(Courtesy of Creative Commons)
By now you’ve seen the news that we all felt coming since Super Tuesday: Vermont senator Bernie Sanders ended his presidential bid on Wednesday April 8.
This was especially heartbreaking for many millennials and “Gen Zers” because Bernie has made them feel heard for the first time in their political experience. Bernie may have been another white, old man, but he was different from the rest because he listened and fought for everyone.
I can say personally that it felt like a stab in the back when candidates with strong showings began dropping out to support Biden, leaving only Warren and Bernie to hold off yet another push by the DNC to remain moderate. It is understandable to grieve for one of the few campaigns that was trying to actually make a difference, not just win the bid; but that does not mean the movement to fight economic and general oppression in this country is over. We need to finish what Bernie started.
While the concept of voting based solely on political party is what has caused such deep-rooted issues in our nation, in this election we have to vote blue. When you vote for Biden in November, it will not be in support of him, but in support of ensuring this movement continues.
I am not saying we roll over and support Biden’s current plans, he should have to work for the support of Bernie’s supporters, but when Election Day rolls around we need to turn out and vote blue to ensure conservatives do not gain even more power in the Supreme Court. We need to vote to protect women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and all other oppressed groups rights. Right now, the Supreme Court is the only stop-gap we have left to keep conservative abuse from being unleashed, and even now it’s struggling. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is literally fighting to the death to ensure Trump does not get another opportunity to nominate a conservative Supreme Court Justice; do not let the DNC’s resistance to progression ruin everything Ginsburg has fought for. We cannot let Trump win another four years and bludgeon the Supreme Court for decades to come.
When it comes to Biden’s willingness to compromise with Bernie supporters, he tweeted the following in a several-tweet-long response to Bernie’s announcement:
“To Bernie’s supporters: I know that I need to earn your votes. And I know that might take time. But I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of this moment. I hope you'll join us. You're more than welcome: You're needed.”
I hope this is true and the Biden campaign begins to consider and implement more progressive plans on healthcare, climate change and the many other issues Bernie uniquely fought for change on, but there is no guarantee he will. We must do everything we can to pressure him to adopt ideas from Bernie’s platform, but the hardest part is that if it fails, we - especially those in swing states - still must vote for him. There is too much riding on this election; we have to band together to defeat Trump, it’s our only option.
So when you’re at the ballot box and it feels like a loss to vote for Biden, just remember that the only thing worse than the current Trump presidency is a Trump presidency emboldened by a win after completely botching the response to a global pandemic. Our rights are on the line. Vote.