Tuesday, April 19, 2016


     Hillary Clinton has just won an impressive victory in the NY Democratic Primary. Projected 60-40 as I write this.  It is now time for a reality check. 
      I have been an enrolled member of the Democratic Party for nearly fifty years. I consider myself a mainstream progressive Democrat on the issues, and a promoter of insuring opportunity, promoting responsibility, and a sense of community. We are all  in this together. 
     I have never really understood or appreciated those who have sat on the sidelines, and refused to declare their allegiance. Bernie Sanders is one of those individuals who has lived on the left, and eschewed the Democratic Party for most of his career.   Now , he is trying to win the approval of members of my party to become their standard bearer. To me, he is sounding more and more like Ralph Nader, and less and less like a true Democrat. 
     I think it is time for Bernie to either suit up, and champion the Democratic Party, it's probable nominee and causes, or break free and pursue his own agenda . I hope he chooses the practical course, and supports the Democratic nominee with heart and soul. If he can't, then it is time for him to declare his true intent, and stop pretending to be a Democrat . 
He has brought much to the table. He has invigorated the process and energized millions of otherwise uninvolved millenials, to his credit. 
   But as the old saying goes," Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. What say you Sen. Sanders, are you with us or agin' us?

     Hillary Clinton has just won an impressive victory in the NY Democratic Primary. Projected 60-40 as I write this.  It is now time for a reality check. 
      I have been an enrolled member of the Democratic Party for nearly fifty years. I consider myself a mainstream progressive Democrat on the issues, and a promoter of insuring opportunity, promoting responsibility, and a sense of community. We are all  in this together. 
     I have never really understood or appreciated those who have sat on the sidelines, and refused to declare their allegiance. Bernie Sanders is one of those individuals who has lived on the left, and eschewed the Democratic Party for most of his career.   Now , he is trying to win the approval of members of my party to become their standard bearer. To me, he is sounding more and more like Ralph Nader, and less and less like a true Democrat. 
     I think it is time for Bernie to either suit up, and champion the Democratic Party, it's probable nominee and causes, or break free and pursue his own agenda . I hope he chooses the practical course, and supports the Democratic nominee with heart and soul. If he can't, then it is time for him to declare his true intent, and stop pretending to be a Democrat . 
He has brought much to the table. He has invigorated the process and energized millions of otherwise uninvolved millenials, to his credit. 
   But as the old saying goes," Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. What say you Sen. Sanders, are you with us or agin' us?

Thursday, April 14, 2016

     In 1972 I was young, naive and idealistic. I was also an elected official ( A County Legislator at age 23). I ran for and was elected a delegate for George McGovern, for the Democratic National Convention in Miami , from my NNY Congressional District. 
     I was there when McGovern gave a wonderful and empassioned speech entitled " Come Home America!" The problem was that he delivered it at 4am, and other than the political zealots, no one else was was watching. McGovern went on to win the District of Columbia, and the state of Massachusetts. Richard Nixon won everything else. Say Godnight, Irene. 
     Fast forward 44 years, and we have hoards of idealistic young people supporting a self described ideologically committed democratic Socialist from Vermont for President. 
He is vying against an establishment Democratic candidate, whose negatives are very high. Could he win the nomination? Yes. That is a possibility. Could he win the general election? That is far less probable. 
    So what to do, what to do on April 19th in the NY Primary? Vote for ideological purity and take a stand, or vote for practicality and the Democratic tried and true, in the hope that the Commonweal can still advance?    
     At this stage of my life, practicality matters more to me than ideological purity. I do not oppose the potential of a Bernie Sanders, and indeed the reformer in me is drawn to his candidacy, but the adult in me is drawn toward Hillary Clinton, and it is the adult in me who will be casting a vote on Tuesday, April 19th for Hillary Clinton.