This is kind of an abnormal post for this blog, but I needed a space to write out my thoughts and feelings. This has to be that space. Thank you for listening. -Kirsten
Where do we go from here?
That’s a question I keep asking myself. As we get further and further into this election, I can see that the DNC has its heart set on stopping Bernie, not on what is best for the nation. Now I’m faced with this one question.
For a long time now, I’ve heard my older peers look at me and my generation and say “You are the future.” But here were are, trying to make real change, and older generations are ignoring us for a “safe bet.” Personally, I am no longer interested in a safe bet.
Bernie is the first candidate I ever donated to. He’s the first candidate I ever canvassed for. He’s the first candidate I was ever this passionate about because he’s been fighting for me since before I was born. So I fought hard for him.
I want to make this perfectly clear: I am not a Democrat. Technically, right now I am registered as a Republican thanks to a local race, but that doesn’t paint who I am either. I am a liberal. I am a progressive. I am a human who wants the very best for other humans. And right now, I don’t see a single person beside’s Bernie Sanders who represents me.
A lot of Democrats are asking me to “vote blue no matter who.” But the issue with that is that I haven’t always been blue. I am not a color and I am not a letter. In 2012, I voted for Mitt Romney. If I didn’t vote for the party of Joe Biden then, why would I do it now? While I recognize that I don’t have to love everything about a candidate, it would be nice to have something, ANYTHING for me to relate to. Instead, Dems are asking me to simply relate to a blue donkey with a letter “D” on it. But how can I when I’ve never been a one-party person?
The issue with “vote blue no matter who” is that you’re asking me to vote for a letter. You’re telling me that it doesn’t matter who the person is, if they have a past of being on the wrong side of history, or if I don’t believe a single thing they say. To you, a letter, a capital “D” is the most important thing about this person. I’m having a hard time buying it.
The other dilemma that I and other Sanders supporters are dealing with is the fact that the corporate Democrats and even die-hard party supporters seem to be incredibly hypocritical. I’ve watched Joe Biden make little girls and women uncomfortable with his unwanted touching. It makes my skin crawl. I’ve watched videos of him supporting abortion bans or denying the LGBTQ+ community the equality they deserve. I’ve watched him make horrible decision after horrible decision during his time in the Senate. More recently, I’ve watched him “mistakenly” say things that quite frankly puzzle me. If this were Trump, I know for a fact that Democrats would call him insane and say he is not stable enough to be President — because they have done it. They continue to do it daily.
I don’t understand the hypocrisy and I sincerely wish someone could explain it to me. Is it okay to overlook someone’s horrible flaws simply because of a letter?
Joe Biden recently said that if elected, “nothing would fundamentally change.” That doesn’t work for me and millions of other Americans.
We need healthcare that works for all of us, not just some of us. We need a living wage. We need prison reform. We need someone who will stand up for monitories and women. We need actual, real, viable change, not just the status quo.
So, I ask again: Where do we go from here? I don’t fully know, but for the next several months I will be really, deeply thinking about that question as I figure out where to put my passion for politics. Maybe instead of focusing on these mega elections, we rally together behind progressive candidates who are making a difference on a local level. I do my best to elicit change on a local level, and maybe that is where I should put my entire heart and soul? Bare with me while a grieve what could have been a revolution. While Bernie is not out yet, the DNC and older Dems have made it clear they are not listening to the people of the future, and since many voters my age are not showing up like we needed, the stark reality of the status quo is setting in.
I could be wrong, but I am fully prepared for four more years of Donald Trump. During that time, I hope the Democratic Party is able to take a deep, hard look at themselves and reflect on what is going wrong for them. This two-party system isn’t working as-is. And If the system isn’t working, we need to change. it.