It's Time to Grow Up: The Radical Left and the Hilary Campaign

Today a friend on Facebook (shoutout to Shaun), posted something about not understanding the "Bernie or Bust" movement. If you're unfamiliar, this is essentially the idea that if you voted for Sanders in the primary, and are unhappy with the inevitable nomination of Hilary, you just won't vote. Shaun criticized the movement on the grounds that not voting, in an election as critical as this one (i.e. Trump as the Republican nominee), is counter-intuitive to democracy as we know it. I firmly agree, and in reading the responses to his post, thought it worthy of crawling out of my figurative non-writing cave, and re-emerging onto the sassy blogging scene. Following, I will try and dispel several of the arguments I found particularly egregious among those supporting this Bernie or Bust movement.

First, the idea that you would just "not vote", and increase the chances at the presidency of someone who is the antithesis of Bernie Sanders' values, is ludicrous. For those who "aren't Democrats" I really don't care. This election is crucial to the preservation of the American principles that our nation was founded on, and that every time I hear the disgusting comments and ideas of Donald Trump, I feel slipping away. If you are a Democrat, then that's even more of a reason to not sit back and allow someone who is the complete opposite of the values that Democrats have fought for for decades obtain the presidency. This is a totally different election cycle than previous years. Fine, you don't like Hilary in a year that Romney and Ryan were running? Okay. I don't like them, but they were real candidates.

Second, When you sit at home, and risk a Trump presidency, you aren't just being complacent, you are actually helping Trump. In this case, "not acting" i.e. "not voting", isn't doing nothing, it's doing something that could legitimately have a negative and lasting impact on the nature of our country. The most probable scenario in which Trump wins, is if too many people stay home on election day. Are you really, and truly, prepared for a Trump presidency? That's the question you have to ask yourself. If you are, then fine, so be it. But, Sanders' campaign was founded on the idea of radical change. Change, that I agree, would move the country forward. A Trump presidency, would without a doubt, move the country backward. Your "revolution" is going to have take even more strides in four years, which would be the case for any Republican, but especially for someone as horribly racist, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist, and unqualified, as Donald Trump.

Finally, think of it this way. If Hilary is president, we take steps toward acceptance and inclusion of minorities of all kinds. We take steps toward a more free country, that welcomes citizens of the world to our shores. We take steps toward compromise and practical solutions to common problems. If Trump is president, we take steps away from all of the achievements of President Obama. We take steps away from freedom, from democracy, and from the legitimately of our political process. We take steps, if not leaps, away from rights for all citizens regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or socioeconomic status.

To achieve change by inaction is not practical. To hope to achieve change by garnering enough third party votes to impact a political process that has been entrenched in two-party politics for a century at such a crucial time is irresponsible. There will be no revolution if your revolution means staying home, or voting for someone that won't win. This isn't a game. This isn't a liberal fantasy. Bernie didn't win. Complain about the super-delegates. Bemoan the two party system. But in the end, save our democracy. Save it, by voting for an exceptionally qualified candidate, who is in every possible way, a better alternative to Trump.