OK, I’m going to be honest: I have a HUGE PROBLEM with the Democratic race right now. I can’t express how disappointed I am that Elizabeth Warren isn’t running. But really, other than that, there isn’t a problem within the race. We have two very qualified potential nominees on our hands. The problem is, we have a war going on within the party. Half of the democrats are campaigning against Hillary for one reason or another and standing so solidly against Bernie that they are vowing not to vote if he loses the nomination. The other half of the party is campaigning so hard for Hillary that they barely notice Bernie has put his bid in for the presidency. I do have a problem with this.
As a party, we need to come together now more than ever. According to Huff Post Pollster, Clinton only leads Trump in the polls by about one percent. If we are wasting or throwing away our votes, we’re letting Trump win. I have to be honest; I was surprised to see such a close race. I assumed Clinton would be high above Trump in the polls. This is why the Democratic Party needs to unite rather than divide. If we are using our votes to write in the latest Internet candidate (i.e. Deez Nuts?) or refusing to vote, we are giving Donald Trump an all-access key to the White House. And it’s not just us we need to worry about.
Many Republican voters have said that, if Trump receives the nomination, they would not vote for him. If these voters refuse to hit the polls on Election Day, they are taking votes away from Trump. But, if they decide to vote against Trump and for a Democratic or Independent nominee, they are not only taking those votes, but giving them to a candidate that would perform better in the White House. We need to start rallying together with these Republican voters now, so when it comes down to the wire, we have a security net to rely on.
The thing I would like to stress most is to USE YOUR VOTE. I know it may be disappointing to find that your preferred candidate will not be going to the general election (why does this sound like an episode of "Survivor"?), but we have two great candidates ready to take on the job, and I believe either one of them will do great up on Capitol Hill. Please, vote. You may not believe your vote means anything, but it does. If one thousand people decided to use that vote instead of throwing it away, we would be one thousand votes closer to having Bernie, or Hillary, doing the job we know they can. No matter how disappointed I am that Elizabeth Warren will not be the first Madame President, I accept that, and I will vote, because I know she would want me to use my vote wisely and effectively.
As Shia LeBouf once screamed, JUST DO IT!
