Lotz: Democrats have clear choice in Hillary Clinton

It's time for Democrats in Beaufort County to make your selection for the Democratic presidential nomination. Our presidential preference primary is Saturday, Feb. 27, with voting in your regular locations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

(Republicans vote on Feb. 20, and I strongly urge all Democrats to resist the temptation to meddle in Republican politics by voting for the candidate whom you believe may be easiest to defeat in the general election; this will not work.)

In-person absentee voting for Democrats began Monday at 15 John Galt Road in Beaufort and 61-B Ulmer Road in Bluffton, where the government offices are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I urge Democrats to choose this option to vote early.

Here are a few thoughts on my own choice for president. Martin O'Malley has many good qualifications but picked a tough time to run and suspended his campaign after the Iowa caucuses.

Bernie Sanders is somewhat of a one-trick pony: curb the excesses of Wall Street. In the recent debate in Charleston, Sanders used virtually every speaking opportunity to slam Wall Street. Add to this his proposals for a single-payer health care system (which is also my goal), free college tuition, expanded Social Security, more jobs for our youth and improved infrastructure.

While I agree that Wall Street needs more reforming, many of his other proposals are idealistic, but unrealistic. Most importantly, how will Sanders pay for his proposals?

Electability for our Democratic candidate is important if we are to build on the legacy of President Barack Obama. At the Sanders rally at Penn Center on St. Helena Island late last year, I observed there were very few African-Americans or Hispanics present. This does not bode well for Sanders' appeal to the diverse members of the Democratic base. Iowa and New Hampshire are not indicative of our American melting pot; South Carolina is, and that is why our primary is so important.

When you listen to Hillary Clinton, you hear her having a conversation with the American people. She is knowledgeable, articulate in presenting her well thought out positions, ready to become president tomorrow, and ready to preserve and build upon Obama's record.

She will appoint justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who will repudiate Citizens United, uphold Roe v. Wade and protect the voting rights of all our citizens. Because of her long experience as secretary of state, U.S. Senator and first lady, she knows personally most world leaders. She also is prepared to work with reasonable Republicans who, like her, want what is best for our country -- both at home and abroad.

Clinton is electable. She has strong support among all sectors of our population because she has a record of working to improve the lives of all our citizens, not just the top 1 percent. She knows that we must work to increase wages which have long remained stagnant for the other 99 percent.

She was the first candidate to address the terrible lead poisoning in the drinking water in Flint, Mich. -- where both the private and public sectors at all levels failed us. She has called attention to the need to devote more attention and funding to autism and mental health.

These are examples of real problems experienced by real people in our country today. Clinton wants to proactively find solutions, not spend time and money building walls, disparaging Muslims and tearing our country apart.

Hillary Clinton should be our next president.

Blaine Lotz of Hilton Head Island may be reached at gblotz@yahoo.com.

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 8:51 AM with the headline "Lotz: Democrats have clear choice in Hillary Clinton."