"Coming Out" for Hillary

[Lyric]

I'm supporting her in the Primary. There--I said it.

Until now, I've felt uncomfortable saying so out loud around here. But I realize now that being afraid to speak up and talk about how I feel made me feel cowardly and weak, and lonely too. Once upon a time, I took a chance and "came out" as a lesbian to my friends and family, knowing full well I was probably setting myself up for criticism and dispproval. Now I feel like I'm "coming out" yet again--but this time as a supporter of a candidate that many people whose opinions I respect and admire seem to vehemently oppose. There are parallels between the two situations, although I realize that the consequences of the former can obviously have far more profound real-life consequences. Still, the emotional vulnerability is very similar, at least for me.

Hillary has done some things I disagree with--much like every other candidate out there, I suspect. In the end, everyone votes for highly personal reasons. We all give greater weight to our own pet issues and stances, and my priorities and views are not going to be exactly the same as anyone else's. I recognize that, I accept that, and now I choose to own my thoughts and feelings rather than hide them because they're unpopular.

My basic opinion on the matter is rather simple. All of the candidates are Democrats, and I respect (if not outright admire) all of them. I also disagree with all of them in some way, but part of being a Liberal (for me) is acceptance and tolerance of the differences in other people. I don't expect any national candidate to perfectly espouse every single one of my views. The candidates all appear to be qualified to do the job, regardless of differences in opinion about policy.

Therefore, if given a field of relatively equal candidates with similar political priorities--I choose to vote for the one whose victory would break down a barrier that deeply and personally affects my life. I considered the fact that she is the first woman to have a real chance at gaining the office of the Presidency to be a fact worthy giving a lot of weight to, as I made my decision about which candidate to support. Hillary has the chance to shatter one of the biggest, thickest glass ceilings in the country, and that means a *lot* to me as a woman and as someone who is deeply concerned with equality issues.

Please don't assume that I haven't heard the myriad of arguments against Hillary. Anyone who spends any amount of time here cannot help but to hear them repeated on nearly a daily basis. I respect other people's right to their opinions on the matter, and I'm not trying to start a "MY pet candidate is better than YOUR pet candidate" contest. I felt like it was time to "come out", and so I have.

I will be voting for Hillary in the primary, provided that nothing drastic happens to change my mind between now and then. However, if she doesn't win the primary, my General Election vote will go to whichever Democrat does get the nomination.

**adding to my journal

[Forkboy]

1. Don't agree with your choice but couldn't agree more about speaking up for what you believe in.

And for that alone the thread deserves a recommendation.

[Lyric]

Thank you, Forkboy.

You're the one who likes the same music as my domestic partner, I believe--Lard, the DKs, etc.? ThinkBlue1966 thinks very highly of you. :hi:

[Forkboy]

3. That would be me.

:D

Thanks for passing on the kind thoughts.

[illinoisprogressive]

2. I really dislike Hillary. but, if you support her then, go for it.

[peacebird]

4. Respect you for your reasons, disagree with the choice but support your right to speak out

:hug:

[Lyric]

5. I appreciate that

very much. Especially the :hug:

[Individualist]

10. Ditto

Voltaire said it best: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

I also commend oktoberain for voicing a preference without attempting to impose her preference on others.

[Annces]

6. I admire her very much also

I will have no problem voting for her, any more than I did for Kerry. The amount of abuse she deals with daily must be very great. She has a lot of steel in her make-up and I think she enjoys this challenge to try to become President as much as many men have seen it as an inspiring challenge and achievement.

[K8-EEE]

7. I don't know why people jump on others for their choice of Dem

ANY OF THEM WOULD BE A GAZILLION TIMES BETTER THAN CHIMPOLINI!

I say support who speaks most clearly about YOUR priorities, any Dem at all is fine with me!

[MS Liberal]

8. I am also voting for Hillary

Welcome Aboard!

[Cleita]

9. I'm not, but I respect your decision.

Hillary will be the next presidential candidate or close, so I guess the rest of us who have reservations are going to have to get used to it.

[jgraz]

11. At least you've made your choice. I still have no frickin clue

Honestly, I'm not that enthused about any of them. I'm pretty sure the Dem primaries are going to pick our next president, so I'd really like to find a candidate I feel comfortable backing.

[jillan]

12. There isn't one dem that's running that is perfect.

Hillary is not my first choice, but if she won the nomination, I would be proud to support her and do whatever I could to put her in the WH.

The way we are fighting around here is worse than the way the candidates are fighting against each other.

[elocs]

13. I will vote for Senator Clinton in the general election.

I refuse to refer to her as simply "Hillary" because there is no other Senator Clinton and former President Clinton is not running for anything. I am undecided as to who to vote for in the primary here in Wisconsin, but it will not be Senator Clinton. I would like to see a genuine race and not a coronation, although with Obama in the race now it will not be a cakewalk for Clinton.

[David Dunham]

15. Good choice. Hillary's chances get better each day. Obama's fading

Obama's running third in IA and NH means that all of his pizzaz with the press will not translate into votes.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. Her "chances get better each day"? That's funny. A few months ago we were all supposed to

roll over for her inevitable coronation. Now she's the coming-from-behind underdog? Riiiiiiiiiight.

Sorry, Jack. Some of us aren't buying Coke OR Pepsi right now.

[LostinVA]

14. Me too, unless Al Gore runs

[Lyric]

21. Gore would make a fine President.

And if he decides to run, and wins the nomination, I will gladly vote for him. :)

[Warren DeMontague]

16. I respect that she's your first choice. She's just about MY last one.

Top of the list is Al Gore. Then maybe Kucinich, although Edwards is looking better & better. Then perhaps Obama. I have to run down a long-ass laundry list of names before I get to Hillary.

It didn't have to be this way; but her steadfast refusal to articulate a morally cogent answer on Iraq makes it well nigh impossible for me to support her in the primaries. Of course, if she gets the nomination, I will support her in the General election.

[William769]

18. You should never feel uncomfortable about your beliefs!

Stand up be heard, especially here on DU.

P.S. BTW Great choice.

[DemCam]

19. Odd, that you have to have second coming out...

On a Democratic board...but I hear you and I want you to know that I'm right there with you. She's strong, she's experienced, she's comin' on.

We are fortunate indeed to have her as a candidate...much less have the chance to make history.

[Lyric]

20. That's exactly how I see it.

Honestly, if Hillary weren't running I'd be supporting Barack Obama, and for the same reason--the chance to make history and break down another equality barrier. And I was very torn between the two, because I recognize that there is both a gender and racial "glass ceiling". But in the end, I can only press one candidate's name in the voting booth.

Still, I will be proud to vote for whichever candidate wins the nomination, because I truly feel that they are *all* competent and would make fine Presidents. I hold no grudges against any of them, and I admire and respect them all.

[Sean Shealy]

22. Nominating Hillary VERY BAD IDEA

Winding toward the primaries, Hillary Clinton still maintains the lead.

Running Hillary would be like the GOP choosing Jeb Bush and putting up signs everywhere that read "BUSH FOR PRESIDENT" --a really bad idea.

Democrats tempted to vote for Hillary are completely out of touch with the reality of the vitriol against her on the right. They hated Bill, but they DESPISE Hillary. She is a witch; she is a lesbian; she is a communist; she personally violated Vince Foster with a strap-on and then shot him in the head.

There are entire industries that wouldn't need to invent anything new at all to be in full production in an instant. Radio programs(by the millions of hours). Kooky authors and big-named, big-mouthed pundits. Big-haired televangelicals with drooling, obedient flocks numbering in the tens of millions, willing to do whatever tireless legwork necessary: phone banking until they are hoarse with rage, zombie-walking door-to-door in the dead of night in the dead of winter, donating millions, billions if necessary, to defeat the scarlet Whore of Babylon.

Nominating Hillary would be like giving your worst psychopathic enemy a truckload of ammonium nitrate, a detailed map to your house, and a complete schedule of the dead-of-night hours that you and your entire family will be peacefully asleep within.

It is a VERY BAD IDEA.

I hope I haven't been too subtle.

[ronnykmarshall]

23. Welcome to the "Hillary is my homegirl" gang!

:toast:

[bling bling]

24. Good. Hillary needs more supporters around here.

The fact that you were too uncomfortable to admit you support her just illustrates the ridiculousness around here when it comes to her.

I think a lot of people are in your shoes.

I hope you'll fight the nonsense that gets posted all the time about her here. Especially in GDP. I think most people just gave up because it seems futile. But it's good to have at least one or two people in every anti-Hillary thread to defend her by posting the other side of the story. And there's *always* another side to the story when it comes to the crap that's passed along as fact about her.

I'm actually not supporting her for the primary. I'm going with Obama but I have a lot of respect for Clinton. I'm a long time admirer of hers. They're special, both of them. They're extraordinary, in fact. They've had to be to get where they are. In my opinion we'd be fools to pass up the opportunity to put either one of them in charge to guide the country back on track.