This is our present situation:
The US debt is beyond preposterous.
There are children in cages. Some of the children that used to be in cages are… we don’t know. Families are torn up by this. Children are dying. Asylum seekers are dying.
White nationalism is on the rise. People are dying.
Women’s rights to control their bodies are being taken away. Women will be dying.
Our Vice President doesn’t believe in gay rights.
Farmers in the Midwest are losing their farms due to storms, and the administration’s trade war.
The cost of medicines means people are dying.
Our military are being used as police in our country.
We have 12 years to save the planet.
The Republicans want people to not have health insurance.
… and that’s just off the top of my head!
=> If we don’t want these things to be true in January of 2021, you need to win. There is no other option for America. < =
So how can we make sure that happens?
I beg you for civility toward other Democratic candidates. You don’t have to attack them if they make an error — even if the media wants you to. If somebody messes up, say “That’s up to them to explain, not me to judge”.
I beg supporters from “rival” camps to simply get off Twitter if they want to attack. My grandmother used to say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. Our only rival is the man in the White House. “Eating our young” does no one any good.
Encourage voting … not voting for your candidate, just voting.
Then let the voters decide. If Mary wins Ohio, let her have Ohio. If Bill wins Utah, let Bill have Utah.
When all of the votes are counted, as we head to the convention, let that be our answer about who is the candidate. Let the candidate pick their Vice President. Frankly, I’d rather we not choose our own version of Sarah Palin or Dan Quayle. Let us have the best Vice President who can fill in any policy areas the President might be weaker in, but let us trust our candidate.
Then, when we have the candidate that the most people voted for, get behind them.
Then, in the ensuing melee between the Democrats and the Republicans, the candidate should take no BS from them. If they verbally abuse, don’t pretend they didn’t. If they lie, call them on their lies. If they use a “dog whistle”, ask them to clarify. If they say “I’m going to do X”, make them prove that they can. If you doubt them, doubt them publicly. If you think they’re cheating, say they’re cheating. If they use FOX news for a bona fide treat it like it’s Wikipedia.
Don’t be afraid to be intelligent.
Don’t be afraid to be kind to the American people.
Don’t be afraid to be brave for the American people.
Don’t be afraid to be you. If you got this far based on that, we already like you.
Always tell the truth. It’ll stun them at first, then they’ll be impressed.
Acknowledge your mistakes, but don’t dwell on them. Explain how you’ll do better in the future. If you need help here, ask an appropriate other candidate. How do women feel? Ask one. How do Black people feel about a mistake? Ask one.
The problem here is not that we don’t have a qualified candidate. We have 20 of them. Bernie and Warren understand economic corruption and economic decency. Kamala is brilliant, ethical, and knowledgeable about the law. Joe knows about international issues. Beto is the hardest working man in the business. Pete is kind, and intelligent. Others are veterans, and war heroes. I don’t even like Gildebrand, but she surpasses Trump simply by getting up in the morning. And she sticks up for women, and veterans. If that statement seems hypocritical after all I’ve said, note I don’t have to like everything someone says or does to vote for them. Also, any of the candidates is better on a bad day than Trump is on a good day. The point here is that If our candidate doesn’t know every answer, we have plenty of people who do. We are all in this together. We have to be. The fate of our country depends on it.
Ultimately, the fate of the world depends on it, but let’s win the country first. Seriously. Ok?
Resisting with Peace,
John
Because It Matters 