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Opinion: Why I’m probably a “Never Bernie” club member

In our age of partisan orthodoxy, I try really hard to take our individual politicians as they are rather than as they are labeled.

I try to give the benefit of the doubt, to assume good intentions and to try to judge political leaders based on their effectiveness rather than their talking points.

Jay Inslee, JT Wilcox, Teresa Mosqueda, Paul Harris, Jacquelyn Maycumber, Eileen Cody: in my book, Washington State is very lucky to have these public servants, and party doesn’t matter even a little.

So, in 2016, I was really proud of folks in the “Never Trump” movement. I felt Donald Trump showed during the campaign that he was focused on division rather than problem solving, and that his presidency would be marked by vitriol rather than grace.

So, for Republicans to stand up in the face of party orthodoxy and say “I will never vote for Trump,” I thought that took political courage and conviction to stand apart, as a Republican, from the Republican party and say this is not who we are. I lauded it then and continue to appreciate it today.

Now, as I look at my choice between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden in the Democratic Primary, I am reminded of those “Never Trump” voters.

The Democrats are a long way from finalizing their candidate. I expect we may run into a messy convention, one that will be brokered and which I expect could lead to real conflict in the halls of the convention and outside. It has a feel of Chicago in 1968.

But, in my view, whoever wins the Democratic nomination this year, it shouldn’t be Bernie Sanders.

I won’t be voting for Donald Trump under any circumstances. I will vote for a Democrat. But, I can’t see ever voting for Bernie Sanders, even if he is the nominee. I’ll write in Jay Inslee if Sanders is the nominee.

Here are a few reasons why.

First, Bernie isn’t a Democrat. I know Bernie’s supporters like to split this hair, but he isn’t. And, the divisions between the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists go back literally 100 years.

During the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and in the decades following, the key question among communists and socialists was whether violence was necessary to move the revolution forward. Communists generally said yes (though I recognize there was a division between Lenin and Trotsky on this) and socialists generally said no.

As the decades wore on, and as socialists in Europe further factionalized, Democratic Socialists further split from the socialists in calling for democracy in a socialized economy rather than a centralized form of government.

That’s all fine, well and good. But none of those parties are Democrats.

I recognize there is a battle for the future of the Democratic Party, but this has been fought before in Washington State.

More than perhaps any other state, Washington has wrestled with this question of endorsing socialism and Democrats here said no.

In the 1950s, following WWII, a Democratic Party meeting was open verbal warfare and political organizing between Democrats and Socialists. Communists were a part of that mix, too.

Ultimately, Washingtonians on the left decided to work within the system, affirming Democratic values, and dispelling Socialists and Communists for generations.

Put differently, there is a long strain of political thought in our state that embraces Bernie.

But, the Democratic Party isn’t it.

Second, let’s face it: Elizabeth Warren was cold-blooded but spot on when she said Bernie had been ineffective as a member of Congress.

Renaming post office buildings through legislation shouldn’t count as a “victory.”

Moreover, as the coronavirus spreads, we’re reminded in Washington State that effective government may not be sexy. It may not fire up the base.

But effective government saves lives. Bernie has never been considered an effective policy maker since winning a seat in Congress in 1990.

Finally, let’s be honest: Bernie Sanders has long been an apologist for the Soviet Union, and as a result became a tool for Soviet propaganda.

If you’re a Democrat, and you’re appalled by Russia’s interference in our elections, Sanders was, unfortunately, helping spread Russian propaganda before Facebook made a business out of it.

If you’re a human, and you abhor mass slaughter of life, you’ll note that the Soviet Union killed more humans than any other regime in the history of the world, except Mao’s China.

You’d be correct to note that Stalin, through gulags, forced starvation, and mass murder, was responsible for far more deaths than Hitler.

No one says “You know, Hitler was bad but he built a strong autobahn system.” And, if they say it, they would be right, but they probably shouldn’t be running for office. It’s not a great look to be commending Hitler on anything.

It’s also not a great look – in fact it’s a worse look – to be commending the Soviets on their transportation system. However, that’s exactly what Sanders has done throughout his career, including at this press conference.

As Russia continues to surreptitiously support Bernie in this election, as they did in 2016, the part of me that is repulsed by Trump’s uncritical outreach to Putin is as repulsed by Bernie’s apparent openness to Putin’s help too.

My convictions are the convictions of the Washington State Democratic Party going back 70 years: we are not socialists. We are, rather, focused on getting things done. My convictions are the convictions of Northwest Republicans who led the conservation movement, modeled efficient government, and got things done. We aren’t focused on sound bites. We’re focused on getting to work.

My values don’t align with Donald Trump’s and so I won’t be voting for him.

Those same values don’t align with Bernie Sanders, and so I won’t be voting for him if he is the Democratic nominee.


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