Anyone who has talked politics with me knows I am not an avid Bernie Sanders fan. He seems like yet another white male candidate who is trying to be down with the cause a little too much, while backing out whenever it's time to discuss real shit. Of course people cry about how he can't be too outrageous, lest he waste his political capital on minorities rather than usher in his new socialist agenda! Still Bernie is promising to do things I frankly think would be revolutionary. I honestly believe he will go after big banking in a way Hillary and the rest of the career politicians won't. In my mind, Bernie Sanders is a means to an end. Minorities need the dismantlement of the capitalist system in order to make any true progress and Bernie is preaching that. Hillary Clinton isn't a bad candidate by any means, but she does have some glaring flaws that make me unwilling to vote for her, regardless of it being a primary or a general election. Her war hawk attitude, which has been on display during her extensive career as a senator, really concerns someone like me who had to watch his father go to war for no particular reason. She's also far too tied up in Wall Street to make any meaningful change. At best she'll be Barack Obama 2.0. I'm not saying I'd pick a Republican over her, but if Bernie were to run independently, I'd seriously consider voting for him. Gone are the days of logical voter behavior. The political science major in me wants to point out in a snarky manner that our individual votes "don't matter", so we should all just stay home. But votes mean more than just electoral outcomes. They're a method to express our own political identity and in some way allows us to interact with our fellow countrymen and women. It's out duty to vote not because we're selfish, but because we want our input accounted for. That sounds like sappy nonsense, but it lets me sleep at night. So the verdict is in with me. Bernie is my guy and honestly I think all blacks and latinos should vote Bernie. He is the only candidate seriously considering dismantling the capitalist system that's oppressing us. He isn't the best advocate, but he is a far better advocate than Hillary. We don't need special considerations. We need structural change that removes the institutional bias that oppresses us. Removing our nepotism ridden capitalist system (the irony of capitalism is it's supposed to remove nepotism, but meh we know that's not happening) will be the first step to that.
Side note: I've seen some passionate outrage from liberals who believe Hillary is being mistreated by other liberals because she's a woman. I think there may be some truth in that. However, the notion that all criticism towards Hillary is unwarranted is equally ridiculous. The recent spread of Bernie vs Hillary meme, when done properly, highlights how Hillary's responses come off as calculated and superficial, while Bernie has legitimate opinions on the topic. Unfortunately that very meme has be co-opted as a way to make Hilary seem uninformed, a notion that's absolutely ridiculous. Let's not forget Hillary is probably the most experienced and knowledgeable candidate running.
Other side note: I honestly don't think Bernie Sanders' success is contingent on him winning the presidency. I believe his message of socialism and changing basic unfair tenets of American society need to permeate through the house of representatives and the senate. I'm not talking about liberals. Liberals are the ilk of Hillary and co. I'm talking socialist who believe the collective needs to be taken care of at the expense of the individual from time to time. Yep, I'm a bleeding commie.
Side note: I've seen some passionate outrage from liberals who believe Hillary is being mistreated by other liberals because she's a woman. I think there may be some truth in that. However, the notion that all criticism towards Hillary is unwarranted is equally ridiculous. The recent spread of Bernie vs Hillary meme, when done properly, highlights how Hillary's responses come off as calculated and superficial, while Bernie has legitimate opinions on the topic. Unfortunately that very meme has be co-opted as a way to make Hilary seem uninformed, a notion that's absolutely ridiculous. Let's not forget Hillary is probably the most experienced and knowledgeable candidate running.
Other side note: I honestly don't think Bernie Sanders' success is contingent on him winning the presidency. I believe his message of socialism and changing basic unfair tenets of American society need to permeate through the house of representatives and the senate. I'm not talking about liberals. Liberals are the ilk of Hillary and co. I'm talking socialist who believe the collective needs to be taken care of at the expense of the individual from time to time. Yep, I'm a bleeding commie.
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