I’m visiting a friend this weekend and naturally, the conversation turned to politics. I have never thought of this person as moderate to be honest. She has always shared my views on the need for universal healthcare, she loathes the GOP as much as I do, strongly supported Hillary in 2016 and liked Bernie Sanders. So she surprised me when she announced that she hoped Elizabeth Warren doesn’t win the primary. I think what surprised me was how vehement she was about it. How strongly she seemed to dislike Elizabeth Warren. She supports Biden, because she believes Biden is more likely to be able to return us to normalcy, whereas Warren is so angry (her perception) that she’ll just keep stirring things up. I argued that we are way past any hope of returning to some sort of normalcy and that we need someone who understands that kumbaya ain’t gonna happen.
We changed the subject fairly quickly, as it was clear we both had strong feelings here. But it got me thinking — we are in such a precarious time right now. Some people hope and believe that if we elect the right person we can set things right, go back to how it used to be say under, ummm, I feel like I can’t really remember a time when the GOP wasn’t suppressing voter rights, attacking Dem politicians for blow jobs while outright ignoring the immoral behavior of their own, shouting “You Lie” while lying about everything and actively working to kill any progressive or even moderate idea just because it came from “the other side.” I don’t think there is a back to normal to return to and I, for one, don’t want to go back there. I believe our democracy is and has been broken for a very long time and I want something new and bold and better. But I realize, and maybe I didn’t quite realize this before, that there are a lot of very good people, strong progressive Democrats, who cling to a hope that we can return to something calm and normal. People are afraid. And yes, it is scary.
I have often thought that I don’t see how this all ends without violence. I don’t see how it all ends without something like a revolution. I would rather avoid all that violence, but I’m super skeptical that electing Biden over Warren is going to cause the GOP to turn into democracy loving “friends across the aisle.” I’m a Warren fan, but how many people like my friend are out there? How do we soothe fears and help them see Warren not as “angry” but as someone who is willing and ready to fight for us? How do we help them accept that there is no normal to return to?