Bernie Supporters Should Vote For Hillary

Today we will be debating whether or not Bernie Supporters should vote for Hillary Clinton in November. I will be arguing for the pro-side, that Bernie supporters should back Hillary. Hillary Clinton is not perfect, no candidate is. However, she is by far the best choice in this election. This election is one in which Hillary Clinton is facing off against Donald Trump, a man who has no prior political experience, and who has consistently expressed views and ideas that many people believe would harm this nation extraordinarily. Hillary Clinton is perhaps the most qualified candidate to ever run for President, and expresses views largely consistent with Liberals. If she were elected, she would, without a doubt, be a great President. Furthermore, while many people do not view Hillary as a progressive, I disagree. I believe that Secretary Clinton is progressive, as shown by her acceptance of many parts of the Senator's platform, and her embrace of many liberal ideas. True, she may not be as progressive as Senator Sanders. However, I maintain that having a President who embraces many liberal and progressive views, even if she doesn't embrace all of them, is far better than one who embraces the exact opposite, such as Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton has embraced several of Bernie Sander's policies, and I believe that if she is elected, Bernie Sanders and his supporters would have a strong influence on her, and would successfully manage to push Clinton further to the left, as he has previously stated to his supporters he intends to do if she's elected. He will hold her accountable to make sure that she keeps to the left, so to speak, and that she is a reliably progressive President. At worst, Hillary Clinton would simply continue President Obama's policies, which is hardly the worst thing. At best, she would be a progressive powerhouse, seen as the most progressive President we've ever had, and a President able to work with both sides of the aisle to achieve a progressive agenda. In addition, I believe the stakes in this election are far too high to consider a protest vote. Using an election as a form of protest is very dangerous; it can cause the election of less-than-competent leaders, and can take votes away from candidates who would otherwise stand a chance, such as the Election of 2000, where Vice President Gore lost to Bush, due to the "spoiler effect" caused by Nader. To consider a protest vote in an election when the stakes are as high as they are would be unwise, and could in fact lead to the election of Donald Trump in November. I understand many of the people considering a third-party "protest vote" to oppose the system we've become accustomed to, and I agree that change is needed to fix the system, but with all due respect to these people, this election is not the time for that; the stakes are far too high. Rather, energy should be invested into defeating Donald Trump, a man who has proven himself to be a dangerous person, who's temperament is unsuited for the presidency. When Donald Trump is defeated, and the election is over, then America can fix the system over the next few months. But for now, we must focus on stopping Donald Trump, who is clearly not the answer to what ails this country. To sum up my points: 1) Hillary is extraordinarily qualified, and holds views consistent with many sanders supporters. 2) Hillary Clinton is a Progressive, who has embraced Senator Sander's platform, and he will hold her accountable for her actions as President, making sure she is as Progressive as she can possibly be. 3) A protest vote would only usher in a dangerous demagogue who has no business being in the White House, and our focus should first be on stopping him, before we can fix our country's problems.