Warren dropped out of the race, and a lot of people have feelings about it. There’s a lot of hostility flying around, and I want to address it directly. The core of this is that we can’t have productive discourse without understanding, and so much of the vitriol is just trying to silence people without listening to what they’re saying; this is as true of the angry Sanders supporters as it is of the angry Warren supporters. I don’t condone any of the negative behavior, but I understand where it’s coming from, and I want to help other people understand so we can move forward toward common goals, because we are on the same side. Please try to remember that there’s been a massive Russian intelligence psyops operation happening since 2014. It is still ongoing, with a mission to divide us. People are still responsible for their actions, but a lot of people are being manipulated.
Elizabeth Warren was a great candidate. She didn’t make it through a combination of sexism, bad strategic decisions, and other factors. She would undoubtedly have been the best president of my lifetime thus far. She was always my close second choice behind Sanders, and after Castro dropped out, nobody was a close third. My preference for Sanders is that he wants to entirely change the system, while Warren wants to fix it. Either of them have a far superior vision for this country than the one we currently live in. Warren’s supporters are sad and righteously angry that a brilliant, capable, progressive woman didn’t fare better, and that’s valid. I have criticisms of Warren, but I have criticisms of every candidate, including Sanders. I have fewer criticisms of Warren than almost anyone. I admire her evolution from being a Republican to someone fighting to protect working people, and working ceaselessly to eradicate the corruption that plagues our government; it speaks very highly of her character.
The anger that we’re seeing directed at each other isn’t about Warren. It isn’t about Sanders, either.
There's a lot of valid, righteous anger about the oppressive system in which we live, and there's a lot of power trying to actively silence it or weaponize it, so it manifests in unproductive ways. The presumption that any opposition to a progressive candidate is crooked, corrupt, or in bad faith is obviously false, but when someone sees a system that is demonstrably rigged against them, they often see any opposition to dismantling that system as a personal assault against them (they shouldn't, and it's a very shortsighted view). Frequently, that comes in support of a status quo politician who benefits from a crooked system, so they see support of that establishment candidate as crooked, too. This has been reinforced for many people’s entire lives. Even as a Xennial, I experienced a *lot* more security in my life than people born 10-15 years after me. This isn’t to say that I’ve had it easy, because I haven’t at all. I just recognize the privilege of growing up in a system that had not been eroded as much. Americans have reliably watched as moderate after moderate promised change and to fight for them, but the only change was to benefit corporate America at the expense of the marginalized. Many of them see Biden as a death sentence because he literally promised billionaires that nothing would change. If nothing changes, we really are doomed. They don’t trust Biden to fight for the issues that are literally life and death for them; he’s just another existential threat to them, and far too many people with a lot more privilege don’t seem to grasp that.
“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Letter from a Birmingham jail
The income inequality in this country is at the highest point since before the great depression. 40% of this country can’t come up with $400 if an emergency happened. Many people are one missed paycheck away from poverty. People are dying because they can’t afford insulin, and the little wealth the 99% has is being systematically siphoned away from them, while social support programs are being cut. We’re watching the effects of climate change ravage the planet, threatening the prospects for future generations, while the government eases regulations. There are a lot of people who live with a constant existential fear, and it is very rational and well justified fear.
Marginalized people are disproportionately affected by these issues. This is an intersectional fight, so we have to be intersectional in the way we approach the campaigns. Understanding privilege is critically important, as is recognizing that oppression comes in many forms. The sexism that people are rightfully angry about is one form.
Sanders speaks directly and honestly to people about the power structures that are causing these socioeconomic woes, they look at his very long history of fighting this fight, and trust him to be an ally. Then, just as he’s poised for a big win on Super Tuesday, Biden wins SC (a state he was always expected to win), and between a very friendly, if exaggerated, narrative about his win from corporate media (who have been demonstrably biased against Sanders), and a sudden slew of last-minute endorsements from the corporate-backed Democratic establishment, rallying together to defeat the largest grassroots movement in my lifetime. Sure, the poor performance of Sanders’s outreach to the black community in SC had a lot to do with it, but he was never expected to win there. This is after Democratic leaders and superdelegates said they would be willing to damage the party to stop Sanders. The message that the establishment is trying to stop Sanders has been very real to his supporters since 2016, and the party has cemented that belief this year. They are righteously angry at the system that is trying to prevent real progress.
There is no debating that Warren and Sanders split the progressive vote; that’s just math. It wasn’t stealing from one or the other, there were just two good, progressive candidates, and people have varying opinions about which one is better, so they voted accordingly.
With that in mind, let’s consider the demographics of Warren and Sanders supporters. These are not criticisms, just data. We’re all on the same side, the candidates just had stronger appeal to different segments, and clearly better outreach was needed by both campaigns. Warren supporters are largely white, college educated, working professionals, 30-64 years old. Sanders supporters are overwhelmingly 44 and younger, nonwhite, non-college educated, and lower-income. He also has the highest support in the LGBTQ community. There are distinct disparities in the privilege that these groups have, and that cannot be overlooked in the discussion.
Warren supporters are righteously angry at the outcome of the election thus far and the actions of some Sanders supporters. Sanders supporters are righteously angry at an oppressive establishment, and some have misplaced their anger in targeting Warren and her supporters because they saw things that she did as beneficial to the establishment candidate, and betraying the progressive cause (right or wrong, this is how it looks to them). For them, it’s an existential issue, so they take it very personally. The offending Sanders supporters are not listening to the very valid reasons that Warren supporters are upset. They often don’t see that this is interpreted by Warren supporters as sexism, which is very real and has taken a heavy toll, or as juvenile hostility. Warren supporters who are attacking Sanders supporters are not listening to the very valid reasons Sanders supporters are angry (even if the anger is sometimes aimed in the wrong direction). Now, let’s look at that from a demographics perspective; a large, young, diverse group of marginalized people are seeing a group of largely older, white, college educated professionals telling them that because some people were mean to them online that they’re going to vote against the interests of the marginalized people. I know this is not the intent of the Warren supporters who are lashing out, but in engenders distrust and anger, largely because of the disparity in privilege and economic power. None of this is to say that Warren supporters aren't angry at or fighting the same system. Again, we’re on the same side, and the anger is misplaced. Other Americans are not our enemy.
Some Sanders supporters see people supporting moderate candidates who aren't promising any real change as the enemy because it’s literally life and death for them. They think that people voting for moderates are more concerned with maintaining the status quo than the survival of marginalized, vulnerable people. The voters are not doing it with that intent, of course; the anger is valid but misplaced, but they also are not understanding that maintaining the status quo is maintaining a system that is hostile to the very existence of many Sanders supporters (and many supporters of all candidates, Sanders just happens to represent a lot of very vulnerable people).
We need a huge coalition to win this. Please, in your interactions with people, consider that everyone is facing a struggle with some power structure in this country. Be kind. It might not be the exact same fight that you’re fighting, but it’s connected. Try to understand privilege and how it relates to the people with whom you’re dealing. Try to understand how these systems of oppression overlap and reinforce each other. We need to work to build understanding, not attack each other. Keeping us divided is what the establishment needs to retain power. That’s why unions are under attack, it’s why grassroots movements are under attack, and it’s why the free press is under attack. Especially if you’re coming from a place of more privilege, try to understand that voting against the interests of marginalized people is seen as active oppression, and if you believe in a progressive agenda, take the time to listen to the most vulnerable people and understand what they’re saying. Remember that you cannot say that you’re an ally to someone and then vote for something that will harm them.
Everyone talks about unity until someone is an asshole to them. We’re better than that. Be patient. Be understanding. Most importantly, be kind. Build a bigger tent, talk to the most vulnerable people you know, and vote in their best interests. If you’re vulnerable, try to help your friends and family understand the direct impact these policies have on your lives. If you have more privilege, recognize it and use it. We all have to fight against a common enemy, and 99% of Americans are not it.
Be excellent to each other - Bill and Ted
