As a progressive, I'm disappointed that the Dem nominee in November will be a centrist. But I will vote for Joe Biden because he is immeasurably better, in every single way, than Donald Trump. Every progressive should do the same - it will be easier to pressure a Biden (1/?)
administration into doing more progressive things than it would ever be with Trump. We have Supreme Court appointments coming up. The clock is ever ticking on climate change (and while Biden may not do enough there, it WILL be better than Trump). We have administrative positions
that need to be filled after having festered and atrophied under the incompetent Trump administration. And progressives, it's not all bad - consider these two things: First, I find it extremely unlikely Biden would run for a 2nd term if he wins. He's simply too old.
That means we'll have another shot at getting a more progressive candidate in 2024 - and while 4 years can feel like a long time, it'll be here before you know it. Second, many of Sanders's policies polled well, including M4A, which was positive among Dems in most primary states.
What this says to me is that progressive policies have a future (especially as the younger, more progressive cohort ages up). The problem may have been the messenger. Bernie Sanders is a good, caring, decent man who has done an unbelievable job moving the Overton window and
making progressive policies popular again. But it looks more and more like he has had a hard ceiling this whole time. Probably for a number of reasons, but I'd guess chief among them his self-label of a "Democratic Socialist" (which isn't even really accurate - he's more of a
Social Democrat and may have fared better calling himself one). Regardless, his slogan was #NotMeUs. Let's exemplify that slogan and not give up the fight just because we lost this round. It's not about electing Bernie, it's about making the country better for its most vulnerable
citizens. That wasn't going to change with one election. It's a long, hard fight that we have to stay committed to for the years and decades to come. We will have another shot, and sooner than you think. But in the meantime, let's not cut off our noses to spite our faces. Let's
not fall prey to conspiracy theories. Let's not say we were robbed. Biden won this thing fair and square. Did it help that cable news fear mongered about Bernie's socialism? Yes, of course it did. But he got the votes. A LOT of them. Like, a TON. He did better with every voter
cohort outside of Latinos and voters under 30. That's HUGE. And having him as the nominee is not "Handing Trump another 4 years." Nothing is certain in elections, and for various reasons that I won't get into right now (already running long), I think he has a much better chance
than Hillary did, who just barely lost the election 4 years ago (only 70k votes across 3 states). In conclusion: Yes, Biden's centrism sucks. But it's clearly what the Dem electorate wants right now. Let's vote for him to stop the bleeding and get a real progressive nominated
and elected into the White House in 4 years (and also, you know, vote in the midterms and local elections. THOSE ARE VERY EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TOO). Regardless of who you voted for, I hope you're doing okay tonight and are safe from harm and the coronavirus. Be good people ❤️
