2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: What specific POLICY POSITIONS show Sec. Clinton to be "Not Liberal" or "Not a Democrat?" [View all]JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Everyone has faults. I have told you that I disagree with her on NSA and other government surveillance, on the TPP and her reasons for saying she dislikes it, her foreign policy especially on Syria and the no-fly zone. I don't agree with means-testing either Social Security or free tuition to state colleges and universities. And those are just a few of the policy issues on which I disagree with her.
But Bernie is extremely sincere, decides things based on his sense of social justice, his values and his morality. I do not have the sense that Hillary does that at all.
Oddly, I have a lot in common with Hillary including a Methodist upbringing and my gender.
But the sense and value of social justice that I owe to a great extent to that Methodist upbringing means that my number one issue after the environment is the disparity in wealth. We have to do something about that. I don't think that Hillary really understands how important that is. I used to work for quite a few years for a homeless nonprofit. The number of homeless people in California is just unacceptable. That is the result of the increasing disparity in wealth. The middle class that could be a bit of a buffer, that could share space with homeless relatives for instance, no longer has the means to do that Meanwhile the extremely wealthy are just wallowing in excess. Many homeless people here in Los Angeles while the very, very wealthy build megamansion. I am not angry at individuals who are wealthy. I appreciate the hard work that has often made them wealthy. But to be so callous toward the many indigent people in the area when you personally have so much wealth is just beyond my comprehension
I do not think that Hillary is unaware of the disparity of wealth. I think she is just avoiding the topic because of her belief that she cannot do anything about it. I also think it is not on the top of her to-do list because she honestly believes that just "growing" the economy will solve the problem. If that were the case the problem would have been solved long ago. Wealth disparity is the issue that Hillary is weakest on. NSA surveillance next. And then all the other issues on which she really is just sub-par.
If Bernie hadn't thrown his hat in the ring, if he weren't so strong on these issues of great personal importance to me, I as a woman might be saying to myself, well, I can compromise. But it is this time not a time for compromise in my view. I am 100% for Bernie.
I know it is hard to accept that other very rational people do not agree with you, and I agree that for me supporting Bernie is partly an emotional decision but it is as usual with such things a bit of a mix.
Hillary does not have the warmth as a human being that Bernie has. She is more self-conscious in a negative way than Bernie. She seems more insecure and more in need of approval. At the same time, she seems to seek to shield herself from criticism. These are personal traits that she probably cannot do much about. That's who she is.
I have asked Hillary supporters questions similar to the question you asked of us Bernie supporters and gotten no substantive answers with one exception. So Bernie supporters are making more of an effort to answer your question than the Hillary supporters have made when I asked similar questions.