Bernie or Bust

A Bernie vs. Trump election is a centrist’s nightmare. (You love to see it!)

I’ll admit it. I’m a “Bernie or Bust” person. I don’t want to vote for Joe Biden or Pete Buttigieg or Elizabeth Warren. I won’t vote for Donald Trump either. I’ll probably just sit this election out if it comes to that. Negative partisanship is what’s motivated me at the polls in the past. I voted for Hilary in 2016 only because it was better than voting for Trump. And I voted for Barack Obama in 2008 because I very naively believed that he was a better choice than John McCain. With Bernie Sanders, this is the first time that I’m voting for a candidate not because I see him as the lesser of two evils, but because I actually believe in his policies. He doesn’t get caught up in useless platitudes during his speeches, he speaks plainly and he doesn’t fall into the trap of identity politics. He is the only candidate to call out the billionaires and the banks. He is anti-capitalist and anti-Wall Street. He also takes climate change very seriously. And the crown jewel of his campaign? Medicare for All.

Bernie Sanders is angry and I’m angry too.

“When Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders told The Nation last year that he was prepared to run for president, he said he would do so only if it was clear that progressives were enthusiastic about a movement campaign seeking nothing less than ‘a political revolution.’ It was an audacious proposal—but after traveling the country for a year, Sanders decided that the enthusiasm was there and announced in late April as a candidate for the Democratic nomination. There were plenty of doubters then. Two months into the campaign, however, everything about this candidacy—the crowds, the poll numbers, the buzz—is bigger than expected. That says something about Sanders. But it also says something about the prospects for progressive politics.” (John Nichols, Bernie Sanders Speaks)

“Ideological affinity, coupled with a head start on youth organizing from his 2016 campaign, has made the Vermont senator a formidable favorite among millennial and Generation Z voters.” (Melissa Gomez, Just what is it about Bernie Sanders that young voters love?)

Bernie Sanders' democratic socialism is the best thing about him. The label shouldn’t be used against him. Fifty years ago, his policies were actually mainstream. That he and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and their supporters are portrayed as "extreme" shows how insanely far-right U.S. politics are now. He and AOC shouldn't be seen as radical at all. A recent poll from ABC News/Washington Post found that 20% of adults find Sanders “too conservative” and they would prefer him to go even further left. I see that as a positive. He should be the center. Democrats have pushed the center so far to the right that people like Obama, Hilary, and Warren are considered left of center, rather than the conservatives that they really are.

“Ever since Bernie’s first presidential run in 2016, it has been clear that socialism is no longer the bugaboo it once was in American politics. When tens of millions of people vote for a self-described democratic socialist, it is no longer plausible to claim that socialism is an automatic disqualifier to being taken seriously in mainstream politics. All the best things in America were once decried as socialist: Medicare, unions, Social Security.” (Paul Heideman, Bernie’s Democratic Socialism Is a Strength, Not a Weakness)

Hating Republicans and conservatives is a favorite past-time of Democrats. It’s how they make themselves feel good and lie to one another about how they are the “better” party. Hating Republicans and conservatives makes them feel like they are actually progressive, moral and compassionate people. I have some news for you though…

Democrats and Republicans are no different from one another! Ousting Trump will not change anything at all. The discourse will change, but that’s about it. People will be less emboldened to say racist, homophobic, transphobic, and xenophobic things. But nobody will actually change how they feel nor will any policies change to make things easier for marginalized people. The Democratic obsession with getting rid of Trump via impeachment or boosting extremely centrist candidates like Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren and welcoming straight up corporate conservatives like Michael Bloomberg — while doing everything in their power to prevent Bernie from getting the nomination — is just proof of what their real goal is. It’s a desire to return to the status quo prior to Trump. That is it. They don’t want a revolution. They don’t want to provide for American citizens, fix the economy, help everyone get healthcare, erase student loan debt. They just want to go back to a time when they were seen as “compassionate capitalists” and “freedom fighters.” Whatever the hell those terms mean.

Democrats hate Bernie Sanders because he exposes them for what they really are: conservatives. It’s the truth. Your run of the mill Democrat is a conservative. A defender of capitalism. The ONLY difference between them and Republicans is that they would like their racism and classism to be more polite. Most mainstream Democrats just want Americans to go back to being civil and better behaved. The Democrats slogan should be “Make America Behave Again.” Their idea of resistance is limited to attending the Women’s March every year and boycotting Nordstrom because they carry Ivanka Trump handbags. It’s all so performative. And it makes me sick to my stomach.

Right now Bernie is being heavily criticized for praising Fidel Castro’s literacy program. This criticism is wrong. Most Americans are so conditioned to hate Castro, they can’t even explain why. They also can’t explain why they are so afraid of communism, except that they were taught to be. It’s both ignorant and arrogant.

Centrists and conservatives love to criticize his tax plan. They moan and groan about having their taxes raised in order to pay for his policies that benefit ALL of us. I have news for them: The most progressive tax rates in US history were back in 1944 when anyone making a yearly income of more than $200,000 was taxed at 94% (bear in mind that the average yearly income back then was only about $2,000). The tax rate remained high and never dipped below 70% through the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Before the 1970s were the country’s most prosperous decades. Everyone prospered, not just the wealthy. When it comes to raising taxes, believe me, Bernie is quite conservative. He is not far left. Personally, I would love to see the wealthy taxed at 94% again.

Michael Bloomberg is worse than Trump. I actually hate Bloomberg even more than I hate Trump. To me, he represents everything that is wrong with this country. He’s a billionaire buying his way into an election even though he could use that money to provide a ton of relief for the people he hopes to govern. The fact that the Democratic Party was so quick to embrace him should tell you plenty — their interests are much more in line with Trump (and Wall Street and Big Pharma) than with the people.

Right now, DNC superdelegates are doing everything they can to make sure that Bernie is not the Democratic nominee. Yes, they are willing to risk ruining the entire party just to block him.

At some point, we will reach the breaking point. What I want to know is this — when are we going to stop fucking around and start doing what France is doing? The myth of the Bernie Bro is that they are a faction of hardcore supporters who are relentless and crude. If Bernie doesn’t get the nomination or the presidency, I think they would actually come in pretty handy. They are the only ones willing to tear the entire Democratic party down and make the case for an actual progressive third party.

Two corrupt, pro-Wall Street, war criminals (and conservatives) that represent the real ideals of the Democratic Party.

---

Recent Posts