The email from the DNC says, “Say You’re Ready to Elect Democrats.” I don’t know how they got my email address. I’ve never registered as a Democrat in my life. For the record, I’ve never registered as a Republican, either.

My real problem with the email is not that it’s spam. I get tons of that every day, and at least they’re not questioning my manhood.

My problem is this: Why should I commit to electing a Democrat before I see the candidate?

Maybe you’re thinking, “But we need a Democrat!”

This is where I alienate both parties. Democrats hated George W. Bush because he fought wars in two countries, wiretapped phones without warrants, doubled the national debt, rolled back civil liberties, and failed to give us a national health care system. Democrats like to ignore that Obama did all of those same things. And he lifted the ban on offshore oil drilling and suspended habeus corpus for American citizens. But because he was a Democrat, the left was silent. And because he was a Democrat, the right roasted him for doing the same things as Bush.

And Hillary the Hawk? Not the best choice, especially in the face of a possible Trump presidency. It makes me wonder what a Democrat is anymore. Does the DNC actually stand for something besides “I wanna get elected”?

I’ll root for the Red Sox no matter how bad a team they field. But contrary to what some might believe in Boston, the Red Sox don’t determine the fate of the world.

Democrats, if you want me to vote for your candidate, you’ve got to do better than, “She’s not a Republican.” Heck, Trump wasn’t a Republican… until he suddenly was. And there are Republicans I might vote for. Olympia Snowe, John Huntsman, and Susan Collins spring to mind– all moderates with decades of experience, any of whom are less likely to get us into a war than the two choices we faced in 2016.

You want me to vote for your candidate? Show me the platform. And show me a history of support for that platform. Seriously, when Bernie got traction on one of his long-time goals, and two weeks later Hillary said, “Me, too,” that’s not very convincing. Come on, you’re Democrats. There’s got to be someone of principle in your party that you’re willing to put on the ticket.

I met a Democrat of principle recently. He was running for state representative. And he actually had a platform. It included such bizarre things as national health care, stopping our aggressive foreign policy so we stop making enemies, and reducing fossil fuel use. (Remember that one? Obama made promises about it, then said nothing as Bush’s solar tax credits got repealed. Hillary barely mentioned it.) Those are the things a Democrat used to stand for. This particular candidate didn’t win, but he sure got my vote.

Call me old-fashioned, but before you ask me to support your candidate, would you please tell me who that candidate is and what she (or he) stands for. This isn’t a sports team we’re talking about. It’s the future of our nation– and the world.