Senator Clinton: Speak Out and Save the Party

To:  Senator Hillary Clinton

This petition is the product of a room full of people in Kentucky. Some of us are supporters of Hillary Clinton, and some support Barack Obama; some are male, some female, some transgendered; some straight, some gay; some voting for the tenth time in their lives, some voting for the first; some read the Bible and some the Qur’an. We come in all shapes, colors, and walks of life. If there is one commonality, it is that we are all devoted democratic American voters who are deeply concerned with the future of our party and of this nation.

America is not perfect. This, perhaps, is a thought that instantly offends some portions of this great nation, throwing them on the defensive and moving them to brand any such language unpatriotic. However, we believe in the contrary; criticism with the hope for and intent to improve that which is beloved—in this instance, the United States of America—is perhaps one of the greatest acts of love and allegiance available. There is no harm in admitting our flaws; the harm comes in ignoring our problems.

There is no greater country in the world, but we know we are not without our faults. Life still gets rough for those living in the margins bordering the norm; for women, for non-whites, for gays, the poor, the homeless, transgendered, elderly. “Otherness” is sometimes difficult to entertain and more difficult to understand, and when in the thick of things, it is difficult to see the forest for the trees, as the saying goes. It is hard for those of us who are oppressed and so consumed with our own plights to see and recognize the plights of others, and to note how they are related. The failure to recognize the simultaneity of oppressions will ultimately keep us all oppressed. Racism, sexism, classism, ageism, homophobism—they are all related and intertwined, and none can be eradicated without the eradication of all because they typically come from the same source. Every “other,” whether they know it or not, is fighting against a common enemy, and if we all joined forces instead of fighting for the right to be considered the most oppressed, the road to victory would grow ever shorter.

This presidential race has been and will be the most groundbreaking in our country’s history. At the dawn of this new day, we have all been challenged to look inside ourselves, examine our beliefs, prejudices, and values, and weigh them against what is best for our great nation. Issues of race and gender have been placed center stage beneath our social microscope, and often times what is magnified is an ugly scene. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are great threats to the power structure that has kept so many groups of people marginalized in this country, because they represent huge challenges to the hegemonic norm. Both candidates have seen their characters and campaigns attacked on the grounds of their “otherness,” Hillary facing sexism and Obama, racism. While both are hugely unfortunate, there is an appalling trend surfacing that could lead to four more years of Republican leadership, something that the majority of Americans do not want.

An overwhelming number of Hillary Clinton supporters have stated that they would vote Republican or would not vote at all if Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee, and with the conclusion of primaries in Kentucky and West Virginia, it is becoming increasingly apparent that many in this country refuse to vote for Obama because he is black. This is suggested in the statistics; per MSNBC, 20% of democratic voters in Kentucky stated in exit polls that race was definitely a factor in their voting decisions. 90% of these voters voted for Hillary Clinton. Further, a larger portion of Hillary supporters refuse to vote for Obama should he win than the inverse.

This is alarming because it poses a such a huge threat to democratic success. We must not permit people to succumb to their prejudices; the votes that Hillary supporters will cast for McCain or for no one at all put in jeopardy the lives of additional soldiers who will no doubt be sent to Iraq under further Republican rule. This is unpatriotic. Putting the vitality of this country in danger simply to avoid voting for a black man is unpatriotic. Casting a spiteful vote for a man who will continue so many damaging, devastating policies instead of voting for a fully capable democratic leader is unpatriotic. And we need Senator Clinton to know that sitting idly by while her followers allow their prejudices get the best of them, setting the stage for four more years of global unrest, governmental unlawfulness, and national dissatisfaction is unpatriotic as well.

We believe that Senator Clinton has a responsibility and the ability to help stop this from happening. Senator, we implore you to speak out against this alarming trend; please remind your loyal followers of their responsibility as democrats to continue to vote in the best interest of this esteemed nation, and not in the best interest of their own fears and biased predispositions. Racism, sexism, homophobism—every single oppression is intertwined; though you may not hear or see it outright, this sort of active racism will not only negatively affect people of color, but you and all other women as well, because as Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We look to you, not as Obama supporters and not as Clinton supporters, but as true democrats, as individuals who care deeply about this nation and what happens to it, to do your job as an honest patriot and as a woman who truly seeks to make this nation better for your fellow minorities; mend this divide as best you can and help secure the 2008 presidency for the most deserving and capable party.

No matter who wins the nomination, we congratulate you on your success thus far and the history you have made, and we want you to know that regardless of who we want to win the nomination, should you emerge the victor, you have our full support, because we love this country enough to give you that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-q4MDQ0cDI

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Senator Clinton: Speak Out and Save the Party Petition to Senator Hillary Clinton was created by Concerned democratic patriots and written by Jordanne H. Gioff (jordanne.gioff@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.