My Endorsement for President: Bernie Sanders
Being politically active is a spectrum. I’m more active than most, but know people who are more involved than I am. I canvassed (going door to door) for Obama in 2012 in Pittsburg, and have voted on every ballot measure since I was 18, always doing my research to try to be an informed citizen as much as I can (even in, or especially in, local city and county elections).
I know this upcoming election is going to be “the most important of our lives”, because people say that every presidential election, but come on, we’re talking about Trump. It’s also the first time my vote will actually matter in a primary now that California is part of Super Tuesday.
A Presidential election is more than just one person. The administration sets the tone and priorities for the next four years.
Although we can say “Any Functioning Adult” is better than Trump, we do actually get to choose which person to vote for, so what is most important to me? The main issues I want to see addressed in America are Climate Change, Income Inequality, and Healthcare. For two decades I have believed that with all our technology and wealth is it really so radical of an idea that our society should be able to put a roof over everyone’s head who wants it, provide healthcare, education and a healthy meal? Many candidates have touched on each of these important topics, and I wanted to give everyone a fair shot.
As a Californian I was interested by Kamala, a few of my friends know Cory Booker personally (his TED talk is great), and I contributed to Beto’s Senate campaign (still can’t believe how close he came to beating Cruz, how sweet would that have been.) Tulsi, Yang and Klobuchar were all interesting for various reasons but after the debates started, I read the books of the candidates I was most excited about: Buttigieg, Warren and Bernie, and in that order.
Pete Buttigieg
When Mayor Pete announced his candidacy I was pretty excited. He was a fresh face with big ideas like expanding the supreme court to fifteen, getting rid of the electoral college, and promising to take a more metrics driven approach to government. I followed him on Twitter/IG, read his book (my highlights) went to my first political rally (!) and bought some swag. It’s not that I was thinking he could or could not win, I just liked his ideas, his modern take on politics, his experience in business, his military service and that he was a mayor. His book is incredibly well written, with way too many big words thrown in for his own liking. He is a Rhodes scholar literary expert and it shows. His campaign had its moments but after an initial spark, his campaign made a few mistakes (The wine cave, the botched plan to reach out to African Americans, etc) and left me with a general feeling that he wasn’t ready for the presidency quite yet. His time at McKinsey is questionable (CIA?) and after reading his book one thing that I couldn’t wrap my head around was an understanding of where his humanity lay. What does he care about personally versus what does he think others care about?
My favorite moment of humanity in his book was actually via the lens of his husband:
“Chasten’s parents are the kind of people who sometimes pay for the customer behind them at the drive-thru window at McDonald’s, just to put a little good out into the world”
A touching, classic midwestern sentiment. I don’t get any of that vulnerability from him. I wish him well in his future political career.
Elizabeth Warren
I bet a friend that Warren would run back in 2016 and have been excited about her ever since. I knew her as an energetic law professor who clearly cared about people (ringing any bells?) I started Warren’s book after I finished Pete’s book. Although not as well written, Warren’s book is more relatable and feels more honest (my highlights). Early in her career she was able to find a cause, bankruptcy, that she cared about:
“90 percent of people were declaring bankruptcy for one of three reasons: a job loss, a medical problem, or a family breakup.”
And, a cornerstone of her amazing book, “The Two Income Trap”:
“The single best predictor that a family would go bankrupt was if they had a child.”
She has pulled on this thread for decades and is now one of the world’s expert, dedicated to finding a way to help those Americans who are struggling the most. Even if she never ran for Senate, let alone the Presidency, she should be proud of the massively positive impact she has made on millions of people. You can say you’re one of those people who are “socially liberal, but financially conservative”, but read her book and tell me how the free market is working out for those whom she is fighting for.
“I am determined — fiercely determined — to do everything I can to help us once again be the America that creates opportunities for anyone who works hard and plays by the rules.”
“America’s middle class is under attack. Worse, it’s not under attack by some unstoppable force of nature. It’s in trouble because the game is deliberately rigged.”
Amen.
She’s led an amazing life, and if Bernie doesn’t win, she’s definitely my 2nd choice. The second I put her book down I said she had my vote.
Bernie Sanders
I had already bought Bernie’s book so I decided to read it, despite the fact that he had recently had a heart attack at the time. I voted for Bernie in the 2016 primary for a multitude of reasons including his more progressive ideals, but honestly, his consistency dating back decades was what sold me. Yes, I voted for Hillary in the general, but I still believe Bernie would have beat Trump (Bernie beat Hillary in Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.)
Try to guess who said the following quote:
“An obscure Vermont congressman, Bernie Sanders, had been reelected for years as a socialist — in a (then) generally Republican state. At a time when vagueness and opportunism in politics seemed to be the order of the day, here was an elected official who succeeded by being totally transparent and relentless about his values. “Socialist” was the dirtiest word in politics, yet he won because people saw that he came by his values honestly. Regardless of whether you agreed politically, it certainly seemed like a profile in courage to me.”
Or how about this one?
“Indeed, even the most orthodox economic theories showed that market failures were all but guaranteed to occur in situations, like health care and education delivery, where a seller has power over a buyer, or a buyer is seeking a service that can’t easily be assigned a dollar value, or the seller and the buyer have different levels of information about the product.”
Did you guess both of those are Pete Buttigieg? Bernie has been singing the same song for decades. He has been one of the most important voices across a litany of topics from campaign finance, healthcare for all, income inequality, veterans care, homelessness, education and so many more. All other candidates are being finally pulled left of center as a result of his fight for the common man for over 40 years (including Pete).
His idea of calling on everyday Americans for support has become a meme but I hope people understand the meaning behind it, with Citizens United reshaping money in politics and why this is so important. As he says in his book:
“You cannot take on the establishment when you take their money”
It is vital that we all take on the richest people in our country from buying elections (Bloomberg anyone?) I went through my highlights of Bernie’s latest book, “Our Revolution”, and have had a hard time choosing which quotes to share because there are so many important topics covered.
Some question what Bernie has actually done in his career. I’d say he has won an election as mayor, congressman and senator as a third party candidate in America running openly and honestly about a progressive platform. That’s a major accomplishment.
“Two years later, in 1990, I became the first congressman in forty years to be elected to the United States Congress from outside the two-party system.”
As for the economy, and income inequality, one thing you’re going to hear a lot of the next six months is that the stock market is at an all time high and that the economy is booming. First off, it’s not booming, we’re stuck at 2–3% GDP growth despite the largest tax cuts in living memory combined with historic deregulation. As Bernie says,
“Despite exploding technology and increased worker productivity, median family income is almost $5,000 less than it was in 1999.” He goes on, “MLK understood that if real justice in this country was to be established, for people of every race, we had to create an economy that worked for all and not just the few.”
When it comes to providing the core support and needs of life, housing, healthcare, food and education, as usual, Bernie says it best:
“We can live in a country…Where every person has health care as a right, not a privilege…Where every parent can have quality and affordable child care, and where all of our qualified young people, regardless of income, can go to college…Where every senior can live in dignity and security, and not be forced to choose between their medicine or their food…Where every veteran who defends this nation gets the quality health care and benefits he or she has earned and receives the respect he or she deserves…Where every person, no matter their race, their religion, their disability, or their sexual orientation, realizes the full promise of equality that is our birthright as Americans.”
Last quote at the end of the book is so good:
“We can overcome the insatiable greed that now exists and create an economy that ends poverty and provides a decent standard of living for all. We can create a vibrant democracy where knowledgeable citizens actively debate the great challenges they face. We can create a health care system that guarantees health care for every man, woman, and child, and that focuses on disease prevention and keeping us healthy, not outrageous profits for insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry. We can effectively combat climate change and transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. No. We will not be able to accomplish those goals if we look at democracy as a spectator sport, assuming others will do it for us. They won’t. The future is in your hands. Let’s get to work.”
His slogan is exactly the message he is trying to convey,
“NOT ME, US”
He doesn’t view himself as the solution, he wants to build a movement that continues on past his administration.
Endorsement
I finished Bernie’s book and was worried about his health and longed for a Bernie that was two decades younger. He has a real runner’s natural energy and he has shown it these past few months. I’m so impressed by just about everything that makes Bernie, Bernie.
I mentioned these three candidates in this order because that was the way last year went for me. I kept asking myself, “if the election was today who would I vote for?” Here we are two days before the first vote in Iowa and I couldn’t be more excited about the possibility of a Bernie presidency. He’s not perfect, for instance when he tweets “Billionaires shouldn’t exist”, I do think that our effective tax rate after $100m should be well past 50% for instance, and we don’t need to chastise and berate those who have been successful in America.
That said, America is facing a lot of important challenges ahead and I believe Bernie is the best candidate, by far, to lead us there. I put his book down and all I could think was, “Wow, Bernie is the real deal”. A man of conviction and ideals who sees the greatness in humanity and wants to bring all of us along for the ride. I thoroughly and enthusiastically endorse Bernie Sanders for President!
Links
I love Reddit and the /r/OurPresident subreddit is great to follow his campaign. Also, I’ll be the first one to admit that this isn’t for everyone, but the Chapo Trap House podcast is pretty amazing. Bernie’s Joe Rogan interview is also worth a watch/listen.
Predictions
Lastly, because it’s fun and no one knows, here is my prediction for the next nine months:
- Bernie “wins” Iowa but it’s close and Biden will win quite a few delegates as well. Pete/Warren/Amy win a few.
- New Hampshire is going to be a bloodbath and Bernie is going to win 12+ delegates, Biden will limp along, but Warren/Pete will be lucky to get out with more than one or two delegates.
- Nevada polls look close now, but by the end of February things will look different. Bernie is going to do well in Nevada as Biden continues to dip, but the question is, does this boost Pete or Warren or does Bernie continue to surge?
- South Carolina: Ugh, I hate to say this but Ol’ Joe is going to get a ton of delegates and keep on trucking through to Super Tuesday, even if Bernie surges from now until then, Biden will get enough to stay in for awhile and it’s largely because of South Carolina.
- SUPER TUESDAY! So excited to see how Texas and California go especially. South Carolina might give Biden some life, but here is where his campaign dies, and sadly, Bloomberg becomes a real candidate. Question is just how well does Bernie do.
- Bernie then has a good map through the crucial midwest where he’ll dominate, but if the contest is still going through March, Biden/Bloomberg will start making it a contest.
- At the end of the day, it’s all about whether Bernie can get enough to avoid a broken convention for that first vote. I think (hope?) he will.
- As for the general, who knows with Trump, but I can tell you even a single financial quarter from now until November of <2% growth (let alone a recession), Trump will lose. Otherwise it’s going to be incredibly close, but I do believe Bernie can win this!
