If You're A Democrat And Don't Vote, Then You Just Voted For A Republican

Wasn’t it just last year about this time that the 2016 Presidential election looked like another Clinton-Bush matchup? I mean, it seemed like we’d either have W 2.0 in the White House or we’d have our first female President.

And look where we are now; the GOP is being steamrolled over by Donald [t]Rump and Hillary might not be a sure thing for the Democrats.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think a [t]Rump nomination might be amazing. I mean, imagine the GOP trying to figure out a way to rein him in from the crazy, the bullying, the blatant hatred, or, even better, trying to gather up enough of a backbone to push him aside and nominate someone else, like Cruz or Rubio.

And look at the Democrats. Who knew Bernie Sanders, a socialist Jew could come on so strong; maybe he’ll win the nomination and maybe he won’t, and therein lies the rub for Democrats and liberals and progressives.

See, I keep hearing people on the left, those liberal, progressive Democrats who say they won’t vote at all if their candidate doesn’t get the nomination; and that falls to both sides. Some Clinton supporters are saying they will not vote for Bernie Sanders if he gets the nod, and some folks who are Feeling The Bern say they will not support Hillary if she is the nominee.

I say, look at what that will get you, you so-called liberals and progressives: it will get you a President [t]Rump or a President Cruz or a President Rubio and then what will you do because when you don’t vote for Democrats, especially for president, you might as well be voting for Republican. And there is far too much at stake this year to have yourselves a pity party because your candidate isn’t the nominee.

And if you don’t think that will happen, remember that it already has; in 2000, many Progressives, who didn’t like Al Gore as their nominee, cast their votes for Ralph Nader, as a way, they said, to let everyone know they weren’t Team Gore. And what did that accomplish?

W; and eight years of lies, two wars for oil, countless of Americans killed, not to mention innocent Iraqi citizens, the rise of ISIS, an economy in ruins and a national debt that doubled.

Was it worth it, that “symbolic” vote for Nader? That’s what will happen this time if you so-called progressives sit on your hands because you didn’t get your way, you didn’t get your nominee.

So, think about this, from Allen Clifton from Forward Progressives if you stay home and don’t vote Democrat because Hillary isn’t on the ballot, or Bernie didn’t make it:

Find a Mexican family [or any immigrant family for that matter] that has lived here for years and has been praying for immigration reform to get passed so they can become American citizens. Tell them that it doesn’t really bother you that they’ll likely be deported if a Republican becomes president.

Find someone who’s living in poverty, who obtained health care thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Tell them you don’t care that a Republican president will take their health care away from them.

Find a Muslim and tell them you’re okay with a Republican president spending the next four to eight years vilifying their religion, potentially setting up registries where they would be tracked like criminals.

Tell every woman you meet that you’re okay with a Republican president potentially appointing 3-4 Supreme Court Justices who will almost certainly deem abortions illegal, thus taking away her right to have control over her own body and putting millions of women’s lives at risk as they seek out desperate measures to end unwanted pregnancies.

Find a homosexual couple and let them know that you’re not concerned with a Republican president potentially appointing 3-4 Supreme Court Justices that will almost certainly deem bans on same-sex marriage legal and strip away gay rights any chance they get.

Find non-Christians and atheists and let them know that it doesn’t bother you that a Republican president will undoubtedly try to force Christianity on Americans, thus violating their First Amendment rights. Rights that will also be under attack if that same president stacks the Supreme Court with 3-4 ultra conservative Justices.

Find someone with a pre-existing condition. Tell them that you don’t have a problem going back to the “old system” of health care where individuals born with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage and discriminated against by the health insurance industry, because a Republican president will damn sure repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Find climate scientists and everyone you can who cares about combating climate change. Tell them that it doesn’t really bother you that a Republican president would undo all the progress we’ve made to try to save our planet.

Do all that, and if you’re okay with it afterwards, then stay home and hand the White House to the GOP this November. But, if you do, and if that happens, please do me one favor: keep your yap shut for the next four, or, goddess forbid, eight years about how bad things are under a President [t]Rump or Rubio or Cruz, how much worse things are than they were under W, because you did this.

So, shut up, because as much as you might not like the “other” Democratic nominee because you’re Team Hillary or Team Bernie, please be sure to know that a President Clinton or a President Sanders will:

Protect women’s rights.

Stand for gay rights.

Push for more policies to combat climate change.

Support immigration reform.

Protect our current health care law and try to make it better.

Support real religious freedom – which also means freedom from religion. 

Fight for a higher minimum wage.

There isn't one single GOP candidate who will do that for you, so, again, stay home and reap what you have sown.