Bernie Supporters, Now is Not Time to Jump Ship

Bernie's defeat during last night's Super Tuesday was disheartening to say the least. But just because the majority is paying attention to the sharks and ship captain, doesn't mean you give up on the guy pointing out the disaster we're heading into.

Months ago, before any #StillSanders hashtag appeared, I was asked in an anonymous Tumblr message if I would change my blog name and start following another presidential candidate if Bernie didn't win the nomination.

The question seemed absurd to me then. I didn't start a blog and several social media channels so I could flip flop between lackluster political candidates. I don't spend hours of my day every day reading Bernie, sharing Bernie, discussing Bernie just to give up once he secured the white house. Win or lose, Bernie champions a message I care about, and as long as that message is carried, I will kept fighting for it.

I thought others who proclaimed they "feel the bern" were the same as I, that they too had latched on to the message and were in it for the long haul. Now, with Bernie's chances for the nomination growing slimmer, I was disappointed to see messages of those I once trusted urging others to vote for Hillary to save the country from the impending Trump nomination.

And if you're one of those people who championed Bernie but are now limping away and suggesting we all do the same, then I have to ask you, what were you fighting for in the first place? Because the issues haven't changed, and if you ever really cared about them, Bernie is still the best choice for president. Do you not owe it to yourself and this country to continue fighting for Bernie?

Running scared to vote for the lesser evil is what establishment politics wants you to do. How many presidential elections have you heard the saying "But I can't vote for him because he can't win?" We, a country built by revolutionists, have let ourselves believe we have no power. Many of us are sick and tired of our political system, but we've bought into the fallacy of the throwaway vote. The reality is if we only had the courage to band together, we could truly change something.

There is, even now a path to the white house. Bernie does extremely well with Independents and young people, two groups that have felt excluded by and haven't participated in our political process. Bernie is the only candidate with a net favorability rating among voters and polls better than Hillary against the Republican candidates. While Hillary gains support mostly among democrats, Bernie appeals to a wide group voters, Democrats and Republicans alike. Bernie's support can be expected to grow after the primary as he gains more exposure among the American people. Hillary's support may not as her numbers have stayed around the same since the primary started. 

Bernie plans to fight all the way to the convention where it all comes down to super delegates. If Bernie can pull off an impressive delegate count to rival Clinton, and the delegates recognize Bernie has the support and the momentum to win the general election in a way that surpasses Clinton's chances, they should vote for him.

Of course, there's always the chance Bernie doesn't win. But what really changes then? Do you honestly believe our country is best served by voting for another candidate? We backed Bernie because we believed in what he represented. None of that changes if he doesn't win the nomination.

What about the fossil fuels destroying our planet? What about people who still can't afford life saving healthcare? What about preventing Wall Street from crashing our economy again? Our crumbling education system? The disappearing middle class? Our bought politicians? Our obsession with continuous warfare? Our terrible mass incarceration and criminal justice issues? No one said the political revolution was going to be easy. And I for one fail to see how turning in my values and beliefs for an establishment candidate is going to be helpful.

Our country cannot continue to survive like this, and Hillary is not going to fix it. Yes, Trump is scary, but that's no reason to buy into the establishment ploy and drag our country though 8 more years of income inequality, corrupt politics, and no change. Hillary is just as likely to destroy the country as Trump, she'll just do it quietly and behind closed doors.

Hillary has to earn our vote and has already demonstrated how little she cares about it. So what do we do? We get back to what we've been doing. We phone bank, canvas, and volunteer our heart out. We show up and vote and drag our friends and family out with us. We make Hillary fight for every last delegate until the convention.

And what if Bernie doesn't get the Democratic nomination? Then we see if a third party candidacy is an option, and if it is we fight our heart out for that. And if not, we continue to fight for Bernie and his beliefs and vote berniecrats into office one county, city, state at a time. We change Congress. We get involved in our political process, attend protests, and demand that our representatives work for us. We do not give up! And we do not give in!

Bernie has been fighting for us for over 40 years, even when no one was around to take him seriously. Now is not the time to jump ship, or perhaps the perfect time if you were never serious to be begin with. We are the political revolution, and it can only go as far as you decide to carry it. Sign the Bernie or Bust pledge to write in Bernie's name or vote Green in the general election. Tell the establish we're not playing their game anymore.

Hillary's "I'm a Woman" Card is Ridiculous and Insulting

Hillary plays the "I'm a Woman" card every chance she gets, like somehow the fact she has different genitals than most of her running mates makes her a better candidate. Has she forgotten there's a woman running on the GOP side? I'm not more likely to throw my vote to her than I am any other GOP candidate. Why would someone's gender make any difference on the Democratic side?

When you're asked, Hillary, what makes you different than Obama, the correct answer is not, "I'm a woman." And when you're asked if you can be considered establishment, the correct answer is not, "I can't be because I'm a woman." Why would you ever suggest that voters would support you because of what's between your legs or on your chest vs what positions you actually support?

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight against the Keystone pipeline?

No. Hillary didn't take any stance on the Keystone pipeline until finally coming out against it in September, 2015. Meanwhile, Bernie was against it from the very beginning. 

Does being a woman make you more likely to rail against the greed of Wall Street?

No. Hillary refuses to reinstate Glass Steagall, and during the last debate said she'd only look at breaking up big banks if they posed a risk. Meanwhile, she has several ties to Wall Street she may be reluctant to sever and Bernie has been wanting to break up the banks since the fallout where they already proved their risk to the economy.

Does being a woman make you most qualified to lead us in clean energy?

No. Hillary has yet to name a stance on fracking. Meanwhile, Bernie's climate plan goes further than Hillary's in addressing clean energy on a global scale and on transportation in addition to home energy sources.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for better health care?

No. Hillary wants to "build" on the Affordable Care Act and "reduce costs" with no clear end goal other than to make it better. Meanwhile, Bernie has a plan for universal healthcare for all Americans that should have been enacted years ago.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for fair trade policies?

No. Hillary only came out against the TPP October, 2015 after hoping it would set a gold standard. Meanwhile, Bernie has been against it at least since December, 2014. And he's always been suspicious of unfettered free trade policies where as Hillary has back-peddled on NAFTA. Only Bernie has actually spoken about the real horrors of the bill - being negotiated behind closed doors and giving corporations the power to challenge environmental laws, to name a few- while Hillary only said it would hurt American workers.

Does being a woman make you more likely to stand up for LGBT issues?

No. Hillary was against same-sex marriage until 2013 and up to that point only supported civil unions. Meanwhile, Bernie approved Burlington's first gay pride parade in 1983.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight against mass incarceration?

No. While Hillary and Bernie fair equality in supporting reductions in jail sentences for non-violent drug offenders and deprivatizing our criminal system, Hillary refuses to decriminalize marijuana, making it legal only for medical purposes. Meanwhile, Bernie wants it off the list of outlawed drugs altogether.

Does being a woman make you more likely to keep us from another complicated and costly war?

No. Hillary is supportive of having the US lead the charge against ISIS, bringing up questions of how well she's really learned from her mistake in voting for the Iraq war. Meanwhile, Bernie has said that regional nations should lead the charge with US assistance. He has also questioned the US's role as "world police" and the amount of instability that is brought to a region when a regime is toppled.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for a living wage?

No. Hillary wants to raise the minimum wage to $12 and hour. Meanwhile, Bernie wants to raise it to $15, which is calculated to get working families out of poverty and off welfare.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight for affordable education?

No. Hillary wants to implement debt-free college, meaning students and their families will still have to play. Meanwhile, Bernie wants to remove any barriers to achieve a college education by making it tuition-free.

Does being a woman make you more likely to fight to take big money out of politics?

No. While Hillary has said she wants to overturn Citizens United, she has taken large corporation donations throughout her political career and during her current campaign. Meanwhile, Bernie has sworn off such donations. During his political career where he's been offered corporate money, he's either refused it or donated it.

I'm asking, Hillary, because these are the issues I care about. And when placed side by side, you are weaker on these issues than Bernie Sanders. The two of you fair equally in your stances on Social Security, police reform, and women's issues. But why stop there? When it comes down to it, there is another candidate who will fight more for the positions I care about and who has a consistent record to back it up (you don't). Yes, he happens to wear pants. So do you, by the way. Why would you insult the intelligence of your voters, especially women voters, by suggesting your vagina makes any kind of a difference?

NBC Fourth Democratic Debate Recap - The Bernie Debate

Remember when I said I didn't understand why we like to decide who won debates? Well, I have to take it back because I really felt like Bernie killed this debate. For once, I wasn't staring at the screen listening to candidates talk about their different perspectives or yell at one another. This time, something more came through, and I really felt like Bernie came out on top. Here's a break down:

Before the Debate

Lots of things happened before the debate, and I think they added to the momentum.

First there was the MLK roundtable with Cornel West, Killer Mike, and Nina Turner. The link before is the full discussion, but there's another shorter version with clearer audio that the campaign also released.

Before the debate, Bernie also found time to join a march in Charleston for living wages.

Also, Bernie released some details on his health care plan.

And before all of that happened Bernie issued a statement for the resignation of Michigan governor Rick Snyder as a result of the Flint water crisis. If you'd like to help the city of Flint, you can check out this article.

The Debate Itself

If you missed the debate, you can watch it here.

If you're just looking for the highlights, the debate got pretty firey with punches coming left and right from Clinton while Bernie dodged them all with grace.

One moment that went viral during the debate was Bernie's "side eye" that he gave Hillary after she accused him of calling Obama "weak." I actually missed this moment because I was giving Hillary a similar look from my couch.

Another moment that got shared a lot was Bernie's answer to how he would make sure that cases of police violence were reviewed and prosecuted fairly.

The debate on Wall Street and campaign funds is also worth watching.

Check out Bernie and Hillary's disagreement on how to handle Iran.

And Bernie and Hillary's disagreement on health care.

After the Debate

Even if while watching the debate you weren't sure who came out on top, the after effects of the debate were clear.

If the first time since the Democratic debates started, Bernie ended up with more speaking time than Hillary.

NBC Today called the debate "clearly the Bernie debate."

During the debate, Bernie was the most searched candidate in every state across the country.

Bernie did so well, that the campaign released this moving video.

During the debate, Bernie raked in $1 million in campaign donations.