Back in the 2016 primary, I liked Sanders at first. He knew that big money in politics was a major obstacle to progress, and he made getting it out part of his platform.
But when it didn't take off, when Hillary ran up the score in the early primaries, something happened, something I've never seen before in my lifetime. Sanders fanned the flames against the "establishment" and by extent, fanned the flames of hatred against Hillary from within the Democratic base. The civil war was on and it was unmistakable which side launched it. It became painfully clear that Sanders supporters, even some who were very close to me, were no longer worthy of my trust simply for being a part of the Democratic base. I learned that I had to deal with their devotion to their messiah in a similar manner to Trump supporters' devotion to their own.
That is what turned me off to him, and that is why I will absolutely not vote for him in the 2020 primary. If he somehow gets the nomination, then I will wear a hazmat suit into the voting booth and vote for his entitled little ass.
What pissed me off is the fact that, in reality, Bernie wears his socialist tag the way an ex-hippie turned investment banker wears a tiny tuft of long hair on the back of their head, tucked away inside the shirt collar of their three piece suit.
Then at the end of the day, out it comes, the investment banker is "letting his freak flag fly!!" as he goes to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert.
It's stupid that anything with the word "socialist" in it generates such hysteria but Bernie knows this. He is convinced he's still a socialist even though he's just a New Deal liberal Democrat and has been since Day One on Capitol Hill. He's convinced that he can singlehandedly reeducate America on the various and myriad degrees of socialism, and reverse eighty years of hysterical propaganda.
And all this despite the fact that the Democratic Socialists of America yawned when he announced his candidacy the last time.
He's not a Soviet socialist, he's not a Venezuelan socialist, he's not even a Scandanavian socialist or a European socialist of any kind. All of them view him as too conservative....for a socialist.
And that's because he's a New Deal liberal Democrat.
But for some reason he insists on running the race with the parking brake on and hitching a ride with the Democratic Party.
And of course the Democratic Party is responding in kind. Since he's not technically a Democrat, the party is all "Who are you?"
Sorry, that is the nature of political parties. I didn't write the rules, I just observe them as they are.
Notice that Liz Warren and Bernie agree on an incredible number of issues, but Liz understands how the game is played.
And she's not running the race with an albatross around her neck or the parking brake applied.
I love Bernie but he refuses to accept the realities of the history of US POTUS campaigns.
I am not interested in his attempt to be
Valentine Michael Smith and I am not interested in a repeat of the same fate that he suffered in 2016.
If by some miracle he wins the nomination, I'll cast my vote for him but I'd like to see us win for a change.
I can't afford another four years of The Orange Menace.
