"Enough is Enough!" This phrase has been used by Bernie Sanders countless times on the stump to point out the lack of moral justice that has embodied this country for a long time now. This is also the phrase that describes my disappointment and disdain for what this party has become. Seven years ago, I was a motivated and hopeful volunteer for the Obama campaign as an 18 year old, eager to send the party forward into the future. This diary is a personal reflection on the enthusiasm that was generated during that election cycle and the mistakes that have led to the cynicism and disinterest of my cohorts in the 18-29 year old voting bloc.
Idealistic, Compassionate, and Energetic. These empowering terms describe the heart of a young voter. Impractical, Misguided, and Naive. Far too often these are the charges leveled against my fellow youth when engaging in political discourse in this country. Yes, this response is much more common when conversing with right wing reactionaries, but this sentiment has a home with those squarely in the Democratic Party.
In 2008 I supported Barack Obama, the candidate who ran to the left of Hillary Clinton, the candidate who opposed unilateral war in Iraq, the one I believed would fight to make universal health care law. I believed he was the future of the Democratic Party, a public servant, who ran with no fear, who was in tune with the needs of the many, and who relied on a groundswell of grassroots supporters that believed in true progressive policies. Watching President Obama get elected was one of the proudest and most emotional moments of my young life and I felt an indescribable sense of pride as well as hope for the future.
While I truly do understand the obscene level of obstruction that characterized much of the President's two terms, he had a majority in the Senate and House for 2 years and failed on his promise of universal healthcare, a major blow to my trust and enthusiasm. Even public option, a reasonable place holder for the single payer system, didn't seem to be fought for as much as it could have been. I was very disturbed that President Obama extended patents for pharmaceutical companies after citing multiple times that a major reason his mom passed away was that she could not get the care and medicine she needed because it was too expensive. These actions were shocking because this is not the same man I voted for in the primaries and general election. That man would have gone to hell and back to ensure these policies were put in place.
Let's be honest, is the voter turnout for the midterm elections as low as it was in both 2010 and 2014, if progressive policies where fought for and passed by the Democratic Party? I really do not think so. Universal Healthcare, ending the wars, rethinking the war on drugs, defending/expanding social security are winning issues. The public DEMANDED these policies by choosing Obama over Clinton and McCain and when they weren't delivered, we wonder why voter turnout was low and we lost?
I speak for my countless peers in saying, we're done supporting corporatist Democrats. The Republicans have done a sickening, yet beautiful job on using social issues to distract and misinform the public and rule with fear. My generation sees through that, yet we also see that the Democrats supporting Gay and Women's rights, while an important and necessary fight, distracts the public from their failures on the economic side of the equation.
My generation is tired of being taught that you have to live with fear and hatred in your heart. The vast majority of us know that being gay is normal, the vast majority agree on comprehensive women's rights, and through the power of social media and the internet, we are not ignorant to the injustices that happen on a daily basis in this country based on racial, religious, and economic differences.
This brings me to the point of this diary. I have studied and admired Bernie Sanders for a long time, he is a man of great honor and integrity. His candidacy has inspired my return to the political arena as well as many of my disengaged peers. This election is a chance to strengthen and shape this party for years to come. The progressive agenda is the youth agenda. It is a platform that embraces compassion and stands tall in the face of fear. It appeals to the best of us and extends a hand to everyone in our country. We don't want politicians, we want public servants.
I have no doubt in my mind or heart that Bernie Sanders will not go the way of President Obama. Bernie will do what he believes is right and what he has always believed to be right. He will fight for the disenfranchised, the vulnerable, and the least of these. He has called for a political revolution, an awakening. When will we stop supporting the status quo and push for real change in both parties?
If you want to squeak out a victory in the general election and compromise away your policies, please support Hillary. If you want to generate an unprecedented level of excitement and build a true rainbow coalition, please join me in supporting Bernie. I will not be dissuaded by arguments that a "socialist" cannot win or that he is too liberal. The majority of Americans agree with Bernie on almost every issue. When we band together and spread this brand of progressivism to the nation, we cannot and will not fail.
Idealistic, Compassionate, and Energetic. That is the spirit of Bernie Sanders. That is the future of the Democratic Party.