THREAD:
As you might know, I'm a #FormerGOP .

I voted Republican loyally for over 30 years. But when Trump won the Primary, I was able to see the true and dispicably UGLY face of my party, and I have never gone back again.

Many wonderful people in #TheResistance have taken me in, educated me, and helped me to become a much better person. They have helped me to realize that so many of my hard-core, basic beliefs were incompatible with voting Republican.

I owe you all so many thanks for that!

Today, I learned something else...

When I first saw the #Rose 🌹 symbol in various profiles, I googled it and also asked some people who were using it, what it meant. I was told it was just a symbol of #Resistance, & I thought it was no different than the #Omega / #Ohm symbol.

Well, my daughters middle name is Rose, and I just like roses anyway, so I chose to put that in my profile.

One wonderful person today explained some of my recent confusion.

Apparently, Bernie supporters have taken to using 🌹 as their symbol, & I was unknowingly aligning myself w/ a #Resistance faction. My tweets for unity, therefore, seemed disingenuous to some Hillary supporters.

I have nothing against Bernie or ANY of his supporters, but I do not wish to sow division or disunion, so I will be removing that symbol.

I do not wish to align myself with ANY factions, & I truly think it is VITAL that everyone in #TheResistance stands united against the GOP.

At this point in my thread, it's important for you to know that I watched the Democratic Primaries in 2016 as someone who was very recently "politically homeless." I had no horse in the race, and I was simply looking at options.

I was worried to later hear of the scandal surrounding @SenSanders treatment by the DNC. Knowing how Trump worked, I was afraid he would use that repeatedly against Hillary.

I needn't have worried, it seems, because Trump let his pal Putin do that for him on social media. Putin, we now know, stoked the pre-existing flames of discontent among many who were--and still are-- @SenSander's followers.

Putin used social media like a crowbar, to turn the crack that originally existed between the "Bernie" & "Hillary" camps, into a chasm.

We CANNOT let that happen again!

Recently, #TheResistance has discovered a large number of bot accounts in their midst, placed there by possible Russian operatives (based on the @ names). No matter who has created them, their purpose is clearly malicious.

m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…

Now, with #Mueller's indictments, we see the evidence that Putin was trying to divide the Left from day one, as far back as 2014.

I truly believe that THIS is the main purpose of these new bot accounts.

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

With the upcoming 2018 elections, and as new Presidential candidates arise, Putin wishes to influence-- nay, MANIPULATE-- us once again, and once more try to have his own PUPPET American government.

We CANNOT let that happen!

Unblock each other, re-friend each other, LIKE each other's posts & tweets, and be especially careful to check profiles. Ignore ANY words of more division & bitterness, and work instead towards unity & peace in #TheResistance.

Too many districts are Red, and we NEED to #FlipBlue. Too many of those CAN be flipped, but we will have to work hard. We will have to get EVERY possible Blue vote to the polls-- no matter if they were once voters for "Bernie" or "Hillary" or "none of the above."

#BlueWave

Ours is a great & powerful Democracy, one that has been tarnished & humiliated by the stain of the corrupt & blood-soaked #GOP, and by Putin's manipulations.

But we CAN, and we WILL, shine once more.

We CAN, and we WILL, be a proud nation once more.

We CAN, and we WILL, embrace hope once more.

PEACE, my fellow #Resistance!

Let us find our redemption in our resolve, and find our pride in the power of our unity. Let us be a beacon in this wonderful nation, and bring HOPE to it once more.

Let us NEVER surrender to the forces of darkness and division.

We are #TheResistance . And we MUST co-exist in PEACE.
🕊️✌️🕊️☮️🕊️✌️🕊️