We are Bernie supporters and we’re voting for Hillary. We, as so many others, are disappointed and frustrated with the way our government functions. But the stakes are so high in this election because Trump is such a danger to the very fundamentals of our democracy, stability and world peace. It is our hope that America overwhelmingly says “No” to a candidacy of ignorance, hate and divisiveness.
Politics is the art of the possible, not the perfect. There is still much to do. But if we elect Trump, many gains will be lost and many will suffer — women, Muslim-Americans, minorities, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and indigents — at the hands of a candidate who mocks the handicapped. We can’t throw our brothers and sisters under the bus. With a President Trump we get legitimized hate groups, international instability, waterboarding, threats to NATO’s integrity, climate-change denial, undermined health care, and a Supreme Court hostile to women’s rights for a generation, with no hope of overturning Citizens United.
As Bill McKibben wisely said after the Democratic convention, “Our job is not to elect a savior. Our job is to elect someone we can effectively pressure.”
We’re going to follow Bernie’s lead and vote for Hilary — a vote for decency, tolerance and respect for all Americans.
Jack and Chip Mayer
Middlebury