[Xmca-l] Re: Why I Won't Vote for Sanders

[David H Kirshner]

Annalisa,

Tempting as it is to vote for Clinton because of social issues, that's just yielding to the left-right side show the billionaire class is running to control politics in the U.S. The only reason I can see not to support Sanders is because one believes he doesn't have a chance of creating a movement that can dislodge the oligarchs. Otherwise, we don't have the luxury of hoping for someone better than Sanders to come along at a later time. That's because the billionaire class is not just hyper-greedy, it's self-destructively greedy, based on a metric of self-interest that is entirely relativistic. If their metric of self-interest were measuring absolute wealth, we'd be okay-ish; they'd be trying to grow the pie and take a bigger slice of it. But the game plan being enacted at an ever accelerating rate is destruction of the middle-class so as to create ever increasing wealth disparity--i.e., to increase their relative wealth--despite the fact they also will decrease their absolute wealth--along with that of every other American.

Much as I love Hillary, like her husband Bill she doesn't have any way to envision a political process different than the current one.

David

-----Original Message-----
From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Annalisa Aguilar
Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2016 5:08 PM
To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Why I Won't Vote for Sanders

Hi,

As much as I am for socialist principles, I can't vote for BS because of his position on guns. I also don't like the anti-woman dog whistle rhetoric that he uses, saying that Clinton is not qualified. 

Furthermore, as problematic as the Clintons are, and they are, I want a woman president, dammit. Sorry if that upsets anyone. 

I am grateful that Sanders has pulled the platform to the left, and maybe if we continue this way in future elections, we will have a left again in the US. Sander's candidacy has shown the best results of pulling Democrats away from the right, so maybe that's what will work in future election cycles. If left-of-center politicians to start running on the Democratic ticket maybe this will start transforming politics from the inside rather than the outside. 

I'm not convinced of this strategy, but it seems to have worked (if it isn't just vaporware, of course), and hopefully there can be momentum on this, though I have a jaundiced view of that prospect thanks to the neoliberal octopus that is reaching into all our open windows. But who knows. 

I like what I heard from Tsakolatos, the current finance minister of Greece when interviewed in the Paul Mason film #ThisIsACoup, where he said that it is wrong to expect individuals in the political class to solve our problems (Of course he was referring to what the Greeks expected of their leadership during the referendum last summer, but it still is applicable universally); We citizens need to have grassroots political activity organizing and pressuring elected officials from the bottom. It's the only way change is going to happen. No more expectations for messianic deliverances, please.

I would much rather see a Clinton victory and see what it's like to have a woman president, and a First Gentleman. Given the Lewinsky debacle, I'd think it would be a good test of character, as I figure he's learned a lesson. I also want to know what his cookie recipes will be like. 

Additionally, I'm happy to give the first woman president push back for not representing woman and children, than try to ask for handouts from a gun-loving socialist or a social-darwinist billionaire or an evangelical Christian. Nothing against socialists, billionaires, or Christians, it's just a preference of mine. 

Kind regards,

Annalisa