2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumIn 1960, I became a Democrat.
I was 15 years old, a sophomore in a California high school. John F. Kennedy was running for President, against Richard Nixon. The choice seemed clear to me, so I asked the local Democratic Party leader what I could do to help.
That started a lifetime of working to elect Democrats to hold offices at all levels. Sometimes we won. Sometimes we lost. It was always easy to see the difference that made.
Now, I'm 70 years old, and another election is coming up. Once again, I'll be out there getting out the vote for Democratic candidates for every office on my ballot, including the POTUS.
Who will the nominee be? It doesn't matter, really. Either will be hugely better than the Republican. That's what I've learned in five decades. I'm a Democrat. I vote for Democrats. Always. It's an easy decision, really, given the alternative.
I hope all DUers will do the same. Truly I do. It will matter very much.
PyaarRevolution
(814 posts)But I will vote Liberal Dems. down the ticket if there's a local, state and federal election this go around. If not I'll push for people in other states to and vote them in in the off year.
I want a veto proof majority with Liberals period.
Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)MineralMan
(146,345 posts)I'm proud of that, and would not have changed one vote. 55 plus years now.
highprincipleswork
(3,111 posts)riversedge
(70,417 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,947 posts)Sometimes I'm not happy about it. This time, if it's Hillary, I will drag my sad old ass to my car, probably pull over and puke a couple of times on the way to my polling place, shuffle through the door to sign in and pick up my ballot, try not to puke on an election judge, fill in the oval next to Hillary's name with a shaking hand and with tears in my eyes, vote for all the down-ticket Democrats with a smile, slip the ballot into the optical scanner and go home. Elections are often a choice of the lesser of two evils, which IMO this will be. However, Trump and Cruz are very, very evil, like existential threat evil, instead of merely corporate tool evil. But if by some miracle it's Bernie I'll dance and sing all the way to the polls, because this election would give me the rare choice between good and evil.
But in any event I'll vote for the Democrat just like I've done in every election since 1972.
MineralMan
(146,345 posts)PyaarRevolution
(814 posts)That goes for everyone here, including Mineral. We know the shenanigans some will pull.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,947 posts)The GOP has tried - unsuccessfully - to get some voter suppression laws passed, but I'm not aware of any incidents of alleged ballot tampering. I suppose there's always a first time, but so far there's been no evidence of it in this state.
XRubicon
(2,213 posts)They are not Democrats. They guzzle summers eve.
PyaarRevolution
(814 posts)overall strengthen the Democratic party and help shut out the Republicans in every state? Trust me, they will overall caucus with the Dems. when they get elected like Bernie and you DON'T think that helps Democrats?!
Because Bernie has been independent for the longest time it has given him the privilege of not being obliged to support certain bills which may be especially onerous even though a powerful Democrat wrote it. Because of that Bernie has been able to stay realistically pure and his running for President has energized many people who have been disenfranchised and are coming into the Democratic tent or coming back. Everyone should be HAPPY because of this who aren't Republicans, like hardcore Conservatives.