Hillary Clinton, you've won the Democratic nomination, now what?
It was a nasty primary but now it's over. Maybe the electoral shenanigans were all in the imaginations of us Sanders supporters, maybe they weren't. It's all history now but realize that many of us have a bad taste in our mouths. Call off the Internet trolls and the snide surrogates (I'm beginning to see some of this already--at least on the official end) and focus on the future.
As a cynic who has always believed that the powers that be will never let anyone who is not a reliable corporatist anywhere near the presidency I was thrilled with the power of his campaign and even for a short time believed that perhaps, against all odds, a powerful populist message could overcome the hostility of the owners of this country. That turned out to be more complicated than I had hoped. Perhaps in the future someone else will take up the banner. For now its a choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and I'm back to being a cynic. While I may agree with Trump's current position on trade and trade alone, on other issues I care about it isn't even close. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I'll trudge up the Hill, fingers clamped on my nose, desperately thinking of climate change, and vote for Clinton in November even if I have to take a shower afterward.
Hopefully between now and the convention Secretary Clinton will do some things that will get me and people like me beyond grudging acceptance to the point where I feel I can actively support her and convince others to vote for instead of staying home or voting for some sure loser third party out of protest. You see the truth is that there are many, many people out there who can't stand Hillary Clinton almost as much as they can't stand Donald Trump. Somehow she has to change that perception if she wants to win.
I'd like to see more of the Hillary Clinton who faced down hostile congressional panels. I'd like to see her become more open; release those transcripts now that the primaries are over and get out of the cocoon. Hold some no holds barred press conferences--show she can answer hostile questions and demonstrate her depth of knowledge and intellect as well as her wit.
I'm hoping for an inspiring vice presidential choice--not some old party hack or Clinton loyalist. While she's at it I'd like to see her kick Debbie Wasserman Schultz upstairs and get someone less divisive in at DNC.
Most importantly I want to see her articulate a vision for a future that will be better than the past and tell us how she intends to get us there--to borrow a phrase "A Future to Believe In". She's real good at the prose of politics. Her website is full of 12 point plans and policies but she is lacking the poetry that made Obama--and Sanders--such effective candidates. Often the message I get from her is "This is as good as it gets so quit your bitching."
So, Secretary Clinton, tell us. How are we going to transition to a future in which outsourcing, unchecked immigration and automation will make ordinary American workers obsolete? How are we going to manage a transition to renewable resources that at the same time will give those displaced by this transition a chance for a decent life? Job training is a lovely concept but what happens when there are no jobs--we all can't be computer engineers especially when every day American IT workers are being replaced by cheap foreign labor brought in on H1B visas? How are you going to make health care, higher education and a decent retirement affordable for the average family and make sure that white working and middle class voters understand that you are talking about them as well as members of minority groups? Above all, how is a consummate corporatist like Hillary Clinton going to curb corporate greed?
Maybe some of you have other ideas. I'd like to hear them. Convince this cynic that Hillary Clinton's winning the nomination is a good thing and do it without bashing Sanders and his supporters.
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I've heard of Bradblog but not checked it out. I will, thanks.
Yeah, about that "something fishy"...
I've met international poll watchers from a couple of countries. It's not just the UN that's engaged in monitoring.
Some body that's got standing in the international community should be able to come and do that. But the bureaucratic fight in a lot of states would be big.
So, if Hillary promised a state-by-state overhaul and Congress passed a constitutional amendment keeping money out as speech and only allowed public funding, I and 99% of America would be pretty happy.
