Ballot time in Arizona: Presidential primary edition

By Craig McDermott, crossposted from Random Musings

Other contributors here at Blog for Arizona have already weighed in on the race for the Democratic nomination for president.  My turn… 🙂

Full disclosure time: I am on the Permanent Early Voting List and have already voted in Arizona’s Presidential Preference Election, and I voted for Bernie Sanders for president.  Nothing about this post should be considered to be an endorsement…but if I was going to make one… 🙂

 

…A few thoughts as we approach the date of Arizona’s presidential primary (Tuesday, March 22) –

– Everyone has their own “big issue” that they use as a litmus test when choosing which candidates to support.  Mine is “will she/he work in the best interest of all of her/his constituents, and not just her/his donors and supporters”.  I can disagree with a candidate on an issue and still vote for that person, so long as I am convinced that their “guiding light” is the best interest of their constituents (example: Harry Mitchell would drive me up a wall with some of his votes in Congress, but I never doubted his respect, affection, and dedication to the people of Tempe or his district [when he held a “district” office, not a Tempe office]).

Of all of the candidates on both sides of the political aisle, I think that Bernie Sanders does the best job of meeting that criteria, which is why he won my vote.

– At this point, tt looks as if the horrific Donald Trump will be the nominee of the Republican Party, which should make life easier on the eventual Democratic nominee, whoever that may be.  However horrific he may be as a candidate and as a human being though, his nomination doesn’t guarantee a Democratic win.

Not even close.

One way for Democratic activists to enhance Trump’s chances in the general election is if the supporters of the two main Democratic candidates, Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, refuse to “bury the hatchet” after the nominee is selected.

There have been some hurt feelings on both sides as (alleged) supporters of one candidate spout things that are demeaning toward the supporters of the other candidate.

My advice to partisans of both candidates:

When someone you personally know and respect goes “below the belt” in criticisms of your favored candidate or his/her supporters, discuss (or argue 🙂 ) the matter with them.

When someone you don’t know or have never even heard of does the same thing, ignore them.

 

– Related to the above paragraph, please read the one above that one.  It serves as evidence that one can express support for a candidate without insulting another candidate or his/her supporters.

Note: Expressing support for one candidate does not in itself constitute an insult to another candidate.  If you feel that someone civilly expressing support for a candidate that you don’t support to be an insult, stay away from politics.

Your sensibilities are far too tender.

 

– Supporters of some of the candidates have been touting their preferred candidate’s “resume”.  While the job of “President of the United States” is not an entry-level position (looking at you, Donald Trump), “resume” is not the deciding factor with most voters.

If it was, Barack Obama wouldn’t have won in 2008; Bill Richardson (experience in Congress, as a cabinet secretary, state governor, ambassador to the UN, nominations for a couple of Nobel Peace Prizes, etc., in other words, “resume out the wazoo”) would have.