• PZK [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I see a lot of people assuming not much would have changed. I disagree. He would have led a cultural shift inside the entire party.

    There is a reason Democrats went nuclear and outright blatantly cheated to stop him. He would have changed numerous things.

    He is someone that a large portion of voters respected over many other politicians. My republican uncle even said he would have voted for him if he had won the primary. The key thing Bernie would have done is he would constantly and boldly state what direction the party should go and what policies Americans deserve. The snakes in the Democratic party that would rise to stop them would be smoked out. He would made significant changes to foreign policy and stifled and eliminated many status-quo neo-liberal approaches to other nations. They were fucking terrified of this, that he would bring an end to reaganomics, and that the nation would start forming political movements directed at ripping up neo-liberalism with their president's blessing. Imagine the unionization efforts now if they were overtly supported and broadcasted by the president.

    The doomerism of "he couldn't change anything." just strikes me as well, liberalism. The idea that a leader cannot rise and change the minds of Americans everywhere because everything is "too big to defeat" is some kind of helpless mindset that afflicts many young people but it simply isn't true.

    You were THAT CLOSE. That's why there was that news anchor crying that soon public executions in central park were going to happen. They were absolutely fucking terrified of Bernie Sanders winning the presidency. And he truthfully isn't even anywhere near as left as the nation needs, but he would have set the nation back on track by changing voters minds about what is possible.

    Think about how often Joe Biden and the Democrats talk about what isn't possible and how they can't do anything to change the system. How they never acknowledge the wishes of their voters, except to tell them that they are wrong for wanting them. When election time comes, its never the party's fault, it is the voters fault for not backing a failing and useless party.

    And yes, there is a high chance they would absolutely kill him to stop him. But they didn't want to be in that situation because unlike JFK there would have been a chance of a more radical reaction within the country. He wouldn't have just been another JFK, there is a chance he would have become a martyr for working class movements. They desperately needed to beat him electorally to show the average uninformed voter that there isn't any "steam" in left leaning ideas.

    But I am also aware that he is no-where near perfect, as he isn't left enough, and he isn't mean enough, nor was he willing to buck the party when they screwed him. Electorally, the problem with the United States is that left leaning ideas don't vote as a bloc. The democrats are not afraid of losing left leaning votes because leftists roll over and vote for them anyway. Bernie encourages this when he doesn't win, and that is why the Democrats are the way they are.

    But make no mistake, the terror was real.