Moving Forward From the 2020 Democratic Primary
We began the 2020 Democratic Primary with the most diverse line up of candidates we have ever had. From a number of progressive proposals being adopted to record numbers of women candidates, candidates of color, younger candidates, and the first openly gay candidate, this race looked like it was finally beginning to reflect the diversity of the party.
And, for a time, it did.
We marvelled at watching six women take the debate stage in June and July, listening to candidates make statements in Spanish, watching an openly gay man win the Iowa Caucus, and observing or joining a progressive base rally in powerful numbers.
We had the privilege of choosing a candidate to support out of a group of twenty-eight. Maybe you liked Elizabeth’s plans, Bernie’s unwavering positions, Joe’s experience, Kamala’s sharpness, Pete’s pragmatism, Andrew’s fresh take, Amy’s bipartisan record, Cory’s energy, or Jay and Tom’s commitment to the environment. I, for one, liked each of those candidates for all of those reasons.
But slowly, and then all at once, our choice narrowed.
Losing a candidate can elicit many feelings; loss, betrayal, numbness, disillusionment, resentment. It is okay to feel those things. It is okay to grieve, to take time to breathe.
This is the nature of a primary; months of debates and rallies and social media campaigns convincing us to fall in love with a candidate. Convincing us to take to the streets and spread the word about why our candidate is the best one out there, or at the very least to take us to the polls and give them the honor of our vote. This is why it can hurt so badly when, in the end, they do not make it to the nomination.
But as we enter this new stage of the race, where inevitably there is only one candidate left, we will join forces behind them to elect them as President of the United States.
I have seen it asked a number of times, how do we reconcile voting for someone who may not have been our top choice candidate? Here’s how I look at it, I was very candid about supporting Elizabeth Warren in this election (and I still think she would be the best nominee and President for the record), but I believe that a number of the candidates who ran in the Democratic Primary would make a great President of the United States.
Joe Biden is decidedly a moderate Democrat, making more progressive Dems question if he represents their interests. While there was a stark contrast between moderates and progressives during the primary, Biden has endorsed a number of plans sourced from the more progressive candidates, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Among these are their plans to make public colleges tuition free for families who make less than $125,000 per year, Warren’s bankruptcy plan, expanding Medicare eligibility to cover Americans beginning at age 60 instead of 65, and forgiving student loan debt for low-income and middle class public college and university graduates.
On something that many have been criticised for overlooking: considering allegations of sexual harassment, assault, or misconduct is by and large emotionally exhausting, but it is nevertheless important to bring to attention. And so, if you are interested and okay doing so, I would do some research and keep it in mind.
So why will I support Joe Biden? Because as the nominee, Joe Biden will represent the Democratic Party, a party that I stand by. Because he has shown growth and willingness to adopt more progressive policies to work for more of the ideological spectrum that is represented by the party. Because not voting for him, either by not voting at all or protest voting by writing in a candidate or voting for a third party, is statistically the same as voting for Donald Trump, and that is something that, personally, I will not do. And because I believe that he genuinely has good ideas and will make a good president.
For those of us who have lost the candidate we were so ready to see in the White House, whether we marginally preferred them over the others or we put blood, sweat, and tears into their campaign, I urge us all to find it in our hearts to come together and keep fighting for what we believe in. Don’t give up, our passion can make the world a better place.
Vote in November. Vote for Joe Biden. Vote down-ballot. Vote.
