Dear Gio
... My personal regret, looking back, is that I did not vote for Bernie Sanders in the primaries. I was not an enthusiastic Clinton supporter from the beginning--in fact before the primaries I was telling my friends that I hoped she would decide NOT TO RUN: She was too old--she carried too much political "baggage" for her detractors to exploit (which is exactly what they were able to do!)--and she was too much a part of the "political machine" that is disconnected from the concerns of many ordinary people. I had hoped she would step aside for a younger Democratic Party candidate--a fresh face with new ideas and new energy. But she was qualified--especially in the area of foreign policy, which I feel to be the most important issue we currently face as a nation--and she did decide to run.
Bernie Sanders represents my values--my beliefs--but I failed to stand with him. Like many other American progressives, I didn't believe that Sanders could possibly win being the "outsider" that he is. Against Trump, I reasoned, progressives needed to be united behind the "strongest" Democratic candidate. I compromised my ideals and voted for the one I thought was the most "electable" acceptable candidate. I have been pursuing "impossible dreams"--jousting with windmills all of my life--but when it might have mattered the most, I played it "safe" instead of following my heart.
It is a very scary world right now. You and your family are on my mind a lot. I remind you that you have strong friends on this side of the ocean. You take care.
Love Rick
... My personal regret, looking back, is that I did not vote for Bernie Sanders in the primaries. I was not an enthusiastic Clinton supporter from the beginning--in fact before the primaries I was telling my friends that I hoped she would decide NOT TO RUN: She was too old--she carried too much political "baggage" for her detractors to exploit (which is exactly what they were able to do!)--and she was too much a part of the "political machine" that is disconnected from the concerns of many ordinary people. I had hoped she would step aside for a younger Democratic Party candidate--a fresh face with new ideas and new energy. But she was qualified--especially in the area of foreign policy, which I feel to be the most important issue we currently face as a nation--and she did decide to run.
Bernie Sanders represents my values--my beliefs--but I failed to stand with him. Like many other American progressives, I didn't believe that Sanders could possibly win being the "outsider" that he is. Against Trump, I reasoned, progressives needed to be united behind the "strongest" Democratic candidate. I compromised my ideals and voted for the one I thought was the most "electable" acceptable candidate. I have been pursuing "impossible dreams"--jousting with windmills all of my life--but when it might have mattered the most, I played it "safe" instead of following my heart.
It is a very scary world right now. You and your family are on my mind a lot. I remind you that you have strong friends on this side of the ocean. You take care.
Love Rick
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