So here’s my point, which I probably could have elaborated on in the essay, except I felt I had already gone on long enough about Wal-Mart. I totally understand that it’s one thing to know what’s right, and another thing to have the courage to stand up and say “I think what you’re doing is wrong.” Many of us fit in the former category, and very few of us in the latter. I can’t judge Hillary’s internal conscience; I don’t really know how much she twists and turns every night wrestling with the moral issues of getting in bed with the very people who’s decisions have made American lives a whole lot worse.

But clearly, from her actions, Hillary isn’t bothered enough by the problems to risk her career by speaking out in the situations where she can make a difference. You are arguing that most people would do what she did, and you’re probably right. But that doesn’t change the facts- by acting like most people, Hillary passively contributed to Wal-Mart’s practices. Would Bernie have acted different? I don’t know- I think so, based on the fact that Bernie would never even be invited to sit on a Wal-Mart board precisely because of his views. So that presents you, the individual, with a choice: live a life where you don’t compromise your ideals, even though that means you’re effectively marginalizing yourself, and barring yourself from ever having access to power that could make a difference. Or, you live a life where you have these ideals somewhere in your head, but you compromise them in hopes that you can navigate to the point of having enough power to actually do something about those ideals you started off with.

Of course, like the maxim goes, power corrupts, and the deeper you find yourself swimming with the sharks, the more you become one of them. And most people have come to accept that- come to accept that corruption is okay, expected, and nothing to get hung up over. The common wisdom is that it’s what you have to do- you have to hobnob with the rich, give them favors, and get their money if you ever want to get ahead in this world. Hillary took money from Goldman Sachs? Ooooh, big deal. So has everyone else, moron.

But then along comes Bernie Sanders, who proves all of that wrong. Here’s a man who hasn’t compromised, who has made lots of enemies because of it, and who is now a legitimate contender for the presidency without owing any of those people favors, or taking any of their money. Even if he loses the race, he has already completely dis-proven those excuses, which is what angers Clinton supporters so much.

And so, what argument is Hillary left with? She spent her whole life playing by the rules of politics, and she expects her rightful reward. To her mind, it’s not fair that some guy can just trounce in totally supported by common people, ignoring the system- in fact, outright trashing the system- and get away with it. And that’s the whole thing about Hillary and Wal-Mart; the entire crap game is corrupt. The way corporations are legally set up, the way executive boards allow people to make long-reaching decisions without ever having to witness firsthand the consequences of those decisions… the whole thing is fundamentally wrong. None of that is Hillary’s fault, or your fault, or “anyone’s fault.” Yet the long-range effects of the system we all partake in are real.

You might ask, well, so what- do I really think Bernie Sanders can single-handedly change the fundamental way America’s Economy functions? Well no, of course not. He’s just step one. At least he’s acknowledging the problem; Hillary isn’t. She speaks of vague generalities, but if you were to ask her, do you have a problem with the fundamental way corporations legally function, she’s going to look at you like you’re crazy. So step one is getting a person in there who gets it; who is willing to go on our corporate-controlled national TV and tell us what we all know but haven’t ever heard a President acknowledge. Our step one is to support him- one, with our vote, and two, with our wallets. Quite simply, if you can avoid shopping at Wal-Mart, do it. They can’t function without your money. There’s another thousand steps to take, and that will be up to others to take them, but let’s start with step number one.