Fellow Bernie Supporters:

Oafman said:

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grandvizier1006 said:

He said that climate change caused ISIS. I don't know how the two issues are related, and the real cause of ISIS was Bush's mistakes in Iraq, the resulting power vacuum, and from a long-term standpoint many people argue that it was the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. We had plenty of bloody wars before the Industrial Revolution.

The other thing was being nice about the email thing. He could have gotten Hilary on that, but it seemed like in that moment he was conceding to the fact that he was supposed to be token opposition. Maybe he didn't want her responding with his own criminal record (if he got arrested during civil rights stuff), but he could at least claim he was on the right side of history--I don't know how Hilary could say that about her negligence with the email server or Benghazi.

Finally, I don't know if socialism will work and quite frankly I fear it will just increase secularization, or a forced re-aligning of Christianity so that it ignores virtually ever major aspect of Christian theology. It scares me that I could be alone in my own country at one point. I can barely handle all of the Christians who decided that the Bible doesn't condemn homosexuality yet seem to act like experts on theology. I know I'm not really supposed to care about stuff like that but I do.

Another thing is that with bernie, I see him having the potential to do great things for this country. He could end the revolving door prison system which is pretty rigged and racist. He could reform prisons so that nobody gets raped in them. He could fund and increase the usefulness of the mental healthcare in this country, which concerns me a lot more than the state of physical health. He might be able to re-tool Obamacare so that people can have health Insurance without making it more expensive for anybody that doesn't need it so that companies don't have to lay people off. If he plays his cards right, he can mend the rift between white America--as a white guy--and black America--As a liberal with ties to the Civil Rights movement--instead of just fanning the flames by blaming sides. He's not an establishment politician so maybe he's less into that sort of thing.

The problem with everything I mentioned in my last paragraph is that I don't know if he's said anything about it in his campaign, let alone if he would even bother with it. He could try and fail, or he could just be like another Obama. I don't want to vote taking a risk. I'd probably do that with Donald Trump as well, but at least for me it would be a risk that I personally would have less of a stake in. (I feel like Trump wouldn't be able to build a wall or ban Muslims if he got elected).

Sorry that was long. Just a lot of election anxiety. I'm likely not voting for Sanders since I'm a conservative, but since Trump might win the nomination, a lot of Christians are probably going to end up in a pickle this election. And what sucks is that this is my first presidential election I get to vote in

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CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN said:

That's a bonus to me. I stand all the negative campaign crap.

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muichimotsu said:

You've got a 3rd option: Gary Johnson, should he be the Libertarian presidential nominee, should be on the ticket in all 50 states. It's not an either/or situation, nor should it be

Not sure why you should act all high and mighty on homosexuality unless you have some background to back up claims that the bible condemns being gay or acting on those desires in a responsible manner. I don't think anyone is condoning promiscuity or rape, but I would also hope you don't think homosexuals are more prone to that, which is a whole other level of misinformation that still goes around.

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grandvizier1006 said:

Libertarians can't win, though. I don't like the idea of throwing away my vote.

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pakicetus said:

He apparently believes nonsense about alternative medicine. That doesn't make him any less of a rationalist than the other candidates—who all present themselves as super-religious, among other things—but still, I was hoping the candidate who's daring and independent enough to openly support socialism might also have a scientific worldview.

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smaneck said:

I agree that it is good that he doesn't resort to negative campaigning. My worry is whether or not he can do the kind of compromising needed to make the political system work. And by that I don't mean just reaching across the isle. I'm wondering if he can even compromise with the Democrats.

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muichimotsu said:

You're not throwing it away when you vote principles instead of purely pragmatic notions of possibility. Turnout has been pretty bad in general, putting yourself out there as someone who's voting not only because they can, but they want to make their voice heard in some sense, sends a message that turnout can improve and have a solid motivation to it besides populism.

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The Cadet said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoiler_effect

Yes, you kind of are.

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The Cadet said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoiler_effect

Yes, you kind of are.

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katautumn said:

My only two gripes are his stance on woo medicine and that I, personally, don't feel he holds a tough enough gun control stance. He tends to shy away from the 2nd Amendment debate, but I do know he is more pro-gun than Clinton.

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ViaCrucis said:

Let's see, criticisms of Bernie. Well, I'm not a terribly big fan of his folk singing.

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The Cadet said:

Although it is a sad reflection on American hairdressing that his is not the worst hair of the election cycle. :/

As for the topic, his track record on science is... mediocre. He's anti-GMO, anti-Nuclear-Power, and has some unfortunate thoughts on "alterntiave" "medicine" (scare quotes around both because alt med is neither an alternative nor actual medicine). That's kind of unfortunate, but it's not like Clinton is that much better.

He's kind of a single-issue candidate. He brings every issue, almost regardless of how distant it is, back around to income inequality - even questions like "do you believe in God", which have nothing to do with the subject. It reminds me of the kind of dodges other politicians make (for example the Santorum DNR snafu), and not in a good way.

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stamperben said:

Out of everything, this is also about my only beef with him.

"I realized pretty early on that Bernie is not a singer. That became pretty apparent right off the bat," he says. "You know, there are certain tricks you can do to correct people's pitch being off and stuff, but I was going, 'This is not really the road we want to go down.' "​

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[serious] said:

My biggest issue with Bernie as has been noted is his use of the word "socialist." For the average voter, it can be confusing or even frightening, & he will be attacked relentlessly with fear-mongering ads for it from the Republican side if he becomes the nominee.

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smaneck said:

I wouldn't say he is too nice. He can hold his own in a scuffle. He doesn't resort to negative campaigns because he believes in running on his principles. But that may be his downfall. Sometimes you have to sacrifice the ideal for the possible and Bernie doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who can do that.

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Mountain_Girl406 said:

He's a supporter of animal agriculture, including CAFOs, which I think conflict with his otherwise strong stand on environmental issues, and are a concern for me because of my personal vegan ethic.

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