Hello, reader! It’s time to vote. I usually write funny things, but even I get serious sometimes.

I wrote this with a simple plea in mind: If you have yet to vote in your primary, please consider voting for Bernie Sanders.

Joe Biden is being hailed by many people as “the safe candidate”, as in, the guy who can beat Trump. But here’s why that logic is flawed, and why Bernie Sanders is not only the safe choice, but the right choice for anyone who considers themselves to be against what Trump preaches every single day.

Many of you who know me in real life already know that I admire and support Bernie and his stances on just about every issue. Call me a Bernie bro if that’s what it means to want to protect reproductive rights for all or ensure those who are victims of our broken healthcare system are be able to see a doctor — total classic bro arguments right? *crushes beer can on head*

Ahem, so let’s get serious actually:

If you’re a democrat, you have two choices for a presidential nominee now. One has progressive policies, and one falls in line with moderates. What Bernie Sanders preaches is called “extreme” by some, but what he’s proposing is already working in so many other countries around the world. And (spoiler alert) it’s already working here: just not for the working class. We have socialism in the form of tax cuts in the good old US of A, but who benefits from those now? The wealthy. Call it what it is.

Did you know that the majority of Americans are in favor of a single payer system that provides healthcare for all people? I have moderately crappy health insurance because I am lucky enough to have even that, but so many are not this lucky, and some die as a result. If you are supporting Joe because he’s been declared a safe candidate, you’re voting for the status quo. You are casting a vote that also says “In a way, I’m okay with that because it’s not me.”

Call me nuts, but I’m still not sure what is so very extreme about wanting all Americans to be able to go see a doctor? Or if we’re speaking broadly, what is so extreme about wanting to make real steps in climate policy, not just to undo what Trump has done, but to ensure the children who are born today have a planet that is inhabitable in their future? I argue that voting to maintain the status quo — even with a candidate like Biden — is far more extreme than voting for an ambitious progressive who wants to ensure we don’t keep making the same dire mistakes.

Joe Biden has said that Bernie’s promises are “pie in the sky”. Ironically, the phrase “pie in the sky” was actually coined as a parody of the riches one might find in Heaven in contrast to what could be offered to the people through… you guessed it — *socialism* — right here, right now, on earth. So let’s take a second to appreciate the irony in that statement, and move right along.

Everybody says this election is about beating Trump, and to do so we need to pick the safe guy, not the “scary” guy. Pick the candidate who doesn’t make a stir, because who knows what would happen if we chose a democratic socialist who forces people to think too hard about those scary things — blood-curdling ideas like universal healthcare and tuition free public college.

But in the end, this is what I want you to consider: Biden’s chances against Trump are not good. He’s never been inspiring to a significant base of voters and he lacks any grassroots effort or enthusiasm. If Biden is the nominee, I will vote for him and grit my teeth because I understand that it’s crucial to unite if you simply want Trump gone. But not everybody will.

America is fed up. Trump WON his election purely because America, specifically the working class, is tired to death of the status quo. People who are not enthusiastic about voting to begin with will be reluctant to turn out and defend healthcare that is already so incredibly broken — or to defend a system that has failed them time and time again.

Before you cast a vote in the primary, take a look at history — safe, centrist/moderate politicians don’t win in the general election, especially when they’re up against an incumbent president, especially someone who’s a bully and a walking, talking brand.

People seem to love comparing Bernie to Trump. This logic is obviously flawed, but the path to success is not entirely dissimilar. Trump won for a reason: he has driven new levels of voter turnout and enthusiasm, and amassed a loyal following that nobody expected to see in 2016 — a following full of working people who were sick of voting for a moderate who only prioritized the privileged and powerful. He didn’t deliver on his promises to be a champion for the working class, but someone could, and someone will do a much better job than he did at fixing this broken country, but in the right direction. That someone is Bernie Sanders.

A return to tranquil normalcy is impossible now, like it or not, because Trump has laughed in the face of rules and stomped out that stable idea of “hope” that Obama put in your hearts. If you want to move forward, the only way to beat the status quo and create a new and better and sustainable reality for ourselves is to nominate Senator Sanders and run the strongest man we’ve got. He is the candidate that will unify America. He never wavers, and is the perfect antidote to the racist, sexist vitriol spewed by Donald Trump.

I want a better tomorrow, and I for one reject the status quo. Please consider joining me, and cast your vote for someone to believe in.