2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Hillary fans have convinced themselves that she is a progressive. You really have to willfully [View all]Onlooker
(5,636 posts)It's easy to support Hillary on progressive grounds if you:
- have deep admiration for the woman or minority who rises through the incredibly competitive white male establishment to achieve perhaps the most important position in the world.
- identify to some degree with the oppressed groups that in large numbers back Hillary, so I back Hillary as a way of backing them.
- know she's just as about as progressive as anyone on gay rights, civil rights, and womens rights.
- think she's just about as progressive as anyone but Bernie in supporting funding for various social services, including healthcare.
- reluctantly support the US being engaged if necessary in military matters involving threat of genocide or transitioning out of the mess we created under Bush.
- believe Hillary's plans for health care, tuition, and minimum wage all represent a good first step.
- back the full support Hillary gave to the Arab Spring including Libya.
- know that Bill Clinton did an enormous amount for gay rights at a time the country was very homophobic.
- know that Bill Clinton stood up for affirmative action even when Congress and the Supremes were beating it down.
- like the fact that Hillary voted 93% of the time with Sanders.
- believe that Hillary's Wall Street proposals aren't bad, but not as good as Bernie's.
- are comfortable with Hillary's continuation of Obama's energy policies that achieve a good balance between protecting the environment and the economy.
- believe her goal of a 30% reduction in greenhouse gases in 10 years is as lofty as Bernie's, but she supports scientists who favor nuclear energy and limited fracking (which both produce cleaner energy) as part of the transition to clean energy.
- believe that the Clinton family foundation will be fully defensible on ethical and progressive grounds, and will be a campaign asset.
- view Hillary's scandals, including the $40 million taxpayer funded Lewinsky scandal, as a part of a vast right wing conspiracy.
- don't fault her for getting rich off speeches anymore than faulting Gore and Kennedy for getting rich off inheritance or Kerry for getting rich off marriage.
- know that Hillary, like Bernie, has some bad votes, but like where she is now.
- have some legitimate concerns about Bernie, related to issues like guns and immigration, but also some concerns about Hillary.
- think that if the vote tallies are being manipulated by the powers that be, then the only Democrat who has a chance is Hillary.
- respect that she has devoted much of her life to people of every race, nationality, and ethnicity, so has a unique understanding of the world.
- admire her resume.
- believe that a Sanders movement is more powerful as an outsider movement.
It's like Bernie can talk his way out of the voting against the Amber alert, not speaking up on his vote against DOMA, not endorsing gay marriage until after the Vermont Legislature endorsed it, voting to protect the anti-immigrant Minutemen, voting for the $1 trillion stealth bomber program, voting for regime change in Iraq in 1999, voting for war appropriations in 2001, and he's completely forgiven. Any bad vote Hillary made is held up as who she really is. Bernie supporters use a double standard when it comes to Hillary, and personally I think part of the reason for that is ingrained sexism, but that's another point.