#ImWithHer
I woke up yesterday to a banner alert from the BBC news that Hilary Clinton had won the democratic primary.
The thing is, I live in California, and we hadn’t actually voted in that primary yet.
I was….miffed.
The pragmatist in me has been with Hilary since day one. I honestly believe she’s a strong candidate, and that the problems people have with her stem from the fact that she has been in the system for a long time, making real, tough decisions. Playing by the rules doesn’t make her “evil.” It means she’s intelligent and experienced enough to understand how important that is. Is the system right? Maybe not. But it’s there.
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The optimist in me has been with Bernie since about two months ago, when I got over my “I hate all my stupid peers buying into revolutionary rhetoric that has little substance to back it up” phase. We need Bernie. We need to seriously think about the issues his campaign has raised. We need to continue thinking about them long after this election ends. My fear is that we won’t. My fear is that many of his supporters will have forgotten their fervor by this time next year. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so.
Yesterday, I voted for Bernie. I voted for Bernie because I couldn’t make up my damn mind, and I knew that this way I would get to vote for both candidates. What does that say about our political system? I don’t know.
What I do know is that now, we all need to get our shit together and vote for Hilary. She’s a strong choice and a good person (I truly believe this) and best of all, SHE’S NOT DONALD FUCKING TRUMP. If you are a Bernie supporter and you are reading this, and you plan on abstaining, or worse, voting Trump (WHY???) I just want to let you know that you are a seriously — dangerously — deluded, selfish and misguided person. Please. Just. Don’t. Do. It.
You don’t always get to do what you want. Sometimes, you have to do what’s right.
I’m upset that this momentous occasion — electing the first female president — instead of the triumphant, joyful celebration that it should be (that it was when we elected Obama), is becoming a miserable shitstorm. People are being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the polls to vote for this woman. Everyone already hates her. And, as a woman and a feminist, it’s honestly…disheartening. I’m not trying to say people should vote for her because she’s a woman — that is the opposite of feminism — and I totally understand why people aren’t. I’m not trying to change anything, and I don’t think anything should change. I’m just saying…it sucks. It’s unfortunate and I wish it didn’t have to be this way.
