Summary

The author expresses dissatisfaction with the Democratic and Republican parties, advocating for progressive change and the nomination of candidates who genuinely represent the people's interests, particularly those of Bernie Sanders.

Abstract

The author of the article, Stephen Dalton, a retired US Army First Sergeant, articulates a strong critique of the political status quo in the United States. He argues that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is out of touch with the needs of the people, having forced an unpopular candidate in the 2016 election, leading to President Trump's victory. Dalton rejects the notion of voting for the "lesser of two evils" and insists that both major political parties are complicit in offering inadequate, half-hearted promises to the electorate. He calls for a reevaluation of the term "Socialist" and suggests that Bernie Sanders, despite this label, is the kind of candidate the people should be willing to support due to his advocacy for policies like Universal Healthcare and responsible student loan policies. The author also emphasizes the need for government reform in areas such as healthcare, education, and military policy, and criticizes the influence of corporations on elected officials. He encourages voters to support progressive candidates and to actively participate in primary elections to effect meaningful change.

Opinions

The author believes that the DNC's manipulation of the 2016 primary process resulted in a weak candidate and contributed to Trump's presidency.
He criticizes the idea of voting for the "lesser of two evils," stating that it is still a vote for evil.
The author is skeptical of Democratic candidates who attempt to mimic Bernie Sanders' policies without embracing the "Socialist" label.
He is critical of the media and DNC's promotion of candidates like Kamala Harris and Beto O'Rourke, who he views as inadequate or too conservative.
Dalton suggests that Tulsi Gabbard would make a strong vice-presidential candidate alongside Bernie Sanders.
He is concerned that the DNC's strategy of running numerous candidates is intended to dilute the vote and allow superdelegates to override the popular choice.
The author argues for Universal Healthcare, responsible student loan policies, and more aggressive environmental initiatives.
He calls for the enforcement of disability and welfare fraud laws rather than cuts to Social Security.
Dalton advocates for fair taxation, where everyone pays their fair share, and for reduced military presence around the world.
He emphasizes the need for better care for veterans, including timely medical appointments, which could be addressed with Universal Healthcare.
The author supports affordable higher education, vocational training, and the presence of unbiased counselors in high schools to guide students' educational choices.
He is against the influence of Big Pharma and other corporations on elected officials and suggests that voters should be willing to replace the current politicians with progressive alternatives.

We Do Not Want…

I wrote this in response to one of those “Vote blue, no matter who” extremists. Some probably consider me an extremist too, and that’s OK. I despise the idiom, never discuss politics or religion. What’s more important to discuss than where our taxes go or where we go when we cross the path? I still don’t discuss religion, I think that’s more of a personal choice. But, politics…

Just a thought for you Dems who say we, “the progressives” or “Berners” caused Trump’s win by not voting for the candidate you tried to force down our throats. She, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (DWS), and the rest of those miserable asshats at the DNC cheated us out of the only viable candidate who could have beaten Trump.

You can take that philosophical BS and stuff it. If I had it to do all over again, I still would NOT cast a vote for either of those two!

Voting for the “lesser of two evils” is still a vote for EVIL! Both Clinton and Trump were and are EVIL. Perhaps, four years of Trump is what the voters (particularly the Dems) need to wake up and smell the coffee.

Fake Democratic Candidates

We do not want Democrat candidates who are trying to remake themselves as the second coming of Bernie, only without the Socialist moniker.

The media and the DNC have tried to shove Harris down our throats. That didn’t work, so they tried Beto, hell no. His voting record is more conservative than Ronald Reagan’s was. We already have a lying Republican conman in the WH. Now, it’s Old Joe, another Republican look-alike. No thank you.

I won’t say it’s Bernie or no one; I’m not that naive. But, hopefully, that’s who the people want. And, hopefully, they’ll get over the outdated “Socialist” stigma long enough to elect him.

We know what the DNC is trying to do. By running dozens of mildly acceptable candidates, they hope there will not be a majority so that they can once again use superdelegates to usurp the nomination away from the people’s choice. Look at the candidates they are running out there.

Hollow Promises

Every one of them is promising the same things that Bernie advocated in 2016. Are we that scared of the moniker “Socialist” that we won’t nominate the best person for the job? Surely, Tulsi is capable and will make a great VP running mate for Bernie or vice versa. Their philosophies are similar, even though their backgrounds are not.

And, by the way, if you haven’t donated to Tulsi’s campaign, you should. That’s how we get the best candidate, by everyone getting to the debate stage so that the people can decide.

Half-Baked, Half-Right Promises

We do not want the GOPs’ or the Dems’ half-baked, half-right promises that quickly fade after the election. We do not need them to talk out of both sides of their mouths trying to please everyone. We want Universal Healthcare and responsible policies for Student Loans. We want more green initiative that we needed yesterday to save our dying planet.

We want more enforcement of disability and welfare fraud, not reductions to Social Security, which would further economically cripple people who worked all their lives and paid their taxes, and now can’t afford their meds.

We Don’t Need or Want Tax Cuts

We don’t need or want tax cuts. We want everyone to pay their fair share. We want responsible spending and programs that will help the taxpayers and those dependent on them. We don’t need troops permanently stationed in 800 places around the world. Policing “democracy” and toppling the leadership in sovereign nations.

We Need and Want

We need the VA to fix their broken policies and help fix us, the Veterans that proudly served only to come home and get ignored. We’re told to wait six months or more for an appointment. If we had Universal Healthcare, all of us could get the medical attention we need without waiting. We put it off because putting food on the table takes priority, and then the next thing you know we’re Stage III or IV. It’s not right!

We need affordable healthcare and government reform of tuition expenses to educate our children, so they can compete in a Global economy that will not need many of the current jobs due to robotics. We need a return to Vocational-Technical training, now more than ever. We need counselors at high schools who will present proper choices to your children and not give them the government or paid private college line that sends them to unaffordable colleges so that they can prop up Sallie Mae and other government-sponsored student loans.

We Need to Stop

We need to stop allowing our paid “representatives” to get paid again by Big Pharma and other corporations whose policies are directly contrary to our needs and wants!

If it takes voting out every Democrat and every Republican currently “serving” to get this shit done, then I say, “Just Do It!” Vote Progressive, now! If we don’t get out in force during the primaries, we will be singing the same old song after the Parties nominate the same-old-same-old as always. Just Vote!

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. He is a freelance journalist currently living in the Philippines. You can see his portfolio here. Email [email protected] to hire him to write for your website.

You can read more of my stories here: https://medium.com/@stephendalton