Well, Hillary Clinton supporters. It looks like your dream come true is an almost certainty. There is still too many political and historical variables to say 100%, but we are talking an 85% or more certainty. She will almost certainly be the Democratic nominee.
For the rest of us, that means....Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton, with only the aberration of the Obama years interrupting it. We're not a monarchy, people. We don't need to surrender our political leadership to two royal families.
On the other hand, yes, she is "qualified" to be President. Although a Corporate Democrat (as is Obama), she does seem to be pragmatic. She has enough bend that if the progressive forces stick together and stay loud, she will at least have to concede us a few trinkets here and there. As much as the whole political dynasty thing makes my eyes roll and causes me to throw up in my mouth a bit, I am highly aware of how foully bad the Republicans are, even Kasich. If we have to wait a few years for paid leave, higher minimum wage and an improved health care system, so be it. But we have already waited far too long on global warming, and no Republican can even utter that phrase.
So, Hillary fans, whatever her flaws, yes, I will be voting for her in the Fall. So chill about that, OK? And as long you stop talking about the Bernie supporters as if they were monsters, most of them will come around too. She just has to move a little to some of their positions and perhaps select an appealing Vice Presidential candidate.
But she's not going to do that, is she? She's going to tilt back towards the right, isn't she? Don't lie to me. You can feel it, too. I know you can.
The idea being that Trump and/or Cruz will be so repulsive to some Republicans that if she continues to shift more and more rightward, she can win some of them over.
It's a fantasy. Don't do it.
The voters that don't like you, particularly the Republicans, really really don't like you. And it's irretrievable. There's nothing you can do about it. Fairly or unfairly, years of demonizing the Clintons by the right wing media has taken it's toll.
I had a conversation with a conservative Republican voter, one who can't stand Trump and Cruz, and pretends not to know even who Kasich is. I asked if Hillary selected a conservative Democrat (Jim Webb, Joe Manchin), a sort-of Republican (Colin Powell, Robert Gates), or even an outright Republican (Lindsey Graham, John Kasich), would it make any difference to him?
And the answer was no, no he wouldn't vote for her. He would leave it blank and vote for nobody before he would vote for her. And then he proceeded to imply that the Clinton's had killed opponents earlier in their career to get ahead, and that they would bump off Sanders if it looked like he might win.
So, no. A thousand times no. Tilting to the right will not gain you these people, and it will only lose you chunks of the Bernie people.
I don't think she has to pick Bernie. But she needs to pick a Progressive running mate. She needs to do something to show she embraces the new Progressive agenda. Pick Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, or Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, or be truly bold and pick Hawaii Congressperson Tulsi Gabbard.
Would y'all send this message to Hillary for me?
I'm sure she would listen to me.
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