I was an Obama supporter, though I never hated Clinton. I admired her intelligence and experience and would never vote against her in a general election. Obama was a very special candidate and has become a very accomplished President. I will always be glad for my work on his behalf.
This time around I presumed I would vote for Clinton. I liked Sanders’ positions much more, but Clinton understands that working with the Republicans is more like warfare than a discussion. I think that she would not go in exactly the direction that I want, but she would get farther. And the direction certainly isn’t as terrible as the Republicans.
However, my thinking is changing (and it might change more as we approach the election). There is so much despair in the country. I’m not just talking about angry white males, but young people who cannot get a decent job. Single moms who are just clinging to a job while juggling all the responsibilities of parenthood. People who go in and out of prison—trapped by a mistake they made and unable to escape the gravity of the criminal justice system. Blacks who have a very reasonable fear of the police.
Whenever government does something, it needs to ask if it is adding to or subtracting from this despair. I believe that both Clinton and Sanders understand the despair, but Clinton understands it because it shows up in the focus groups. Saunders understands it because he has always had an empathy and understanding of the problem. I have questioned his ability to get things done, but I don’t question his authenticity.
A word about electability: Donald Trump is probably going to be the Republican nominee. Possibly Ted Cruz, but probably Trump. This is all going to be about turnout (as is true with every election). If the we can’t persuade our voters to get to the polls, the GOP candidate will scare them to the polls. I am genuinely worried about a Republican victory, but both Clinton and Sanders have a clear, though different path to winning the general election.
What matters is that we start addressing the problems on inequality and get to the root causes of the anger and despair. If we don’t, the pitchforks are coming out. And I’m not sure I like the modern version of pitchforks.