I'm With Her

I've seen a lot of posts lately: on Facebook, on my Twitter feed, just about everywhere. I've seen a lot of people very upset about the results of the Democratic Primary and I truly feel for anyone invested in a candidate with real merit that doesn't win their election. That happened to my candidate 8 years ago, so I get it. But luckily, 8 years ago, the senator that beat my candidate was a noble man who operated his campaign with respect and had the best interests of our country in his heart. So, after my candidate's defeat, I took a deep breath, put a smile on my face and celebrated this monumental achievement of his. I realized that no matter how much I liked and trusted my candidate that it clearly wasn't the right time and I was overjoyed that the person who won broke through the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that our country had placed before him for so many years. 

Now, eight years later, I am proud of so many things. I'm proud of my president. I'm not saying that he's perfect but I do believe he's a great man who really tried his fucking hardest for our country. I'm proud of the things he has managed to achieve despite so many in our government doing everything in their power to make sure he couldn't leave his mark on anything. I'm proud of the first family and all they've done for progress in our country. I'm proud that even though I'm sure they've had to make ridiculous adjustments that it never felt like they changed themselves, instead changing our country and helping us move into the current century, politically. 

The things is, I'm also proud of my own behavior. I'm proud that when my candidate didn't win, that I didn't lose my shit. I'm proud that my passion for the person I was supporting didn't cloud my judgement and didn't cause me to tear apart my future president publicly and without censure. I'm proud that my disappointment didn't turn ugly and that at no time during the primary did I feel the need to castrate my candidate's competition just because. 

I'm proud that I didn't make a separate set of standards for him just because he was African American. I'm proud that anytime I heard someone mention a birth certificate, I spoke out against that blatant and inexcusable racism. I'm glad that I never took any of his qualities or behaviors and deemed them unacceptable or held him to a higher standard, because he looked different than most everyone who had come into this arena before him.

And what have I received for my good behavior? I received a president that I'm proud of. No, he's not perfect but none of them have been. That's the trouble with us human beings, we're not perfect. I received more progress than had come with any other presidency in my personal history. And eight years later, my candidate is back and she won. 

I'm sorry if you don't like it. I'm sorry that you're in the position I was in eight years ago. And I'm sorry that so many of you aren't behaving like adults about it. I'm sorry that somehow you've been fooled into believing that your candidate isn't an actual politician. One day, you're gonna feel foolish. Not for supporting him. He seems like he has the best of intentions for our country, truly. I'm a very liberal liberal and it seems like he has some really wonderful ideas that I support. I just feel like there isn't a clear path to putting those ideals in place, at least not right now and not from any plans of his I've heard. But, the things is, he is a politician. He's not some kindly old grandpa just fighting the good fight. He wasn't a democrat when he went after the nomination from that party and he had pretty much no interest in supporting the party he was trying to get that nom from. Even now, he's not showing much support there. For those people that are democrats and have been for a long time, that feels offensive and insulting. I'm open to changing the party and making it more progressive, I just wish I didn't feel like he and a lot of his supporters were slapping me in the face as they tried to do it. 

I'm a good person who has been supportive and kept the negativity out of my opinions 8 years ago and again now and I deserve the same respect back. 

My candidate is not the fucking devil. But, she is a politician. Thing is, she's never tried to convince me otherwise. As far as I'm concerned, the only American president we've had that has been more human than politician is Jimmy Carter and that man couldn't get a second term, had a lot of notable turmoil during his presidency and has done a fucking shit ton more good outside The White House and Oval Office than inside. 

All the candidates in our primary have been politicians, save for one. Bernie Sanders has been pulling moves from the Politics 101 syllabus this entire primary and continues to do so. Hopefully, one day his supporters will see that. But even if they never do, hopefully those that haven't yet will start behaving like adults instead of spoiled children who haven't gotten their cookie. Hopefully, they'll stop telling me that the only reason I support Hillary Clinton is because we both have a fucking vagina. 

Am I glad that someone with a vagina has finally gotten this far. You're fucking damn right I am. But fuck you for implying that's what I'm thinking with. That's insulting and I don't fucking deserve that. You may think all of your friends are #feelingthebern but I prefer someone cooler, calmer and with the political savvy to get shit done in the government that we, the people, have. 

I'm sorry that she's not hip enough for you. I'm sorry that because of her vagina, you expect her to not have the faults of men. But most of all, I'm sorry you can't see the forrest for the trees. 

And hey, if you really want a candidate that's not a politician, I hear the GOP elected one. I'm sure they'd appreciate your support of the racist, misogynistic bigot that they're trying to sell. But from what I hear, some of you are considering doing that already or not voting at all, which is tantamount to the same thing. And if those ideals of yours that are apparently so much higher than the rest of us dumb, sleazy fuckers that weren't smart enough to follow your Pied Piper allow you to do that, you've got fucking bigger problems than this election. 

To wrap things up, I'd just like to say thank you. Thank you, Hillary Clinton. You've been in my life since I was in high school. You taught me as a young woman that it's not just okay to be strong and speak my mind, but that it's my duty. You were the first person who brought universal healthcare to my forefront and you taught me how to behave with dignity when things weren't always going my way. You took the seed that Geraldine Ferraro planted in my little kid head and taught me that my world really was whatever I could make of it. It's 2016, baby, and I couldn't be prouder. Our time is now and I'm so proud that things turned out the way they did, eight years ago and today. I'm proud of the progress my country has made and I believe it's better for it. And you better fucking believe that I proudly stand With Her.

#imwithher