Kamala Harris was my first choice.
Pete Buttigieg was my second.
Joe Biden is my third. Third time’s a charm.
A dear friend of mine is a hardcore Bernie fan and earlier today posted on Facebook his dismay that people are choosing Biden over Sanders. His post simply said:
I don’t get it. If Democrats wanted a do-over this much, why didn’t they just renominate Clinton?
The Facebook conversation largely ignored the veiled disgust at Biden as a Hillary supplicant, as people either defended one person or the other. Here is what I wrote. I thought it was worth sharing, as I know the DKos community is filled with passionate Bernie supporters. I submit this with all the humility I can. I certainly don’t want to start an online flame war. It’s just my opinion. YMMV.
Bernie is absolutely right about nearly every topic (if not every) he brings up. Both from what he identifies as what is wrong as well as the prescription to fix it. I think you’re attracted to that. I admit, it would be nice to have a national/governmental do over. The progressive side of me craves it.
What I think is missing [friend’s name], from your perspective, is how some voters *feel* when they listen to him speak. You can be right about something, but dogmatic. Step out of his aura for a moment. You may then see that people with health care issues (my wife for example) are terrified that the system they rely on would be completely upended. That level of uncertainty is terrifying.
For me, I actually HATE the way he yells and infrequently smiles. I *feel* as if he’s talking down to me. Like if I don’t vote for him, I’m a bad guy. And I further HATE the way he uses the word “establishment” for two reasons. Firstly, it immediately creates a social wedge. If I’m not following you, I’m establishment, used intentionally as a pejorative. Fuck that. Secondly, it’s hypocritical. He is as establishment as Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton. Marianne Williamson wasn’t establishment. Pete Buttigieg wasn’t establishment. Bernie is.
Lastly, I will posit that in an era where we are (well, most of us) simply exhausted, we can’t do a “revolution.” We need a return to normalcy. We need to stop being gaslit and made to feel badly. Bernie yelling at me makes me feel bad, just like Trump. And that might be the key consideration at the end of the day this [election] cycle. Bernie is comparable to Trump in his intransigence. Biden makes me feel comfortable. I do not think I’m alone in that feeling.
I will add, especially after the speech Bernie gave today...about the questions he will be asking of Joe at the Sunday debate, is that he is instrumental in turning the Democratic Party more to the left. And that is a good thing.
I will confidently vote for Joe. And be more so when he picks a woman to his VP.
And so, for the first time this year, I have opened up my wallet and donated $250 to the Joe Biden for President committee.