If supporters of Hillary Clinton would answer the questions below, through a vantage point that doesn't entail moral relativism or the belief that Republicans are worse, then I'll do everything possible to ensure Hillary Clinton wins.
However, I'm only voting for Bernie Sanders because these relevant issues haven't been addressed in debate or discussion. If anything, I've noticed that sensitive topics like Iraq are never discussed by Clinton supporters; the motivation to debate such issues inevitably becomes the topic of discussion.
Therefore, below are 20 questions from a Bernie Sanders-only voter that hopefully some Clinton supporters can answer, without evasion, and without attacking the messenger. I'm curious if anyone can possibly answer the questions below, in a manner illustrating Hillary Clinton would be a better president than Bernie Sanders.
1. Why is Clinton more capable of leading our nation than Sanders, if it was Vermont's senator who voted against Iraq and predicted its outcome, while Clinton calls her vote a "mistake"?
Sorry, the Iraq War can't simply be referred to as a "mistake." Too much carnage and global instability have resulted from Iraq to ignore Clinton's Iraq War vote. In addition, Hillary Clinton visited Iraq with John McCain in 2005. During the visit, not only did Clinton say that the insurgency was failing, but also that Iraq was"functioning quite well."
In reality, Clinton was again wrong. Iraq was already in a devastating civil war before 2005. According to Iraq Body Count, a total of 23,861 civilians had died in Iraq before Clinton's visit in 2005; a great many the victims of gun violence that Clinton is fervently against.
In contrast, it was Bernie Sanders, not the New York senator, who warned, "Who will govern Iraq when Saddam Hussein is removed and what role will the U.S. play in ensuing a civil war that could develop in that country?" Sanders was able to predict Iraq's devastating civil war in 2002, while Clinton was still echoing Cheney's talking points linking Al Qaeda to Saddam.
As The New York Times wrote in 2007, "Clinton's linking of Iraq's leader and Al Qaeda, however, was unsupported by the conclusions of the N.I.E. and other secret intelligence reports that were available to senators before the vote." Yes, many Democrats forget that Hillary Clinton, like George W. Bush, once linked Saddam Hussain to Al Qaeda.
2. Why are supporters of Clinton willing to move the Democratic Party and America dangerously to the right with Clinton's neoconservative foreign policy?
I find it counterintuitive that a Democrat would vote for a candidate whose foreign policy can be labeled "neocon." According to conservative historian Robert Kagan quoted in The New York Times, Clinton's foreign policy is something that could "have been called neocon, but clearly her supporters are not going to call it that." Kagan also stated he's "comfortable" with Clinton on foreign policy.
The certainty of Clinton's hawkish foreign policy, especially when a president has the AUMF to send Americans back to Iraq (and Syria and Afghanistan), is far more dangerous to the country, the world and the future of the Democratic Party than the possibility of Supreme Court Justices retiring.
3. Without claiming Republicans are worse, how is Clinton going to fulfill her promise of ending mass incarceration, when her campaign has accepted $133,246 from two major prison lobbyists?
According to The Huffington Post, "GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America, gave $133,246 to the Ready for Hillary PAC."
4. Why has Clinton evolved on so many issues, when Bernie Sanders remains true to his principles?
It's Sanders who was right about Iraq, not Clinton. It's Sanders who backed gay marriage before Clinton. It's Sanders who opposed Keystone XL and the TPP, before Clinton reversed her positions on both issues to mirror Sanders.
5. How is Hillary Clinton better for African Americans and Latinos than Bernie Sanders, in light of the fact she utilized Republican strategies (race, Islamophobia in order to defeat a political opponent) against Obama in 2008?
Bernie Sanders has a comprehensive Racial Justice Platform and never utilized race or Islamophobia to defeat a political opponent.
Conversely, Barack Obama's campaign complained about "dirty tricks" associated with race and Islamophobia, from Clinton's campaign in 2008.
I continually reference Clinton's prison lobbyist donations and 3 a.m. ad against Obama (containing a "racist sub-message") in my writing, yet Clinton supports never address either issue.
Also, Boston's Black Lives Matter President, Daunasia Yancey, referred to Hillary Clinton's racial justice record as "abysmal."
6. Who is more trustworthy?
I didn't make this up. According to Quinnipiac University, Clinton's negative favorability ratings have led to voters correlating the word "liar" to Hillary Clinton:
"Liar" is the first word that comes to mind more than others in an open-ended question when voters think of Clinton.
As for Bernie Sanders, 44 percent of voters trust him, while 23 percent don't, with 32 percent having no opinion.
7. Who is more likely to have a scandal-free presidency?
The FBI's email investigation will likely continue until Election Day, and possibly into the next presidency.
8. Will Clinton continue to oppose Keystone and the TPP as president?
Sanders has never wavered on both issues.
9. How did Clinton evolve on gay marriage?
Nobody knows exactly why the evolution took place. Bernie Sanders has championed gay rights for over 30 years according to Queerty.com, before it was popular.
10. Why did it take Clinton so long to evolve on gay marriage?
Hillary Clinton opposed gay marriage up until 2013.
11. Does Hillary Clinton really believe wiping a computer server means with a cloth?
12. Does Clinton's experience translate to good judgment and decision making?
From Iraq to Keystone XL, Sanders has exhibited sound judgement, without apologizing for his decisions.
13. Was the Libya bombing a wise decision on the part of Secretary of State Clinton?
Clinton's Iraq vote was simply a mistake, you say? Well, Clinton still didn't learn from her mistake on Iraq, boasting after Gaddafi's death that "We came, we saw, he died."As for the aftermath of such bravado, The New Republican, The Week, and others have articles explaining how Clinton's bombing of Libya resulted in a devastating civil war and even greater regional instability.
14. Why didn't Clinton mention Sandra Bland, like Sanders, in the debates?
Only Bernie Sanders, not Clinton, mentioned Sandra Bland during the first debate.
15. If gun violence is a tragedy, then is gun violence also a travesty in Iraq and Libya, if Clinton's foreign policy decisions helped lead to this violence?
Why is gun violence caused by U.S. foreign policy ignored by Hillary Clinton?
16. Who's more likely to be influenced by factors other than progressive principles?
17. If Hillary Clinton didn't have name recognition, but still held the same prior positions and subsequent flip flops, would you still vote for her?
18. If you fear future Supreme Court nominees, then in the future would you vote for someone even more conservative than Clinton on foreign policy, or would you take a stand against the DNC?
At what point, as a Democrat, would you say "enough" and withhold your vote? If Rubio switched parties, would you still vote for him because a Supreme Court justice might die or retire?
19. Which candidate inspires voters?
20. Why do Clinton supporters always question the motives of anyone critiquing Hillary Clinton?
Clinton voters can't answer the questions above without saying Republicans are worse, or simply claiming a peculiar moral relativism.
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