For a very long time, I was okay with either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton as the nominee. I do believe in electing more and better Democrats, but I believe having any democrat in the White House to block the most odious of bills from the Republican party is important, and having any democrat in the White House is absolutely essential to turning the Supreme Court in the correct direction. If you lean Left and you think Donald Trump or Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio will nominate a justice who represents your views, you’re simply nuts. Fixing the balance of the Supreme Court is probably the most important thing the next President might do.

Then, last month, I started noticing how many of the “Rec List” posts were using Right Wing memes, outright lies, and misinformation to attack a Democratic candidate.

I’m still a little shocked by what I’ve read here and I can’t quite believe these really are Liberal Progressive Democrats using talking points from the Right Wing in these attacks.

It got even worse when one candidate started winning big states and the other candidate could only win one group of voters who aren’t representative of the Democratic party as a whole.

Suddenly, the voices of Democrats in the South don’t matter because their state will be Red in the fall.

Suddenly, blacks and woman are “uneducated” voters who need someone to explain to them how they’re voting wrong.

Suddenly, Massachusetts is in the South? Soon, I suspect, Michigan will also be in the South.

I love when people are passionate about their causes and their politicians, but I really have no ability to accept people who denigrate other Democrats and who make up facts to fit their narrative.

We live in reality. Our politicians need to work in reality. If we’re to be realistic about the future of this country, we need to live in reality, too.

I’m just one person with one vote, but the way Hillary Clinton has been vilified and attacked by Bernie supporters has fired me up and galvanized my support in a way hearing the same bullshit from the Right never would have — because I’ve grown accustomed to the Right saying crazy, insane, unrealistic stuff. I’m used to them living in their own little bubble where the polls are skewed and everyone is out to get them and all of their other wild fantasies.

So I’ve shifted from being okay with “any” Democrat to being a hardcore, all-on-board supporter of Hillary Clinton.

I’m progressive, but I’m realistic. Hillary Clinton will win this primary season and she will win in November, and then she’ll lead this country with a realistic vision of what can and cannot actually be done in four years time.

Peace and love to all.

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Edited to add: I’ve been reading this site for more than a decade, this is where I spent the last month of 2004 drowning in sorrow over how Ohio shenanigans stole the White House from us, but nothing has ever bothered me so much that I felt the need to register an account and speak my mind. I vote, I mind my own business, and I usually just let the Internet do its thing. But I’ve finally seen enough troubling statements here that I felt I should say something because staying silent felt wrong.

Peace and love to all.

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Oh wow, this landed on the Rec List. Thank you to those who liked what I wrote, and thank you to those who did NOT agree with me but took the time to share your POV in a thoughtful and engaging manner.

Peace and love to all.