"If Clinton wins, I'm not voting in November."
"If Obama gets the nomination, he's not getting my vote."
These are comments I've been hearing a lot lately from Democrats who are quite dedicated to their candidate of choice.
Dedication, I understand. But what I don't understand is why people have been moved to support one person so much that it's almost impossible for them to imagine supporting another in the general election if their chosen candidate doesn't win.
I honestly think it's great that people are so involved with the process this year and — seemingly — even more so invested in his or her candidate of choice. But what I don't understand is why people seem to forget that although Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are two different candidates, their policies are almost identical when you compare them to those of John McCain.
In 2000, the saying was "a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush." This year, maybe it should be "if you don't support your party's nominee, you're supporting the opponent."
I'm talking to the women who have vowed to support Clinton at all costs, even if it means not supporting Obama if he wins the nomination. Well, the flaw in that logic is that both Clinton and Obama are pro-choice — an option a McCain-appointed Supreme Court Justice would likely ban.
I'm talking to the people who have decided they will not vote for Obama if, for some reason, Clinton does not win the nomination. The problem is many of these people believe — with all of their hearts — that McCain is void of the competency and compassion needed to be a good leader.McCain has openly discussed his ignorance when it comes to the economy and how he is "fine" with Americans staying in Iraq for 100 years. He has repeatedly voted against raising minimum wage, he wants to continue giving the wealthy tax cuts at the expense of the middle-class, and he consistently votes against reproductive rights.
McCain says we're better off now than we were eight years ago.
I understand that many people support his stance on these issues; but to the people who don't, doesn't it just make sense to vote for the person with whom you're more ideologically in sync?
I've even heard — several times — that people shouldn't support Obama because Clinton is the only candidate who can beat McCain. I say, well, if she's not going to win her party's nomination, how exactly can she win the general election in November?
This isn't like when the Dixiecrats became their own separate entity; for the most part, there just isn't a radical difference between a number of policies Obama and Clinton both present.
Their histories, backgrounds, approaches are different but I think — in a number of ways — they're both interested in helping a broad range of Americans, something that hasn't happened lately.
So, although I am not telling anyone — explicitly — how to vote one way or the other, I do ask that each of you look at the bigger picture and think of who will more likely play a part in creating your ideal America when you vote in November.
