Supposedly, the Democratic Party represents the views of progressives here in America. However, they’ve given up progressivism a while ago. Under the guise of being liberal, the Dems have shifted over the year to platforms that are actually neoliberal, and that isn’t the same thing. The most frustrating aspect of this is that, as a progressive, I sometimes get thrown in with the community of people who support neoliberalism- which means Clinton supporters in some cases.
Yuck.
Neoliberals pretend to be liberal because they support extremely obvious policies such as pro-choice. They act like they deserve credit for believing that climate change is real, but some of them don’t think it’s a big enough issue to stop the spread of fracking. In the end, it’s all about business and corporations when it comes to neoliberalism. That’s why real Bernie supporters basically ignored his endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Like Cornell West here:
I get it- Drumpf is the worst. At least, he’s probably the worst, but Clinton isn’t far behind. Just like Cruz wasn’t when he was still running. It’s a foregone conclusion that the two major party front-runners are both considered “evils,” which many Americans are trying to choose between. I can’t do it. If Clinton wins the Dem nomination, I’m joining the wave of voters who will leave the Democratic Party.
Where are we going? Green Party, mostly. There are some who will go Libertarian, which is sad, because libertarianism is so poorly grasped by most people, and they aren’t really libertarians. They end up being a more logical form of Republican, at best.
Some people will give up completely, which is really sad. In order to shift the 2-party paradigm in this political system, we need to support third parties as much as we can, which means getting out to vote your conscious. The average mistaken Hillary supporter has no real reason for supporting her, other than this fear that Drumpf has to be defeated at all costs- even if the cost is giving up your own values to support a lesser evil.
No. A non-vote for Clinton does not equal a vote for Drumpf. We don’t owe our votes to anyone. They need to earn those votes. If Bernie doesn’t win the nomination, the only rational choice we have left is Jill Stein. The Green Party may be further to the left than you prefer. But isn’t it better to have lofty goals, rather than plan on doing nothing? Does anyone know the concept of a moonshot anymore?
If you support Clinton, your candidate flip-flopped to write off universal healthcare as too ambitious. Your candidate pretended to back away from the TPP because it was politically expedient to do so. Your candidate took until 2013 to support gay marriage. Your candidate voted in favor of the war in Iraq. She put classified government information at risk by using a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State, and she lied about it during the resultant investigation. Worst of all, your candidate doesn’t give a shit about you. If you are a woman, in search of some trickle-down feminism, voting for the most likely woman… ask black men how much it has helped to elect Obama.
I keep saying “if” Clinton wins the nomination, because it’s not official yet. There is actually still a tiny sliver of a chance that the DNC could realize it is headed toward failure, and and Bernie could be cast back into the spotlight. I’m not banking on that, however. Somehow, despite all of the facts, there are still plenty of brainwashed HRCFs to keep the corporatist heart of the DNC beating.
Neoliberalism sucks. If that is what we have with the DNC at this point, it’s time to find a new organization to represent liberal values. In the meantime, Hillary fans, stop pretending your goal is to move forward, if all you intend to do is rationalize the flip-flops at the head of your oligarchy. The revolution is to your left.
Support candidates who support you.