It was 2015 and the Democratic Party seemed all but certain to nominate Hillary Clinton as its representative for the 2016 presidential election. The event seemed so inevitable, only a handful of Democrats stepped forward to run for the highest office in the land, in stark contrast to the 17 Republicans whom were doing the same. Former Secretary of State Clinton was riding high in all the Democratic primary polls, that was until progressive stalwart Bernie Sanders started making some noise. His rise in the polls surprised many and made Secretary Clinton's journey to the Democratic nomination anything but an easy one. By the time Clinton was nominated, a divide was lodged inside the Democratic Party's establishment and progressive wings, between ardent Clinton backers and "Bernie Bros," as they were (are still) called. While most Sanders supporters went on to vote for Hillary Clinton in the general election, some admittedly either voted 3rd party, didn't vote, or voted Trump. Many felt Clinton would win easily, so they could simultaneously protest the election and Hillary Clinton's nomination and not worry about Donald Trump being elected president. Sadly, too many people stayed home on election day, which made it all the more likely Trump would get elected, and get elected he did.
Fast-forward four years and the Democratic Party seems all by certain to nominate Joe Biden as its representative for the 2020 presidential election. Biden, like Clinton, leads Trump by as many as 13 points in polls. He's seen as the "safe" choice, much like Clinton was. Not only that, but passionate supporters of Biden and other candidates seem to often times be in hypothetical protest-mode, where they declare, "If my guy/gal doesn't get the nomination, I'm not voting!" Granted, this tends to happen in every primary cycle, and most do wind up voting Democrat on election day, whether the nominee was their preferred candidate or not. However, given what happened in 2016, I can't help but feel a sense of unease with all that's transpiring.
Part of me feels cautiously optimistic about the prospects of a Democrat getting elected president next year, more optimistic than I was on election day in 2016. I remember awaking the morning of election day that year and feeling an immediate knot form in the pit of my stomach. Something felt off, almost like I knew Trump was going to win that day, regardless that the polls were telling me otherwise. As the day progressed, this knot and unease only grew in size and intensity, until Trump was eventually declared the winner and my body was temporarily drained of all feeling and emotion. I don't feel that level of unease this time around, not yet at least. It's partially because of the fact we now know what it's like to have Donald Trump in the Oval Office. In 2016, it was just a crazy hypothetical. Unfortunately, that crazy hypothetical came true and now we're having to deal with what we deemed was impossible. Regardless of who the eventual Democratic nominee is and/or what the polls say, I'd be hard-pressed to think voters would sit this one out. Instead of having the mindset of, "Oh, well, that can't happen! That'd be crazy!," they'd have to be of the mindset, "Okay, so it did happen and it's not going to happen again!" If enough people ignorantly/naively decide, however, that it can't happen again, so there's nothing to worry about and/or they can't vote for the Democratic nominee because he/she isn't their guy/gal, we could very well wind up with another four years of Donald Trump as president.
I admittedly voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Ohio Democratic primary, but in my mind, any Democrat was a far better option for president than Donald Trump, so I enthusiastically voted for Hillary Clinton. This time around, I'm pulling for Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren to win the nomination. If Joe Biden or someone else wins out, however, I'm going to fight with everything I have so he/she can defeat Donald Trump on election day, and I urge others to do the same. Donald Trump is a despicable human being, an atrocious president, and an embarrassment to this country. No matter who the Democratic nominee is, he/she will be better for this country than Donald Trump, and when our party's nomination is announced, it'll be time to come together and make certain that crazy hypothetical we deemed impossible four years prior doesn't repeat itself.
Fast-forward four years and the Democratic Party seems all by certain to nominate Joe Biden as its representative for the 2020 presidential election. Biden, like Clinton, leads Trump by as many as 13 points in polls. He's seen as the "safe" choice, much like Clinton was. Not only that, but passionate supporters of Biden and other candidates seem to often times be in hypothetical protest-mode, where they declare, "If my guy/gal doesn't get the nomination, I'm not voting!" Granted, this tends to happen in every primary cycle, and most do wind up voting Democrat on election day, whether the nominee was their preferred candidate or not. However, given what happened in 2016, I can't help but feel a sense of unease with all that's transpiring.
Part of me feels cautiously optimistic about the prospects of a Democrat getting elected president next year, more optimistic than I was on election day in 2016. I remember awaking the morning of election day that year and feeling an immediate knot form in the pit of my stomach. Something felt off, almost like I knew Trump was going to win that day, regardless that the polls were telling me otherwise. As the day progressed, this knot and unease only grew in size and intensity, until Trump was eventually declared the winner and my body was temporarily drained of all feeling and emotion. I don't feel that level of unease this time around, not yet at least. It's partially because of the fact we now know what it's like to have Donald Trump in the Oval Office. In 2016, it was just a crazy hypothetical. Unfortunately, that crazy hypothetical came true and now we're having to deal with what we deemed was impossible. Regardless of who the eventual Democratic nominee is and/or what the polls say, I'd be hard-pressed to think voters would sit this one out. Instead of having the mindset of, "Oh, well, that can't happen! That'd be crazy!," they'd have to be of the mindset, "Okay, so it did happen and it's not going to happen again!" If enough people ignorantly/naively decide, however, that it can't happen again, so there's nothing to worry about and/or they can't vote for the Democratic nominee because he/she isn't their guy/gal, we could very well wind up with another four years of Donald Trump as president.
I admittedly voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Ohio Democratic primary, but in my mind, any Democrat was a far better option for president than Donald Trump, so I enthusiastically voted for Hillary Clinton. This time around, I'm pulling for Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren to win the nomination. If Joe Biden or someone else wins out, however, I'm going to fight with everything I have so he/she can defeat Donald Trump on election day, and I urge others to do the same. Donald Trump is a despicable human being, an atrocious president, and an embarrassment to this country. No matter who the Democratic nominee is, he/she will be better for this country than Donald Trump, and when our party's nomination is announced, it'll be time to come together and make certain that crazy hypothetical we deemed impossible four years prior doesn't repeat itself.
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