It is time for Unity Democrats!

I was going to post this as a Facebook post but then I realized that I had a lot more to say than I thought I did. So I decided that I needed to post it on Medium. Also, its been awhile since I have had the opportunity to sit down and recap my thoughts on this primary season.

This primary season has been defined by the bitter words of the GOP and its candidates for the Presidency. Much to my dismay the fight bled over into the Democrats, and I have seen a large amount of negativity coming out of both camps.

It is no secret that Hillary Clinton is my candidate for President. She has held this spot in my heart since last spring when she visited the Iowa Capitol shortly after announcing she was seeking the Presidency. I got the opportunity to be a small room of Senators and House Representatives when she came and spoke to them. From that moment I realized that no one was more prepared and more dedicated to public service than she was.

Fast forward to when Bernie Sanders entered the race… I can be honest, I really didn’t take him seriously like many other people. I knew of him because of my background in political science. I also had followed him on Facebook because I liked a lot of what he stood for. I still do. However, it has been difficult to see him getting down in the mud, and as the primary season moves forward we are seeing blows further and further below the belt.

Now, don’t take this as a statement that I feel Bernie Sanders needs to get out of the race. I honestly don’t believe that. What I am hoping though is that he keeps his eye on the issues, and doesn’t delve into those types of things that are better left alone. I also think his supporters deserve some honesty. At this point, there is not enough real estate left for him to clench the nomination. He would have to outperform her by very large margins in states with diverse populations (which is not his strongest category). The math just isn’t there. I am sorry, but that is the reality.

Now for the bulk of what I came here to talk about.. Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee of the GOP. He has shown that he can have a powerful message, even if I think its a message of no substance. We can all agree that that he is dangerous for the United States. He has already damaged much of our reputation in the world. A reputation, may I remind you, that we have spent the last 8 years rebuilding after the terrible and failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I can honestly say that I feel that if he is elected to the presidency, we have not even seen the worst of what our lives could be like. He runs on fear, he runs on bigotry, he runs on sexism, and he runs on racism. That is his message. He doesn’t care about the rest of the world and in a global economy, we need our partners from all over the world. Our allies don’t like him and in this time of terrorism and hatred all over the world, we may need them.

So here is my plea. We will see the Democratic National Convention this summer and I would go to say that Hillary will be the presumptive nominee. She has the most delegates, the most votes in the popular vote, and the most superdelegates. We need to unify as a party to defeat any possibility of a Trump presidency. That means we need EVERYBODY. Young, old, poor, wealthy, middle class, CEOs, gay, straight, bisexual, men, and women. We also need to focus all of our energy on the top to bottom of the Democratic ticket. We also must not forget to vote for our local and state elections. This November, I want to see a sea of blue rush over the United States. We need to show that no matter who it is, a Democrat is way better than the alternative (because we do know that). Obama will most likely endorse Hillary as soon as she is nominated, other Democrats that we respect and adore, and many others. Tom Harkin here in Iowa has pushed for her to be our nominee and invited her as the headliner to his last Steak Fry.

Remember the fire we had for Obama 4 years ago, remember the passion, and the love. Remember that this is more important than our own personal preferences. We need to continue on the path to social equality and create a better world for ourselves and our world partners. Even if we may not agree with all of the countries and their perspective on life, we must continue to support everybody and share love. That is the only way we can defeat groups like ISIS. Proving that we are not what they say we are and letting the rest of the world see how big our hearts are.

Together we are change. Together we are strong. Don’t underestimate the other side, because there is a lot of passion on that side. We need to put out the flame and tell them that the rhetoric from their party’s candidate for President is unacceptable and dangerous. When you have your own party saying you are dangerous, you know there is a problem…

Lets start the fight today. Turn the tables. Congratulate Mr. Sanders on a well run campaign and thank him for his devotion and help in shaping the issues of this campaign. He also did a phenomenal job making sure that Ms. Clinton did not forget her base and the issues that matter.