There is so much coming at us from all directions, it’s hard to keep focus on what matters most in these incredibly troubled, almost apocalyptic times. I expect Stacey Abrams will speak eloquently to many of our society’s great ills and the failings of Donald Trump and the GOP today. We must also demand that our candidates face up to what King called “the fierce urgency of now.”
One of DaliyKos great treasures — one of its last stalwart ‘economic’ progressives — Subir posted a lovely diary (sorry to see the inevitable flame wars in the comments) about how he came to the decision to support a Sanders campaign for 2020.
I devoted more than a year of my life to Bernie’s 2016 campaign, without being paid for it. Yet, I went through something similar two to three weeks ago. I was really wondering if it was even a good idea for Bernie to run, much less whether I would support him, even though I did so much in ‘15-16, I ended up being on the ballot and elected as a convention delegate for Bernie’s campaign.
Then, I got into a conversation on Twitter with someone who wrote that “Bernie was so 2016.” That “we’ve moved on.” I understood that “we” meant the Clinton side of the 2016 Primary Wars, and much of what I see on Twitter suggests the opposite is true. There’s a strong effort to stamp out Bernie’s support. The question for me was does that resistance mean it would be too damaging for him to run. Is he really just “so 2016?”
So, I had to reflect on what his 2016 campaign was about and where we stand today. Here’s my first take on my thoughts posted on Twitter then:
In '15-16 @BernieSanders campaigned on real action to address the climate change emergency, to enact a national #Medicare4All healthcare plan, to end student debt, to unrig a system that makes billionaires, to raise minimum wage to $15/hr and to clean up money in politics…
The fact is that the ACA is really imperiled. Yes, Dems hold the House, but that’s not guaranteed forever, and there’s still a real possibility that SCOTUS will strike down the ACA now that the mandate is gone. More than ever, we really need Medicare for All. Even Barack Obama is talking approvingly about it.
Not some watered down buy-in like the 55-over Medicare Plus, or a public option that’s available for all to purchase. A simple plan that’s available for everyone to rely on. As Zeke Emanuel struggled to explain to Chris Matthews Monday night, it’s not a question of “whether we can afford it.” It won’t add a single dollar of medical expense. It will probably even save money, but more than anything it shifts it on the ledgers as to where/how it’s paid for. Like other social programs, we’ll pay as we go, but the benefits will be available whenever we need it, especially when we most need it.
The fact is that while some states or counties (like my own) have enacted a $15/hr minimum wage law, it’s essential that we move the federal minimum wage into the 21st Century. We should also be talking about Universal Basic Income or, better yet, some Universal Benefits Package that includes guaranteed health care, housing, education, employment, etc.
We need to address inequality and to raise up those left behind over the last 40 years (and even before that). Not just the white working class, but PoC who also struggle to find employment, rewarding work and a community that supports them with good public transit, good public education and affordable housing.
College isn’t getting less expensive and, in fact, under Trump, students have lost much recourse to loan forgiveness and restructuring.
Some jurisdictions, like my own home county, are experimenting with public financing (we elected aCounty Executive supported by Our Revolution and Democratic Socialists of America because he was able to raise enough money to be competitive even against a self-financed multi-millionaire who basically bought the Washington Post’s endorsement). And, yet, campaign financing and public corruption has become an even bigger concern since 2016, and the Supreme Court is soon to hear arguments on the last meaningful private federal campaign finance and spending rule — the one that limits donations to federal candidates.
House Democrats made that a huge focus, with H.R. 1 being John Sarbanes’ big package on automatic registration, Election Day holiday, public matching campaign financing, FEC reform and a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United. We’ll see how much survives the long knives of the Democratic establishment, and to what extent this is just a stunt for 2020.
Finally, climate change has become unavoidable.
The evidence is in that it’s already drastically reshaping our world and threatening populations and extinguishing many species. Yet, there is still time to act to stop the mad, suicidal course we are on and stave off our own extinction. According to the IPCC, we’ve got 12 years to make a real dent and take drastic actions to reduce our emissions by magnitudes before 2030 arrives. We need leadership — someone who will have no higher priority than a global commitment that goes well beyond Paris, in both time and scope. The next decade will define the future for Earth. Yea or nay.
In short, everything that Bernie talked incessantly about as great problems we need to address with transformative public policies — they’ve all become much more acute crises.
Is Bernie the only person who can address these problems? I certainly hope not. If so, we’d be fucked if he doesn’t win or if he falls ill or dies in office. Many of the other candidates have offered good ideas or are at least talking about some of these issues. Inslee is actually talking mostly about climate change, instead of ducking the issue. Warren has come out with her wealth tax. Harris has a plan to provide affordable housing.
Harris, Warren, Booker and Gillibrand all announced support for Bernie’s Medicare for All bill — they’re all co-sponsors. Warren’s wealth tax if it passes constitutional muster would be a game-changer. A number of top Democrats are warming to Ocasio-Cortez’ idea to significantly raise the marginal rate. Even the neolib/neocon Washington Post editorial board (the paper that ran 16 hit pieces on Bernie in a 24-hour period in 2016) has endorsed Bernie’s idea to roll back the estate-tax exemption and to restore a more progressive estate tax with higher rates for larger estates. Jay Inslee has basically made climate change his sole talking point in his campaign for the nomination.
There are, however, real warning signs for progressives. Harris, Warren, Booker and Gillibrand are all waffling on their support for Medicare for All, saying they’re for a “path” or “A” version, to they’re open to alternatives. Sherrod Brown, has said it’s not realistic and he might support an expansion — a buy-in, it seems, for those over 55.
You don’t hear much, if anything from other candidates about the minimum wage. Frankly, for all but Warren, and maybe Brown, it seems real progressivism is more a fashion statement than a commitment to a new agenda.
The reality, though, is that the other candidates would rather talk about “values,” as Harris is doing, rather than have meaningful discussions about some of these issues and facing sharp criticism by making principled stands for progressive policies.
If Jeff Merkley gets in the race, I’m sure that he will be strongly progressive. There’s no one more focused on climate change, but it’s hard to see how he’ll attract the attention that’s escaped him during his admirable career.
Given the existential crisis we face with our climate, I find it throughly discouraging that the other candidates are all too willing to avoid talking about the urgency of action on climate. Harris isn't talking much about climate change, outside of tweeting about the Green New Deal, and it took Warren a few weeks to chime in with her support for a Green New Deal. Booker didn’t mention it in his launch event. The Sunrise Movement, which is kicking off a new organizing effort just before the State of the Union, plans to be at all the Presidential debates. I hope they’re successful in forcing the discussion that was missing at the 2016 Presidential debates, but we need more than a question or two. We need candidates who make the climate their primary focus. As Gov. Inslee is fond of saying (he didn’t coin it, but he smartly uses the line),
“We’re the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and we’re also the last generation to have a chance to do anything about it.”
So, yeah, if we want to have meaningful discussion of the most consequential issues, we probably should be excited about Bernie’s impending announcement. It may be that we will need him to win in order to get action on these issues, but we can be 100% sure we won’t get any action if he doesn’t force the other candidates to start talking about the urgency and their commitment to progressive policies.
The stakes are just too high this time around to ignore so many life-defining issues. The peril is absolute, and the opportunity is also a once in a century opportunity. The stars have aligned, thanks to Donald Trump. Even a real progressive can win, because this time even the centrists will see a progressive as the correct choice in a race against Trump. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, LBJ and...2020 Democratic nominee. Presidents who define our future, by embracing radical, transformational changes — Presidents who didn’t and won’t shirk from the existential crises of the time. Is it Bernie, or will it be someone else? In either case, it will require someone who won’t defend the status quo or seek tepid compromises. That’s why it’s so important that Bernie runs and gives voice to the fierce urgency of now.