Argumentative Essay On 2008 Elections

By the time the 2008 elections came around, I was so pissed off that I almost didn't show up to vote. Finally, I decided to vote because of two reasons. First, because I watched a clip of Noam Chomsky explaining why, in his thinking, people in swing states should vote for the democrats while those not living in swing states should vote for third party candidates. His point is that minor policy differences matter in peoples' everyday, real-world lives. And he's right. The second reason was because a close activist friend of mine begged me to vote for Obama because of the potentially positive symbolic impact it would have for African Americans.

After the election was over (Indiana went blue for the first time in 44 years), I continued my education

I enjoyed a great intellectual support network of professors and activists who weren't tied to any sectarian organizations and who didn't adhere to dogmatic ideologies. Most importantly, I was allowed time to grow. People, particularly those who were informing my politics, didn't bombard me with feelings of guilt or ignorance because of my lack of knowledge and political skills. They loaned me books and documentaries; we had conversations and spent time with each other. We built long-lasting bonds and trust.

Recently, I've been thinking about my personal journey in the context of the 2016 Bernie Sanders US Presidential campaign. Without question, there are young liberals working in the Sanders campaign who are radicals-in-the-making. Are leftists in the US prepared to speak with, debate, make friends and work with these activists?

Surely, leftists understand that they're not going to radicalize people through telling them how dumb they are to support Sanders, right? And before anyone starts fuming, I understand all the critiques of Sanders, and agree with many of them. Nevertheless, the Left is offering nothing as an alternative, just the old mantra of, "Build movements!" Movements to do what? With whom? Where? And how? They have no