I was the most ardent Bernie backer.

Ask anyone who knows me or reads my Facebook page. I was enrolled in the monthly donation plan for Bernie. I bought two Bernie T-Shirts, and made an annoying pest of myself throughout the primary process.

But now we're in the general election, and my guy lost. (We can argue about how later, but it doesn't change the present circumstance.) So what do I do now?

I flirted with voting Green Party because I had spent so much time bad-rapping Hillary that it seemed hypocritical to suddenly support her.

But when I settled down a bit, I realized a few things.

1) No matter how many vote for the Greens or the Libertarians (god forbid), they will not win, or influence any policy. Only a movement will do that. The last movement to have any real influence on policy was the Tea Party. Bernie's movement is still to be determined as to the effect they have on policy.

2) As to the "wasted vote" argument, I don't believe in it really, but logically it's true.

Like many of you, I was pissed off Bernie didn't win, and my reactionary nature wanted to lash out at the system. I get that. I lived that feeling.

But voting third party, while it might satisfy my ego and well-intentioned morality, just might end up electing someone with far worse policies and a much more disastrous morality while accomplishing nothing for my (second choice anyway) chosen third party because they won't win, and nobody will care how many votes they got.

3) Bernie has made a good case for voting for Hillary, and I agree with him.

I can't get the revolution I wanted, but I can at least stop the non-compromising right wing in the hideous form of Donald Trump, and the Supreme Court he installs, from destroying every advance we've made in the last 30 years, and making the path open for more progressive policies in the future all that much more difficult if not impossible.

4) I can still work with Bernie's movement to elect true progressives, and bring about a slower revolution by keeping up the pressure to change the electoral process, corporate thievery and bribery, and restore power to the people by working from within the system. Bernie is still working to change the system, and I'm with him all the way.

So there you have it.

I know a few of you will not agree with me, and as always, I respect your point of view. IMO Trump must not get anywhere near the White House.

This is our chance to stop a disaster in its tracks, and prevent our country from forever being stained with more wars, more bigotry, rash decisions that increase terrorist recruiting, the elimination of any benefits that benefit anyone other than the 1%, and a permanent plutocracy.

I choose to leave the door open to change, and not shut it for generations.

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September 29,2016

Jeff Doucette BioJeff is an actor and writer living in Los Angeles. He has appeared in over 200 TV episodes and 45 films. Despite having extremely conservative parents, he has never voted republican.