A millennial comes out for Hillary
Isabel Albee ?@isabelalbee 11h11 hours ago
My story -- a millennial comes out for Hillary. #ImWithHer https://medium.com/p/3b9c56d30f94
Thank You, Hillary Clinton
I guess I am an establishment kid. I grew up in DC, smack dab in the heart of the political world. My parents have political jobs, our dinner table conversations begin and end with what happened in DC each day, and NPR is our car ride music of choice.
Enter the 2016 election. It was more or less a given that I would support Hillary. I mean, she would make a great president, she has put in her time, and she has the backing of almost all Democratic party officials. Compared to that Bernie guy from Vermont, she seemed capable, smart, and qualified. Super inspiring argument for her candidacy, right? I was more or less indifferent — Hillary didn’t exactly “inspire” me.
And then the election took a turn. All the sudden,“Bernie is kinda funny and has some good points” turned into “If you are not supporting our political revolution, you support the establishment and want to see America crash and burn”. I went from an indifferent Hillary supporter to a sitting target among my newly turned “socialist” peers.
Surrounded by Bernie mania, another “establishment” kid asked me if I thought we would still be for Hillary if we didn’t grow up in DC, surrounded by the people who make up the establishment itself. I instinctively said yes, but at the time, I wasn’t actually sure. I began to wonder why I wasn’t feeling the Bern. As a young, progressive millennial, shouldn’t I be?
I watched Bernie’s speeches, and they were really inspiring. He’s right — America does have a lot of work to do. It is ridiculous that some of my high school classmates couldn’t afford public college. It is messed up that the smallest echelon of the American elite rake in way more than half of America’s wealth. Our campaign finance system is corrupt, and that’s a fact.
But, just as soon as I began to feel some lukewarm feelings, something changed. I began to question my friends — and make them defend their ideas. If they could convince me, I was open to it. I just wanted to lay out the whole picture and see where we ended up.
What happened, though, was exactly the opposite. When I admitted I wasn’t one hundred percent on board with Bernie, I would be shut down, laughed at, told I was only supporting Clinton because she is a woman. Some kids couldn’t even face talking to me because of how strongly they felt. At the time, I was not even fully in support of Clinton. I certainly leaned, but my aim was to learn about both candidates, beyond their stump speeches.
I started to feel like Clinton and eons of other women have felt their whole lives: ignored, and pushed aside. I would enter a discussion, armed with facts and ideas and questions in attempt to push the envelope, and I would almost always leave dejected. Not just because I felt as though my ideas weren’t taken seriously, but I felt that I, myself, wasn’t being taken seriously.
I repeatedly had my opinions shut down by memes, by 140-character tweets, and catch phrases. I would be told that “after doing research and seeing where Bernie stands, American people will come around to him”.
It was these arguments, the unfounded and sexist memes, the closed-minded, condescending positions, which made me go from lukewarm to cold on Bernie.
It didn’t matter that Hillary didn’t originally “inspire” me, I was inspiring myself by standing up for what I believed in, and in the process I gained so much respect for the woman. The fact that she is still standing after forty years of this rapid-fire assault is remarkable. She is resilient.
Why should I feel ashamed for supporting a woman who has consistently fought for progressive causes throughout her forty year career? Why should I feel ashamed to support a candidate who is a smart, tested leader, whose politics mirror my own?
I now feel ashamed that I felt ashamed. Last week, I found myself jumping out of my seat during the most recent debate, watching Clinton wipe the floor with Sanders. It is clear she represents all Americans, not just those with educated parents from Northwest DC. Her ability to speak out about a range of issues confronting the American people, and the knowledge that her election would put a woman in the White House absolutely inspire me.
I may be an establishment kid. But that is not why I support Clinton.
I support what Bernie stands for. I support Chris Christie’s view on drug addiction. I agree with Donald Trump’s position on Planned Parenthood. I think Jeb Bush seems like a pretty fair guy. Kasich, aside from his views on women’s rights, comes across as a shining moderate light on the debate stage. And Marco Rubio was one hundred percent right when he stated that Obama knew exactly what he is doing.
By delegitimizing views and opinions, we are encouraging closed-minded, one-sided, uncompromising politics. Let’s all take a step back and ask each other to expand upon our positions, in more than 140 characters. Thank you, Mrs. Clinton, for inspiring me to think hard about what I believe in, and asking others to do the same.
You can find me at Hillary’s next rally, whooping it up with the rest of her supporters.
read: https://medium.com/p/3b9c56d30f94
= new reply since forum marked as read
Response to bigtree (Original post)
Response to bigtree (Reply #6)
with my Bernie bumper sticker.. Being an old fart and having car loads of college girls drive up and waving at me.
Feel like a kid again.
I checked the original story and found you have spent time in Cuba. Your Huffington Post article is wonderful!
Before going to Washington DC in 1961, I lived in Miami right through the Cuban revolution in 1959. My childhood was there.
If you have the inclination, please read a personal story I wrote about that time, and a Cuban gal I loved as a young teenager. I think you may like it.
I can tell you are a very thoughtful person, and I hope you give old Bernie a longer go at it than your friends gave you! 
http://livinginsonora.blogspot.com/2015/11/maria-prio-it-was-in-miami-196-1.html
