A lot of folks lament how both sides of the political spectrum are awful…specifically, that the parties that generally represent each side are equally bad. I’m sorry…but I just don’t buy that. As a member of the Democratic Party and a liberal, I realize I may be biased…but I ask that you hear me out on this.

In better days, the GOP would have never nominated Donald Trump to be their standard bearer. He doesn’t represent their platform very well. Believe it or not, I’ve voted for Republicans before…I don’t find all their policies abhorrent. But notice how the party has walked a delicate balance with him since he jumped into the race. Since he has become president, many party members and leaders have slowly distanced themselves from him…particularly since the events in Charlottesville.

We can debate the merits and demerits of Hillary Clinton until Jesus comes back from the dead. For all her faults, she was highly qualified and would have been a good president…certainly better than Trump. No, the left is not perfect. But I think the Democratic Party and what we represent offer a better deal than the GOP. I’m not a fan of the Democratic Socialists and the far left…I think Bernie Sanders has some good ideas, but many of them are impractical. And some of his supporters (and many on the far left) are, quite frankly, nuts.

Some people seem to think I’m a far-left agitator. Well, I’m an agitator for sure…an agitator for civil rights. As far as far-left? No…see above. I have a mix of thoughts and ideologies that would put me with a net score of solid left. And I’m proud of that. In an upcoming post, we’ll talk about trying to box people in, and why some purity tests are dangerous.