If Bernie Sanders is the chosen nominee, we Democrats will have put our party’s–and our country’s–future in great jeopardy. When Donald Trump (or any of the other equally awful Republicans) becomes president, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. But hey, when it comes to screwing ourselves over, we Democrats are nothing if not consistent.
In fairness, it is true that Bernie does have some shot at winning the general election. It probably goes without saying that his best chance is against Trump. But it is equally safe to say that Trump’s best chance is probably against Bernie. I don’t like those odds.
Assuming the best (worst?) case scenario, and Trump is the nominee, it is naive to think that “establishment Republicans” won’t rally around him. Of course they will. The prospect of having a socialist president will be more than enough to scare up every last GOP voter, from all their lairs and dens, like roaches pouring out of the walls and into the voting booths. Trump will get the full backing of the entire right wing machine. And more. Because at the very same time, he will continue to push his populist, anti-establishment message, pulling in tea partiers and disgruntled independents alike. It’s kind of brilliant when you think about it.
In contrast, Bernie will push his own, more rational and sane, populist/anti-establishment message. The democratic party will back him. He will then proceed to get thoroughly destroyed and smeared by the right wing machine. And he will then likely lose. Just like Kerry. Just like Dukakis. Just like McGovern. Because perhaps the democratic party, just like history, is doomed to repeat itself.
On the off chance that sanity prevails and he does win the presidency, then what? Is he going to push the magic button that blows up the banks? The other one that magically nullifies Citizens United? Why hasn’t he told us his (actual) plan? Or am I just the only one who hasn’t heard it? So far all I’ve heard from Bernie is a lot of rhetoric and pandering. I’ll admit I like his rhetoric, but why doesn’t he have any substance behind it? Obviously Hillary is guilty of being a politician as well. But she qualifies her rhetoric with managed expectations. (‘Medicare for all is not feasible; we will work to expand and improve Obamacare instead’.) I find this ironic since Bernie is supposed to be the straight-talkin’, down-to-earth candidate. In reality, it seems more accurate to describe him as either naive, at best, or disingenuous, at worst. Either way, he is misleading voters.
Or maybe his voters are just willfully ignorant. His liberal supporters don’t seem to mind that he has an unapologetically pro gun record. Or that he supports Obama’s use of drone warfare. Or that he is clearly not very knowledgeable on foreign policy in general. Or that he seemingly has no plan to actually achieve the rhetoric he preaches. Why is it that his failures as a “true liberal” are no big deal, but any of Hillary’s shortcomings, whether true or just simply perceived, make her a divisive candidate, a hypocrite, a liar? Why are her years of accomplishments - as an activist, a first lady, a senator, a secretary of state (all in the face of extreme sexism and rightwing attacks) - outweighed by the zero pieces of legislation that Bernie has authored and gotten passed during his 20+ years in Congress?
What’s more likely, if he does win the general election, is that Bernie accomplishes next to nothing as president. He is designated as a failure. The socialist failure. And Bernie’s failure will be the Democrats' failure. Liberalism’s failure. We are Icarus, and Obama, Daedalus. Obama has spent the past eight years painstakingly crafting us wings out of little bits of liberal policies here and there, trying to keep us moving forward. But it’s been eight years of good times now. And we’ve gotten spoiled. We’ve gotten cocky. We’ve forgotten what went into making those wings, instead now taking them for granted. Electing Bernie Sanders is going to feel so, so great, as we soar to our highest heights (a socialist president!) right up until the moment everything falls apart and we plummet into the lead-poisoned water below. How does that bern feel now? Sanders has become a one term president. Just like Jimmy Carter. Because we democrats, just like history, are doomed to repeat ourselves.
You might be thinking, ‘But hey! You could say the same about Hillary!” Perhaps. But the historical evidence suggests otherwise. Obama has faced unprecedented obstructionism during his presidency, and any successor of his will likely face more of the same. But the fact is, despite Obama’s populist campaign slogans–and unlike Bernie–he ran on a very moderate/centrist platform. He ran on his belief of compromising, not on the promise of a revolution (that is never going to come). And in fact, Obama has succeeded at making a lot of progress as a result. The same was true for Bill Clinton. Lots of the policies liberals like to criticize Bill for (and inexplicably link Hillary to as well), were done not because he necessarily believed in those policies, but because they were done in negotiation with the obstructionist Newt Gingrich Congress, in exchange for other, more liberal policies.
There is every reason to believe that Hillary would have just as successful a presidency as Bill had. And as Obama will have had. She is smart. She is experienced. She is passionate. She is determined. She is a pragmatist. She is a liberal. She is the best combination of traits for a president. At least for a president who wants to get anything done.
In 2008, Democrats rallied around Obama for the general election. Even Hillary supporters. It wasn’t too hard, considering the near identical platforms they were running on. They were both great candidates, and most people recognized that they would both be great choices for president. So a question to Obama supporters who now support Bernie: Why him but not her? Why was Obama’s pragmatism and centrist platform okay–exciting even–but Hillary’s isn’t? Why did you still vote for Obama even though he took money from Wall Street? Why did you vote for him even though he’s way more hawkish than someone like Bernie is?
Institutional sexism is a very real thing, and if you don’t have a very good answer to those questions, you are helping to legitimize its existence. And perhaps even worse, you are ironically helping to set back Democrats and progressivism for years, if not decades to come. But maybe there’s nothing to do about it. Because maybe we are just fated to ignore the lessons of history. Democrats gonna democrat.
“It's all the same if nothing of mine persuades you, of course: the future will come; and you will soon be at my side to pity and call me too true a prophet.”
- Cassandra, “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus