Over the weekend I got an invite to a private Facebook
group for supporters of Hillary Clinton. The Alabama chapter of Pantsuit Nation
has over 2,000 members already, while the national group has over 1.3 million
members and counting. Despite what you’ve heard or read from the media, there
are millions of enthusiastic, joyful Hillary Clinton supporters who are excited
about this election.
A common narrative of the 2016 presidential election is
that both major party candidates are unpopular[i]
with many people joking about how they’d rather die or have the world end than
choose between either of them. You’ve surely seen the memes by now:
·
Apocalypse 2016
·
Is your refrigerator running for president? If
so, I might vote for it
·
No one for president
I’ve even seen other jokes about America losing no matter
what happens on Election Day. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The two major party candidates are more different from
each other than I’ve ever seen in a general election. But, that doesn’t fit
what is now known as the “both sides” or false equivalence narrative.[ii]
On the other hand, the Republican Party’s nominee for
president regularly disparages women, immigrants, people of color, and
non-Christians. His latest television ad has been denounced by the Anti
Defamation League for its anti-Semitic overtones. His rallies are filled with anger and sometimes even violence directed at Hillary Clinton, women, and minorities.
And that’s just rhetoric. The differences between
the two candidates on policy issues like climate change, education, the economy, LGBTQ
rights, taxes, etc. couldn’t be starker. When it comes to transparency, we've also gotten to read thousands of Hillary Clinton's personal emails (which show just how hard she works and which issues are important to her) while the Republican nominee is the first candidate in decades not to release his tax returns.
There is also the notion that the majority of Hillary
Clinton’s supporters are just voting against the Republican nominee or holding
their nose to vote. I’m here to dispel that narrative.
This Facebook group gave me such a feeling of pride
because it showed me I wasn’t alone. I read post after post of people who were
terrified to wear their Hillary Clinton buttons or shirts, or put up signs in their yards because of the
vitriol directed towards her and her supporters. I read post after post of women, many
Republicans, who said they were proud to vote for Hillary and make history because of her
overwhelming qualifications and because they just can’t support the misogyny of
the other ticket.
I read posts from parents of disabled children about how
they were brokenhearted when the Republican nominee mocked a disabled reporter
and I read posts from Muslims recalling the frightening and mean spirited words
the Republican nominee has said.
There are emotional posts from courageous women who are sharing for the first time stories of being sexually assaulted. They aren’t letting his words bring them down.
They've decided to come out of the shadows because they can't stay silent anymore. They’re eager to vote for Hillary Clinton and happy to have her as an advocate.
I don’t share political messages on Facebook to try and
win anyone over. I understand that most people’s minds are made up. I like to
post messages of support so other people know they’re not alone. As a gay man,
I can promise you that seeing messages of support from allies does make a huge difference.
Marginalized groups need to know we have support out there. It can make such a
difference some days, and yes, sometimes it can help people change their minds.
That’s what these groups are for. The nastiness, misogyny,
racism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc. of this election has of course been disheartening. But
I, and millions of others have decided we will not let that ugliness steal our
joy. We will not give up, and we will keep fighting because we know we’re on
the right side of history, and we know that love trumps hate.
I’m also tired of reading endorsements that must point
out Hillary Clinton isn’t perfect. Who is arguing that she is? There is no such
thing as a perfect politician, because there’s no such thing as a perfect
person. Human beings are flawed. It’s a point that is often only made because
of her gender.
I am so inspired by Hillary Clinton and her lifelong
record of accomplishments. While she was working on registering minority voters
and investigating school segregation in the 1970s, the Republican nominee was
discriminating against African-Americans as a landlord. She’s made bettering
the lives of women and children her life’s work.
Because of Hillary Clinton, education was improved in Arkansas,
kids with disabilities are able to attend public schools, more than eight
million children have health insurance, National Guard and reservists are able
to access military benefits, adoption and foster care got easier, and this list
could go on and on. There is no way to deny Hillary Clinton has an impressive
list of accomplishments that have made people’s lives measurably better.
In spite of all that, this election is about so much more
than Hillary Clinton or the Republican nominee.
·
It’s about having a president that believes
climate change is a real threat, not a hoax invented by the Chinese
·
It’s about having a president who believes in
equal pay for equal work
·
It’s about having a president who thinks the
middle class shouldn’t have to pay more taxes
·
It’s about having a president who understands
that systemic racism is still a problem in America
·
It’s about having a president who understands
the burden of student loan debt and wants to make higher education a realistic
part of the American dream
·
It’s about having a president who will appoint
Supreme Court justices who will uphold equality
·
It’s about having a president who will fight for
paid family leave, including paid maternity and paternity leave
·
It’s about having a president who will work to
improve the Affordable Healthcare Act and continue working to make healthcare
more affordable, not one who wants to give more power back to insurance
companies
·
It’s about the 90 people who die of gun violence
in this country every single day and their families, and who is going to work to curb
that violence
·
It’s about the immigrants working hard, and yes,
paying taxes in this country, who just want to make life better for their families
and not have to worry about their family being ripped apart
·
It’s about the LGBTQ youth who need an advocate,
not someone who believes they can be converted
·
It’s about the veterans and gold star military
families who deserve a commander in chief who honors and respects their sacrifices
and will work to make sure they are taken care of
I know that many people also just dislike politics in general. I can understand why. But, for me, it's not just about politics. It's about livelihood. Being openly gay in America is still a political act. I didn't choose that. Homophobic politicians chose that. Being a woman who dares to defy traditional gender roles and demand equality is political. Being a person of color who challenges systemic racism by refusing to be a second class citizen is political. It's just the way it is.
I understand that this election has been brutal. But, let’s
not pretend there’s plenty of blame to go around. The idea that all politicians
are the same or that there are no differences between the two major parties
didn’t come about accidentally. It is a narrative that feeds apathy. It is a
narrative that helps protect the status quo. If enough people are convinced
that they can’t make a difference, even with their vote, then they’re not
inclined to be engaged and participate.
If voting didn’t make a difference, the Republican Party
wouldn’t be trying so hard to strip people of their voting rights. They wouldn’t
be actively trying to make it harder for people to vote if our votes and voices
didn’t matter.
So, no matter what the media narrative may be, I want you
to know that I, and millions of others, am so happy to be voting for Hillary
Clinton on Tuesday. I’m excited about what the future holds and optimistic
about voting for the most qualified and prepared candidate of a lifetime! And I’m
excited about shattering the glass ceiling and making history with the first
female president. This is an inspirational election and there are plenty of
things to be happy and optimistic about. I'll continue raising my voice about what's important so know that you're not alone.
[i]
Both candidates do have high unfavorable ratings historically speaking.
However, the Republican Party’s nominee’s favorables are significantly worse
than Hillary Clinton’s. There is also the fact that Hillary Clinton’s
popularity tends to fall only while she is campaigning for political office. While
in office, her popularity soars. As First Lady, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of
State her popularity was often above 60 percent. Her popularity has only
significantly dipped during her push for health care reform in the early 1990s,
when she began her U.S. Senate campaign, and during her two runs for president.
These drops in popularity are widely attributed to sexism and Hillary Clinton
challenging gender roles.
[ii] For
instance, the media likes to claim both candidates are liars. Politifact, a
widely respected nonpartisan group has found over 70 percent of Hillary Clinton’s
claims in this election cycle to be true. They’ve also found over 70 percent of
the Republican candidate’s claims to be false. In the three presidential
debates, the Republican candidate made over 100 false claims, while Hillary
Clinton made fewer than 15. A ranking of each candidate for president,
including those who ran in the primaries, found that Hillary Clinton was the
most honest candidate of 2016. The eventual Republican Party nominee was the
least truthful candidate in the field of over 20 candidates.
