This appeared on my Facebook page yesterday. It would be a huge understatement to say I was disappointed. In fact, I consider it to be a cheap shot at the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. It infers that Bernie Sanders is a better candidate for the presidency this year than Clinton, because Clinton supported Barry Goldwater 50 years ago (when she was a high school student).
What happened 50 years ago has no reflection on any candidate's current beliefs. I was also a Goldwater supporter in 1964 (as a high school student). It was only after going to college and being asked questions by some great teachers (questions I couldn't answer with a conservative ideology), that I began my political evolution -- from conservative to moderate to liberal and finally to progressive. Hillary Clinton had a similar political awakening in college.
To be fair, this cheap shot did not come from the Sanders campaign, but from some overzealous supporter.. But it did come from a progressive, and that's just sad. Do we really want to judge fellow progressives by what they did (or were) 50 years ago? Is that anywhere near the realm of fairness?
The truth is that we have two very good progressive candidates for president in the Democratic Party for the 2016 nomination -- and if Joe Biden decides to run, we'll have three. That's a good thing, and while I support Hillary Clinton, I urge my fellow progressives to make their own choice -- support the candidate you truly feel is best.
But let's leave the cheap shots to the Republicans (who are much more experienced at it). We are supposed to be better than that.
I completely agree with the broader point: I do not want to see this primary get negative. And I don't expect to.
ReplyDeleteBut this particular example is so much more horrible than the general issue. For one thing, although AuH2O appealed to some horrible people (neo-Confederates, Birchers), he also appealed to some very idealistic people. But as a former libertarian, I hate to see anyone judged by their prior beliefs. And it isn't just about what people thought 50 years ago. If people have an awakening, I'm glad to have them join the fold.
hell I was for Goldwater too...in your heart you know it's true.
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