If you spend entirely too much time scrolling through Twitter threads, like myself, then you are probably familiar with the phrase “Bernie or Bust.” For readers who do not possess the self-hating streak that leads to excessive Twitter use, “Bernie or Bust” is the maxim used by ardent Bernie Sanders supporters to declare that if Sanders is not the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, then they will not vote for any candidate in the general election.
Reasons for this extreme stance vary from person to person. For some, it is a show of collective bargaining to pressure the Democratic elite to nominate a progressive candidate. Others identify as habitual nonvoters whose disillusionment with the political system means they will show up to the polls only for a candidate who inspires them.
Some even think that President Trump is the best presidential alternative to Sanders, believing that four more years of Trump will implode our political system and force us to consider progressive policies at the next election cycle. A recurring belief throughout is that if Sanders is not nominated, American politics will suffer regardless of who is in power.
Although I would personally love to see a Sanders presidency, I find it troubling that a faction of his supporters disregard the other Democratic candidates as equals of Trump. Their policies may not be as revolutionary as free tuition for public colleges or Medicare for all, but they are nonetheless improvements on the current American status quo.
Even moderates like Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar have proposed to, respectively, “make public tuition free for 80% of American families” and “double the maximum Pell Grant.” Any LSU student currently struggling under the weight of college expenses can compare their situation to Buttigieg and Klobuchar’s proposals and see the upgrade.
Refusing to support the other Democratic candidates in a general election ignores the millions of people whose lives have been derailed by President Trump’s presidency. This includes the young Dreamers and the Muslim immigrants whose existence in America, although legitimate, has been forced into a precarious political tug-of-war.
People who espouse the “Bernie or Bust” mentality need to consider the privilege of their position, because even if another Trump term will change little about their lives, it could mean life or death for many others.
The appeal of seeing radical change sweep America is understandably enticing, but petty inaction in the name of activism helps no one. Taking incremental steps to an America that provides for the health care, education and general well-being of its populace is better than nothing, which is what we will get if the “Bernie or Bust” faction keeps its word.
Cécile Girard is a 20-year-old psychology major from Lake Charles, Louisiana.