Whether or not it’s fair that all people remember is the mistakes, it is all they remember. Especially when the mistakes are not really mistakes but poor decisions, and sticking by those poor decisions is called being on the wrong side of history. If you’re on the wrong side of history, people will remember that.
Being on the wrong side of history isn’t the end of the world, even if one is repeatedly on the wrong side of history. However, one shouldn’t just let it slide, they have to prove that they will change and that they have changed. Hillary Clinton has offered no such proof of contrition, and hasn’t even attempted to reach out to progressives. Instead, we get told that she won’t roll back our rights and we should vote for her because otherwise the fascist wins. For one, that’s negative reinforcement, for another, it’s not even true, and for yet another, it’s the complete antithesis of the contrition we deserve.
I am not a Democrat, I have never been a registered Democrat, and I even voted against Barack Obama from Ohio, so why in the hell should I start voting Democratic now, for a candidate who is not trying to earn my vote and is instead pushing me away?
This is the first election in over 20 years that I am tempted to sit out, but only the Presidential race. The state and local issues are too important for me to sit out.
So, in short, someone should not be judged entirely on a couple mistakes they made in the past. That’s ridiculous. They should not even necessarily be judged harshly for being on the wrong side of history at times, especially if they have shown that they’re a changed person. On the other hand, if they are repeatedly on the wrong side of history, and just shrug and say deal with it, damn straight I’m not going to vote for that person.
