The 2020 Democratic Primary is in full swing. Hell, it’s been in full swing for three months now.
If you’re like me, you have lots of friends and loved ones with opinions, hopes and fears about the field.
In the primary we’re being pulled in a thousand directions. The punditocracy has all kinds of folks saying one person or another is going to kill the party or pull it too far left or right. And this is all on top of the daily onslaught of insane actions our government is taking. Its overwhelming.
But this daily hand wringing is counterproductive. It sends us into tribal camps that don’t help achieve the big goal of beating the current President whose name I will not say.
That distraction is the biggest weapon they have against us.
The Unknowable
None of us know what will be the most important thing to the nation in November.
If you remember 2008, there was no financial crisis in February, just a long simmering jobless recovery and a sky high stock market that had softened considerably. It wasn’t until September that the losses started accelerating with the bankruptcy of Lehman.
I’m pretty sure you could go back to February of 2008 and find someone who said that a black dude with a funny name couldn’t win the Presidency. But he did. This untested 2-year Senator from Illinois, that folks said all kinds of racist shit about, won the Presidency.
The world has changed a lot in 12 years. We’ve seen the uprising or nationalist and authoritarian leaning leaders both here and abroad.
That shit’s scary.
But we can’t let fear drive our decisions. People who are afraid act irrationally. All kinds of horrible things have been done by humans to other humans with the help of demagoguery and fear. That’s not who we, the people of the Democratic Party are.
So I’m going to ask you, my friends, to stop for a second. Stop worrying about each new poll. Stop worrying about what some talking head said on CNN or MSNBC. Remember, they make money from ginning up controversy, just like Sports Talk radio. They have a vested interest in keeping some kind of controversy going.
The Still Raging Fight for 2016
There are still a lot of folks who are upset about the 2016 primary.
I know this, because my Facebook feed is full of them.
Both Bernie and Hillary supporters blame each other for what ultimately happened in November of 2016.
That’s not productive. Please just fucking stop.
You’re allowed to have your feelings, but remember, these feelings are being amplified by a controversy seeking media to illustrate strife in the party. Strife drives ratings.
That amplification isn’t going to help us one whit in November.
Honestly, other than Bloomberg I’m willing to vote for all the remaining viable candidates in the race.
Use your vote in the primary the way its supposed to be used… to support who you like. We can do this without initiating a circular firing squad, which just helps #45 and his Russian Troll Farm campaign.
The Field Will Be Smaller Soon
I fully expect that by March 4th the field will get smaller.
I expect that my preferred candidate, Elizabeth Warren, will be hanging on by a thread or looking for an exit.
I’m not thrilled about that because honestly, she is the candidate I’ve been waiting my whole life for. Someone who not only has plans, but also the plans to get them done.
I’m sure you feel the same way about your preferred candidate.
But I’m not going to be pissed if Amy or Bernie or Elizabeth or Joe or even Pete end up being the nominee. I’ll vote blue no matter who.
I hope you will too, even if that one guy/gal you really hate becomes the nominee. No matter how big of a disaster you think they’ll be, the bozo in 1600 Pennsylvania right now is a much bigger disaster.
Be Kind to Each Other
This is real easy for someone like me to say. Rather than go into a lot of detail about this, I’m going to ask you to watch a short video.
Whenever you feel anxious or angry or any of those feels that make you want to call a fellow Democrat a “fat headed horse dingle berry” or similar, just think about this video.
Conclusion
This post is way the hell too long for what it is, but at least I wrote something for the first time in a year. Where’s my cookie?
Speaking of cookies, Frances is selling Girl Scout Cookies now. Order them online here because we’re just not organized enough to deal with cash and checks y’all.
Then enjoy the rest of the primary season, cookies in hand. No matter what happens, it’ll be easier to swallow…unless its Bloomberg.