(no subject)
Sep. 5th, 2017 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatSo Hillary Clinton has not been resting on her laurels since the election, she's written another book...the one entitled What Happened -- which basically addresses what happened during the election and its aftermath.
While she has dealt with Trump in the book (how could one not?), she also decides to deal with the Bernie Saunders supporters.
What Happened With Bernie.
This was unfortunately my perception of many of the Bernie Sanders supporters on Face Book, and among the reasons that I could not support Sanders. It got so bad at one stage that I was hiding posts right and left. (Clinton who had learned her lesson in 2008 election, regarding hateful rhetoric against Obama, which had been among the reasons I did not vote for Clinton in 2008 and voted for Obama, had taken a different tact and did not give into it. Nor did her supporters. While unfortunately her opponents did. This to me, at least, proved she alone possessed the character and qualifications for President. Clinton had taken responsibility and learned from her mistake.) The hatred many Sanders fans threw at Hillary and Hillary's supporters, made it impossible for me to take them seriously or listen to anything they said. The more they railed hate at Hillary and anyone who supported her, the less I respected their choices. I hope those supporters have taken a hard look at their behavior and realized that perhaps if they chose a different way of supporting their candidate, we may be living in a world that is markedly different than the current one. While we cannot change the past, we can at least learn from it, take responsibility for our actions, and try to be more mindful of our interactions online and off next time -- in doing so, we can change the world for the better.
While she has dealt with Trump in the book (how could one not?), she also decides to deal with the Bernie Saunders supporters.
What Happened With Bernie.
This was unfortunately my perception of many of the Bernie Sanders supporters on Face Book, and among the reasons that I could not support Sanders. It got so bad at one stage that I was hiding posts right and left. (Clinton who had learned her lesson in 2008 election, regarding hateful rhetoric against Obama, which had been among the reasons I did not vote for Clinton in 2008 and voted for Obama, had taken a different tact and did not give into it. Nor did her supporters. While unfortunately her opponents did. This to me, at least, proved she alone possessed the character and qualifications for President. Clinton had taken responsibility and learned from her mistake.) The hatred many Sanders fans threw at Hillary and Hillary's supporters, made it impossible for me to take them seriously or listen to anything they said. The more they railed hate at Hillary and anyone who supported her, the less I respected their choices. I hope those supporters have taken a hard look at their behavior and realized that perhaps if they chose a different way of supporting their candidate, we may be living in a world that is markedly different than the current one. While we cannot change the past, we can at least learn from it, take responsibility for our actions, and try to be more mindful of our interactions online and off next time -- in doing so, we can change the world for the better.
"As pretty much every Clinton supporter on the internet saw firsthand, sexist attacks during the election season weren’t just coming from the right. Clinton writes about how “some of his supporters, the so-called Bernie Bros, took to harassing my supporters online. It got ugly and more than a little sexist.”
“When I finally challenged Bernie during a debate to name a single time I changed a position or a vote because of a financial contribution, he couldn’t come up with anything,” she goes on. “Nonetheless, his attacks caused lasting damage, making it harder to unify progressives in the general election and paving the way for Trump’s ‘Crooked Hillary’ campaign.”
The fact that someone as unethical and unscrupulous as Trump could label Clinton “crooked” and actually get that label to stick would be laughable if it weren’t so depressing. Trump has proven just how effective aggressive repetition of a catchy moniker can be in getting people to believe a message (“fake news,” anyone?), even when that message is as ludicrous a lie as the idea that Donald Trump is more honest or more qualified to be president than Hillary Clinton.
I agree with Clinton that Bernie Sanders leaned into that false narrative. As she puts it, “he had to resort to innuendo and impugning my character.” He called her unqualified, a claim with no basis in reality, despite its ubiquity. He called her dishonest, when really many of his (and his supporters’) issues with her seemed to be more with the party than with her. Which is absolutely valid. There’s a lot to be criticized when it comes to the Democratic Party. But he was actively seeking the nomination to lead a party he openly hates–a party he is not a part of. As Clinton writes, “that’s not a smear, that’s what he says.” She says, “I am proud to be a Democrat and I wish Bernie were, too.”"
no subject
Date: 2017-09-06 08:42 pm (UTC)You've highlighted one of the prime reasons Bernie supporters frustrate me. I don't have anything against his ideals or platform per se (I didn't think he had many practical plans for accomplishing them, but that's another story) but the vitriol against Hillary was toxic.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-07 12:51 pm (UTC)And they refuse to acknowledge it or their responsibility in contributing to it. I've been debating this with Bernie supporter on FB, who I like a lot and is a kind person and loved Bernie. (And most likely did not hate Hillary). But refuses to acknowledge that this happened, and while she personally may not have done this too many others did. I didn't meet her until after the election. During the election, the majority of Bernie supporters I interacted with lambasted Hillary and her supporters with their hate and rage. That's not how you support a candidate you love. Not if you want to persuade anyone to vote for him or have a united country afterwards.