The Blind v The Stupid

Yesterday was a very sad day for the progressive movement in America, with Bernie Sanders ending his run to become the Democratic Party nominee to face Donald Trump in Novembers presidential election. This has left an empty path to the nomination for Joe Biden, who upon hearing the news the Sanders had dropped out must have been ecstatic; or at least after it was explained to him that he's running for president.

I think it's unreasonable to blame Sanders for dropping out, he ran as good a campaign as he could have: more individual campaign donors than any other candidate, no billionaire contributors and coming second against a relentless torrent of abuse and dismissal from the media and other candidates alike.

Indeed, what Sanders has done so well (and thoroughly built on from his 2016 run) is make ideas such a universal healthcare, real job security and tuition free college mainstream within America: he was able to speak to the issues that establishment Democrats and Republicans have neglected for so long, the same neglect that helped create the political climate for the rise of Trump.

The Sanders campaign was about speaking to the pain within communities that voted for Trump, speaking to the youth and giving them a future to be hopeful about, and shaking up the Democratic Party establishment; showing them that a fixation on defeating Trump isn't an issue solver in itself, far from it.

Truly, this forthcoming election really is a lose-lose, irrespective of who gets elected (and I would bet my luscious head of hair on that person being Trump). The problems with Trump are self-evident at this stage, but how could it be that electing Biden and getting rid of Trump would be a bad thing? What's wrong with Biden?

Without even touching on Bidens very clear cognitive decline and the fact he's about as inspiring an overflowing public toilet, Bidens issue lies squarely on his policy platform. He is nothing more than an establishment corporate Democrat, a man whos politics should be nothing more than a 1970's relic of a time where the politics of the Cold War reigned supreme.

Biden is no radical, not even close. He doesn't seek to change America or improve people's lives: after all, this is the man who even said that if he got elected, 'Nothing fundamentally would change'. Rather, his soul purpose in running in this race is defeating Trump. This is fine, I of course don't disagree with this being of necessity, but to do this at a time where fundamental change is needed and to then not press for this change is not merely bad strategy, it's immoral to those who have nowhere to turn, to those who already have no faith in the political process. It's Bidens train of political thought (when he can stay on that train) that leads to people like Trump. Namely, you can't continuously dismiss sweeping issues and not expect a Trump of their day to become popular.

The problem is, then, that even if Biden were to be elected (something I strongly doubt), he would not solve the endemic issues that lead to Trumps election in the first place, only emboldening the Trump movement and further legitimising the anger that led to his election.

This election was the chance to not only delegitimise the Trump agenda, but a chance to then go on and legitimise ideas that will actually solve issues, not merely provide empty platitudes.

In this regard, a Biden victory would be incredibly hollow: Trump the man would be gone, but his movement taller. The king would be dead: long live the king.