I just read an article on a left website in which the author speaks of the overarching importance of defeating Trump and the rest of the right wing Republican candidates at the ballot box next week. But what is largely missing – one reference – is any mention of electing Hillary Clinton, not to mention any positive reason for doing so. At a moment when Trump and the right – with a big assist from the FBI – are viciously, relentlessly, and demagogically attacking her for the purpose of discouraging her supporters, confusing undecideds, and putting Hillary “in her place” and “behind bars,” to erase or damn her with no, or barely faint praise, as more than a few on the left do, is self-defeating, incredibly amateurish, and tone deaf to sexism. It raises a lot of questions, but a discussion of them should wait until after the elections.
At the core of this election struggle is the preservation of human and democratic values and rights. And the only way to preserve them – as well as extend them – is to elect Hillary Clinton the next and first woman president of the United States. And we should do that without apology, as we canvass, phone back, and talk to voters this week.
