coming here, which while that does seem to be a racist and unhumanitarian thing to do, looking at the terror attacks in the EU and here, it seems a wise choice; which is very similar to how the Alien and Sedition act was to protect us against us from French infiltrators as escalations of tensions grew there. There are a lot of people coming out of syria and the middle east in general who are rightly angry for a decade of repression we have put upon them, and would try however they can to come here and carry out their revenge for years of us killing their people and destroying their government. Things that I fully expect Hillary to continue.
Trump is an asshole, and a latent racist. But he seems less likely to bring about as much doom as Hillary.
And that’s why he’s unfit to be president. That’s why Trump and the movement he leads must be defeated in a landslide.
You didn’t understand what he was saying, and you need to if you want to be helpful to the DNC.
1.) There are people who support Trump because they are xenophobic. You will never reach those people, and the more you say “He’s an asshole” (or words to that effect), the more you will entrench and activate them.
2.) There are people who support Trump because Trump’s simple platform makes them feel less confused and more empowered. You will never reach them with emotional appeals because you don’t have the budget to match Trump’s marketing machine which has the press at its beck & call. In fact, the more you browbeat these people, the more cognitive dissonance you will create for them, and the more they will dislike and mistrust both you and your message. Let the DNC worry about crafting a message for those people and use that message. The closest thing I’ve heard from them to date is the “children first” message. If there’s a message that can counter: “America First” it’s “Children First” so use that.
3.) There are people who know Trump is an asshole, but who also know that being an Asshole and being unqualified are two very different things. Oil, fur, diamond, and tobacco company executives are raging assholes. But they’re successful raging assholes. The good news is that this type of Trump supporter is reachable. Screaming “But he’s an asshole” at those people will have no effect whatsoever, because they already knew that. Tell them something substantive that they don’t already know. Convince them that his interests are not aligned with theirs. Convince them that isolationism isn’t economically wise. Convince them that business experience, while valuable, is not a sufficient skill-set for political office at the highest level, and moreover, that his claims to success are substantially overstated.
To sum: If your goal is to help bring about a landslide defeat of Trump, don’t piss off the xenophobes & confuse the simple; you’ll only cause them to vote in greater numbers. Rather, align your message with the DNC and reason with the disenfranchised using logic and by appealing to their motivation. You have a unique opportunity to be effective as you have influence, but unfortunately this political race comes at a time when you’re capitalizing on many years of hard work that are finally paying off and allowing you to take your career to the next level. Maybe call the DNC and offer to speak at a tech-focused rally and either work with them on the message or let them craft it subject to your approval. It would be a time-efficient way to help them. By the way… in the spirit of full disclosure, I’m a disenfranchised (boy is that an understatement) atheist Republican small business owner. I offer you this advice, because I’m hoping you can kill the repugnant mess that the Republican party has become, so that it can be reconstituted as a centrist economics-focused party. When I first started voting, the people now called Republicans, would have been called “John Birchers” and laughed at. I remember my dad bodily extricating one of them from a town meeting because the guy had gotten disruptive and offensive. It’s a wonderful and formative memory. I remember thinking: “Yeah! Go Dad!!” Haha.
Do you mind if I share this to my Facebook? This is exactly what I’ve been trying to say without having the eloquence or the succinctness.
That’s Wil’s call, but I have no objection.
So very Yes! I have seen plenty of 1 & 2, and yeah, they are not going to be swayed by anything. I am firmly in number 3 camp. There was a good chance I would have voted for Bernie over Trump, and I think the democrats were stupid as shit (and corrupt as shit) to block Bernie from the nomination, and will have to face a loss for it. Two of the biggest issues that I think could break this country financially are Corporate Welfare and Military Adventurism, and Hillary seems strongly aligned with. Bernie and Trump, not so much, which is why the decision becomes easy for me.
And before you go write off Trump, go watch this interview from 1999 before he made the play to stir up groups 1&2 into a bigoted fervor to beat out the other bigots who were trying to get the Republican nomination:
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/trump-in-1999-i-am-very-pro-choice-480297539914
This is trump before the campaign trail, and I think it speaks to his honest internal beliefs. But that Trump on NBC that night would not have won the Republican ticket. That was a Trump who softly endorsed gay marriage (he was a little careful with that one), and was totally pro-choice despite being anti-abortion based on an idea of personal liberty.
Hillary in 2002:
Anti-gay marriage in NY and pro-Iraq war invasion.
Or if you really just want to watch her dig herself a very deep hole with lie after lie:
Trump is an active racist. Clinton is a latent racist.
I’m sorry, but there’s a terrible amount of misinformation in your post, Rob. Leaving aside your confusion on economic matters (which is too complex to go into here), you REALLY need to research what the arduous process of becoming a refugee actually entails. Refugees are NOT the worry. If you want to worry, worry about a terrorist legally buying a plane ticket and flying here like any normal tourist. But the refugee process is so difficult, time consuming, and thorough that they really are the LEAST of our concerns. People who are fleeing terrorists, who are fleeing our enemies, are not our enemies. In fact they’re quite the opposite, and no one will fight harder for the ideals that America stands for, than people who were saved by America.
One such asylum seeker was a recent terrorist in germany. Coming to the US requires a visa which is only issued to individuals with passports in 38 different countries and requirements that make it difficult to just travel here. It does provide a way for troubled individuals to come to this country. Ones that might not be honest with themselves as well as those that are interviewing him, but the complex emotions of coming from a war torn region into the arms of the the nation who is the source of that chaos can cause them to be harmful, especially when put into the culture shock of a place that has principles that from your youth were taught as evil.
Terrorists are just people. They aren’t 2-dimensional characters in movies. They are people that have seen or learned about the harm we have done to people they relate to, and thus give their life to the cause of harming their perceived enemy, like a kamikaze pilot giving his life for his country. Our subjective viewpoint of them being evil is blinding us to the fact that they are just people who eventually get the wrong idea of what it means to be heroic. And from that perspective, yes, it is dangerous to bring them in. It might be right to bring them in despite the loss of life our citizens should expect to face from the very possible decisions they might make, but that is an honest cost/benefit way of looking at it. And to say this group is fleeing from this other group that is our enemies, so they are people that are on our side is foolish as things are never so black and white and people can change hats very easily.
Spot on with what causes these pe9le to dislike us.
The refugees that are seeking asylum in the US are not all necessarily people who were raised to hate the US. Hell, some of them weren’t even really aware of other countries because they literally lived in the mountains with no modern technology. Obviously, not all of the refugees are like this. But the ones who are legitimate refugees face horrific fates if we do not allow them entry. They would be raped, tortured, maimed, dismembered, and killed (or all of the above) if they stayed. Would anyone in good conscience knowingly condemn innocent lives to the horrors of ISIS and the violent fanatics just because they fear a small amount of them might secretly be terrorists? Is it really right to punish the innocent to stop the guilty?
I’d also like to add that the asylum process is not easy and not quick. It would be a highly inefficient way for a terrorist to get in to the country. They could get into the country much more easily by obtaining a work, school, or visitor’s visa or simply by sneaking in. Quite frankly, there are quite a few terrorists who aren’t even from foreign countries and not all terrorists are Muslim. Anyone remember the Irish Republican Army? Trying to turn the masses against other groups of people is the standard tactic of tyrants.
Furthermore, groups like ISIS actually want us to deny entry to the refugees because then they can kill those who won’t do what they want and turn those who will comply against us. If we refuse to save them and show bigotry toward them, then the survivors may be bitter toward the US and thus would be more likely to want to lash out. If we welcome them instead, then we prove to them that ISIS is lying to them and that the US is not a Muslim-hating country that should be smote down.
Following Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric only makes the problem worse. It proves that we are the enemy. Hatred and violence only beget more hatred and violence.
Even worse… punishing many to get the problem of a few under control is EXACTLY what terrorists aim at… In Germany we (mostly in the late 70es, but still going strong in public awareness and media attention until about 2000) had the Red Army Fraction, a left leaning anti-corporate terror group of a bout 50 active people, yet they managed to achieve with a handful of kidnappings and assassinations / bombings that every big street corner had a cop with a MP5 at it and german police cars were gunned up to “react” to the threat… an almost impossible task because you can’t keep your eye on a whole country and a population in the millions.
Recruitment amongst the muslims relies no less on big, overbearing reactions by the western countries to eastern “terror” (Realistically seen it is a dumb name as the terror isn’t spread or caused by the small scale incidents most of “terrorist attacks” end up as, but to a much larger degree by the media coverage and political discourse in the aftermath. The terror is definitely of our own making and not the direct result of the violent crimes, but then the US has a rich history of fearmongering and the EU is eagerly catching up to it) and it is probable that ISIS / ISIL still would be an irrelevant splinter cell of muslim terror in a country with a functioning (if oppressive) society and Law enforcement if not for ten years of US intervention, war and “insurgency control”…
This whole stopping the terrorists thing is a load of crap though.
There’s been an increase in mass shootings by American citizens and everyone is worried about foreign terrorists? More people in the US will be killed by cars this MONTH than have been killed in the past 20 years by terrorism, and 9/11 still has a higher death count than all attacks since then combined.
Stop letting the news and the politicians tell you you need to be so scared of a few bad people, you are willing to harm multitudes of innocent people.
Tell me about it. I voted for Anderson, and we got 8 years of Reagan.
I am still of two minds in this, but, I have until November to make up my mind whether I will vote for “the lesser of two evils” or will throw away my vote by voting for a third party. You are right, we must, at all costs keep Trump out of the White House. I may yet vote for Hillary for that very reason. If we can’t have Bernie as our President this term, then we’ll at least have him in the Senate where he might have more control over laws and policy than any president actually has.
Look how little Obama managed to accomplish of all the things he promised to do? Yet, look how MUCH he managed to accomplish in spite of the Republican controlled House and Senate blocking him every step of the way. Hillary only wants the title of first female president. And she will do what she has to do to get it, including cheat, which I firmly believe she did.
Bernie may not become President, but, he did what he set out to do. He opened our eyes. He exposed just how bad the corruption is in our government. Now WE the People need to take what he’s worked so hard to accomplish and run with it. We need to take the gift he’s given us and use it. We need to rein in the corrupt and make it so they can’t profit by their corruption. We need to remove corporate greed from government policies and policy making. It’s in our hands now. Thank you, Bernie.
the only throw away vote is the one that is cast for a person that you don’t believe in.
Agreed
I don’t think either of you has absorbed what Wil said about his own vote in 2000. “Individual conscience” is overrated with respect to voting.
My only disagreement with your post is that you used the turn of phrase “cult of personality” next to Trump’s name. A terrible thing to do to such an awesome song.
I really enjoyed this post. It’s difficult to move from passionately supporting someone who you feel can change things for the better, to having to accept what amounts to the lesser of two evils. Trump may scare me, mostly for his arrogance, ego, and ignorance on a lot of important matters (the Internet is a major one for me), but his choice for Vice President is absolutely frightening. To think one of these ignorant bigotted teabaggers could be one step away from the office of POTUS terrifies me to no end.
The desperate attempt to finding a bright side, the best I can find is this: If Trump is elected, we are going to probably see some of the best, angriest punk music written as a statement on government and society in general.
“She’s not perfect. She’s not my first choice, or even in my top five choices. But she is the choice I have if I want to protect my country and my children from Donald Trump.”
Wil: your statement above pretty much summarizes the problem we’re faced with in the upcoming election. How does one choose when even their top five choices aren’t a choice? I’m not here to pontificate on that dilemma, nor do I wish to support one candidate over the other. In all honesty, I’d rather be streaming Big Bang Theory. But since I’m not, here’s what’s on my mind.
Hillary made history last night, and she should be congratulated. She even had that bit during the DNC where she cracked the glass ceiling and told all little girls watching that they could be the next president.
What’s wrong with this picture? What message is she trying to convey? Dear daughter, you too could be the next president of the US if you stand beside your serial adulterer of a husband to get what you want. Don’t worry about your self respect or any pain dear daughter, just dream of your future goals and how your serial adulterer of a husband can help you accomplish them. And if the situation hurts your own daughter, don’t worry about it. The end justifies the means.
Think about it – would she ever have been elected US Senator or appointed Secretary of State if she wasn’t Bill Clinton’s long suffering spouse? We’ll never know what she could have accomplished on her own, since she decided at a young age to tie her future to Bill’s political accomplishments. That’s really a shame, because she might have even surpassed him if our country viewed men and women as equals. I’m just rather insulted by her trying to paint a picture of an independent woman achieving her goals and breaking the glass ceiling as a result of tenacity and hard work.
I’m really proud that a women will be the next president of the United States. I’m just really sorry that woman will be Hillary Clinton.
I keep reminding myself that there is a write in vote. In the end it probably won’t matter cause no one else will use the write in vote but at least I haven’t been limited by only the options in front of me. Politics and politicians will always be flawed cause man is flawed. I just do a lot of praying.
If you want to “take Trump down in a landslide” then it is URGENT that we abandon Clinton and unify behind Sanders ASAP because that’s the only way we even have a remote chance of doing that. In fact, the only way we’ll even WIN, is with Sanders.
People who say “I’m with her” need to WAKE UP! Take off the blinders – too many Americans are sick and tired of the “lesser of two Evils”. Yes, we know Nader couldn’t win but this time was different. Sanders could have won if the DNC didn’t violate their own rules and play dirty to thwart the people’s choice. During this primary, every time I heard about the “super delegates” and the media showing Bernie already losing before the voting even got going I wanted to VOMIT and scream and curse the evil machine of corruption trying to roll my country off a cliff, to roll right over Sanders like a steam roller and crush our dreams of a real choice, of the possibility of finally getting a decent, honest person as President after decades of settling for the “less bad” non-choice.
Hillary is done, over, finished – if you don’t want the President Trump nightmare to become reality, you have too realize that. No, I will no longer accept that I don’t have a choice, I will not accept Clinton.
Don’t blame me if Trunp brings our country down in flames, blame the people who considered Clinton the for drawn conclusion before America even had a chance to say what it wanted. We didn’t WANT Clinton, we merely acquiesced as the media complicity rammed the “presumptive nominee” down our throats ad nauseum.
So screw the voters more of whom voted for Clinton than Sanders. Fuck democracy, it’s your way or else. Like all good authoritarians.
Sanders LOST. You can be a whiny child who refuses to accept that or you can grow up and deal with the reality that sometimes we don’t get the thing we want. But I’m wasting my time. You won’t change.
Spot on! That individualized attitude is in fact “why we can’t have nice things” and gives us a Trump instead. Pray that those angry children realize exactly what that very attitude results in in a democracy before election day. (Hint: who is the “screw it all” candidate this year?)
In China, we call it an erection.
Tip your server.
I have a great deal of respect for Senator Sanders. However, I am a Secretary Clinton supporter for reasons that largely have to do with her commitment to education and the children of our global society. I had hoped that there would be a ‘Super Ticket’ of Clinton/Sanders or Sanders/Clinton depending on how the vote turned out, but I guess that would not have worked out politically.
I sincerely hope that Senator Sanders is offered a position of authority and influence in the (possible) Clinton Administration. I think his voice and message need to help shape the political decisions made over the next four years. However, we also need him as a voice of reason in the madhouse that can be the United States Senate. I wish he could be in two places at once.
I am almost afraid to consider the disaster that would occur if Mr. Trump would be elected to the Presidency. When I consider some of the actions and verbal responses that Trump has made I wonder why anyone would back him. This evening he invited Russia to hack into Secretary Clinton’s e-mails. He invited a foreign power to hack into the United States. This is both irresponsible and dangerous.
People who support Mr. Trump have told me ‘He was not serious about what he said’. This in itself is disturbing to me because I need our President to know that there are some things you should not, or cannot say. I need our president to have gravitas. He or she should be the smartest person in the room, and should act accordingly. Donald Trump does not seem to have this ability
I recognize that many people will vote for Secretary Clinton because she is the alternative to craziness. I really hope that in two years, she will prove herself to those who have some well founded doubts.
I have this idea that hope is about all we have left. I hope the Secretary Clinton gets elected. I hope Senator Sanders continues to hold all of us to his high standards and ideals. I hope Mr. Trump is defeated in a way that he will never consider running for office again. I hope that soon politicians will stop behaving in a way that often makes my sixth grade students look mature.
I hope….
As a sysadmin, I would say that Hillary is the one that invited Russia to hack her email. Trump might have said the words, but she did the actions.
As a human being, I would say that that’s a flat-out blame-the-victim fallacy.
Wil – I’m very sorry. I saw your post and misunderstood that the large bold letters were a quote. I can’t believe I didn’t read more carefully before commenting.
Please accept my heartfelt apologies. (*bangs head against wall and sighs)
A friend of mine loved this article so much she shared it online, and decided to take a look.
I agree that Trump must be stopped, but not at any cost. Considering that the DNC (thank you Wikileaks) has perpetuated an awful type of fraud in regards to not supporting Sanders, and that the DNC is willing to resort to tactics they typically would scold Republicans over worries me a great deal. I hear others say “this is not the time for change”. It will never be the right time for change for many. Of course, there is no guarantee that if Clinton is elected that anyone will actually do anything to make these changes happen. In four years, the DNC will more than likely be doing everything it can to re-elect Hillary, attempt to discredit others in their own party and forget any such promise was ever made.
You paint a nightmare scenario if Trump is elected. The fact of the matter is, there are nightmare scenarios happening to people right here in the good ol’ USA right now. One of my partners is a Black man, who is a part-time caregiver to an elderly man with dementia. After seeing Charles Kinsey get shot by police last week, unarmed, on the ground, arms in the air and begging the cops not to shoot his autistic client, I worry about my partner’s safety just going to the grocery store now.
In a free, honest and open election, no vote is ever wasted. Thinking that you didn’t get the result in Nader you wanted is self-defeating. You had an opportunity for change, and unfortunately, at least according to DNC staffers, no one wants change, and they don’t want a Jew. I have been a member of the Green party for almost 30 years. I vote my conscious, every time. None of my candidates ever win. I am belittled by Democrats and Republicans as “throwing away my vote”.
The sad reality is Dems and the GOP have caused this mess, and now they again refuse to clean it up. So really, who threw away their votes by bringing these clowns into office to begin with? I can honestly say that this mess belongs to a great many people who won’t take responsibility for their actions. And now the chickens are coming home to roost. Polls for months stated Sanders was the only person who could easily defeat Trump. Democrats got scared of someone with vision, and voted for Clinton.
The Democrats do not want unity: they want a bailout. Since my vote never mattered before, it really should not make much of a difference now, correct? Even Clinton herself said to listen to what Black people had to say. And today, a group of them came to Philadelphia to tell the media that Clinton was crooked and they would throw their support behind Dr. Jill Stein. Imagine if everyone who thinks they are liberal and progressive decided to look outside of the box and voted en masse for the Greens this year at every level. But then again, it seems the DNC thinks people would never support a Jew. So I guess Trump would win regardless.
The DNC favored Clinton over Sanders, and now they have her. They got what they wanted. And screw anyone else who believes differently.
My two, and thank you for posting this.
Ben Brown Jr.
http://www.aceofspadespdx.com
Beaverton, OR
The choice isn’t “between a disappointing Democrat and the end of the world.” It’s between a dangerous professional politician who could take us over the edge and a dangerous ranting demagogue who could take us over the edge. The only good choice left is electing a third party candidate. Everyone says third party candidates aren’t electable. But that is always true until it isn’t. The Republican Party was once a third party, until enough people voted for a Republican candidate and he was elected. If every person who says third party candidates aren’t electable voted for a third party candidate, we’d have a third party president. It really is that simple.
“voting for a third party is irresponsible”
No, Wil. Letting this continue is irresponsible. Four years from now, we’ll have at least one more monster to be afraid of, and we’ll hear once again that we need to suck it up and vote for the lesser of two evils.
No. No more. The D’s and R’s have betrayed us for two long. Time to help the L’s the G’s build up and be competitive.
too* I caught it after I posted it. Eff me.
“Unless you’re in a deep deep deep blue or deep deep red state,voting for a third party is irresponsible this time around, given the stakes for the election, in my opinion. Younger me would have argued fiercely against that. Younger me voted for Nader, and look how that turned out.”
I hate seeing this misinformation repeated. In Florida, more registered Democrats voted for Bush than for Nader. Gore was simply unpopular, even among Democrats. Even so, the most full recount done showed that Gore won Florida and so the election, not Bush. It was the Supreme Court who gave the presidency to Bush. As a Nader voter, it pissed me off that Gore didn’t fight for his supporters and for democracy. That kind of corruption and moral cowardice is what we’re still fighting against.
Sometimes you have to make a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain. I feel this is the case here. If we show them we will not accept what is forced upon us things will have to change. #neverhillary
You didn’t absorb what Wil said about Trump — not a short-term sacrifice, rather the end of the game completely. Yes it is very seriously that bad — end of the U.S.
I agree with most of what you said. When you talk with people from other countries, like my friends Stephanie and Natalie who are in Philadelphia as Bernie delegates, they fear Clinton more than they fear Trump because they realize that Trump is a joke, that no Congress will support any wild actions he wants to take, that having the nuclear codes isn’t the only step in using nuclear weapons; that the military will not follow illegal orders from him, and that Congress will continue to be obstructionist regardless of which party has the majority. But Clinton’s warhawkishness, well that effects them directly. That kills their families. That destroys their cities. That disrupts their governments and their autonomy. But I guess that’s ok as long as it doesn’t happen to us???
No, I’m not advocating voting for Trump or not voting for Clinton. What I am saying is that we must, MUST consider everyone when we vote, not just ourselves. We’ve seen the DNC’s blind loyalty to Clinton, and if elected and she says “bomb country X” guess what? we’re bombing country x. There will be no obstruction, no dissent. They will gleefully approve whatever she wants. So if you’re going to be with her, hold her accountable. Keep her on point, hold her to her party’s platform, and for goodness sake, participate in your government! Write your representatives and senators. Call them. Organize. Support progressives in lower level positions.
I guess the problem I have with voting Clinton just because Trump freaks me out is that Clinton is an established politician. She actually has clout to push things through.
Trump is going to be hemmed in by his own party, that are also a bit freaked out by him.
Thankfully the US has some checks and balances in place to keep the executive branch from getting too much power.
As much as Bush policies and Reagan bothered you, Obama policies have bothered me.
This health insurance plan has been the worst thing for me personally.
Health insurance has gone down the tubes- companies don’t want to pay for anything since we have access to the government plan. Insurance through my job costs me more now and it covers almost nothing.
And if I don’t have insurance then I can also be taxed.
Insurance companies love it- yay, I’m so happy that they make more money now.
Thanks Obama, for the great help!
It’s like when they implemented 401K and suddenly the working man has to completely cover their own retirement. Most of us can put right up to the max and not make nearly enough to retire on.
I fear more having additional democratic polices put in place than the rabid dog from the republican party that everyone laughs at.
So I’m voting my conscience; I’m voting Libertarian. smaller governmentt, less war mongering. I love the ideals of this party.
I actually don’t want Hillary in office MORE than I fear what Trump might get away with.
Obama was bad enough.
If more people voted for who they wanted rather than the lesser of two evils, maybe things would slowly move away from the broken 2 party system we have right now.
Wil, I wish you would consider voting your conscience again.
(the electoral college actually makes the decision anyway so it’s hard to see why there’s any harm in voting for who you actually prefer).
This, so very this. I, too, think Clinton would have just as much chance if not more of starting more wars than Trump… if only because Trump’s craziness and ignorance will impede him from doing so every step of the way while Clinton knows how to play the system to get what she wants and make sure others take the fall for it. It’s a good part of why I just shake my head when Clinton supporters tell me my ‘wasted’ third party vote will help Trump win… because if it really came down between the two and I couldn’t just stay home and sleep in… I’d vote for Trump and hope for four years of political gridlock and obstruction. (And before anyone whines again about how ‘But Trump will give us a bad Supreme Court’, remember his nominations would still have to be approved by Congress. We have checks and balances in the system to prevent one idiot from starting WW3). So they should be glad I’m voting for Jill Stein.
So what you’re saying is we can’t write in “Wil Wheaton” and start your path toward the government station Ernest Cline predicted?
She’s a war hawk. We know this. The primaries/caucuses were tampered with. We know this (as evidenced by changed registries, purges, and the suspension of exit polls for Democratic elections).
Democrats and the establishment have bent over backward to ensure her nomination. We know this. Now, if we elect HRC and give her a blue Congress, and she will nominates justices who support and back her, there will be no checks or balances to her power. She will be Cersei Lannister and we have no Daenerys with dragons to come and save us. Be awake. Pay attention. Hold her accountable.
Bernie Sanders is economically illiterate and would have been a disastrous President. That is clear from his repeated desire to revoke the Fed’s independence and has been pointed out by the vast majority of US economists.
Actually you have it backwards. Successful and knowledgeable economists and businessmen stated that Sanders’ economic policies were beyond sound, that they were in fact the best offered because they considered things like the velocity of money and how it makes the world go ’round.
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/01/14/170-economists-bernie-sanders-plan-reform-wall-st-rein-greed.html
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/29/warren-buffett-heres-what-i-like-about-bernie-sanders.html
http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/08/news/economy/sanders-income-jobs/
As a successful and knowledgeable economist myself, I can state that you are categorically incorrect.
See, for example, the ridicule Sanders received for his support for “Auditing the Fed”, and the rest of his nonsensical proposals:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/catherine-rampell-audit-the-fed-not-so-fast/2015/01/29/bbf06ae6-a7f6-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html
http://fortune.com/2016/02/26/economists-bernie-sanders-tax-plan/
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/16/us/politics/left-leaning-economists-question-cost-of-bernie-sanderss-plans.html?_r=0
http://billmoyers.com/story/the-sanders-economic-plan-controversy/
Sure. Let me forward this to the 150 economists who disagree. Maybe you know some of them.
So, go ahead. Although you’ll struggle to find a dozen economists, let alone 150, who think that revoking the Fed’s independence is a good idea. Have fun trying though!
This is so very much exactly how I have felt throughout this “campaign” season!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Wil, for so eloquently wording the sentiments so many people have, right in this moment in history.
You lost me at “She’s not perfect.”
It’s a meaningless statement –and the ultimate excuse used by people who don’t wish to take responsibility for their actions. Of course she’s not perfect. NO REASONABLE PERSON IS EXPECTING PERFECTION. However, reasonable people do care about HOW FAR ONE IS FROM PERFECTION. In this she fails miserably. She is a proven liar. That’s not my opinion, it’s fact. (lookup “Hillary Bosnia” on youtube, DNC leaked emails, etc.).
Of course, Trump is farther from perfection, but this does not somehow elevate Hillary. She sucks. He sucks worse. But his sucking worse does not make her any better. It only makes here the lessor of two evils.
Glad to see your anti-Republican bias shining through. Since you’ve probably never had to live as a blue collar or even white collar worker, and probably live in a state that isn’t quite being run into the ground by the Democrats, ’cause you know, checks and balances are a good thing, as opposed to a single party dictatorship that I have to deal with here in CT.
Our “esteemed” guv’nor, who’s busy sucking up to Clinton and the Dems in order to be a better bully at the national level, is busy with his colleagues running the state into the ground and making CT an absolute joke on Wall Street. The Dems control all three levels of the legislative branch, which effectively means that they don’t have to use the Republican vote to get anything done.
In a nutshell, the Dems have done the following in CT:
1} Due to punitive taxation against the business community, we’re roughly $2 billion in the red, and one major employer, GE, has left for Massachusetts (slightly less taxes, but better perks in the form of workers, education, etc. etc. etc.).
2} Inability to cut expenditures to make them proportionate to the reduced revenues, which means that roughly 800 state workers were laid off in the 4Q of FY ’15/’16. ‘Cause balancing the budget on the backs of state workers is a good thing.
3} Cutting social services and the programs that those who live at or below the poverty line need the most to get back on the feet, ’cause you know, those who have the audacity to question the Dems get punished the most.
So tell me again, how come the so-called “good” economic policies of Obama translate to absolute garbage when they’re used on the state level?
BTW, get over Bush II, that was 16 years ago, and only whiny people with a sense of entitlement feel the need to keep throwing a temper tantrum and not move on.
Opposing (and thus antagonizing) people I already know can’t be reached isn’t #1 on my list of worries in this election, I’ll say that.
I’ve wondered for a while how you continue to be so politically active, specifically in regards to your depression. I use to be extremely politically active and attentive but my depression and anxiety got so bad especially around this subject that I have had to pull away by 90+%. I hate that, because I feel it is so important to be politically aware and active but I can’t find a way (even with medication and therapy) to balance politics with my need to protect my mental wellbeing. I am just wondering how you do it and if you have any advice?
Also, thank you for being so open about your struggles with depression. It has given me the courage to be more open about mine.
One of the most thoughtful write ups on what we have in front of us I have read –
I only come here for
1 – Games
2 – Nerd Stuff
3- Nostalgia
So I almost didn’t read this post- I am so glad I did !
Thanks for sharing
“Just like to drink,” “Don’t hate X, just love Y” there are so, so many euphemisms people like to use. But, if the “nice thing to say” isn’t really true, then building from it is just a waste of time. “SCOTUS installed Bush”? The Supreme Court of The United States canceled (called off, dare I say – well, yes, it’s true – aborted) the United States Presidential election! The “installed” independent branch of “checks and balances” then “installed” members of The Supreme Court of The United States (plus the undeclared wars on people, the declared wars on ideas, and all the et ceteras). But, hey, “let’s let bygones be bygone” and build on what’s still good. Because “parts of it are excellent.”
Trump is preferable to Hitlary.
TrumpTrain 2016
Hi, there! First time posting a comment, so please forgive the novel.
I don’t disagree that Trump is a dangerous whacko, but I am inclined to think that, should he be elected, Constitutional checks and balances will be brought to bear much more so than they have been for the last 100 years or so. The system of government we have is specifically designed for gridlock, the purpose of which is to prevent any one branch (or person) from wielding enough power to do serious, long-term damage.
The office of the President is quite limited from a Constitutional perspective, and has only grown in power over the last century or so with the blessing of Congress. Should it have the will to do so, the Congress has the power to negate just about any action the President attempts to take, and can ultimately remove him from office, should a situation come to that extreme (e.g., The Donald decides some foreign folks need a good nukin’). Having Congress remember this power might just be a really good thing.
Now, all that said, I’m not about to cast my vote for that self-obsessed psychopath. That would be just dumb. Sorry if I’ve offended anyone with that assessment, but there it is.
But what about Hillary Clinton? She’s a dyed-in-the-wool politician with a hunger for executive power and apparently little personal integrity to guide her application of it. It’s this area in which I have a nit to pick, and it’s on a subject that you hinted at and is not getting nearly enough attention as an issue related to this election: the militarization of police as a direct function of executive power.
You wrote that the militarization of police began under Bush. I’m not sure which Bush you mean, although I suspect you’re referring to Bush II, but in either case, that’s off base. The militarization of police has pretty much always been a trend, but it really started in earnest during the 60s and then truly exploded during the Reagan years, thanks to the “War on Drugs.” This trend continued unabashed in the Bush I years, and, most importantly to the current election, was enthusiastically embraced by the Clinton administration.
Regardless of what you might think about David Koresh and his crazy religious ideas, the fact remains that the federal goverment moved in with armored vehicles and burned a building to the ground, killing 76 people, including 20 children and a young pregnant woman. I know, I know, there’s disagreement as to who started the fire. But a more important question gets lost in that debate: Would there have been a fire at all if the feds hadn’t rolled in with freaking tanks and battle-rattle-clad copper commandos to forcibly serve a simple arrest warrant on one religious clown? Was that level of executive-branch force really necessary?
My point here is that, as hawkish as Hillary is abroad, she’s all but guaranteed to be equally so at home. That means the military will continue to be busy over seas, and the police will have plenty to do over here. You can’t have a meaningful discussion on issues like Guantanamo, Black Lives Matter, or the militarization of police with someone who is as convinced as Hillary Clinton of the necessity and fundamental rightness of the application of executive-branch force.
The state I live in is most likely going overwhelmingly for Trump, sadly, so my vote’s pissing into the wind. Nevertheless, I’m voting for Gary Johnson. Why? Because I don’t care one whit who one goes to bed with or what substance one chooses to introduce into one’s body; I don’t think the government is the best entity to fix our societal problems (for examples of incompetence, see IRS, TSA, VA, etc.); and I don’t want agents of my government lobbing bombs or spraying bullets at anybody, either abroad or at home, unless there’s simply no other option to protect our people. The availability of people with guns and the authority of the government to use them should never be treated as just another tool for the implementation of policy, but neither major-party candidate agrees. I can’t vote for either of them in good conscience.