A look at the thinly veiled centrism of Bernie or Bust

(Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast)

As Joe Biden’s likelihood to secure the Democratic nomination becomes more and more certain, we’re yet again faced with the resurgence of a 2016 movement: Bernie or Bust. The Bernie or Bust movement urges Sanders supporters to either write-in Bernie Sanders or simply stay home on Election Day. Just to be clear, the objective is not to elect Sanders; even they would tell you that. It’s a protest vote. Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Andrew Yang, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Tulsi Gabbard, and Beto O’Rourke have all thrown their support behind Joe Biden; along with their voters in an overwhelming majority of primaries and caucuses thus far. While most have had past disagreements with the former Vice President, they all agree on one thing: Donald Trump is an existential threat to the country and to the planet — or as Bernie Sanders put it — “the most corrupt and dangerous President in modern history.” What puzzles me is how Bernie Sanders supporters would be more comfortable with his re-election than they would be using their vote to unseat him by choosing Joe Biden.

Bernie Sanders, part time Democrat

Bernie Sanders has long been a critic of the Democratic Party. He is a registered Independent but both of his bids for president have been on the Democratic ticket. By running as a Democrat, he has reaped the benefits of the party platform. Bernie has used this platform to make his pitch to largest political party in the country; from the debate stage and cable networks’ town halls to the Liberty and Justice Celebration — the largest gathering of voters in Iowa. Candidates like 2016 Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson didn’t have the advantage of speaking to such a large audience. By joining the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders has been accepted by the general population as a Democrat. When Bernie Sanders receives criticism from right wing pundits, it’s analyzed in the context of the Democratic Party as a whole. In a sense, his backlash reflects on the Democrats. When a democratic socialist became a legitimate contender for the Democratic nomination, the Democratic Party was forced to bear the brunt of bad faith attacks about Venezuela, Fidel Castro, and every other fearmongering narrative Fox News hosts pulled out of their asses. For the Sanders coalition to co-opt the party and enjoy the fruits of the label when it serves to their benefit, fuel the incoming fire from right wing pundits, then abandon the party at the finish line; they would have ultimately provided a net political advantage to the Republicans.

(Brendan Smialowski / AFP/ Getty Images)

The “lesser of two evils” fallacy

Bernie Sanders said himself that the candidate with the plurality of delegates should become the nominee, whether they have a majority or not. That candidate will be Joe Biden. He fairly accumulated more delegates than Bernie. After the Convention, the Democratic Party will be taking on Donald Trump, the most dangerous and corrupt President in modern history. If a subset of Bernie supporters can’t bring themselves to vote for Biden, that’s fine, but to dress it up as a noble protest against “the lesser of two evils” is disingenuous at best. This administration has put children in cages, rolled back the United States’ efforts to combat climate change, and given lavish gifts to the wealthiest Americans. Across the country, from the Oval Office to State Capitols, the Republican Party has allowed pro-life groups and conservative judges to infringe upon a woman’s right to choose. They have eased restrictions on the purchases of assault weapons in exchange for campaign contributions. They have enacted discriminatory laws against the LBGTQ community and emboldened the bigots who seek to cast them into the shadows of society. The Republicans tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act — taking health insurance away from tens of millions of Americans — over 70 times. Worst of all, they have denied the existence of climate change and stood up as the saviors of the fossil fuel industry while our forests are burning and sea levels are rising. It was the Democrats who protected DREAMers, funded the legal battle against abortion bans, and enacted regulations to reduce carbon emissions. The Democratic Party may not be perfect, but they sure aren’t equal to the Republicans. To create a false moral equivalence between a President and party that victimizes immigrants seeking asylum, denies the existence of climate change, and stokes hatred towards minorities and a Democratic party that could be more progressive on Wall Street reform displays a complete inability to tell two unlike things apart.

Thankfully, most Bernie Sanders supporters will vote for Joe Biden in November. Those who choose to sit out are effectively allowing Donald Trump and the Republican Party to continue their crusade against marginalized communities and the planet itself. Chances are, the people who are most vulnerable to Republican policies will vote for Joe Biden. To those who choose not to use their vote to unseat Donald Trump, they have every right to make that choice. However, there is one way to defeat him in November: vote against him by choosing Joe Biden. There is no other realistic option. You can express your disgust with this administration or you can deliberately pass on the opportunity to remove them in November, but you can’t do both. Voting “Blue No Matter Who” doesn’t mean the Democratic Party is inherently entitled to the votes of Bernie supporters; no more than Bernie Sanders was entitled to Elizabeth Warren’s endorsement after she exited the race. “Blue No Matter Who” doesn't mean you love Joe Biden, or think a public option is preferable to Medicare for All. It means you will commit to use your voting power to stand up for children in cages. And you take the risk of climate change seriously. And you firmly believe that hateful, racist, fearmongering has no place in the Oval Office. “Bernie or Bust” means unwavering support for Bernie Sanders takes priority over the kids in cages, the environment, or opposition to hateful, racist fearmongering. Like the right wing zealots who insist Antifa and Neo-Nazis are two sides of the same coin, Bernie or Bust accepts the premise that “both sides” are the same. They’re not.