*sigh* let’s talk about bernie

[disclaimer that this thread is directed at my fellow privileged peers, particularly those who hold white privilege, have US citizenship, and/or come from a high-income background—everyone else feel free to scroll past this because I’m hardly in a position to tell you what to do]

so this sucks. this sucks so damn much and it’s completely valid to be utterly gutted by this, so it’s more important than ever to practice self-care and community care during this difficult time. listen to your body and respect its needs. do what you need to do.

as a survivor, the weight of this campaign suspension is particularly heavy for me—the prospect of voting for a sexual predator of either party makes me feel sick. this is a valid feeling and I encourage fellow survivors to be gentle with themselves in the coming months.

remember is that the onus is not on survivors of any form of oppression to support people who perpetuate that oppression. if a survivor finds it too triggering to engage in electoral politics at this point, that’s valid. it’s also all the more reason for allies to step up.

so what now??? glad you asked!!! here’s what we’re not going to do: throw away everything we want and need for this country and its people. this is bigger than the two sexual predators on the ballot.

has your primary happened yet?? if not, you can stilll vote for bernie! while biden will be the democratic nominee, a large coalition of bernie delegates at the convention can help put pressure on his campaign to adopt a more progressive agenda. make your dissent heard!

another great thing we can do to help the progressive cause: constructively push the biden campaign to integrate bernie’s principles and platform into his work. pressure him to pick a progressive vp. campaign for your local, state, and federal representative races.

and in november, I get the instinct to just say fuck it and not vote at all. that’s a very understandable feeling and I resonate with it deeply. but it’s not a pragmatic sentiment to follow and in truth, elections are largely about pragmatism.

obviously, vote blue down ballot. we need to keep the house blue. we need a blue senate. we need progressives in our local and state governments. the presidency isn’t the only office on the line next december and we can’t forget that.

but yes, I am also imploring you to plug your nose, grit your teeth, and vote for the democratic nominee this november. it’s the only viable path to unseating trump and by extension, ensuring that the executive branch and supreme court are safe from his influence.

you don’t have to like biden—I certainly don’t. but this isn’t about him or you as individuals. it’s about keeping another kavanaugh out of the supreme court and appointing someone to run the epa who actually accepts the reality of climate change. as bernie says, #NotMeUs.

never forget that white people elected trump. due the voter suppression in this sham of a democracy, white people in a few swing states will largely decide whether he gets re-elected. if you are one of those privileged white voters, a write-in or empty ballot won’t suffice.

millions of children, immigrants, and disenfranchised people in this country don’t have the right to vote. millions more around the world will face the impact of this election abroad. don’t throw your ballot away on principle when you can be an ally in practice. vote blue.

this is not the revolution we wanted—any progress we make this year will likely be marginal and voting for the lesser of two evils is so often losing game. but there is a lesser evil here, and if you have the privilege of a vote, use it to fight the greater one.