Hillary For President

If you had told me a year ago that I'd be writing this, I would've laughed in your face. No way! I would've proclaimed, I'm with Bernie! Well, that's true. I was with Bernie, in fact, I'm still with Bernie! He will be forever my first choice, a politician in the mainstream who actually extolled the same things I do about capitalism, worker's exploitation, ending Wall Street's choke hold on everyday Americans. But as the months went on during the primary, the hope I felt in his eventual rise to Democratic nominee, began to fade. And in May, I had to come to the realization that Sen. Sanders wouldn't be the nominee to take on Donald Trump in November. I was disappointed, I cried, I was upset. I put my heart and soul into this campaign. I felt genuine sadness that I hadn't felt for a candidate since Gov. Walker was reelected during the recall. After the sadness faded, in the dust was my candidate - Hillary Clinton. The woman I spent a year telling anyone who would listen why I would never vote for her. The person who represents Wall Street over Main Street, who would rather throw me to her corporate lions than help me.

And then I had a conversation with myself.

"Look, the choice we've got this year isn't easy. But politics isn't all about you. It's about the people you love, your child, your husband, family, the friends you couldn't live without, your home, your town. Politics is broader than what's in front of your own nose. Think of everyone who is Muslim, Latino, a woman, African-American, disabled, an immigrant, Native American, some LGBTQIA, a person with a pulse.." And that did it for me. I looked over Sec. Clinton's accomplishments from the first time she ever stepped in a courtroom, her time as First Lady of Arkansas, the First Lady of the United States, Senator from New York to Secretary of State. Her record matched up (calculated from most groups as around 92-93%) the same as that of Senator Sanders, and I knew then that #ImWithHer. The choice wasn't easy for me, but probably easier than it is for some of you, maybe even YOU, the person reading this right now, and that's okay. If you want to support her, do so! You'll get there. If you don't, then don't but don't expect me to respect that. To be fair, I never disliked Sec. Clinton based on any of the right wing talking points that have haunted her for the last 25 years. Do I think she's a war criminal hellbent on bombing the Middle East into oblivion the hide her emails and Benghazi? No. Absolutely not. And anyone with Google knows that to not be the truth. So seeing so many progressives buy into that noise is very disappointing and I hope they'll eventually come around.

So, what are those issues I support and agree with Sec. Clinton on? Well, I'll let her do the talking on that.

First off, her unwavering support for a women's rights. That's an absolute must for me in supporting any candidate for any office. If you believe you have the right to tell a woman she does not have bodily autonomy, you can get lost. I have no interest in listening to what you have to say any further. Sec. Clinton is committed to keeping abortion safe and legal, and ensuring the abortion clinics are fully funded and have the staff support they need. Also, PAID LEAVE! Uhhh...yes please! Oh, and that whole equal pay for equal work idea. No biggie, right?! NO IT IS A BIGGIE! That is not something you'll get under President Trump (which I shuddered even writing that.)

Secondly, her college debt free plan. This was one of the biggest things about Sen. Sanders I loved. And now it seems as though he's pushed Sec. Clinton to adopt most of his policy on this topic. As much as my husband and I don't like to think about it, what the next president does in terms of affordable higher education, will directly impact our 11 year old daughter. There's nothing any parent wants more for their child than for them to be able to afford college without the worry that years of college loan debt will follow them. Under Sec. Clinton's plan, so many families will find the relief they need in order to send their kids to college without hyperventilating at the idea of being able to afford it.

Thirdly, Wall Street reform. This was one of those issues that just drove me to madness with her. And I thank Sen. Sanders for this one directly, because I feel that without his pushing her on this one, she would not be as adamant about this reform as he is. After reading over her platform on Wall Street, I feel a million times more confident that she'll actually push for what she's calling for, instead of blowing smoke for votes.

Of course, this isn't a complete list of why I'm standing proudly with Sec. Clinton now. I wanted to touch on three key issues I really care about, and I could go on and on, but that gets boring! And she does have a website in which she lays out her platform very well. Besides, I haven't been mean to Donald Trump yet.

Speaking of Trump, can we just discuss him for a minute? I mean, we all know he's a nutty fascist, spreading his hateful manure across our fair land, but this is worse than anyone expected. Did you watch the RNC? Did you listen closely to his 'I alone can fix it' malarkey? (thanks Uncle Joe) or his shouts of bringing 'law and order' back to the US? That should be setting off alarms for everyone right now. That kind of talk is no joke, it's not funny and it should be taken seriously. His speech was everything the Constitution stands against. We're trying not to be a tyrannical nation, one led by an authoritarian dictator, but with Trump, that's exactly what we'll get. I know, it sounds like I'm trying to scare you into voting for Hillary, but I'm not. I'm laying out the truth. So while we may have a laugh at his throwing a baby out of his events, or the fact his tiny baby carrot hands bother him, or that he needs Michelle Obama to write speeches for his wife, what he's bringing to the table, and what his millions of followers are bringing, is nothing short of dangerous and scary. I know, I know, "I'm just voting for the lesser of two evils!" you're telling me. Well, maybe I don't see it that way, and maybe if people take off those blinders, proudly brought to you by the right wing, you won't see it that way either. Sec. Clinton has done enormous amounts of good (and yes bad things I disagree with) that we'd be foolish not to give her the opportunity so many women have fought and died to bring us and hand it off to a neo-Nazi.

I am a socialist Bernie loving, capitalism-hating feminist. And I am standing firmly, and proudly with Sec. Clinton. If we all stand together, we can't lose in November.