Not that I want to persuade anyone to adopt my thinking. I don't. Each of us have to do our own critical thinking.
I was supporting Bernie Sanders up until yesterday. I did some critical thinking about everything, and I am now uncommitted toward any candidate. I am not going to give anything to any candidate until after the primaries and we have a nominee.
The major reason I am not supporting Bernie Sanders anymore is not because he did anything to spoil my opinion of him. I have an enormous respect for him, his honesty, integrity, and many of his policies, including equal justice for all. It has nothing to do with his response to BLM either, even though I feel very passionately about their cause and am not upset one iota about how they interrupted the NN convention. I may even vote for him in the primary (although by then it will probably be all over).
The reason I am now non-committal is because it is way too early for me to know why I want to vote for anyone. Campaigns are all about money these days. Whoever has the most, usually has a better than 50-50 chance of winning. That means a lot to me. I don't live my life worrying about every political issue. I do not obsess about anything except the health and well being of my family, friends and community.
This never-ending political campaigning offends me. That does not mean I have anything against those who dwell endlessly about politics. Politics should be a citizen participating endeavor, even daily. However, having these campaigns start so early, divides the nation even further. It opens a wound in our nation that only gets worse as time passes. Another thing that offends me is we rant on about politicians endlessly. They are either our idols who we are willing to lay down our entire lives for, or we hate them incessantly. The evidence is so overt and clear especially on political blogs. There has to be a respite from all our negative feelings which are exacerbated by politics. We have not come together as a united people since 9/11. Politics, to me, is the main reason. So many people today are enthralled with watching or listening to their favorite political talk stations. Pundits we see or hear in media have more influence on us than our own brains and conscience.
I do not mean to disparage any of Bernie's supporters and their zeal in supporting him. It is a noble cause. He is a good man. Hillary Clinton is a good woman. They both would do us proud, even if HRC's positions on certain economic issues are geared toward having money interests continue to dominate the economy and politics.
Another main reason I choose to become uncommitted is because I do not believe Bernie can be an effective leader at this moment in history. When Obama won in 2008, we won both houses of Congress. He had shirt-tails that pushed purple states, even NC over to our party. That is a major, major factor germane to governing effectively. Bernie at this juncture, does not have a shirt-tail that will push either house over to our side. If he somehow wins the election, what programs can he get through Congress?
Finally, what made me realize I needed to remain impartial until I am ready is because I was first drawn to support Bernie because he captured my attention and tweaked my enthusiasm. That wore off. That feeling alone should tell us all about what happens when these campaigns go on too long.
A word of caution to all who love to argue who is a real democrat and labeling someone in our party as corporatists or sell-outs. I grew up a few blocks from Smokin Joe Frazier. I knew him from when we were both young. I saw him in the gym a lot. He was humble man. A good man. A man who would help anyone, a man who identified himself as black. He was not someone who strutted around boasting or demeaning anyone unless you happened to be on the other side of his left hook. He was a brave man. However, during the Ali Frazier era, he was demeaned and neglected by his own neighborhood, his own people, his hometown that preferred the bombastic Mohammed Ali, who used the publicity for his own status. No one knew how much Joe Frazier did to support Ali, to loan him money, to be the driving force behind the scenes to get Ali back in the ring after his conviction. I also grew up near Bill Cosby, went to the high school. For generations, he was Mr. Trusted. For whatever reason, whatever is the truth, it is a lesson to all of us when we allow marketing hype to dominate our critical thinking about anyone or any issue.
That is what I am seeing on these websites. All these negative and exaggerated comments about those running against our idols. All this obsession to find anything to distort about the other side. The longer it goes on, the more divided we become. It becomes a very ugly spectacle to watch. Some love it, they love to always be right, to think of themselves as being on the right side of morality, of humanity. I do not look at myself as being correct all the time, being on the winning side all the time. I still might vote for Bernie. However, it will not be because most of the rec'd diaries are about everything that Bernie says or does, I do not need to decide 7 months before the first primary is held or even after. In fact, I do not need to make up my mind until I step into the booth and pull the lever.