What I would say to people who are thinking about not voting for Hillary in November.
I am a Hillary supporter but I get the frustration. Bernie came very close, and if he got the nomination, there's a decent chance he would have gotten elected president. That would have made him the most progressive president ever. He would be pushing for Single Payer and free universities and other good things that are available in other wealthy countries but that we don't have in the US. Just being able to get so many ideas of his into the mainstream is already a huge (yuge!) accomplishment.
Why am I a Hillary supporter if I believe in those things? I think you'd find that a lot of us do. I have concerns about Bernie's holding up to GOP attacks, and I also think none of his agenda would get through congress, and Hillary can get more done. I talked to a friend yesterday who told me he voted for Hillary but felt like he sold out. I get it. Yeah, Bernie's great, but in the slugfest that is both getting elected and also governing with a GOP congress, it's not just about having the right ideals. The next four years, with any Dem president, are going to be "incremental" either way.
Now is when I say some things that might not be popular, but I think are true. First, the status quo really isn't that bad. It could be a lot better, but it could also be a lot worse. And if Trump or Cruz get elected it will be a lot worse. Second, voting out of fear or for the "lesser of two evils" is a fine reason to vote. There shouldn't be a stigma against it. If there are two possible outcomes (and come November there will only be two), then you assess the implications of each of them, and pick the better one, or the one that is not worse, which is the same.
One more thing. The theory that if Trump wins then four years later there will be a big backlash and progressives will take over is not a good theory. Politics is way too unpredictable for this sort of gambit. In a logical, predictable world Trump would never be elected in the first place (or any other Republican).
The only thing that we can reliably say about a future with a GOP president is that it will be worse than with a Dem president. Whatever happens in 4, 8 or more years, if a GOP has been president, we progressives will be further behind than we are now, and it will be more difficult to get where we want to go. There will be justices in the court that we will have to wait to replace. The taxes on the wealthy will be lower than they are now, and even bringing them back to current levels will require a battle. Environmental regulations will be gutted, and again getting back to where we are now will require a fight. And so on.
I may sound like a downer, but I do believe that in the long run we will accomplish our progressive goals. Demographics favor us, millenials are more progressive, and Bernie's campaign has opened a lot of eyes. And there is no doubt in my mind that we will get there sooner with Hillary in office for the next 4-8 years than with any of the Republicans.
So, yes, by all means, keep up the fight for progressive goals. But voting for a flawed candidate, even one you consider a "lesser of two evils" candidate, is still much better than not voting.
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That is a fallacy. It is what we are supposed to hope for, and be pacified by, but the Third Way has such a tight hold on the DNC that liberals and progressives are just not supported. Debbie DINO has actually let a Republican run unopposed, here in Florida, rather than support a liberal. And openly supported her GOP cronies against actual Democrats. She decides who to back and who to ignore.
Just no. And, bye, because I have pledged to ignore loyalty oaths, no matter how wordy. 
