Given the likelihood that if anyone loses to Trump we'll be dealing with multiple ongoing apocalyptic crises, the suspension of democracy, and a rising autocratic dynasty, I can't find that I agree that would be good for the movement, no.
Who are these people who think that if Trump wins, in four years we'll get to try again? Nobody in the mainstream media or the Democratic leadership is normalizing him harder than that.
Biden is running to the left of the ticket he sub-headilned in 2008. If Bernie loses to him but has a good, strong showing and progressives help hand him real Democratic majorities he'll move further left, and if we can keep the GOP out for eight years, they're *dead*.
But even if Biden isn't super great at translating popular support for leftist goals into actual policy (and I don't think he will be), him beating Trump is better for the progressive movement than him losing to Trump, because if he loses to Trump, Trump stays in power.
I mean, forget the worst outcome for now and just look at this moment: Biden, running to the left of himself when he was the VP for The Hope and Change candidate, is now the status quo establishment candidate.
That's progress! It's not enough. But it's progress.
That's progress! It's not enough. But it's progress.
Think about what we can do if we have that as the foundation for future progress. If Joe Biden's weak tea platform becomes the baseline establishment that Bernie or the next Bernie's more radical ideas are compared to.
Most people voting blue DO want better things than we have, or have had. They do want progress. But those who find Bernie's go too far aren't comparing his to Biden's and saying "Biden's re better" as much as they're comparing both to what they have seen before, for safety.
If we can get Bernie the nomination, and then if we can win the White House, and give him majorities in Congress, and then push him and them... we'll get more progress, faster. With lives on the line that's preferable!
But all this "savvy" calculus that's based on the idea of trying to predict backlashes and what we can do in four years, acting like the actual events of the next presidential term are just background noise? That's. I mean.
Those four years matter. How can you miss that?
Those four years matter. How can you miss that?
I don't understand how anyone can have lived through the last three years and think the four that come after this one will be basically a cut scene they can skip through to get to the next fight in 2024.
At this point I'm planning and proceeding as though there will be a general election in November because we need to be ready to vote if there is, but let's be honest: it's far from guaranteed to happen.
If it does, it might be our last one, if we don't win and win big.
If it does, it might be our last one, if we don't win and win big.
