Excellent, thoughtful article Michael. Some of the criticisms launched against Michael and his ideas have to do with “settling” which I don’t see Clinton doing (she still has progressive ideas that are pragmatic). The GOP dream would be to have Sanders elected as the nominee. Why? Imagine those swing voters in Florida, Pennsylvania (I too am from Pittsburgh) and Ohio trying to understand and grasp “socialism.” While I love Bernie’s politics and ideas, I do not see the swing voters in those states, especially in the general election, supporting him. I lived in both PA and Ohio and I have spoken to many about politics over the years from those areas. The GOP does a phenomenal job of rallying around a message of confusion and inaccuracies with their unethical rhetorical machine. Just imagine the commercials and name calling they will launch against Sanders in the general election.

Furthermore, what many people are missing in this election is the Supreme Court. There will be 2–4 Supreme Court Justice retirements that the next president will preside over (whether it be 4 or 8 years). Three of the justices are currently 80+ years of age. Depending on the next POTUS, the law of the land can be moved forward or set back decades (think Roe v. Wade).

This election is not about “settling,” it’s about continuing progressive, yet pragmatic, ideas forward.Clinton is far from perfect but is the reliable, progressive, pragmatic candidate that can move this country forward which is especially noted, outlined, and defended in this article.