Bernie Thought for Tomorrow

Bernie has just lost to Biden in several more states, and there is a possibility that his campaign is doomed.

I know what it’s like to see your candidate lose. Over the years, I’ve supported candidates who have lost and, worse, been murdered.

I know that perhaps the first reaction is to adopt an attitude of blame with the following as targets: other campaigns, corporate interests, and corporate media. Quite possibly, they do bear some responsibility. However, it would be quite sad for Bernie’s supporters to remain at this stage of blame.

It should not be surprising that Bernie provoked widespread opposition and skepticism. After all, he is (correctly) challenging vested interests, and they do fight back! Those powers are protecting their class interests and will not go down without a fight. They indeed need to be confronted if we are going to achieve health care and education as rights and adopt a sane climate and foreign policies.

At the same time, however, we have a criminally unfit occupant of the White House, and he must be removed. Somewhere between 12 and 20 percent of Bernie supporters in 2016 either didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton or, unthinkably, voted for Trump. This kind of “purity” is foolhardy, politically immature, and dangerous.

Yes, we need major structural changes in this country. Yes, we must address climate change and other scourges. But, first and foremost, we must get Trump out of office. If we can’t have socialism, or social democracy, we still must prevent this authoritarian incompetent from continuing his destruction.

As a lifelong socialist, left activist, and Bernie voter, I will opt, reluctantly and not without sadness, for a corporate neoliberal candidate over a right-wing corporate, unfit incumbent.

I have been reminded recently of the popular fronts that existed in Europe and the US in the 30s. Yes, the strategy was, in part, dictated by the Soviet communist party’s machinations. But, the point for us is that these popular fronts represented a coming-together of various left and center forces to defeat the common enemy of fascism.

We need a new popular front to defeat Trumpism. Let’s defeat Trumpism today and continue to fight for the revolution tomorrow.