Wednesday, April 8, 2020

My Sad and Frustrated Acceptance of Joe Biden


            A few weeks ago numerous people were calling for Senator Bernie Sanders to drop out and fall into line behind Biden.  Because contrary to them saying they want to be the Democratic nominee (Democrat being taken from the word “Democracy”) the idea of everyone voting just struck them as a pointless ritual before appointing Joe Biden as the nominee.


            To understand a few things about Joe Biden I would recommend this video from last year that actually called on Joe Biden to primary Donald Trump, as Joe was actually more of a liberal 80’s Republican than a Democrat.


            Regardless, it was during the calls for Bernie to stop running that I wrote a little diatribe on some news article, or a comment section, or wherever.  And anticipating someone dropping out I decided to keep the text and just tune up that instead of writing something entirely original.

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            Even if Bernie does not get 1 vote more, you should still want the process to run its course completely.  It builds engagement, calling on people to do their part, and have their voice heard.  Even if Bernie does not win, him winning delegates illuminates how different demographics feel and signals to Democrats what they should prioritize in the future.
            A primary that is run to completion puts information out into the public, so the public has time to process and find the nuance to it.  For instance, Bernie saying that Cuba has good healthcare and literacy programs being twisted to say he was praising autocracy in the most bad faith horseshit I can recall happening in my lifetime.  Or… You know… The rumors of deteriorating mental health and Rape Accusations that have come out about Biden.
            Beyond anything else... In a democracy you want people to VOTE.  It creates legitimacy for the candidate and the system.


Yeah, I would not have expected the position of "Voting is Good" to be so controversial.

            The more Bernie talks about his policy stances the more normalized they become.  The more likely they will be mainstream in the future.  Every day he is in the race is another day getting us all closer to universal healthcare, living wages, and many-many-many other important reforms.  It was why I liked Andrew Yang running on Universal Basic Income, and why I wanted Pete Buttigieg to run if for no other reason than having a Gay Man doing so well in this contest does crack these sorts of glass ceilings.
            People talk about how the Democratic debates were crowded.  They would call them clown cars.  But they were also diverse.  Full of candidates with a variety of perspectives, personal histories, and (in many cases stupid) ideas (seriously, Kamala Harris’ plan for debt forgiveness reads as a parody of means testing in America).


            Joe Biden is the sort of boringly “competent” old elected official that is running entirely on a return to the pre-Trump world.  He is and would be better than Trump.  I will begrudgingly vote for him.  I will allow this regressive and boring message that basically boils down to “Make America Great Again” in blue font.  So that now both major political parties in the United States will be crowing about some pre-lapsarian vision of America.  One hailing back to when whites ruled it, and the other hailing back 4 years to when whites ruled the country, but a black guy was president.
            You know what we got out of the pre-Trump world?  Trump.  You know what we will get out of a return to the pre-Trump world?  Another “Trump”, and the next time it will be someone who is canny enough to know what being president can really do.  It won’t be some dullard who just wants to spend his days playing golf knowing he is making a killing selling ball-caps and bumper stickers.  It will be someone with real sinister motivations and it is not something that can be thwarted by Joe Biden’s plan of conceding to the Republicans before the debate even begins.

            Bernie was running on more than that.  And you all should be glad for it.  He is not pulling the party apart.  He is not leading an army of trolls.  He is doing what he has been doing for decades.  He is advocating for programs that are good for people.  He is being mostly right on most things, which is a hell of a lot better than Joe.

            I am legitimately sad that Joe Biden is going to be the nominee.
            If you aren't, then from my perspective you live in a world where gruel is a full meal.
            That is what Joe is offering.
            Gruel.

            And hell… Trump may still win.




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            If you like or hate this please take the time to comment, share on Twitter (click that link to follow me), Tumblr, or Facebook, and otherwise distribute my opinion to the world.  I would appreciate it.


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