It was more than a little dismaying to watch one of my all-time favorite actresses, Susan Sarandon, mouth proto-Leninist nonsense about how if her man Bernie Sanders lost the Democratic nomination she'd rather Trump than Hillary in November because a Trump win would accelerate a progressive revolution.
Chris Hayes was visibly stunned by such a witless claim coming from someone seemingly so bright. His next guest,
Dan Savage, immediately jumped on her comment. Rightly identifying himself as a staunch Bernie supporter (he had dinged Hillary quite seriously when she made her comments about Nancy Reagan starting a national conversation about AIDS), Savage still said if it comes down to Hillary vs. Trump in November he's voting for Hillary because even a choice of lesser evils results in less evil. He also called Sarandon on the dubious historical support for her claim that voting in a megalomaniacal strongman ever is a good thing for progressive politics. Last night Pulitzer Prize winning playwright
Tony Kushner also registered his bafflement over her comments.
I have family and friends I love and respect who are ardent Bernie supporters…and, hell, if he defies gravity and beats Hillary in big primary states to come by the margins he's beating her in small caucus states, I may end up voting for him myself in June. I'm also confident that Bernie Sanders, an honorable man, will do everything in his power to deliver those 74% of his voters who tell exit pollsters that
they will support Hillary if she's the nominee. But every cause has its dead-enders, and unfortunately Susan Sarandon has chosen to make her very pretty puss the face of the Sanders dead-enders...so this one's for her (with apologies to Carly Simon).
You walk into the Party like you’ve been a Dem since just a tot
Your rage strategically dipped below Trumpism
Your scorn it was still quite hot
You had one eye on Hillary’s neck as you schemed to garrotte
And all the Dems dreamed that you'd be their partner
You’d be their partner, and...
You're so vain, you probably think this election’s about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this election’s about you
Don't you? Don't You?
You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive
You said we’d make history with Ralph Nader
And that we would never grieve
But we gave away votes that mattered and got George Bush instead
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and...
You're so vain, you probably think this election’s about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this election’s about you
Don't you? Don't You?
Well I hear you went up to the caucus states and your man naturally won
Then you drove your Prius to Burlington, Vermont
To see the Bernie eclipse of the sun
Well you're where you should be all the time
Except in November
When you’re on sleaze Cruz or you’re with Trump & his wall
Trump and his wall, and…
You're so vain, you probably think this election’s about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this election’s about you
Don't you? Don't You?
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't You?