Criticism, credit, options, and pragmatism....
all of these are necessary and vitally important.
Giving EVERY politician the credit they are due is important. When a Republican does something wise, we should sing their praise. When a Democrat does something foolish, we should not be at all afraid to point that out. Honesty and truth are the biggest forces in objectively evaluating one's stance on any given topic. I know many scientists, and while many of them hold opinions, they always inspire me by their ability to adopt new positions based on the FACTS and TRUTHS and LOGIC of the situation.
I recognize the many good things accomplished by Obama and certain Democrats in Congress. They have made the situation better for many people, in many different ways. I do not shy away from acknowledging the many failings of those same people. They have hurt many people with the decisions they have made, both here and abroad.
I think it is important to re-examine our options from 2008 and 2012. Did we make the right choice? Like many things in life, I think we made the best choice of our available options. Dennis Kucinich was not going to win. I supported him though. I try to believe in hope, but simultaneously be aware of pragmatism. So, I supported Kucinich right up until the point that he was gonna drop out. And when he dropped out, I voted for the pragmatic choice. Writing in Kucinich might have been a private moral victory for myself, but if enough people did that, Obama would have lost, which (in my opinion) would mean the WORLD would have been worse off. So would that really have been a moral victory for anyone? I vote my conscience but millions more families can't afford health insurance? That seems pretty selfish. Don't get me wrong, it's a shitty choice to have to make, and it's doubly shitty that THEY use that knowledge to their advantage. But truth is truth, and I want my vote to HELP people, not make things worse.
We don't know who the candidates will be in 2016. Maybe it will be Sanders/Warren. Maybe it will be Clinton/Weiner, who the hell knows. Support the candidate you really believe in. Give it your all, and I hope you succeed. But if you don't.....if your candidate drops out and we have to choose between completely terrible and a slow-cooker of disappointment with chunks of goodness, I hope we all make the pragmatic decision.
As usual, I hope that seems reasonable.
On a side note, anyone here from Gainesville, Fl? I am trying to get more active with local political activism/discussion.
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