2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe real choice. The real issue. CAMPAIGN FINANCE.
When you vote, remember, a vote for Hillary is a vote for our current campaign finance system. It is a vote for continued corruption and continued domination of our election system by the very wealthy and the oligarchs.
A vote for Bernie is a vote for campaign finance reform.
I am not accusing Hillary personally of corruption although I personally think she is very corrupt. That is merely my opinion. It remains to be proved or disproved.
But --
When you vote for Hillary, you are saying that it's OK with you that she accepts and runs her campaign on big donations from very rich people.
The politicians and the pundits are watching us Democrats this election season.
If we nominate Hillary, they will assume that we really don't mind the domination of our elections, of our Congress, of the White House and of our courts by officials who owe their elections to the big money of the 1%.
If we nominate Bernie, they will read our votes as saying enough is enough; we want huuuuge donations out of politics.
It's up to you.
No matter who you think can win.
No matter what you think about the other issues.
Remember. If you vote for Hillary, you are voting to continue the influence of big money in your school district, in our foreign policy, in your health care, in your food and drug safety, in your environmental policy, in your transportation policy, in every policy that matters to you.
A vote for Hillary is a vote for big money in politics.
No matter how sincerely she says she will get money out of politics, if you vote for her, your vote WILL BE INTERPRETED AS BACKING THE BIG MONEY, AS HAVING BEEN CAST BECAUSE HILLARY HAS THE BIG MONEY.
What I am saying may seem unfair to Hillary to you. But it is true. No matter how much she pledges to end Citizens United, her win is a nonverbal statement that a campaign financed with Citizens United money can win.
You may be voting for Hillary for what you believe is a good reason, but . . .
your vote for Hillary is a vote to continue the campaign financing methods she uses.
What you do counts more than what you say.
What Hillary is doing counts more than what she says she would like to do.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE -- the only issue that really matters this primary.
All the rest, all the stances on issues, the candidates may or may not be able to deliver on them.
But now, already, if Hillary wins, the message is that you have to accept big donations from rich interests to win a campaign.
The idea that we can end Citizens United and corporate and wealthy interests owning our government will be dead if Hillary wins the nomination.
A vote for Bernie says that a candidate who takes only individual, small donations can win the presidency.
Please remember that when you vote.
It's up to you.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)...I'd probably call that the only issue of this campaign.
Sanders' gamble is really an investment in us, and he could only do that by refusing the lure of easy, but tainted, money. He thinks highly enough of us to devote a presidential campaign to our concerns, undiluted by corporocratic wish lists. We ought not to snub him.
JudyM
(29,250 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)And Hillary is the ONLY candidate currently battling Citizens United.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)United lets her take, the money and the superpac support.
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)Go read on how CU was founded and who Hillary is battling in court.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Hillary gives lip service to fighting Citizens United.
But she spreads out her hands, puts on a happy face and runs after Citizens United money and support.
Her hands, her face and her feet are pro-Citizens United.
Her election is mostly funded by big money from rich people.
A vote for Hillary is a vote for Citizens United.
I agree. It's ironic that one of the parties to Citizens United is now such a big recipient of its largesse.
That is the main reason to vote for Bernie.
I hope you will vote for him too.
casperthegm
(643 posts)Campaigns financed by millionaires, billionaires, corporations, and their super pacs?
Anyone who thinks that this is not legalized bribery is not being honest with themselves.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)2. End secret money in politics.
3. Establish a small-donor matching system to amplify the voices of everyday Americans.
"Our democracy should work for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected. We have to end the flood of secret, unaccountable money that is distorting our elections, corrupting our political system, and drowning out the voices of too many everyday Americans. Our democracy should be about expanding the franchise, not charging an entrance fee. Hillary Clinton
And much more at: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/campaign-finance-reform/
When I vote, I vote for this. If you intended to insult people supporting Hillary with your lies about us and our supposed acceptance of corruption, you will be happy to know that I find your post not just dishonest but very offensive.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)I am telling Hillary supporters how their vote will be interpreted by the pundits and politicians.
Hillary can talk all she wants about Citizens United. And she can sincerely mean it too.
But the message that we voters give when we vote for Hillary is that we like the Democratic candidate who took the most money from the corporations, the billionaires, the 1%.
The subconscious message voters give when they vote for Hillary is that they are just fine with the corruption.
This message may not be the message voters intend. Maybe Hillary voters really think she represents clean politics and money out of politics.
But intentions are not that important. Effects are.
The effect of voting for Hillary is that you encourage and support the candidate and will support future candidates no matter how much money they take from the rich, from the oligarchs, from the billionaires and others who give far more than you could ever hope to give.
A vote for Bernie says that you want campaign finance reform. The message is clear.
And that is the message in a vote for Bernie even if you are really voting for him because you like his hair or you think his grandkids are cute.
Vote for Bernie if you want to get the billionaires' money out of politics. It's the only choice there is.
And what is more, if you vote for Hillary, if she wins, this is probably the last time we will get this choice.
What member of Congress is going to vote to overturn Citizens United if Hillary and the money and support she is getting from the very rich win?
Not many. Not many. If any. If any.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)comprehensive campaign finance reform. If you don't realize that then you completely and inexcusably misunderstand the situation. If you do, then this was all just a gratuitous insult.
Whatever. Just don't go explaining to me how comfortable we Democrats are with corruption unless you want to be called out on it again.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)We need more than just Democrats, now a minority in Congress, voting for campaign finance reform.
We need Bernie to crack the ceiling on finance reform and show that a presidential campaign CAN BE WON without the oligarchs' money.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)casperthegm
(643 posts)Hillary is good with the super pacs that resulted from CU collecting millions of dollars on her behalf and running ads for her right now. THEN, after she's elected she'll end it all, right? Kind of like how she went and told the banks to "cut it out." Well I'm convinced...
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)They're investing in her campaign because they expect a healthy return on their money. Free market investment in buying a government that's obviously for sale.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)LostOne4Ever
(9,288 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)You voted for me too. I'm in California, and we don't vote until June 7.