Should Bernie Supporters Suck It Up and Back Biden?
The short answer is, I’m glad I don’t have to make the decision
I’m not from the US. But, as is the case with most of the rest of the world, whoever gets to lead the most powerful country on the planet has an impact on me.
Last time around, I was excited to discover the existence of Bernie Sanders. I know a little of McCarthyism, Reds Under the Bed, and thought that in the US ‘Socialism’ was a swearword punishable by indefinite incarceration. So to discover that not only are there American politicians willing to describe themselves as democratic socialists, but also the possibility of one running for president — it gave me hope.
I consider myself firmly in the anti-capitalist camp, but as mainstream politics across the globe are deeply entrenched in this destructive political system, I tend to support any party I consider to be vaguely left-wing. It’s a compromise. Democratic candidates like Barak Obama have never exactly been aiming to end capitalism, but if the only likely alternative in the short to medium term is someone like Mitt Romney or Trump, then I’ve always felt it necessary to suck it up. Obama wasn’t even left-wing, rather he was firmly in the neoliberal camp, so I can’t say I’d blame any ‘proper’ leftists for denying him their vote. But had I been…
