"I’m A Millenial Hillary Supporter & I Outed Myself at Her Victory Rally at West Palm Beach"

[Starry Messenger]

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/i-m-a-millennial-hillary-clinton-supporter-and-i-outed-myself-at-her-victory-rally-in-west-palm-beach-7653877

This is a really sweet article. I wish I could post the whole thing.

I am a 23-year-old Hillary Clinton supporter, and for the past few months, I have camouflaged myself among my peers, who all seem to be Bernie Sanders enthusiasts. It was pretty easy. I look like them: a white, college-educated liberal. My friends are activists. I work at an alt-weekly newspaper in a hip art district. And once (most shamefully) I tagged along to a Sanders’ fundraising event.

Everyone who hangs out in my corner of the internet comments about the election. I don’t. Politics are personal, and I am entitled to my own educated beliefs. (I found myself reciting this so often it became an unintended mantra this election cycle.) The constant posts about Sanders felt like peer pressure to "Feel the Bern." I would tell myself to hold out a little longer in my invisible shroud of Clinton support. Everyone in my social network seems reasonable, and once Clinton secured the nomination, they’d be rooting for her too, I figured. “Anything but Trump!” I pictured us singing in unison. In the meantime, though, I felt phony.

But last night was Florida's primary election, and I jumped at the chance to cover Hillary Clinton’s rally at the Palm Beach Convention Center. I told everyone it was for work, trying to deny the fact that a few hours earlier, I had darkened the bubble beside Clinton’s name. And so had my sister, a 22-year-old high school teacher and Clinton fan who was accompanying me to the rally. I didn’t get a media pass because I didn’t need one; I wanted to see the woman who I believe will go on to become the country’s first female president. (That’s huge!)

At the event, my sister and I were waiting to skirt through the metal detectors when a young man in a gray suit approached us. He eyed us carefully and asked if we’d like to volunteer at Clinton’s campaign tonight. We hesitated for a moment, explaining that we would but that we really wanted to see Hillary tonight. “Trust me, you’ll see her,” he assured us. And just like that, we were whisked out of the line and told we’d be standing behind Hillary Clinton onstage as she delivered her speech.

<snip>

[spooky3]

1. Thanks. I thought so too.

[LisaM]

2. Aww, it made me kind of emotional.

From the article:


"In less than five minutes, her speech was over. The spotlights from the various TV cameras had dimmed. But Clinton wasn’t done. She spent the next half hour shaking hands and thanking her supporters. One by one, she'd take a phone, turn the camera to selfie mode, and smile for a photo. Repeat. She must have done that at least a hundred times before she arrived at our section."

[Starry Messenger]

4. I got teary. It got me in the feels too.

“I love you, Hillary!” my sister squealed, waving her gaudy iPhone 6 at her. We didn’t expect Clinton to look at us. But she did — and smiled! She turned to one of her assistants and pointed at my sister. Hillary Clinton grabbed my sister’s phone and handed it off to the assistant. Then Clinton twirled around and posed for a quick photo with us. It all happened so quickly. When it was over, my sister spent the next ten minutes texting the photo to everyone who was in the crowd with us.

“I’m going to put it as my profile picture, and I’m never going to change it!” my sister announced. “Well, maybe if I ever get married.”

[Thinkingabout]

3. Always remember, Hillary wants to be everyones president, you will not regret your support of

Hillary.

[cosmicone]

5. Loved it !! n/t

[Lucinda]

6. That was great. Thank you!

[obamanut2012]

7. this is great -- k & r

[Tarheel_Dem]

8. It makes you wonder how many are attending BS rallies, but pulling the lever for Hillary. The peer..

pressure must be enormous, and I applaud Jess for her courage to speak up. Of course, she'll be inundated with unsolicited emails calling her every name in the book, but I think many people are seeing the handwriting on the wall, even millenials.

[Starry Messenger]

10. I thought that too, and wondered.

I've been very quiet on Facebook--many of my friends are Bernie supporters, and my mom gets distressed if anything unpleasant gets posted on my wall, so I have avoided any occasion for controversy. I stick to anti-GOP posting.

I think from the voting patterns, there are a lot of young women who stayed quiet in public and expressed their views by voting for HRC.

[JSup]

17. Having to hide...

...out of fear of being ostracized or hated by your peers, having to hide your joy at one thing and having to pretend joy at another is terrible.

When I was a teen and in my early twenties, I got really good at pretending to check women out in public and making sure I never visibly checked out a man; that's a lot like what this reminds me of. It's not the same (nor are the consequences) but it feels similar.

Hell, I still reflexively check women out even though most folks are "I'm cool with it, dude" now (though if you piss them off the first word out of their mouth is the 'f' word).

I rambled and diverged; not sure my point made it through.

[Tarheel_Dem]

18. You made your point quite succinctly, and welcome to DU! We've all been where Jess is at one time

or another. The need, as young folks, to be accepted by your peers is just a fact of life. If there are many more out there like Jess, who have been swept up by "The Bern", even though they never really felt it, I would hope they would find the courage to set themselves apart, and even if they don't do it publicly, vote for the eventual nominee.

[SunSeeker]

9. K & R

[DemonGoddess]

11. K&R!

Everyone talks about how Bernie is launching a revolution, but I can’t shake the feeling that he can do that only because he’s a white man and that’s his privilege. Radical women wouldn't make it far in a run for president. Our country has progressed in a lot of ways, but we’re not there yet.

I like that part especially. The whole article is great!

[Starry Messenger]

12. Co-sign.

[Hekate]

13. What a lovely long "I was there" story. Thanks so much.

[fleabiscuit]

14. Very sweet story. K&R

[UtahLib]

15. I felt her joy right along with her! What a lovely story.

[riversedge]

16. That was lovely. Thanks for post