Why I’m still for Bernie in 2020
I understand the importance of representation. It is important to have people in positions of power who understand the needs of marginalized communities. At the same time, we need someone who will also take action to change our current oppressive systems that puts profits over people. I believe that a person’s past actions are the best indication of what they will do once they hold power.
I support Bernie for president in 2020 because I think Bernie has the strongest track record of standing up for marginalized communities. He is the one who has the boldest ideas, the strongest convictions, and has held them for longer than I’ve been alive. Whether it was his participation in the civil rights movement as a student in the 60s long before it was mainstream; whether it was fighting for marriage equality and LGBTQ rights before it was popular; whether it was standing up for the people of Puerto Rico and Native American tribes and Standing Rock; or whether it is having the guts to speak up against U.S. intervention in foreign countries like Venezuela: Bernie didn’t do anything because it was politically expedient; he did it because it was the right thing to do. And that shows me that when in a position of power, he will have the guts to do what is right, and drastically change the status quo.
I understand a lot of progressives also support Elizabeth Warren. I appreciate that she has been a strong critic of Wall Street. However, Elizabeth Warren showed a lack of understanding of oppression when she went out of her way to tout and prove her Native American ancestry without having lived that life, yet remained silent on issues like Standing Rock. She was also silent in opposing Puerto Rico’s PROMESA bill.
I am deeply grateful for Tulsi Gabbord throwing her support behind Bernie in 2016 and speaking out against US military intervention overseas. However, her previous comments against the LGBTQ community, as well as her ties to the right-wing Hindu nationalists are troubling to me.
As for Kamala Harris, as Attorney General, in a position of power, she did not do what she could have to prosecute the cops who killed Mario Woods. She did not do what she could to stop the death penalty. She did not try to reduce the prison population when CA’s prisons were getting overcrowded. What she did was to increase incarceration — for parents who have truant children! If a child is missing school, it means that there are problems in the family — economic, health, mental health, substance abuse etc. But the last thing you can do to improve the situation is the put those parents behind bars. Given her track record, I don’t think that Kamala Harris will enact the changes that this country needs.
To be fair, Bernie is not perfect. He has made mistakes, and said things he shouldn’t have said. But in terms of policy, he is by far the strongest. He has consistently been working to drastically change our current system that puts profits before people. I trust that he will introduce bold legislation to guarantee healthcare, education, and a living wage as a right, dismantle for-profit prisons, reform our criminal justice system that murders and over incarcerates black and brown people, introduce comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship, hold Wall Street accountable, and take drastic actions to address climate change, ending dependence on fossil fuels and invest in green energy.
Someone will be occupying the seat in the White House, and I want it to be the person who has not only talked the talk, but also walked the walk. And that’s Bernie Sanders.