I Was Wrong About Clinton

Earlier this year during the combative primary season I pledged that I could never, and would never, vote for Clinton. My reasoning was simple; Clinton is not a progressive. No matter how often she was pushed to say that she is a progressive, her record says otherwise. Since then nothing about Clinton has really changed. However, I was wrong about Clinton and I will vote for Clinton.

Let’s face it, Clinton is not a perfect candidate but, she is qualified. Likely, more qualified than most recent presidents, and absolutely more qualified than any of the candidates this cycle. However, politically she is lacking. On policy I have no doubt Clinton will shift her way to the most politically convenient position. Her email scandal, and more importantly her handling thereof, only feeds into her extremely high negatives on honesty. Her lack of openness to the press, while politically apt considering Trump is doing all the talking she needs, likewise only feeds into the worrisome perspective that Clinton and her presidency will lack transparency. At least I know I’ll agree with her more than 50% of the time.

This wouldn’t be the first time I would be disappointed by centrist. I voted for Obama the first time with glee and with something less than enthusiasm the second time. My disappointment with Obama stemmed from his failure to fight for a single payer healthcare system. Instead, his moderate politics obtained the passage of Obamacare (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). This imperfect law has meant the difference between life and death for some and for many more, like myself provided health security while I attend university. These are real world result from a centrist policy which I didn’t fully appreciate until it affected me personally. I my still be disappointed that a full overhaul of our healthcare system failed, but I’m sure glad Obama fought for what became Obamacare. I still may not agree with every Obama policy but, more importantly, I know he, much like Clinton, will never stoke the flames of hate, resentment, or white nationalism.

The rise of Trump during the primary was a joke and one jaw dropping moment after another. Not to say that it was a surprise that these nativists, and racist currents were part of the Republican party. A few minutes on right wing talk radio would have shown you all you needed to know. However, what was surprising is that the leadership of the Republican party was, either so weak or, unwilling to stop these currents from rising to the surface and taking over the party. What is worse is that the leaders have openly embarrassed these views, either actively or passively. There maybe nothing worse than the latter, Republicans who have the intellectual dishonesty of ‘supporting the Republican candidate’ but at the same time trying to distance themselves from Trump. There should be, and there is only one response to the type of political culture Trump has begun to normalize; NO!

There was a time when this type of political culture was the norm. It is a time I thought I would only read about in history books. Surely, our nation’s racial problems are long from solved. However, there is no doubt that progress has been made. Not long ago opinions like those espoused by Trump would come with the political cost of being shunned to the darkest recesses of our society to be ignored. Maybe this was the wrong approach, allowing those views to grow, fester, and allowing them to reach the pinnacle of our politics. It is now too late to ignore and reject these views with anything less than full-throated antipathy and as hostile to all that is American.

This election, like all elections, is not a binary choice. No, Clinton isn’t the perfect candidate I hoped for. I live in a safe Democratic state that is sure to go for Clinton in November. I could simply vote for a third party candidate (as I have in the past), but I would also have to live with the knowledge that my vote did not help elect the only person who can defeat Trump. Resoundingly defeating Trump and rejecting his odious politics is the only way to unnormalize the racist hatred he dredged up. This is why I’m voting for Hillary Clinton.