An Ode to Bernie

Although Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign has ended unsuccessfully for the second time, he has left a significant impact on the country. Our loss of the most qualified presidential candidate is a tragedy for America’s democracy because Sanders was right about virtually everything. His ultra-progressive views on healthcare, immigration, climate change, and the wealth disparity are exactly what the United States needs to boost us out of its current overwhelmingly conservative and corrupt state. But despite the fact that we will never see Sanders able to personally enact his policies as Commander in Chief, the reality is that his revolutionary ideas and persona have facilitated crucial conversations on a national level. 

Bernie Sanders has undoubtedly transformed the Democratic Party, shifting entire conversations within an already progressive group. Most dramatically, he has popularized the idea of Medicare-for-All, a policy that is increasingly important during the current Coronavirus pandemic, which has exposed the weaknesses of American’s current healthcare system. With tens of thousands of fatalities from the virus, it is undeniable that increased accessibility to healthcare would have made a significant impact. The only way to achieve universal healthcare in the U.S., however, is through the Democratic Party and Joe Biden has been vocally opposed to this idea. This means that unless Biden completely changes his stance, Medicare-for-All will not be enacted because neither of the presidential candidates has been in support of this policy. Politics over the next several years will be defined by the fallout from the pandemic, and Sanders has consistently been the leading advocate for lifting people out of debt and providing healthcare for all, precisely what we needed for post-Coronavirus America. With that being said, the standard, middle-ground view during the Democratic race was universal coverage with a public option, which had not been anywhere near in reach during the era of Obamacare. Thus, even if Biden and Trump are both opposed to universal healthcare, the Democratic Party as a whole will not be, meaning that Biden’s standpoint is more likely to shift and we can expect Democrats in future presidential races to have healthcare views reminiscent of Sanders.

Sanders, despite his age (which he is often discounted for), speaks for the younger, more progressive generation. His ideas and focal points display a deep concern for the future of society. One of Sanders’ main campaign points was his dedication to fighting the climate change crisis, which in comparison to our current president, who denies the existence of the issue, is revolutionary. Additionally, Sanders made it a goal to provide free college education, allowing equal educational and career opportunities to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. Through both of these ideas, he has displayed a deep concern for the future and aspired to create an overall better society for younger generations, creating a long term and selfless impact that we have not seen in either Biden’s or Trump’s campaigns. In short, Bernie Sanders has been a beacon of hope for his supporters because he promised change and expressed ideals that have not been represented to anywhere near the same degree by any other candidate, especially President Trump.

Sanders epitomized everything that Trump certainly is not. While Trump denies the existence of climate change, Bernie made the issue his main area of focus. While Trump and his administration have constantly spread false information, Bernie has been consistently honest and genuine. While Trump’s actions have displayed an overt goal of self-interest, Bernie’s policies are to benefit America as a whole, especially the under-represented. While Trump’s followers are largely white, older, working-class, and less educated, Bernie’s span all races, ages, and socioeconomic classes, while also being more educated overall. While Trump vouches for the wealthy and corporate interests, Bernie vocally despises billionaires and deems himself a socialist, something that may have set him at a disadvantage.

Sanders’ far-left and “out there” views made people uncomfortable, though perhaps that was what we needed. Older voters, scarred and soured by decades of witnessing the downfalls of extreme communism and socialism, view the word “socialist” as reminiscent of Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Thus, voters settled for a more moderate but less innovative Joe Biden because Sanders was deemed unrealistic or unelectable. But he wasn’t. Sanders would have been a viable contender against the incumbent exactly because he was unprecedented. If the election had come to be between Trump and Sanders, rather than between Trump and Biden, the choice would have been between a progressive civil rights activist and an incompetent racist with rape allegations. With Sanders out of the race, however, Biden and Trump are not radically different enough to draw voters leftwards. Biden does not stand out. His policies are too moderate, too safe, not progressive enough. He also has assault allegations and takes many similar stances to Trump. To defeat Trump, however, there needs to be a starker contrast and a candidate with views profound and groundbreaking enough to coax voters out of reelection.

A Bernie Sanders presidency would have meant an emphasis on full employment, healthcare for all, civil rights protection, increased accessibility to education, and environmentalism on a federal level. He would have been the president to lift America to where our country needs to be. Bernie’s unprecedented and unparalleled policies made him the sole candidate with the capability of winning against Trump, but the stigmas associated with socialism and far-leftism overwhelmed the distaste for Trump’s bigoted and imprudent presidency. Even though we will not see Bernie Sanders in the White House, he has successfully shed light on the shortcomings of the Trump administration, as well as America’s current state in general. And he provided resolutions, ones that have not been part of major Democratic conversations and we can expect to see as a newly established standard in American politics. So thank you, Bernie Sanders. You were what we needed. You pushed us to better America, just as you always have.

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