Voting for Bernie and Hillary

Why I Am Voting for Bernie

By G. Mari Erlandson, MSW

Social workers know about the power of collaboration. In the upcoming California primary, a vote for Bernie is a vote for solidarity with the working people and the disenfranchised. Though Bernie began his campaign in relative obscurity, he has managed to ignite a powerful grassroots movement, winning 19 primaries and daring Clinton and the Democratic machine to take stock of its commitment to progressive ideals.

Before Bernie’s campaign, issues like finance reform, debt-free college, reducing income disparity, prison reform, global warming, and single-payer health care were considered fringe concerns. Now these issues are not only central to a better future, but central to our democratic debate. There is nothing radical about promoting a single payer national health care system. Most developed countries, and many not so developed, employ such a system, often with less cost and comparable or better outcomes.

The vision for our country that Bernie articulates reflects the strongest commitment to social work values. Bernie’s campaign is not about himself, and he can’t make the political revolution happen alone. We need members of Congress accountable to the people instead of Wall Street billionaires. We need Bernie-style Democrats running up and down the ballot, making it clear to the world that Democracy is not for sale!

Feel the Bern!

Why I Am Voting for Hillary

By Nancy Navarro, MSW

With great confidence I think it is safe to say that every politician or individual who has ever run as a candidate for an elected office has brought with them a personal agenda to address during their term.

What their agendas entail often reveals a great deal of their motives, values, and core beliefs. It has been more than five decades, and still at the top of Hillary’s agenda has been social justice and equality of various categories.

This commitment is demonstrated early in Hillary’s career, going back to her college years in the late 1960s when she belonged to the Republican Party with a strong desire to be a public servant.

Her value of social justice is further revealed when she converted to the Democratic Party, and was inspired to work in promoting civil rights after hearing a speech from Martin Luther King, Jr. Her experience of both political parties indisputably adds to her bipartisan skills and her strong desire to not only serve the people whose voices are often ignored by the Republican Party, but to make efforts to create social change from a top down approach for a true democracy.

Having the most political and foreign policy experience adds to her appeal and her ability to negotiate. It will be exciting and historical to see Hillary elected as the first woman President of the United States, and to continue the progress toward equality for all people.