Hillary Clinton
In reply to the discussion: Bernie Sanders raising money off of false hopes - why aren't we SCREAMING about this? [View all]Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)could vote, I had to educate myself on what the voting rules were. I didn't yell and scream in my entitlement, demanding that the rules be changed to accommodate me and allow me to vote.
Even when I made the mistake of voting in a primary election here in Maryland and being told that I couldn't vote--having not realized that I was a registered Independent--I was upset, but I didn't write the State Board of Elections or the MD Democratic Party demanding that they change the rules for me. No! Maryland has a closed primary. New York has a closed primary. For whatever reason, the state Democratic Party apparatus wants their primary closed--actually, for GOOD reasons!
It is therefore OUR responsibility as citizens--as voters--to find out how to register and vote.
Then...you work to change the rules to make them fairer if they're not.
If Bernie Sanders is such a revolutionary change agent, then his work should be to continue to encourage these new voters to stay engaged and work to change things. But he needs to be honest with them that change takes time; it's not an overnight process. Learn how the government works. Learn how institutions work. It's no excuse when everyone had to do the work. No one is special in this country. Everyone has a responsibility to find out how things work! Then, work to change them. Stay engaged. My guess is that Bernie is in this for himself. I want to be proven wrong, though. After he loses the primary, I want to see him encouraging voters to remain engaged and work hard for change. If he doesn't do that, then screw him. He's no different than Nader, and yes, these voters will probably not vote again.
President Obama's commencement address at Howard University a few weeks ago was OUTSTANDING because he talked about the same thing! Learn about the system. Get engaged. Vote every TWO years. Stay engaged. Work to change the system where there are deficiencies. Learn that it'll take time to achieve your goals! It was a brilliant speech!!!