I am in a strange mood regarding the choice between the two last candidates standing for the Democratic candidacy. For my whole voting life, I have always voted the democratic party’s ticket. I also have a deep appreciation for and belief in the democratic process and trust the majority vote. Of course, there are always glitches in any system: Gore v Bush and Trump v Clinton are the two most glaring exceptions to the rule. Hindsight nearly always reveals illegality. For instance, we now know, thanks to Robert Caro and many others, that LBJ played many dirty and illegal tricks to work his way to the presidency. Yet he spearheaded the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Recently, on my Facebook page, I posted this screenshot of a tweet from Bernie Sanders. His voting record was recited to make the point, in Mr Sander’s opinion, that Mr Biden was not a candidate that supports gay rights, peace, and protecting US jobs. Mr Sanders stated “It takes courage sometimes to do the right thing.” I was puzzled a bit by his insertion of “sometimes” since, in my experience, the correct adverb is “always” in this country. I believe and trust that Mr Sanders has, in his core, a deep respect for rule-of-law, human rights and equitable systems of sharing our collective wealth. He is truly a genuine and consistent man that I greatly admire. For the exact same reasons, I also admire many of the other candidates that have dropped out of the race.
As I have learned in the last 71 years, nothing is simple nor black and white. When faced with death, as many of my father’s generation did in World War II, humans act in unpredictable ways. When faced with the US Constitution and our messy tripartite form of government, humans can act irrationally and out-of-character—especially if they are not “getting their way.” But we are faced with, in my opinion, an existential threat to everything our forefathers and foremothers fought for: equity, social justice, a caring and resourceful government following the rule-of-law.
- Will I support the democratic candidate properly chosen by the democratic process: YES.
- Will I like everything about the presumed candidate Mr Biden’s voting record and tainted fund raising: NO.
- Do I think Mr Biden is perfect: NO.
- Do I think Mr Sanders is perfect: NO.
- Will I abstain or vote for a third party candidate to make a point: NO.
- Will I rejoice if #45 is defeated: YES.
- Will I jump up and down if the House of Representatives and the Senate are in democratic majorities with a democratic president: YES
I am sure that Mr Biden has many skeletons in his closet (s). We all do. But I am sure that he will be cautious, learn from his past mistakes and lead our country out of the darkest four years we have ever experienced. I forgive him for the many “transgressions” highlighted, repeatedly, and in some cases correctly, by Mr Sander’s ardent supporters. I will not forgive them if they sabotage the effort to get rid of the DJTVID-45 virus. At this moment in time we need stability and leadership. We need experience. We will need tenacity. We will need a Presidential Cabinet and Vice President that will tackle the un-doing of the wrongs put in place by #45. It will be an Herculean effort. For this reason, I will support Mr Biden should he prevail as the Democratic candidate.
We need L O V E now more than ever.
Thank you for, once again, articulating my own thoughts and beliefs so clearly.
Thanks Wendy. I trust all his well on your front. I am also sure you are pleased not to be dealing with COVID-19 at the library. What a challenge! take care.
I essentially agree with everything you have written. I’m not sure that I am as forgiving of Joe Biden as you are. I watched the Anita Hill misogynistic farce that carried Clarence Thomas into the Supreme Court. That anyone could possibly have voted for the war in Iraq or Afghanistan or believe the totally bogus intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction is beyond me. I had a conversation with one of Paul Wellstone’s chief strategists (and I can’t remember his name!) and he stated that all the Democrats were falling in line with the Republicans out of fear of what would happen to them politically if they didn’t. This was regarding the vote on WAR after the bogus intel. Lives were ruined and people died. A lot of people died. A lot of good, decent people died. And it keeps going on. I have no faith or trust that Joe Biden will have the moxie to change any of that. Tulsi Gabbard is correct when she calls out our government for engaging in corporatized wars. We have, we are and unfortunately we will continue to do so. I don’t really know why Joe Biden would do anything different than he always has done.
That being said, I will vote for him, but it is with a deep sense of regret that the DNC was not able to finagle a better candidate.
Thank you for this important historical recount of Mr Biden’s transgressions. I could have done a better job of articulating all of his politically motivated decisions that had serious and life-ending consequences. I knew about this things but it is difficult in a blog post to put everything into full historical perspective. Having your comments here will be useful. All the best.