Why I Vote Democratic

I write a lot here on a lot of different topics. But I’ve been conspicuously quiet about politics, until now. With the political race heating up, I found myself wanting to share my political viewpoints.

As many of you already know, I am a liberal and I am a Democrat. I am also socially conservative, which isn’t the same thing as being politically conservative. So on major issues like the death penalty, access to birth control and things like that, i fall under the “liberal” designation. However, you can also see my socially conservative side  – I dress modestly, I promote less rather than more control over what music my kids listen to and what movies they see, I believe in parents deciding when their kids should learn about condoms and such rather than allowing schools to tell me when my kid should be learning about that sort of thing, etc. – I am what is generally referred to as a “bleeding-heart liberal.” 

A lot of people post a lot of mean things on my social media about me being the source of the problems in this country because I am a liberal. So, for example, I support unions because my grandparents were immigrants and were buoyed through their immigration and struggles to make it in a country where they didn’t speak the language, either literally or figuratively. But a lot of conservatives believe collective bargaining ruins capitalism. And a lot of unions are corrupt and made up of lower classes which the conservatives typically see as weak and needing to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Also, unions tend to protect workers who need it, but a lot of times that includes people who otherwise would be let go. Unions err on the side of protection but many conservatives don’t like how unions function now.

I support women’s right to do whatever they want with babies in their tummy even if I personally believe that a fetus is a human life. That’s because I believe in the ethic of letting people do what they want with their lives and their bodies is a liberal human right.

Speaking of human rights, another liberal thing about me is that I don’t support the death penalty because I don’t think humane societies should kill people. I don’t believe in “But they did so-and-so and let’s get even” thinking. And in case you think I am a lone liberal lunatic, here is the list of the countries that use the death penalty. Note that there are no Western democratic countries in this list:

• CHINA
• IRAN
• SAUDI ARABIA
• IRAQ
• PAKISTAN
• YEMEN
• KOREA (NORTH)
• VIETNAM
• LIBYA

Another super liberal thing about me is the belief that it is the responsibility of a country’s wealthier people to help a country’s less wealthy people. It’s called being helpful because you are a human being. I believe in taking from the rich and giving to the poor, and I don’t exclude myself from that equation. Some people consider it good business to be Republican, and even some whose values may be more liberal, may align themselves with the Republicans because they don’t like Democratic tax policies.

We are human beings on this planet to have purpose, to help others, to make the world a better place, and to contribute to the progress of our species. Not to collect money and things.

But that’s just my opinion.

So when it comes to elections, I vote democratic (when I vote. See this GrokNation post for some of the reasons I find voting very complicated.) I am one of the approximate 2/3 of the country who votes the party line no matter what. That’s right: only about 1/3 of voters actually could go either way. The rest of us like what we like, party-wise, no matter what. (This is something my ex-husband who is A) very smart and B) has an undergraduate and graduate degree in Political Science told me.)

So I am going to either have Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders as my candidate this year and that’s super-fine by me. Which one do I prefer?

Honestly, I am a second-wave feminist and I sort of wave the Hillary flag no matter what. Sure, her business dealings are shady. What politician’s aren’t? Sure, she has some muddy stuff in her closets. What politician doesn’t? And just because it needs to be said, if she was a man, I don’t think anyone would care about any of that “standard politician stuff.” I think a lot of people are not ready for a woman President. We have come a long way, but women are still perceived and pervasively represented as emotional, moody, temperamental and unpredictable.

I believe that Hillary is the most qualified person for the job. She has been in the White House (some say she was the Clinton really running the show when Bill was our President), she is a strong and seasoned politician with a tremendous knowledge and understanding of the world and how it works, and if she had a penis, there would be no question about who to vote for if you’re a Democrat. I love a lot of things about Bernie and I wish he and Hillary could run together honestly. (Why can’t they?)

I suppose if you like Republican policy, any Republican will do. I will say that I honestly do not understand how a billionaire who is best known for his reality TV show is a possible – and if the New Hampshire primary is any indication, a potentially viable – candidate. I don’t see him as a qualified politician. I don’t think he could take seriously the myriad problems our country has or the international challenges we come up against as Americans. I just don’t get it. I am frustrated by the circus nature of this campaign already; the way people talk about it, it’s like we are watching a reality show.

I think it’s important to remember that this country and the system of this government were established for a handful of colonies and a very small number of people. Our country has grown and our system really hasn’t; at least, not in the way I think it ought to.

I don’t know. I’m not a politician and I wouldn’t want to be.

I think I know who I’m voting for. But I do hope we all come out of this election a stronger, smarter and more efficient America, no matter who wins or how!