A little over two weeks ago I sent out my absentee ballot so that I could vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders. While I understand the droves of people supporting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the answer, for me, has always been Bernie.
For the first time since I’ve been politically aware, I have a candidate I feel comfortable supporting morally. While President Obama has made a point to be empathetic, his drone strikes have killed thousands of innocent civilians, and I cannot support him morally, even if I do support him pragmatically. Bernie seems like the only candidate in the race—Democrat or Republican—who seems to generally care about humanity.
Sanders has advocated for LGBT equality since the 1970s. He wrote a letter to editor calling for laws banning homosexuality to be overturned, as mayor of Burlington he supported the first LGBT pride parade there and signed several anti-discrimination ordinances protecting the LGBT community. He voted against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed into law by President Bill Clinton and supported by Hillary Clinton. Secretary Clinton did not come out in favor of marriage equality until 2013.
Likewise, when Clinton was calling black children super predators, Sanders had already cultivated a long history of supporting racial justice. In 1962, he was arrested for protesting segregation and was active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He has high ratings for racial justice pursuits by both the American Civil Liberities Union (ACLU) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). When he is interrupted by black activists, he doesn’t tell them to wait their turn, he gives them the podium.
Bernie also wants to rebuild our decaying infrastructure. In April 2015 he said, “There’s a reason that investing in our infrastructure has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress. It’s a good idea. It creates jobs, income, profits and tax revenues. It lays a foundation for the efficient operation of our economy in the future.” Our nation’s infrastructure is miserable compared to that of other developed nations, and there is no reason a country that desires jobs like ours should have work to do and no one to do it.
I want the White House to stay blue; I would go so far to say that’s my biggest goal for this election cycle. The GOP has solidified its place as pro-war, anti-choice and fundamentally opposed to justice. If the White House will stay blue, Bernie is the candidate for the job. One on one, he polls higher against each Republican than Clinton. Clinton may have the authority that some Democrats want, but she lacks likeability and trustworthiness.
Bernie has proven time and time again that he won’t sacrifice his moral and political ideals for what is socially or financially convenient. He will struggle with a Republican congress, but so would Clinton or any other Democrat.
Hillary Clinton is running a flawed campaign because she believes that the presidency is her destiny. To her, political victory has always been her goal. I would love to elect the first female president, but the next president should be someone morally and politically consistent. Instead, I’ll support the man who would be the nation’s first Jewish president, Bernie Sanders.
Holly Baer is a religious studies major from Flowood, Mississippi
