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First of all, I'm not a supporter of Hillary's candidacy for the Democratic nomination. The primary reason for this is that I really, really don't like pro-corporate stances coming from our side of the aisle. I believe that easy capitulation to the insurance companies, the credit card companies, the banks, the "defense" industry, and the pharmaceutical companies are precisely why we're in the mess we're in, economically, militarily, diplomatically, and politically.
But I think there's a difference between "Wrong Way" Dems and Republicans. Wrong Way Democrats are trying to make use of Republican tactics and PARTS of their ideological base, particularly with regards to "supply-side" economics and "free market forces." But we shouldn't mistake one for the other. When we do that, when we ignore the nuances involved, we do ourselves a disservice, and obfuscate the truth of the matter.
Our greatest enemies, politically speaking, are those who are both socially and fiscally "conservative." (Ignoring for the moment that they're not really so much conservative as reactionary). These are the people that oppose gay rights, abortion rights, the separation of church and state, and various elements of freedom of expression as a "matter of principle" AS WELL AS opposing a just and equitable safety net, civil rights protections for minorities, well-maintained infrastructure, and reasonable regulation on business to protect the environment, the consumer, and the employee.
"Wrong Way" Democrats BORROW parts of their ideology, primarily with regards to business interests, but are not signed on with their "family values" agenda that promotes bigotry, fear, and hatred of gays and other minorities. They may USE certain portions of it--such as the immigrant issue, to stoke the fires of people's disenchantment with the Republicans apparent inability to do anything about it, but they do so out for political rather than ideological reasons. Same with focusing on flag burning and/or Grand Theft Auto.
They may find progressive causes annoying because we exert pressure to move them in directions that interfere with their ability to negotiate with corporate backers and their lobbyists, and fling up dirt that make their deals with such entities harder to enact.
We cannot do anything to influence the Republicans. If we've learned anything in the last several years, it's that. They owe us nothing, or so their ideology tells them. They ONLY represent members of their party who share their beliefs.
There is a striking difference between Republicans and Wrong Way Democrats. If we fight hard enough, we CAN reach the Wrong Way Dems--we can force them, even against their will, to stall or oppose certain pro-corporate policies. Even against their will. We can depend on many of them to back a more progressive social agenda simply because it doesn't interfere with corporate interests, which do not find these social agenda issues anywhere near as threatening as do the "family values" crowd.
Wrong Way Dems can be brought around, if we work at it. As soon as it becomes apparent to them that it's not politically expedient to support certain policies, they shift their positions. So, yeah, even the pro-corporate Wrong Way Dems are a far better choice than any kind of Republican.
They're not the same. Just similar in some respects. It's more important that we get rid of the Republicans right now. From there we can pressure the Democrats and work to cull those we cannot pressure.
Some times you have to take baby steps to keep from stumbling. And the one thing that's certain right now is that we can't afford to stumble.
I'll vote for any Dem who's nominated. Because even the worst of them is far better with regards to social issues than any Repug in the race. We can work on the corporate issues as they come up. But when the next Supreme Court pick can make or break the next several years worth of Supreme Court decisions. And for all their faults, I can't see either Clinton or Obama nominating a socially conservative wackadoodle to the bench.
And that's the bottom line. End of story.
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