Dear Hillary Rodham Clinton,
I’ve found myself in a sometimes troubling situation; having to often defend you when I was an early Bernie Sanders supporter. Bernie Sanders appealed to such a broad range of people; from my bible thumping ultra Conservative Republican family (who let’s face it, still would of voted for Trump), to my far left friends and associates. His drama and scandal free platform, his consistent anti-war stance, his continued fight for equal rights throughout his entire career, his seemingly simple solutions to complex problems all ignited a sense of unity across the party lines. He boldly shed light on issues that many have accepted as status quo in the USA. He made us dream that perhaps our student loans wouldn’t be an overwhelming debt that we live under every month. That families planning for college might actually not have that burden all this while “pursuing an agenda of dealing with stagnant incomes and income inequality is no longer the liberal pole in the Democratic Party but is the solid majority position,” – In a sense Sanders encouraged people to ask for more from our politicians all across party lines. While 71% of people under 30 voted for Sanders in the primaries, his inability to gain support among POC communities was his main issue and therefore cost him the primaries. (that fact there is an indication of some greater issues surrounding Sanders that goes largely unaddressed) Read Also many believe the DNC had their faith rooted in you and ignored warnings that you will be ousted much easier than the Socialist, though considering how people showed up for the Republicans this year, that is a toss up we’ll never know. There are many views both supporting both sides of the issue. Read or Read
Many of my friends and peers who were Bernie Supporters were outraged by your appointment. Many, still until this day feel as though you somehow cheated, (even though scientific studies have proven time and again that voter fraud is an extremely rare occurrence). Watch In fact, voter disenfranchise is much more of a real world problem than stealing the election. And certainly the Republican party has a much more substantiated history of voter fraud. Bernie Sanders himself has never cried voter fraud and is endorsing you. I don’t believe he was forced to either. I believe Bernie Sanders has been threatened his entire political career and wouldn’t just throw in the towel now, I believe he sees the big picture, and like I, is now doing what it takes to see you in the White House. I love that you have adopted some of his policies into your platform.
You have some great people that believe in you. I see some extremely progressive, smart, and informed people taking up for you. However this isn’t always easy. I’m not interested in the scandal and propaganda. Your email mismanagement doesn’t frighten me, as I realize email servers, including the United States governments’ get hacked, and what was revealed in your emails, was largely unconcerning to me. I also don’t follow wikileaks and don’t think the brogrammers behind the hacks have my ideals in mind, nor do they represent people like me. I realize that the way classified information is handled needs to be changed on a massive level, but this isn’t just your fault, this is the failing of the system. I think you’ve acknowledged this and I think you’ll certainly be more careful in the future. Between Trump and his embodiment of racism, sexism, and failed capitalism, and the scandals that plague you, this election has been taking a toll on us all. But I don’t care about your drama, what I do care about are your policies. I realize you haven’t always supported marriage equality (a big deal for me) but you’ve come around, and I think people can change, and in fact showing that you are open to hearing the dialogue that surrounds you and adjusting is a plus. I’m excited by your energy policy, solar and wind power are really fascinating green alternatives that we’ve never seen being incorporated into the main policy platform for a nominee for POTUS. And it doesn’t take much of a read to figure out that Trump’s energy platform would be absolutely devastating for our environment (my other big political interest=environment). Even the Union for Coal Miners don’t support Trump, I mean people don’t actually want to work in mines, they want jobs. Green energy could be the shift that turns this country into the Global Green Energy Superpower that you’ve spoken of. This ignites my passion and inspires me. Out of all the politicians, I think if you really follow through on your promises, out of everyone, you have the know-how to get this done. I love that you will protect Obama’s Clean Energy and the Recovery Act.
But we can’t set aside your past record. My greatest concern is your highly interventionist activity, that has atleast twice, led to greater international issues. I’m sure you could agree that the way Libya and Honduras turned out was disastrous. I can understand the passion you must feel when you meet with rebel forces who promise democracy to their country if you help them overthrow their leaders however I think that you would be well served to take such a passionate interest in supporting the “rebel forces” in your own country. Take a hard stand for Native American rights, stand up for what’s right, here. Obama won the presidency twice, on a simple idea: “Change” – now show us what that change can look like. We’ve seen great strides in equal rights, now let’s see that across the board. Many people complain that Obama’s biggest failing is that he doesn’t talk to enough actual POC. POC are still at risk during simple traffic stops, more likely to be arrested, and this exposure of white supremacy that Obama has unearthed, has got many people more scared than before. You must address the real needs of the populations that are supporting you, and in this case you’ve got a huge following coming again from the POC community. And you must not trade lives abroad for financial support of your charity (as some have speculated). Which I realize is highly respected in the charity community and has literally helped millions and millions of people around the world. Read I also realize the charity has promised to not take foreign money if you are elected. We also have concerns about your ties to GMO and other dirty industries that you promise to reform. Though I understand these issues are never cut and dry. I realize you haven’t always been rich, and that you’ve used your insider knowledge and connections to get your family to a very wealthy level. Make sure you are never trading what’s right for what makes money. It will never turn out well. Also perhaps we don’t want to intervene in every war, though you will face criticism no matter which way you decide. For me, the fact that you have experience dealing with military situations is a good thing. It’s not like war is going to end or other countries will stop asking the USA for aid, just because Trump becomes president. (or Jill Stein for that matter)
I think this election has shown, despite what people may think, and despite what I may have thought at one point, we the people do have the power. You need to be accountable to us. If you are elected, you will be under an intense amount of scrutiny to deliver on your promises and to make moral and just decisions. Don’t let us down. But all of this isn’t just on you. There are many of us working towards the same goals as you. So if you are true to your promises, then the country, and the world will be in a lot better position.
No matter who you vote for, I think one thing we can all agree on, the elections during 2016 have been a painful experience. Reasons for this are many. For starters, we have so much on the line. Our environment, our civil liberties, our safety are all up for grabs. Social media has given everybody a soapbox that at minimum a few people will hear, but at maximum, can carry a message to millions as posts go viral on every side of the fence. With this power comes a great responsibility to us all. That responsibility is to exhaustively fact check everything you can before posting or sharing a news article. However not everyone has the time, ability, skill or interest to do this. I think what we loved about Bernie Sanders was his perceived transparency. I think what people trust the least about you, is your perceived inaccessibility. Because of the internet, we all have copious amounts of data available at our fingertips. We want to know the science behind your decisions, we want to know the why not just the what. Be transparent as much as you possibly can be, and listen to all sides of an issue and let us all weigh in. And bottomline, when there are mistakes made, because none of us are free from making mistakes, be accountable.
As someone who started out half heartedly supporting you (yes I had heard a few too many GOP propaganda scandals), I’ve now come around to not just supporting you, but excitedly so. The more I fact check and read about what you’ve accomplished, and what you’ve overcome, the more respect I have for you.
And lastly, and certainly not least, you will change the way that women grow up in this country. My mother’s generation thought they could only be nurses and teachers or housewives. My generation was taught we could reach higher, and you will show that women can get there, and not just be there, be leading the next wave of progress. As a woman who works in tech, and in the music industry, I’ve seen lesser qualified men gain favoritism with middle management simply for being men. They speak louder and get praise. We are told to not be emotional when we are passionate, told that the cards are stacked against us. I know having a woman president won’t topple the patriarchy. But it sure goes along way. My heart is overjoyed for all the little female identified children around the country who will grow up knowing they can be president of the United States! Together we are Stronger. And that means everyone on every side of party lines. The one thing we can’t let the government do, is divide us. We must unite our interests to create a better planet for humanity. The future of the world is literally at stake.
#imwithher
