Progressives

Progressives

Primarily because of Bernie Sanders’ campaign, I now have something new to call myself: a progressive. My old label, “ultra-liberal” can now be retired. What do progressives believe? Well, they believe in progress: social, technological, scientific, industrial, educational, and even political. Progress means going forward, not backward. It means inclusion, not exclusion. It means getting big corporations out of elections. It means ensuring that our lending institutions are in place for their depositors, not their CEOs. It means that the workplace should be as kind to its workers as it is to its investors. It means that education and health care should be provided for everyone and not just those that can afford it. It means more laws against the pollution of our lakes, rivers and streams. It means a rethinking of our current Presidential election system .And that may be just the beginning.

In other words, a lot of stuff.  But I was educated in the old school of hippie liberals. Over the years I have been able to see a lot of progress in the treatment of African-Americans, the acceptance of members of the LGBT community, and in health care provision. I know that change happens, but I know it usually—unless it is part of a violent revolution—happens over time.

Not having seen and experienced this is the main problem with many of Bernie Sanders’ most hardcore supporters. They are young—many under 30—who don’t realize that sometimes change just takes time. They want everything right now, but that’s not going to happen.  Even if Bernie were elected President, it wouldn’t happen. We have a Congress and we have a Supreme Court. The important thing is that the message is out there and there is someone to carry it.

Here’s a newsflash; I think that Hilary Clinton is a progressive, too, albeit a very laid back one. So is Barack Obama, who has accomplished much despite having had almost no help in Congress. Those of Bernie’s supporters who are interested in progress over personalities have no real reason not to switch their support to Hilary. I have. If their cry of foul towards the political process causes them to withhold their vote for a person whose values are very close to their hero’s, then I think they are making a mistake. But keeping those arguments for future elections is important—and part of our continuing progress. 

Third-Party Candidates

There is a lot of talk this election of refusing to vote for either of the major party's candidates. People hate Donald Trump because of the way his policies will affect America and they hate Hilary Clinton because, well. . . because they just do. So what about a third party candidate, such as Libertarian Party's Gary Johnson or Green Party's Jill Stein?

Well, I voted for a third-party candidate once. But it was because I saw absolutely no difference between the two candidates as far America’s direction, and neither seemed to have any interest in the issues I was most interested in. But I was young and non-political and did not look into the real issues thoroughly. If I could have that vote over, I would almost certainly vote differently.

This election could not be more different. One candidate—Donald Trump—espouses backtracking on our civil rights gains, continuing to empower the rich while disenfranchising the poor, cozying up to Russia, and the list goes on and on. The other candidate—Hillary Clinton—has  worked almost all her life for the working people of America, particularly women. Her vision would move the country forward in its quest for social, scientific, economic, and even global progress. And her ability to appoint Federal and Supreme Court justices will ensure that reactionaries like Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Huckabee, and their ilk will be shouted down, hopefully for good.

There is absolutely no rationale for voting for a third-party candidate in this election. You are either for progress or against it. There can be no middle ground. Forget personalities and vote for the issues.