Robert Reich. (photo: unknown)
19 September 16
an
we have a word? I continue to hear from many of you who say you won’t
vote for Hillary Clinton because, you claim, (1) she’s no better than
Donald Trump, or (2) even if she’s better, she’s still corrupt, and you
refuse to vote for the “lesser of two evils,” or (3) you don’t want to
reward the Democratic Party for corrupt primaries that gave the
nomination to Hillary instead of Bernie Sanders.
Please allow me to respond.
(1) Anyone who equates Donald Trump with Hillary
Clinton hasn’t been paying attention. Trump is a dangerous, bigoted,
narcissistic megalomaniac with fascist tendencies who could wreak huge
damage on America and the world. Hillary isn’t perfect but she’s able
and experienced. There is simply no comparison.
(2) Even if you see Hillary Clinton as the “lesser of
two evils,” the greater of two evils in this case (if you see the choice
in these terms) is seriously evil. You've probably had occasion in the
past to vote for someone who doesn’t meet your ideals, when the
alternative is someone who falls much further from those ideals. This
doesn’t mean you've sold out or compromised your principles. You've just
been realistic and practical. Realism and practicality are critically
important now.
(3) I understand your frustration with the Democratic
Party, and your reluctance to “reward” it for its bias against Bernie in
the primaries. But anything you do that increases the odds of a Trump
presidency isn’t just penalizing the Democratic Party; it’s jeopardizing
our future and that of our children and their children. All of us must
continue to work hard for a political system responsive to the needs of
ordinary Americans. The movement Bernie energized must not and will not
end. But Donald Trump, were he to become president, would set back the
cause for decades.
There are just over 7 weeks until Election Day. My
request to those of you who still don’t want to vote for Hillary
Clinton: Please reconsider. It is no exaggeration to say the fate of the
nation and the world are at stake.
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