Progressives Should Support Hillary Clinton

Once again, I am glad to be finishing this debate. == My Case == 1. Trump is dangerous Con and I both agree that Trump is a danger to the nation and it would be a catastrophe if he were to win. However, con states that it is highly unlikely that he is going to win, and therefore progressives should send a message by supporting Jill Stein. Con relies on polling to show that Clinton is far ahead of Donald Trump and also the electoral advantage that Democrats have. Although this is true, we should not discount the fact that polls this far out can be wrong and things can change quickly. Furthermore, we should also note that Donald Trump has a path to victory, even though it is narrow. Finally, Clinton needs progressives in order to win. She simply cannot win without progressive support. Con points to the fact that Al Gore may, in fact, have won Florida. While I do not dispute the fact that numerous factors contributed to Gore's defeat in Florida, Ralph Nader certainly did not help. As Bill Yue notes (1): "Nader won enough votes in two states — Florida and New Hampshire — to put either of them in Gore’s column. Nader won 97,488 votes in Florida, which easily could have swung the election to give Gore the state’s 25 electoral votes, and there would have been no need for a recount. Even without Florida, adding Nader’s 4 percent of the New Hampshire vote to Gore’s 47 percent would have given Gore a 270 to 267 victory in the electoral college." 2. Tipping point election Con states that it is more important to elect Senators than it is to elect the President. While I agree that controlling congress is important, who is the person that working hard to give us a progressive Senate? Her name is Hillary Clinton. The spoiler effect would be even stronger in key Senate and Representative elections. 3. Clinton is/is not a progressive I will address contentions here as they are very similar. This debate will come down to whether or not Clinton is a progressive. As of yet, we have not proposed a definition for progressive. We have been using subjective criterion on the issues. Progressive Thinking breaks down the definition of what it means to be a progressive and the four pillars of progressive thought (2): “Our approach is simple to summarize and is built upon the ideas of generations of progressives from Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama: everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does his or her fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. As progressives, we believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at a decent, fulfilling, and economically secure life. We believe that everyone should do his or her fair share to build this life through education and hard work and through active participation in public life. And we believe that everyone should play by the same set of rules with no special privileges for the well-connected or wealthy.” By this definition, Clinton is absolutely a progressive. Con has dropped my contentions in the round that Clinton has done a lot to advance progressive causes and has impressive accomplishments as Senator and Secretary of State. For example, in the must-win Senate seat in Ohio, the candidates are polling neck-and-neck. It is the Green Party candidate that is polling 1-2% (3). This is the difference between a Republican-controlled Senate and a Democratic-controlled Senate. If Donald Trump wins the Presidency, and keeps both chambers of congress, it would be catastrophic for the American people. == Con's case == 2. Lesser of two evils Con has dropped my contention that sometimes it is a moral duty to sometimes vote for the lesser of two evils. I extend that below. Con downplays the importance of our vote. While one vote is certainly unlikely to change the course of the election, should the progressives leave the Democratic party and vote for the Greens, it would almost certainly mean a Republican victory. Clinton cannot win without the progressive base. Furthermore, I contend that your vote does matter due to the vote ratio. I live in a very safe Democratic state. Clinton will almost certainly win my state no matter what. However, a landslide win makes for a more powerful politician and sends a much stronger message than one that just gets by. Your vote sends a message that we reject fascism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, sexism, and everything the Trump campaign stands for (4). 3. Jill Stein I am out of time and space and so I will respond in the next round! Over to con! I will be very busy the next few days. I ask that con waits until Tuesday to post his arguments. [1] http://tinyurl.com... [2] http://tinyurl.com... [3] http://tinyurl.com... [4] http://tinyurl.com...