Thread by @AlexandraErin

Sure, I will buy the idea that it's better for Joe Rogan's fanbase to vote Democratic than Republican for a quarter.

Here are my questions.

1. There is a high probability Bernie is not the candidate. What does he do to convert Rogan's endorsement to Democratic votes then?

2. If we bring a bunch of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic people into the tent to win and not challenging them on their racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia out of fear of losing them, but they are not similarly silent for fear of losing us, what do we actually win?

We've been told for three years by disaffected Republicans that the path to Democratic victory is by becoming a version of the Republican Party they like better than Donald's. (I.e., more genteel, more respectable, just as bigoted.)

And I just don't see how capitulating to the prejudices of the Roganites is any different than following that advice.

Sure, it wll be a good thing if he endorses the candidate on the Democratic ticket (which is not what's happened yet). But it's also got nothing to do with us.

It's not on us to make his listeners feel welcome and comfortable at the expense of the vulnerable and the people who have been doing the work of building the tent they're seeking shelter in.

I know the standard logique Béarnaise is that personal prejudices won't matter as much if we have Bernie's economic reforms because everybody gets taken care of even if your neighbor hates your skin color or sexual orientation.

But. Prejudice is a huge obstacle to such reform.

If Bernie Sanders or the Democratic Party in general gets swept to victory on a tide of people whose prejudices are being validated and coddled and catered to, there's likely not going to be any universal benefits passed. The popular support for Bernie's politics won't translate.

When I've asked how Bernie's going to pass his reforms, that's the answer I'm given: it takes a popular movement to pass real change.

But if the popular movement behind him is racist and homophobic and xenophobic?

And this is the part where someone says "OH so you are saying that EVERYBODY who follows Bernie is a bigot?"

Nope.

But a survey of Twitter discourse today shows that the bigots who follow him are free to express bigotry, and no one's supposed to speak against that.

If the bigots are allowed to speak out because we're afraid of losing them and no one's allowed to speak out against them because we're afraid of losing them... how are the bigots not in charge?