I’m one of the poor unfortunate 3% around here that is undecided. I’ve gone back and forth many times (40-60% modest swings in both directions) many times and am deeply pleased with the BNR and Hillary News segments. Thank you LieparDestin and Lysis for a wonderful job through the Primaries.
So, I’ve been asking myself, “Self, what would it take for each of them to get my NC Primary vote?”
I think I’ve figured it out:
Hillary Clinton
Madame Secretary, if you want to earn my vote, it is about more and better Democrats. I find that I’m afraid of a return to the 1994-2000 portion of Bill Clinton’s Presidency (not to mention NAFTA). [Note: I did like the 1992-1994 part, sans NAFTA.] So put Howard Dean back in change of the DNC. That will show a commitment on your part to fix the problem and not depend upon your inner circle. You HAVE to think outside the circle. You have to show me that you will think outside the circle. While it is about the Supreme Court, it is also about a governing majority in Congress, and I trust Nancy Pelosi to pull you toward the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.
If you want to talk to President Obama and get DWS out now and put Gov. Dean in today, that would be even better.
Bernie Sanders
Sir, I like you very much. You came on my radar with the Liberty University speech and blew me away. Just as I have dozens of reasons for liking your competition, I have as many for liking you, too. Consistency on the right positions and making me feel that you actually “Get It” on Social Justice is a big deal, and you’ve got it. We do, however, live in a complex world and one of the things that I need to see is how you will handle those complexities. It is absolutely true that we have a steaming pile of manure to deal with here at home, but Secretary Clinton has you on the depth and breadth of the problem. You have her on trying to undo the predations of the last thirty five years. I need to see how you are going to achieve a Congressional Majority and work with it.
Rant
It isn’t about purity: it’s about my little polecats. Can we put our country back on the path of making the future brighter than the path the GOP has put us on? Can we do it together? Can we either return to the New Deal or make a Second New Deal that actually considers all of the parts to the Preamble to the Constitution?
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
So many parts of this have been undermined by the “Conservative” Republican Party:
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establish Justice: Justice for those that can afford it.
- promote the general Welfare: As Bernie would say “The Welfare of the Billionaire Class”
- secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity: Pretty clear whose “posterity” the GOP considers. Their own and no one else’s: “I’ve got mine, screw you.”
I put it to you, that the way to win my vote is to demonstrate that there is a way to get there. Howard Dean tried in 2004 and through the strength of his supporters managed the DNC in 2006-8 to put us on the path. Obama sent him packing and abandoned the path. McAuliffe and Kaine and DWS don’t even see the path. I’m not sure what they do/did see.
It is apparent to me that both of them, Clinton and Sanders are “electable.” In fact, they would do quite well as President in the right climate. The right climate is with a Congress that is not opposed to anything that could potentially resemble good for the American people. (read: NOT GOP.) Without the Congress, I don’t see a single f-ing thing getting done for four or eight years. Bully pulpit or not.
The future domestic events that we have to consider are:
- The makeup of the Supreme Court
- Downballot to the state legislatures
- Redistricting after the 2020 census
- Whether ANYONE outside of the 1% can afford healthcare
- Whether the GOP will find a way to gut Medicare and SSI even faster
- How much farther the infrastructure of the US will decay.
- The ongoing privatization of everything in the public commons, for fun and profit.
So show me how we can fix it. SHOW ME. Don’t TELL ME: SHOW ME.