records or platforms logically, instead viciously reviling Clinton–often
in misogynistic terms–for things they routinely excuse in male
politicians. And I have to say, the level of unfocused, irrational
vitriol feels an awful lot like what conservatives have been doing to
Obama for years.
FOOTBALL FOR THE FUTURE
There’s not a thing wrong with choosing Sanders over Clinton, or disliking Clinton’s current policy proposals. However, the out-and-out hatred we’re seeing from some Sanders supporters (and about which I am hardly
the first person to write) bears some serious scrutiny. While the
Sanders campaign has made real efforts to deal with the worst of it–the
“Bernie Bros” acting as a misogynistic mob, attacking Clinton and her
supporters Gamergate-style; the “Bern the Witch” controversy–there’s
still far too much active hatred, and far too much of it is misogynistic
or coded misogyny. Far too much of it stems from willing belief in
conservative propaganda about Clinton that has been debunked over and
over.
I think we all expected it, but I did not expect it from our side.
It’s one thing to prefer one candidate over
another. That’s healthy. That’s admirable. It’s another to actively hate
a candidate for doing exactly the same things as the last three men you
voted for, despite her liberal record.
Let’s think practically about the election in November.
How
privileged do you need to be to imagine that it’s a good idea to risk
the actual lives of vulnerable Americans because you “hate” Clinton? If Donald Trump gets elected, how many vulnerable people will be hurt, how many programs cut, how bad will the the economy get under conservative policies? How much damage will be done if Trump, an open racist and misogynist, is empowered to command our military, veto bills, and nominate people to the Supreme Court, impacting life in the US for decades to come?
Trump exhorts his followers to attack protestors at his rallies (“The next time we see him, we might have to kill him,” a follower said after punching a black protestor at a rally.) Trump excuses his followers who attack a homeless Hispanic man on the street, claims that Mexican immigrants are rapists, refused to distance himself from the Ku Klux Klan, supports banning Muslims from entering the US, advocates killing the families of terrorists, and is openly sexist. Trump is the worst America has to offer.
How privileged do you need to be to imagine that
it’s a good idea to risk the actual lives of vulnerable Americans
because you “hate” Clinton so much that you vow to stay home if Sanders
doesn’t get the nomination? How protected from the consequences of a
Trump presidency do you need to be to think your hatred of Clinton
constitutes, as I saw someone say earlier this week, an “inviolable
principle,” meaning that it’s more important than the lives of
vulnerable Americans? That all applies equally to any Clinton supporters
saying the same about Sanders. (We have yet to see the full weight of
American anti-Semitism aimed at Sanders, and if he wins the nomination,
we most certainly will.)
Vote for whoever you like in the primary. But
let’s step away from vicious attacks and hatred. Let’s step away from
buying into debunked conservative propaganda about Clinton’s
trustworthiness. Let’s look at the candidates’ actual proposals and
weigh those proposals’ actual strengths and weaknesses. Let’s respect
each other’s choices in the primaries.
And whoever becomes the
Democratic nominee, the stakes are far, far too high for us to selfishly
stay home because we didn’t get our first choice. I will happily,
proudly vote for either Clinton or Sanders, and I hope you will do the
right thing and join me.
This post originally appeared on Bitter Gertrude. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.
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