Gang, we played the game. Bernie-or-Bust.
We stamped our feet and crossed our arms and swore to high heaven that we’d stand aside and watch the whole damned Democratic party burn to the ground before we’d be force fed Hillary. “If they don’t think we’ll punish them, there’s nothing they won’t do. We’ll walk off from the game and leave you with Trump,” we threatened.
We threatened and what happened? We won.
We went head to head with a corporate fund raising machine, exposed Democratic corruption, and drug Hillary Clinton—a notorious centrist—so damned far left the poor woman probably can’t even wipe right handed anymore.
Damned fine work, team.
But now there’s new work to do. Bernie had the option. He could’ve made the call and crashed the party, but he didn’t. Instead, he wrote Hillary a mean set of marching orders and then stepped aside because he’s smart enough to play the long game.
I won’t say I’m not sore about it. Given the option, I’d still choose Bernie. “I can deal with 4 years of Trump if it makes the Democratic party play it straight next go ‘round,” I thought. And I probably could. *I* could deal with it.
And that’s when it hit me.
Being white, straight, male, and corporate, I could probably skate through the next four years with nothing more than a big bag of eye rolls and come out none the worse. But it’s not about me, and it’s not about the next four years.
Lets get real. Trump is a blight, and no matter what we’ve said, he and Clinton are not comparable.
The last decade has been a g*ddamned renaissance when it comes to common sense and progressive policy, and Hillary could, at least, be trusted to navigate by the same stars. We’ve stopped demonizing the poor, gay is no longer a mental disorder, and the US is finally starting to wise up on drug policy. We’re doing alright, and Trump could destroy everything.
More than the damage *he* could do, there’s as many as 4-5 spots to open up on the supreme court. Presidents get all the press time, but the supreme court has the last word, and with that power, Trump could plague not you, not me, but the entire world for decades.
The game is up.Yes, we THREATENED to be stupid to force Clinton left, and it worked. That accomplished, we don’t actually need to BE stupid. Particularly if you occupy a privileged station in the world, maybe YOU would feel comfortable electing Trump, but you are gambling with the lives of millions of immigrants and minorities and disenfranchised people.
With privilege comes responsibility.
No, we don’t vote Trump to stick it to the DNC.
No, we don’t not-vote because silence equals consent in instances of oppression.
No, we don’t throw away votes on unelectable 3rd parties. “Protest votes” are nothing more than petulance with arched eyebrows and fancy clothes.
It’s game time team. I wanted Bernie. I wanted a revolution. I wanted to dance on the ashes of the DNC and howl at the moon as the entire crusty American political system buckled and fell in on itself, but I ain’t getting that. It ain’t getting it and I’ve got no business gambling with the lives of millions when I don’t have equal shares at stake.
It’s not without regrets. I was the Bernie-est of the Berners, but come November, I will drag myself to the polls and cast my vote for Clinton, and I’ll tell you why.
Because Bernie isn’t going away.
He’s awoken a dragon.
His platform is on the way to the white house in Clinton’s hands, and with his following, Bernie Sanders is poised to become the most influential man to ever lose a presidential election.
For the next four years, he could be a hell-hound keeping a Clinton presidency pinned in the left corner, but only if his following takes off their baby britches and doesn’t flush the election away out of insolence.
Gang, I’ve never been much of a patriot. I can love people, family, and friends, but I’ve never been able to fall passionately in love with my country just because it’s mine.
America’s never been *exceptional* to me. For better or worse, it’s only ever been *bigger* than most. But there’s a chance for something here.
The more open and accepting the world becomes, the greater the opportunity for some movement to give voice to the hate and bigotry we’ve worked so hard to move away from.
It’s happened in the Philippines.
It’s happening in Britain.
It will happen here unless we move to stop it.
A nation’s greatness isn’t measured by body counts on the battle field.
It’s measured by our commitment to always keep moving towards the light, even when all looks dark.
Bernie brought us this far guys.
Trust his end game.
Unite.