A Public Service Announcement
July 31st, 2016 | 
Author: I watched the democratic convention.
It made the RNC look Fisher Price.
At least Trump won his nomination fair and square.
I adore the first lady.
Her composure and grace always give me pause. “I wake up every morning in a house built by slaves”. Damn.
President Obama was magical. Easily the most talented politician I have ever seen.
They spoke glowingly of a woman who would be president. They spoke admiringly of a candidate who is the the most corrupt, the least popular, the most hated, to ever run for president of the United States of America as a democrat.
The truth is awful.
They lied.
They were so good at it I felt like crying.
And then Hillary spoke. Her cadence and style are a belt sander to my sensibilities. She hit all the right notes. There was plenty of red meat but it was absent the protein of honesty and sincerity.
The democratic party has become a parody of itself at the very least. The virus of neoliberlalism has proven to be as prolific as it is virulent. Nobody seems interested in a vaccine.
A gigantic asshole that could have easily been defeated by a ham fucking sandwich is in contest because the candidate who could have wiped the electoral map with him was marginalized by the DNC and the media while we were throat raped by Hillary Clinton’s coronation.
The choice forced upon us is fucking is dumb. I have never felt so cornered as a voter. The Wicked Witch versus Fuckface Von Clownstick.
Maybe she’ll be indicted or arrested, gawd knows there’s enough there. The problem isn’t quantity but quality. And not a lack thereof. Her shit may just be too big to fail.
So here’s what I’ve decided.
I’m going to change my party affiliation to Green. But I’m not going to vote for Jill Stein because she doesn’t have a chance. At a certain point, pragmatism informs my cynicism. I will ignore my gag reflex, hold my nose, vote for Hillary and come home to shower.
I will shit hammer the Clinton administration every goddamn week for my humble little platform. I will beat that meat like it owes me money. Hillary Clinton is about to face unprecedented obstructionism from the left.
My conscience tells me this is the best move I can make.
I refuse to suffer anyone, one way or another for voting one way or the other.
I can’t cover the sun with just my hand.
Drinks for my friends.
*The band is Down By Law from the very first record I ever produced recorded and mixed “Punkrockacademyfightsong” on Epitaph. One day after finishing some demos I did with them, lead singer Dave Smalley told me I was going to produce his next record and six months later he called to ask me if I was ready. As records go it went pretty smooth but I was wreck nonetheless, doubting myself the whole way and melting down here and there. And I managed to meet one of my few brothers from another mother and maintain a long distance bromance with the young drummer Hunter Oswald to this day. He stole laminated Waffle House menus for me without me asking because he just knew how bad I wanted them. I am proud of this record.*
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I changed my party registration to unaffiliated in 2014. After 36+ years of being and voting as a Democrat. My state has a semi closed primary. Which means that I can vote outside of my party affiliation.
Blue Dog & Third Way Democrats are corporate shills. We,the People have been sold out.
The oligarchs rule.
I have to admit that I really used to look forward to each of your post. You were definitely one of my top 5 favorite writers. And now I can’t even finish the whole post. I get it – you’re incredibly disappointed in the Democrats and don’t recognize the party. You’ve said it over and over and over. You’ve become a one-note, vitriol-filled kazoo. Get over it and move on.
Well, maybe you should read them to the end then.
Fair enough. I have to admit the fact you are voting for her caught me by surprise. That said, my advice/opinion still stands. Mount your noble steed and tilt at other windmills. There are other battles that require your attention.
Politics is my thing and it’s the primary focus of this blog. This happens to be what’s going on in politics. Having said that, as much as I love to rant, I always endeavor to bring some new twist, highlight some new outrage or establish some new angle. I have quite a few half written pieces on other subjects but I just can’t help getting pissed off at this ridiculous farce of an election. I do sincerely try, If I’ve failed, forgive me. I appreciate your constructive criticism.
No failure. You’ve expressed your view, one shared by many, many people. And you have high lit the rational response: hold her feet to the fire. It has been proved that those same many, many want it to work: so let’s work it!
I know and I have read over a hundred of your articles and enjoyed them very much. It’s your unique writing style really brings the issues and your opinions to life. Your passion for the subject is obvious and what makes your posts fun to read. Maybe I just needed to rant a little too. Keep fighting the good fight!
‘I will beat that dick, like it owes me money’. That might have had more teeth if Hillary was a man.
That said–hammer away. We all need to.
Exquisitely logical rant that should be read by all. Couldn’t be said better.
Keep voting for the Democratic dregs and you’ve got no actual ability to negotiate platform or ideals.
The only strength we can garner is to remove the automatic voting for the Democratic Party.
Certainly vote your conscience every four years, but it’s the day to day, the getting in the streets, that’s what democracy is about
Donald Trump is being paid by the DNC 42 million $$$ to run against Hillary Clinton. If you vote for her- you are a fool.
No. The DNC isn’t paying Trump to run. That’s hilarious. Source??
I haven’t read your blog for too long. I had forgotten how much the articles resonate with me…I really liked the DNC, because it had real substance, and it wasn’t like a game that needed to be won. For Trump, it’s about “winning” and who’s the winner. He boasts he’s winning according to polls. He’s a misogynistic, narcissist, racist,sexist, bigot that needs to be put out of his misery. I think he is psychpath because he actually believes what spews out of his mouth. He’s used to getting his way. Having his hand anywhere close to the nuclear button, freaks me out. Clinton has been dishonest, there’s no doubt about that. But, she does have experience. She does have plans, not just promises. I could never vote for Trump. He’s an angry, bitter man. For me, it’s crystal clear, that I need to vote for Hillary. Either way, when the election is done, I will be relieved.,This election has got to be the worst, and most contentious EVER, in my whole life. When Barack ran, it was a no-brainer. No confusion, etc. Now, only if we could get good democrats in th Supreme Court. And, democrat positions in the Senate and in Congress. We still have a ways to go, until all is said and done. Basically, I took the scenic route to explain that I agree with you. ?
What better time than now to vote Green ? If only to strengthen a true progressive party ! Trump or Clinton would be a nightmare. You can’t get more corrupt than the Dems as this point, and they have essentially merged with the Pubs anyway. Republicrats. I’ve gone Green after 37 years of loyal Blue. Jill baby Jill. Let’s give a non fracking peace loving non sociopath a chance ! ??
THANK YOU.
I’m right there with you on every point except voting for Hillary. Being an Independent, I was going to vote Green before Bernie got into the race. He’s the only reason I went over to the Dems for the primary, and the behavior of DWS and the DNC disgusted me so much that I de-registered from the Dem party the day after my state’s primary. By rejecting Bernie, they have rejected me, and I will have zero guilt about my vote for Jill. If the Dem party wanted more votes, they should have gone with the candidate who was more attractive to Independents. By choosing Hillary, they failed, and I will not prop up their bad decisions with my vote.
Other than that, I totally agree with the fight we’re in for over the next few years, regardless of which of them makes it into office. The only thing I can really hope for is that the Greens and Libs get pushed over 15%, so that next cycle the American people can have a REAL choice.
MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY!
That’s awesome Mike! “I can’t cover the sun with just my hand.” Fabulous. I agree, hold your nose and vote.
Heyyyy M. Wade!!! It’s been a minute since I’ve read from you. I was kicked out of the group we shared for espousing my candidate Bernie Sanders and just happened to see you peeking out from my side-bar. <<>>
As you already know, I’m one of your biggest fans. I respect your choice but disagree after witnessing contrasting ideas try to integrate in this country. It does give me a little bit of comfort knowing that when I leave the Dem Party, you’ll still be there creating resistance. Change is hard. You’re the only one thus far and in my hearing/reading who has vowed to do as much since most of Clinton supporters seems to think winning by any means necessary and intimidation works. I promise you, if I was to pick a woman figure for a g-baby gurl or young friend/fam person to model after, it would NOT be HRC. All things aside, the only humanitarian act that she touts has never been corroborated by the Edelmans. But whatever. Maybe that works for some.
I hope you create a platform for your effort. Right now, your concept appears to be non-existent because to challenge a problem it first needs to be acknowledged that a problem exists and as you noted in your piece, all is good in the neighborhood and all want to play the role of enablers. Good luck with that. Your article also encourages me to explore organizations that have been transformed from the inside. Amerikkka only claims greatness. It ain’t all that and this incremental change thingy is incrementally shortening our lives and destroying our country. If I could make such a request of you, one day could you expound more on the successes of such an endeavor?
In closing, I wish you were writing textbooks in my formative years on topics I found difficult. I might have been a better student. 🙂 Keep writing! Love you Bunches!
This was a good lick, “Fuckface Von Clownstick,” but then, for some insanely illogical reason, you turn and say that you will, “hold [your] nose, vote for Hillary and come home to shower.” Obviously, at some point, you choose to offer “Drinks for [your] friends.” Please, put the bottle down! If your conscience is telling you that holding your nose and voting for HRC is the answer, you’ve already had enough to drink.
I can not follow you and I believe it is not the right time to be mad or angry. Hillary may not be the perfect candidate, but she is the best to safe this country for the right wing nuts and the new Nazis. As a German Native I know what I’m talking about, this country is on the edge of a catastrophe with Donald Trump. Republicans give a shit who is President, they only have one goal, pointing their Judges to the Supreme Court and push the court to the right for the next 20 years. Trump already has a list which he got from the Heritage Foundation. 4 years for a President is not a problem, they can block him like they did with Obama. We need Hillary, the House and the Senate to point 2-4 new Judge to the Supreme Court to safe our country and the constitution. Don’t wast your vote and get out and vote blue. It is more important than ever. Maybe we get a Supreme Court Judge with the name Obama. Wouldn’t this be amazing? Please vote for Hillary and lets see what she can accomplish. She did a lot in the past and she is strong.
Did you even read the whole thing?
DONALD TRUMP WOULD BE A DANGEROUS WORLD LEADER. HE CHANGES ATTITUDES ALMOST BY THE MINUTE. I WONDER WHAT KIND OF JOKE HE WILL MAKE, WHEN HE USES THE NEXT NUCLEAR WEAPON. WILL THE WORLD FIND THAT JOKE FUNNY?
you know i love you, but i just cannot force my hand to do what my brain knows to be anathema to my whole being. I’m actually happy for that, in fact. the only thing i would point out is that there is absolutely no doubt that the primary was fixed from the beginning…at least, i would wager on it…and since i know that to be true, i also know that the fix is in for the general election. there is no way that karl rove and his election fixing crew are going to allow donald trump to win. the republican establishment is already defecting en masse to cast their neoliberal/neoconservative votes for the woman they claim to despise. I’m not about to lend my tacit approval to this travesty even if i know my vote won’t count. it WILL count, however, if it adds to the viability of a future progressive third party. buying into the scare tactics of the anti trump people is an admission that you don’t really believe much of what you’ve been writing about for more than a year.
I understand your position but I still stand by everything I’ve written. If it looks like a landslide for Hillary I may vote for Stein, however she’s not even close the candidate Bernie was.
You’re absolutely right. I just read about Jill Stein — thank you for bringing her to my attention. It would be a wonderful thing if she were to become the first woman and openly agnostic President. Were the stakes not so high and if it truly didn’t matter, I’d vote for her in a heartbeat. But we don’t live in that world and certainly not in that country. I understand that you dislike and distrust Clinton, but do you honestly think that Donald Trump doesn’t pose a much more immediate and visceral threat to our nation? Even Bernie isn’t asking supporters to swing for Stein, because he is a pragmatist, and he knows that a vote against Clinton is a vote for Trump. All hyperbole aside, look at her record– she has fought for the poor and middle-class her entire life. She has ties to the banking industry? So what? We live in a capitalist society. They run the world — you can’t get anything done if you don’t “play by the rules of the game.” Hate the game not the playa. Bernie had close ties to gun manufacturers and you don’t seem to mind that. Nobody is perfect (except perhaps Jill Stein lol) but you have to make an informed, reasonable decision based on reality, and Trump is far too close to becoming a reality.
What the fu25 is this happy horse shit? Assange is hero? More like a Kremlin pawn who has no problem doing Putin’s dirty work.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/06/politics/jill-stein-julian-assange-green-party-convention/
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/02/26/hating-hillary
Do you know Michael Arnovitz? You should.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/6/11/1537582/-The-most-thorough-profound-and-moving-defense-of-Hillary-Clinton-I-have-ever-seen
And the NYT, too.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/02/26/hating-hillary
VOTING FOR HELLARY IS SO VOID OF A MOVEMENT, AND THAT IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR COUNTRY. VOTING FOR A GAMER, WENCH, MURDER BECAUSE YOU PRETEND TO KNOW STEIN IS NOT ABLE TO WIN, IS YOU PLAYING PETTY TYRANT. PEOPLE CONVINCE THEMSELVES THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW ALL, BASED ON WHAT; PROPAGANDA?