A Centrist Democrat’s Presumption

Don’t you lecture me about vanity in the political sphere.

After Bernie Sanders was pushed out of the presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020, I held my nose and voted against Trump in the general elections. Like many Progressives in the USA.

Even as pissed off as I was about what Centrist Establishment Democrats did to keep the senator from Vermont off the ballot for both of those elections, I did what I believed was necessary. I voted for the Democrat, not because the Democratic candidate in either 2016 or 2020 was better than Bernie, but because Trump was rapidly destroying our democracy, even before he won that first election.

Through it all I’ve managed, for the most part, to stay out of spats on social media. They’re not constructive.

I especially do my best to withhold further comment when someone takes issue with a blog post I’ve shared; whatever the topic was, by that point I’ve already said everything I intended to say.

But today I ignored the angel on one of my shoulders:

It wasn’t about an IV Words post, but I probably should have left it alone, nevertheless. I know. However, the arrogance of some Centrist Establishment Democrats just sticks in my craw enough to heed the devil on my other shoulder.

Check Your Own Arrogance, Centrist Democrat

Many Progressives have been supporting Centrist Establishment Democrat candidates for decades now.

What’s it gotten us?

The human race is facing cataclysm due to inaction on global warming and climate change.

This country has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) are significantly over-represented in the prison population and among those on death row.

BIPOC, especially Black men, are in constant danger from angry white men and too many are dying in our streets. Too often, cops are doing the killing.

In 2013, in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, Democrats could have opened the floodgates on reasonable gun control. Instead, they voted against background checks and kids continue to be shot down in their schools on what feels like a weekly basis.

There are more guns in the USA than there are people.

Republicans are succeeding in limiting citizens’ right to vote.

Republicans are passing laws that limit access to abortion and they’re being upheld, or at least are not being struck down. We’ll likely see their dream of overturning Roe vs. Wade come true very soon.

Republicans are also passing laws that make it easier to intimidate and even harm peaceful protesters.

Members of Congress from both major political parties continue to pass multi-billion-dollar “defense” budgets even though the USA’s rate of spending on the military is the highest on Earth by multiples.

Meanwhile, the same members of Congress who vote in favor of those obscene levels of military spending tell us we “can’t afford” universal healthcare, cancelling college debt or long-term initiatives to fight poverty and hunger.

Corporations are raking in more and more profits and CEOs are getting larger and larger salaries/golden parachutes while working people get further and further behind.

Working people are paying a higher percentage of their incomes in taxes than billionaires. In fact, the tax code allows many billionaires to pay $0 each year.

In the meantime, multiple congresses and presidents from both major parties have made it nearly impossible for working people to unionize and collectively bargain for higher wages and better (or at least some) benefits.

So, Yeah, Thanks Centrist Establishment Democrats

To be clear, Republicans hold a greater responsibility for all of this than Centrist Establishment Democrats.

But, look, in my judgement Progressives have put up with the incrementalism, half measures and corporate coddling long enough. Too long, for some of us. Certainly too long for the planet and working people everywhere.

They’re going to need a much better record on the issues that could make a difference in everyone’s lives before they start questioning our motives or lecturing us about loyalty and what’s reasonable.

Republican-lite just doesn’t cut it, anymore.