Hillary Clinton wins Iowa 49.9-49.6 and nets a 27-21 delegate lead.
Bernie Sanders wins New Hampshire 60.0-38.4 and nets a 13-13 delegate tie
Showing posts with label Bernie Sanders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bernie Sanders. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
Introductory Endorsement: Part One
It's somewhat unusual for a blog, or any form of media purporting to be a somewhat neutral arbiter, to begin it's run with a political endorsement. Yet, to ignore the most important issue of the day on which we launch would be dishonest. So, it is our hope to make our bid for your opinion and earn your trust along the rest of the way.
It is clear that Hillary Clinton is, by far, the most competent, though among least exciting candidates in either field. Our problem with Sen. Clinton is partly ideological, partly personality. Her husband, sensing the rightward drift of the Republican party and recognizing the need for corporate money in order to compete, began a push to the center, which has alienated the base of the FDR-JFK-LBJ base of the party. It is therefore very difficult for her to lay claim to that progressive mantle. She is slightly more centrist than President Obama, who himself would have been considered a centrist 30 years ago, but who know finds himself a radical among the fever dreams of the right. However, as we can see from the Clinton and Obama administrations, attempts at compromise garner no good will, and instead only serve to make Republicans more inclined to extremism. Any Democrat elected will be viewed as illegitimate and subject to virulent conspiracy theories and obstinate opposition from the Republican field.
So, we should expect nothing but a fight, so why not pick the best fighter. With this in mind, we support Bernie Sanders for President in Iowa and New Hampshire. We are long time supporters of Sen. Sanders as one of the few honest, and consistent voices for progressive-left politics. The courage to claim to be a socialist in American politics (despite the ignorance of what that actually means among the general populace) is notable and his irascible nature indicates a man who will never back down from a fight. If you believe, as we do, that the country has drifted too far to the right, and the only way to effectively shock the system back into place is sustained progressive governance, he is the man for the job.
We do acknowledge, that the very things that draw us to Sen. Sanders are the things that we recognize would make him a less effective President overall. His relative inexperience with foreign affairs is concerning (though, no more so than President Obama's on his inauguration). However, from this position, we have been burned by seemingly progressive people who have acted as moderates once being elected. Sen. Sanders will certainly not have that problem.
While we still believe that Sen. Clinton will ultimately win the nomination and be an effective President. We must, in good conscience, stand behind Sen. Sanders as long as he stands up for us.
It is clear that Hillary Clinton is, by far, the most competent, though among least exciting candidates in either field. Our problem with Sen. Clinton is partly ideological, partly personality. Her husband, sensing the rightward drift of the Republican party and recognizing the need for corporate money in order to compete, began a push to the center, which has alienated the base of the FDR-JFK-LBJ base of the party. It is therefore very difficult for her to lay claim to that progressive mantle. She is slightly more centrist than President Obama, who himself would have been considered a centrist 30 years ago, but who know finds himself a radical among the fever dreams of the right. However, as we can see from the Clinton and Obama administrations, attempts at compromise garner no good will, and instead only serve to make Republicans more inclined to extremism. Any Democrat elected will be viewed as illegitimate and subject to virulent conspiracy theories and obstinate opposition from the Republican field.
So, we should expect nothing but a fight, so why not pick the best fighter. With this in mind, we support Bernie Sanders for President in Iowa and New Hampshire. We are long time supporters of Sen. Sanders as one of the few honest, and consistent voices for progressive-left politics. The courage to claim to be a socialist in American politics (despite the ignorance of what that actually means among the general populace) is notable and his irascible nature indicates a man who will never back down from a fight. If you believe, as we do, that the country has drifted too far to the right, and the only way to effectively shock the system back into place is sustained progressive governance, he is the man for the job.
We do acknowledge, that the very things that draw us to Sen. Sanders are the things that we recognize would make him a less effective President overall. His relative inexperience with foreign affairs is concerning (though, no more so than President Obama's on his inauguration). However, from this position, we have been burned by seemingly progressive people who have acted as moderates once being elected. Sen. Sanders will certainly not have that problem.
While we still believe that Sen. Clinton will ultimately win the nomination and be an effective President. We must, in good conscience, stand behind Sen. Sanders as long as he stands up for us.
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