My Facebook feed is at least half #NeverBiden right now.... I wrote this up in response:
It was the right move for Bernie to drop out. He is trying to unify the party. And yes I'm voting for Biden.
But I am also sad. And angry. It's frustrating that we again passed up a man with integrity and demonstrable empathy for a politician who has made a career out of selling out the American people to the highest bidder. It's disheartening that Warren prioritized her career over the progressive movement once it was clear she was the underdog. And it was especially infuriating, though predictable, that the media did everything they could to undermine his momentum, raise doubts in regards to his electability and to undermine his character.
Bernie has repeatedly been on the right side of history even when it was politically disadvantageous to do so. In contrast, Biden has a long history of not only making the wrong decision- but being on the front lines of the fight to implement that decision.
It is telling that Bernie spent most of his time post-2016 fighting the most powerful of corporations in the world head-on, stumping for underdog candidates, serving as an ally to unions / worker movements and sitting in on meetings with grassroots organizations like Sunrise and BLM. What makes Bernie so special, so close to my heart is that he is an activist, not a politician.
The coronavirus is laying bare how broken American capitalism is. Medicare for all, paid sick leave, basic social safety nets and a prioritization of the worker instead of the stock market-- these are things that most of Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia view as common sense. But years of cold war propaganda and corporate news have brainwashed the older portions of our country into worshiping rugged individualism, privatization and deregulation even when those ideologies are directly correlated to our country's biggest problems.
Bernie helped shift that paradigm. I am proud to have poured 100's of hours into his two campaigns. I'm proud to have voted for him twice. I'm proud of the organizations like Ground Game LA and Justice Democrats that spawned out of his 2016 campaign and are making a very real impact on the modern political landscape. I'm proud of the hundreds of activists that I've gotten to know over the past 5 years.
All of that said, Bernie did not run a perfect campaign. In fact, he made several, very key, blunders post-Nevada. Among those were not pivoting to build a bridge towards voters who consider being a Democrat a core part of their identity and not angling for endorsements from key leaders like Jesse Jackson (came too late) or James Clyburn. He is not blameless in all of this. And youth turnout was inarguabley disappointing even if voter suppression played a key role in that.
Trump NEEDS to go. Climate change, the Supreme Court and Trump's authoritarian tendencies should have everyone absolutely terrified of the man getting a 2nd term. And unlike Clinton, Biden seems like he may be willing to move to the left if the pressure is applied in the right way. He has already moved to the left on the issue of student debt, and I find it telling that many of the same people who had clear animosity towards Hillary seem to like Joe even if they don't see eye to eye with him on a lot of things.
But- to barrow from my brother:
"Democrats need to understand that they can not take the progressive vote for granted. Bernie Sanders followers don’t owe the Democratic Party ANYTHING! If Biden and the Democratic Party are going to beat Trump they are going to need the nearly 1 and 3 democratic leaning voters that identify as progressive. As such, Biden’s upcoming decisions are going to be vital.
1. His V.P pick better be a progressive female - Stacy Abrams, Elizabeth Warren (someone in this mold)
2. He better move to the left on some of his policies - Climate Change, Health Care being most notable.
3. Don’t be rude or dismissive to Bernie’s supporters like Hilary was.
If Biden and the Democratic Party fail to do these things it will be at their own peril. It won’t be Bernie or his supporters fault. It won’t be Russia’s fault, It won’t be because of all the racists in the country. It will be because the Democratic Establishment and it's voters are out of touch with the needs of the working class of this country".
Okay, tangent over.