In every presidential election in my lifetime, no matter which candidate won, the real victors weren't on the ballot. The inescapable truth about our political system is that, over the past four decades, nothing happens in Washington that seriously threatens corporate power and profits. And with Trump in office, the corruption poisoning our democracy has grown so blatant that it’s eroding the foundations of our Constitution and the rule of law.
Thankfully, there is a powerful and growing movement to fight back against this slide into oligarchy. Only by directly challenging the power of money in politics can we begin to tackle the root causes of our greatest problems, including the unimaginable threat posed by climate change.
And I’ve seen first-hand the damage climate change is already doing, as the drought conditions all over the West helped cause the devastating Camp Fire that burned down the town of Paradise, where my son lived and went to school before it was turned to ashes (don’t worry, he’s fine).
By far the likeliest candidate to unify the Democratic Party around a major reform agenda - and thereby win in November - is Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Unlike Buttigieg and Biden, Warren isn't beholden to big donors, and instead of naive hopes and Obama-esque tropes, her campaign is propelled by something truly audacious: systemic reform of a broken and corrupt status quo.
And unlike Bernie, whom I love and admire, Warren’s a pragmatist with the smarts and diplomatic talents to make these ambitious reforms a political reality.
Look: I am fully on board with Bernie’s democratic socialist vision. I’ve been a socialist for all my adult life, though it’s not something I tend to bring up in conversation. You see, I believe in democracy, and I consider democratic socialism – as opposed to the authoritarian variety – to be an extension of democracy into the economic sphere. Workers and other ‘stakeholders’ - not just shareholders and CEOs - should have power over the decisions made by large companies. If they did, I guarantee you most companies would work better for their customers, their communities, and society, and put other considerations above profit. But this sort of arrangement is simply incompatible with capitalism.
And yet it is urgently necessary, not only for the flourishing of humanity, but for our very survival. As I alluded to, capitalism – no matter how much you might try to reform it – is devoted to one singular goal: creating profits for investors. That’s what capitalism is. And while the capitalist system has helped generate many desirable outcomes, particularly the technical and technological innovations that have allowed us to live in material abundance, we have reached a point where capitalism is no longer satisfying many of our most basic needs – indeed, it is making our lives worse in countless ways. And it’s causing - and will continue causing — irreparable damage to our planet.
But this essay isn’t an argument for socialism – it’s an argument for Elizabeth Warren. Why, you might ask, would I support a self-proclaimed “capitalist to the bone” over the first democratic socialist to come within reach of the White House? In short, because her agenda is very closely aligned with Bernie’s (and mine), and because, like her, I’m a pragmatist.
Put simply: Bernie has a vision. Warren has a plan.
Bernie’s great virtues are his uncompromising devotion to justice, and his ability to envision a far better world beyond the narrow constraints of an unjust status quo. Like a Biblical prophet, Bernie refuses to accept the corruption of the world as just the way things are. Because of this, he has inspired a mass movement dedicated to real, fundamental change to empower all of us, save democracy, and save the planet. This is no small feat. And this movement is on track to win the Democratic nomination, and possibly - maybe - win the White House. But what then?
Like most prophets of revolution, Bernie doesn’t have the mindset or talents of a reformer. And despite the talk of revolution, what the current situation demands is reform, not actual revolution - major, fundamental changes in the system, not a total overthrow of it.
When Bernie is asked to explain how he’ll get even a fraction of his massive agenda through the Congress, his answers amount to little more than wishful thinking. He doesn’t even support ending the filibuster in the Senate, without which, absolutely nothing of his agenda will be enacted. Nada.
And when the dispiriting reality of Washington politics sets in, when supporters realize that impassioned dreams and inspirational rallies are no match for the establishment’s entrenched power, what then? Well, many young Berners are likely to give up hope, an already cynical public will grow yet more cynical, and the oligarchy will win.
Warren has plans for ending the filibuster. She has plans for what to do if Republicans win Congress and block everything she wants. She has big plans for if Democrats win. You get the drift.
And make no mistake: her plans amount to fundamental, transformative changes to our broken and corrupt politics. Her presidency offers the best chance to end the 4 decades of trickle-down, neoliberal economics and unchallenged corporate dominion over our government and society.
Moreover, Warren will win. Bernie? I wouldn’t bet on it. Yes, lots of polls have Bernie beating Trump. But as moderate Dems consistently point out, that really doesn’t mean much. Skeptics of Bernie’s electability are correct to suggest that Bernie has yet to face the full force of the Republican propaganda machine. Indeed, all indications are that the Republicans – and the Russians – are eager to have Bernie become the nominee. I urge Bernie supporters to think about that for a moment.
It’s true that Warren would face many of the same attacks as Bernie, along with the misogyny common on the Right. Like Bernie, she’ll be painted as a commie red. But unlike Bernie, she didn’t spend her honeymoon in Soviet Russia, so those smears aren’t going to have the same effect.
And that brings us to Bernie’s achilles heel: the socialism label. Like it or not (and I wish it wasn’t so), it’s a real problem. As I say, I am a socialist. There’s a reason I don’t go around telling people that very much, though. Not because I’m ashamed, or afraid, or don’t like to discuss politics, but because such labels usually erect an unnecessary barrier to a deeper discussion. Once you label yourself (whether it be as a Socialist, Democrat, Buddhist, Christian, conservative, etc.), it tends to put you and your ideas into a mental box that others will use to judge those ideas based as much or more on their own personal prejudices than on anything you’ve said.
Lots of people in America – a great majority – are simply afraid of Socialism. There are plenty of polls which reveal great fear and opposition to a Socialist becoming president. And even if Bernie does a reasonably effective job answering people’s concerns and combating misconceptions – which he mostly has so far – he still loses.
Why? Because instead of talking about Trump and his criminal corruption, we’ll be defending Bernie and his Socialism. Instead of talking about Trump’s obescience to Putin and bromance with Kim Jong Un, we’ll be talking about Bernie’s supposed support for Castro. And that’s not how we win. That’s how Trump wins. And it’s how the Republican Party wins, and maybe takes back the Congress. And destroys the last vestiges of Congressional oversight and democracy.
It has become a cliché to say that this election is the most important one in our lifetime. But it’s also true. We have to turn our democracy, our country, our society around, or face a dystopian nightmare of our own making.
Bernie has already played a leading part in marshaling a grassroots movement to take back our democracy, and giving it a vision to fight for. But do not for a second underestimate the strength and cunning of our enemy. Ideals alone will not win the day. We must take this movement to the next level: beating the Republicans and enacting a populist progressive agenda.
Now, we need a new leader. We need a woman with a plan.