It’s a pleasant spring day in
Central Florida, temperatures in the low 80s. Everything from azaleas to maple
trees is blooming today, a riot of color against the pastel green of the oak
trees bearing new leaves. The pollen count is off the charts. A warm breeze
blows across the field to which we have been directed by the local sheriff’s
deputies, then on foot through the gauntlet of local police security, past the
row of portable toilets to the area where a stage has been set up. There are two
raised platforms on either side, one for the local press and the other for the
band whose rock music pounds the crowd as it arrives.
There will be no seating at
this event. We will stand for two hours in the direct sunlight at this place
about 45 minutes south of our home, just off US 192 and the Florida Turnpike called
the Osceola Heritage Park. The famed Silver Spurs Rodeo and the spring training
grounds for the Houston Astros loom just to the west of this open space that
not too long ago was the home of Black Angus cows and cattle egrets.
We have come to this spot
between what used to be small towns, Kissimmee and St. Cloud, along with an
estimated 5,000 of our fellow Central Floridians to hear a presidential
candidate give a stump speech. Bernie Sanders was an unknown name here in
Florida until he began to win primaries, casting a modicum of doubt on the sure
victory of Hillary Clinton in her path to the Democratic nomination.
Sanders had come to Florida
for a debate with Clinton, crisscrossing the state on the days before and after
the debate. He was also coming on the heels of a surprise upset victory in
Michigan a couple of days earlier, a state that, like Florida, had been
forecast by pollsters to go to Clinton by double digits.
Andy and I are among the older
members of the crowd this day. All around us are young people bearing black “Feel
the Bern” tee-shirts and periodically interrupting Sanders’ speech with chants
of “Ber-nie, Ber-nie.” But more importantly, this is a crowd that reflects the
incredibly diverse place Central Florida has come to be.
One of the organizers of the
event spoke to the crowd in Spanish as we awaited the candidate’s arrival,
telling the crowd that it was important for Puerto Rican, Colombian, Venezuelan
and Dominican voters to get out the vote. “Sanders is the only one who really
cares about our children,” the woman said, a theme echoed by Hawaii
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard who warmed up the crowd for the candidate.
To our left stood a mother and
adult child of Indian heritage who smiled broadly when I noted the sign bearing
the OM symbol a group held in front of us reading “Hindus for Sander.” A number
of Muslim women in hijab stood in front of us, erupting each time Sanders spoke
of the shamefulness of a campaign in which a religion and its adherents had
become targeted as scapegoats.
Preaching to the Choir…..
Of course we weren’t there to
be convinced by Sanders to vote for him. Both Andy and I had already cast our
ballots for him in early voting. As in years past, my support for the candidate
for whom I vote in the primary is always strong, something that may well not
be the case for the candidate for whom I vote in the general election. There
are several reasons I voted for Bernie and hope against hope he will be the
Democratic nominee.
One of the analyses of the
difference between Sanders and Clinton described it as a choice between a
revolution and an evolutionary process. Sanders is speaking of major changes in
the status quo, Clinton boasts of her ability to work within it. Another
analysis notes the number of times that Clinton speaks in first person,
primarily of her capabilities and her track record as a leader; Sanders speaks largely
in second person: we, us and what our country is about and how we should
manifest those values. This day I wear a tee-shirt bearing that message: Not Me. US! Bernie 2016.
Bernie comes by that collective
focus honestly. He is the child of a Polish immigrant family who learned early on
the need to work together to succeed in early 20th New York. Bernie later
spent some time on a kibbutz, the communal agrarian communities that built
Israel over the last century and instilled values of community and social
responsibility.
One of those values, no doubt
forged in the wake of the Holocaust, is the call for justice for all peoples,
particularly those oppressed by the powerful. Sanders was an early participant
in the US Civil Rights movement and a forceful speaker in the more recent
struggle for gay rights. Today much of his speech will decry the scapegoating
of immigrants and religious minorities that has dominated the present campaign.
But it is his commentary on
the disappearing middle class that most speaks to me. I watch with trepidation
as the middle class has disappeared around me, the American Dream of a better
life than one’s parents now available to only a few. Like Bernie, I recognize
the danger of an increasingly inequitable society where the top 1% rig the system
to divert more and more of the material resources and the power that goes along
with that wealth to themselves.
The writer of the Proverbs was
clear that “without a vision the people perish.” America seems to have lost its
way over the past 35 years of trickle-down economics (consider the liquid most often
associated with that verb to get a full picture of how the working poor have
fared under free market fundamentalism) and an increasing consolidation of
power at the top of the economic scale. In the process, America has become a
contentious, fractured people less prone to honor its heritage of “Give me your
tired, your poor” than to scapegoat those we
construct in gruesome caricatures beginning with our own working poor. Ideals of “liberty and justice
for all” seem far away these days.
A Green Yellow Dog Democrat
I believe our nation needs a
new vision, not a reshuffling of chairs on the deck of the Titanic. And I
believe Bernie Sanders is the only one articulating such a vision. There is no
shortage of technocrats and economists who can put such ideals into practice.
But the time for a new vision is here and now. The need for a new
direction is urgent.
Truth be told, though I have
always been a registered Democrat in this closed primary state, I’m a fair weather
Democrat on a good day. My politics are decidedly Green beginning with my
values: non-violence (including a draw down of an enormously expensive military
we can no longer afford), a citizenry fully engaged in a democratic system that
reflects the average citizen, a just society with equal opportunity
for all, and a focus on sustainability that honors the good Creation of which
we human animals are a part but only a part.
I am a Green Yellow Dog
Democrat for two reasons. First, the Green Party too often dissolves into
bitter in-fighting and self-focus to mount an effective campaign, one of the
scourges of left of center politics. I wish it were not so, but this is America
where the force of the law reflecting the vested interests of the country has
been brought to bear against third parties. This essentially guarantees dualistic decision making between very low level cognitive and moral choices. Far too often our elections boil down to what the public sees as the
lesser of two evils.
Second, while the Democrats
often offer what is simply the lesser of those two evils, that does translate
to less evil with power. Having spent a good chunk of my life in both the
legislative and judicial processes of our country’s governance, I am enough of
a political realist to recognize that sometimes that’s the best one can do in a
winner-take-all system rigged to protect the interests of two parties and the
wealthy and powerful interests who control them.
And that’s where the Yellow Dog
comes in. With the sale of the Republican Party soul to the unabashed
interests of the corporations and the wealthy at the expense of the middle and
working classes as well as to what is increasingly a radical religious right,
it really does make more sense to vote for a Yellow Dog if s/he’s a Democrat
than for anyone the Republicans field.
A Capable Woman and the Clown Car
What that means for me this
election year is simple. I have voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary and
hope against hope he’ll be the nominee. Current polling indicates he could
defeat any of the potential Republican nominees. But the odds are against this
plain spoken self-described Democratic Socialist from Vermont. If the current
trends hold, the Democratic nominee will be Hillary Clinton. Should that be the
case, she will have my vote this fall.
The prospect of having a woman
in the White House (and not just as accoutrements to the male POTUS) is not
only exciting, it is LONG overdue. Women leaders bring a whole new range of
decision making to bear when they govern. I have seen the very positive effect
women leadership has had on my beloved Episcopal Church and the US Supreme
Court. I believe a woman president would be a very healthy thing for the
country (though if I could choose, that woman would be Elizabeth Warren).
So why am I not voting for Hillary in the primary?
One reason already cited, she offers Americans the possibility of an evolving
status quo, not a revolution. That’s good news for the beneficiaries of the
status quo (and this includes both liberals and conservatives) but probably not
such good news for those currently left out. The needs of an America on the
brink of unraveling would best be served by a new status quo, thus a revolution
is what we need.
I also am not happy with
Hillary’s close ties to Wall Street and the military-industrial-technological
complex. It will also be harder for a beneficiary of a post-Citizens United campaign
spend-a-thon to address the fundamental threat to democracy that elections which
have devolved into auctions to the highest bidders represent.
Even so, I have no doubts
about Clinton’s capacities to lead. And if she is the Democratic nominee this
fall, I will vote for her if for no other reason than the complete lack of even plausible leaders from the Clown Car on the Republican side of the ledger.
Like Bernie Sanders, Mr. Trump has drawn a large
and loyal following of people who are angry at the devastating effects of the
current status quo. They have reason to be angry – I’m angry, too - but while electing
a narcissistic demagogue may be a feel good exercise in democracy it will ultimately
only exacerbate the problems these very voters seek to address. An America
addicted to “reality TV” will wake up with a major hangover should this high
stakes hotel magnate prove to be the only candidate not to hear “You’re Fired!” from the
voters.
Mr. Cruz actually scares me
more than Trump. While Trump is the consummate showman with his Jerry Springer
rallies and middle school locker room humor, Cruz actually believes all the
crazy stuff he says. Son of a Baptist minister, this is a true believer unable to
escape his Christian Dominionist background. This could prove a clear and
present danger to many groups of people should this glazed over ideologue ever
get close to holding any more power than the people of Texas - whose judgment in
elected officials has long since become more than a little questionable (think
W, Perry, Abbot) - have invested in him as senator.
Speaking of questionable
judgment, our own Senator Rubio has proven himself too immature to hold office
of any kind, much less the presidency. Marco has been an overly ambitious,
opportunistic politician from the very beginning. His record in the Florida
legislature was dismal and largely non-productive. His performance in the circus
of the Republican debates was childish. Glibness and cunning simply cannot make
up for what he lacks in mature judgment and the ability to think of anyone other
than Marco. He is, as the press has labeled him, an empty suit. His only
redeeming quality is his ability to openly admit that his middle school penis
jokes embarrassed his own children and to apologize to them. Maybe there’s hope
for his humanity yet.
Finally, there is Mr. Kasich
of Ohio. Reconstructed as a “moderate”
by the party rank and file fearing a Trump nomination, Kasich is the wet dream
of the very business interests on whom Bernie Sanders has taken aim. As a
member of the US House Kasich sought to reduce medicare benefits to retirees
and as Governor sought to eliminate collective bargaining of public servants
while insuring tax cuts to the wealthy. It is precisely the predatory politics
of a war on the elderly and the working and middle classes of America that has
brought America to this place of unprecedented inequity and polarization. The
last thing we need to do as this bus called America approaches the ravine is to
step on the gas.
Until the Republicans offer
reasonable, sane candidates who can serve all Americans without question, they
simply will not be getting my vote and should not get yours. Sadly, it’s been a
long time since that was the case.
Amazing
I could get my very introverted husband out for this!
A Luxury We Cannot Afford
I know that a Bernie Sanders
upset is unlikely tonight even as I hold out hope nonetheless. But, should that
not come to pass, I will not engage in the all-or-nothing mentality articulated
by some Sanders’ supporters and vow not to vote in the general election. Indeed,
I would strongly urge them to reconsider that stance.
I admire the passion of the
youthful voters who are supporting Bernie and I was delighted to share that
passion at the rally last week. We need to encourage their participation. The
future of our country and world is in their hands.
But with youth comes naiveté.
I know. I’ve been there. I’ve had my heart broken and found myself deeply disillusioned
by US politics more times than I can count. Should the presidential election be
as close as every election since 1984 has been, a holier-than-thou purity which
would prompt self-righteous Sanders voters not to get their hands dirty with
the lesser of two evils will not accomplish ANY of the goals that the Sanders
campaign has sought to address. If anything, it will insure the perpetuation of
the very things he has rightly decried for the foreseeable future.
Tonight I will watch with
bated breath as the results come in from this latest round of primaries. I hold
no illusions about the outcome. But I continue to hope against hope that before
the night is over, Andy and I can take up the refrain from that high energy
rally in the middle of a converted cow pasture last week:
“Ber-nie! Ber-nie! Ber-nie!”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harry Scott Coverston
Orlando, Florida
If the unexamined
life is not worth living, surely an unexamined belief system, be it religious
or political, is not worth holding.
Most things worth
considering do not come in sound bites.
For what does G-d
require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with
your G-d? (Micah
6:8, Hebrew Scriptures)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 comment:
Like both yours, and Andy's, t-shirts.
Especially yours. REVOLUTION !!!!!!!!!!!!
Agape,
Mike
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