I will never criticize Bernie, if only because he’s done more for working-class Americans and the future than any American in a generation.

But I agree with @J_ManPrime21 that political heroes are never the answer. #NotMeUs means many things worth examining. Thread. /1 https://twitter.com/j_manprime21/status/1260280882633433088

#NotMeUs reflects our constitutional principle of popular sovereignty.

Candidates don’t win or lose elections.

*Volunteers and movements* win or lose elections, with candidates serving as sails through which supporters combine energy.

That also has further implications. /2

I come to running for office after 20 years of leading non-profits & advocacy campaigns, taking action in the courts, briefing Congress, organizing artists, producing art, putting my body on the line, and training others.

Elections are part—but not all—of the #NotMeUs puzzle. /3

Another implication of #NotMeUs is that *Bernie knew* that We (writ large) would need to finish what he started.

No single figure could possibly achieve a vision as bold & visionary as the one he put forward.

It will take *all* of Us.

We aren’t “Us” without *you*. /4

Many people across the #NotMeUs movement have shared their disillusion—and even despair—over the past few weeks.

I understand why people committed to the future might struggle to find hope at a time like this.

Between the pandemic and fascism, the future seems ominous. /5

Add climate chaos to all that, and despair might seem understandable.

But any despair reflects fear, not the facts.

I have the privilege of knowing people doing amazing work across the country. #NotMeUs

We may appear down, but we are not out. /6

Our neighbors are showing up in inspiring ways.

A UC Berkeley student organized a network that produced & delivered industrial quantities of hand sanitizer to unhoused & elderly folks across the Bay Area.

I spoke with an activist in the Bayview with a mutual aid project. /7

SF’s DA @chesaboudin has dramatically reduced our jail population, advancing public health and human rights at once.
@Ilhan proposed a visionary bill to #CancelTheRent, even if Pelosi wants to bailout corporate lobbyists.

Inspiring opportunities abound even in dark times. /8

#NotMeUs also means that none of us have the luxury of observing politics as if from a removed perspective.

We are all implicated.

We are all responsible.

And we are all in this together. /9

You are far from alone.

We confront the challenges of this unique moment not just as individuals, but as a movement with the numbers, vision, diversity, skills, and networks we need to shape history.

Together, no force can stop #NotMeUs. /10