A little perspective for those who are worried (HRC Group)
I have supported Hillary Clinton since I first saw her on television with Bill. It was so wonderful to see a woman who had a career as a role model. I had been supporting myself and my daughter for years and was so thrilled by her strength and intelligence. I saw her as first lady and as a successful senator, all the time being absolutely trashed by various factions even though she'd done nothing wrong. I saw her endure and survive. When she announced that she was running for president in 2008, I was on her team from the start. All I saw everywhere were people attacking her, sometimes for the most innocent statements. I saw them treat her as "less" somehow because she was a woman. I saw her asked questions at debates like "diamonds or pearls." They made fun of her voice. She was "likeable enough." Trying to get support (on here and in other Democratic sites) was depressing. I saw Hillary bashing had become a sport of Democrats too. I was absolutely furious with many Obama supporters I encountered who were rude and insulting. I swore I would never, ever vote for him.
Even after Hillary quickly turned to campaign with him, I was angry. I was proud of her for not whining and pouting about her loss, but I was still holding so much anger inside that I couldn't see Obama for the man he was. As the campaign went on, I even considered voting for McCain as a protest vote but there was Sarah Palin who pushed that out of my mind. I considered voting for Dems on the ballot except for Obama. I waffled for weeks, going back and forth about what I should do.
But you know what? At the end of the day I did what Hillary asked me to do. I voted for Obama and I did it without anger, without any hesitation, because deep down as the campaign wound down, I knew there was only one real option. A President Obama was far better than a President McCain. Did it take me a long time to get there? Yes. Have I had some issues with a few things he's done in the last 7+ years? Sure. But I have supported him throughout these years and voted enthusiastically for him again in 2012, along with voting in 2010 and 2014 for Dems.
So if the Bernie supporters don't come around right away, don't despair. If Bernie continues to tell people to vote for her, and makes it plain what the choices are, they will likely vote for her. Sure there will be a few younger ones who don't because they aren't old enough to always make good decisions based on facts, but I think most of the older ones who've lived through bad Republican administrations will vote for Hillary. She is a great candidate and she will do everything she can to win them over.
I'm trying to keep this in mind as I see angry Bernie supporters vow not to support her. That was me 8 years ago and I did the right thing in the end. Keep the faith and let's go win this thing together!
