To anyone, regardless if you support Bernie -- I'm not going to tell you who to vote for, or force you to vote Sanders though I sincerely hope you do. I'm all for freedom of speech and believe that everyone should utilize their rights that, outside of white men, have been fought long and hard for. In light of that, I truly hope you vote. Though -- if I have any influence over you at all -- please don't vote Trump. Stand for equality, and against bigotry.
Sanders has appealed to me since he first started campaigning as a little-known U.S. Senator from Vermont with large goals. What stood out to me most when researching the candidates for the 2016 Presidential election --the first I'm old enough to vote in -- is the fact that Sanders' beliefs don't falter. He is also the only candidate whose beliefs and goals fall in line with mine. Sanders has fought alongside the Civil Rights Movement while other candidates, such as Hilary Clinton, were campaigning for a man in favor of segregation. In fact, Sanders endorsed Jesse Jackson's 1984 and 1988 campaigns. He has kept up his beliefs in justice and now supports the Black Lives Movement, to a point where he allowed two women to take over at one of his rallies. He, unlike Clinton, falls in line with my feminist belief system. Clinton has run her campaign, up until now, expecting women to support her solely for her gender.
Sanders gives women a reason to support him. He speaks on the behalf of women and is in favor of raising the minimum wage -- simple things that many may not see as feminist acts, but are. Feminists believe in equalizing men, women and people of all race, sexual identity and walk of life. By working towards free public colleges, Sanders is standing for women who cannot afford education. By working towards a higher minimum wage, Sanders is supporting women who work 40 hours a week and still survive off of soup kitchens and food stamps. Often, because of social circumstance and lingering aftermaths of slavery, these women are also people of color. So by fighting for them, he is fighting for everyone.
Sanders was also in support of gay rights when polls were against it, and voted against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It's important to mention that Clinton opposed gay marriage up until 2013.
Sanders is also for breaking up the large banks and is an outward supporter of reviving the Glass-Steagall Act, something Hilary will never do because of the exorbitant amount of funding she receives from Wall Street. Four of her biggest donations since 1999 have been from Wall Street firms. Not to mention, the $100,000 in donations she has accepted from Donald Trump for her foundation and her Senate runs in New York. Meanwhile, Sanders is running a highly successful grassroots campaign in which he keeps breaking monetary goals. It says something important when one of the forerunners in the Presidential primary is able to be sustained completely in this way.
What I am getting at, is that Bernie Sanders is the first Presidential nominee in my lifetime, and of all the past President's I've studied in school, that I trust. Bernie is not under investigation by five intelligence agencies for his emails. Bernie is a sincere candidate who actually is looking to make the United States great again.
In my opinion, a candidate who genuinely cares will always be better than one who pretends. It's because of that, I feel the Bern.
