Quickie primary endorsements!
I'm going to endorse candidates before the Georgia primary, just like I was some big city newspaper, instead of just some crazed blogger for whom most of his blog stories tops out at around 50 views. Oh, well, If you can't be grandiose here, where can you be?
Republican
Yes, the election of any Republican would be an unmitigated disaster for the country. Global warming would worsen and go unchecked, our progress in health care would be reversed, and the Supreme Court would be socially conservative and corporate friendly for the next twenty to thirty years. BUT - political precedence actually favors an election of a Republican this year. Demographics make it a challenge, but that could be overcome with the right candidate and the right circumstances.
So, in all sincerity, which candidate do I recommend to Republicans?
John Kasich, Governor of Ohio.
He has a diverse background, experienced in politics and business. He has served at the national level and the state level. He has proven to be as adept at building coalitions to actually get things done as any Republican candidate in the race. He is very conservative, as are all the contenders (except Trump - Trump is a fascist, not a conservative...Well, Cruz is a conservative but he is also a Christian Dominionist). But I do believe he is one that can accomplish things. Maybe not the whole pie, but a larger slice than you might expect from the others.
And, as an extra bonus, he is by far your best bet to beat Hillary Clinton, should she be the opponent. He is based in the Midwest rust belt, where this year's election will be determined. The other sections are pretty well set how they will vote, but this section is up in the air. If you take Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and PEnnsylvania, you will take the election. And he can neuter Hillary's claims as first female President by selecting a female running mate, like Kelly Ayotte, Republican Senator from New Hampshire.
Rubio is a choice that might help slightly with Florida and Latinos. but the Marcobot is inexperienced, unaccomplished, and prone to glitches when taken off talking points. His views are very extreme, something we don't notice as much because of the other crazies in the race.
Now, who do I recommend on the Democratic side?
Bernie Sanders, Senator form Vermont.
Anybody who has read my other political blog entries surprised by this? I would think not.
Both Clinton and Sanders are experienced. I would argue that Sanders has been more successful and accomplished. Clinton's sole term in the Senate was relatively modest, with little to show for it. Sanders is known as the Amendment King, for the number of amendments he is able to get into legislation. He has a solid record, from the time he was a Mayor, of working with the other side. Yes, he is an unabashed progressive, but he also knows how to get things done.
It's partly a matter of speed. Clinton will works towards progressive change at about five miles per hour. Sanders will go sixty. Mybe he is slowed to ten by other forces, but his ending point will be better than Clinton's.
I am first and foremost a single-payer person. I beleive decent medical care is a basic human right, and Medicare for All is the way to accomplish it. Bernie is for this. Hillary has said she is for universal healthcare, but I am not sure what she means, as she has stated that single payer will never, ever pass in this country. How in the world could I make someone with that attitude be my first choice?
Electorally, I believe that Bernie is the stronger candidate. He simply does not have the baggage that Clinton has, most of it not her fault, but it's still there. Will the Republicans demonize Bernie as well? Of course they will! But Bernie represents a new kind of politics that the old attacks just won't work as well on.
Clinton has simply been out of synch in both years she has run. She represents an old style of politics, a kind of Republican lite that was more suitable to the 90s. She has been backed into a corner as the less progressive candidate both times. She has yet to prove to be a highly effective campaigner, and she is a huge participant in the whole Super PAC responding to special interests style of politics.
Will I support her if she is the nominee? Of course. A corporate Democrat, as flawed as that may be, beats any corporate Republican a hundred fold over.
A vote for Bernie is an affirmative vote in the belief of our country's future, an endorsement of the path that we must follow in order for the nation to survive and prosper.
Will we follow it?
I don't know.
And that scares the bejeezus out of me.
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