why did AOC endorse bernie?
if you don’t get why AOC endorsed bernie, here’s why.
after the last debate, news broke that AOC was going to be bernie’s special guest at his queensbridge rally this saturday, and not only that, she was going to endorse him! i was beyond myself with glee - i was nervous abut which choice she’d make. i had been wondering whether she would continue to be the woman (queen) i knew her to be, or if that dumbass NYT write-up was right; she’s learning to go along to get along in the corrupt House of representatives.
despite the naysayers, within and outside of the party, our girl was still repping US. that meant backing bernie in this fight – the man who has repped us since before most of us were born. he has vision, integrity, and a bulletproof value system that cannot be swayed by corporate interests and deep-pocketed donors, unlike the majority of the democrats (see: mayor pete’s medicare-for-all stance in april versus now). despite its political inconvenience and a legion of #neverbernie haters, she aligned her values with her actions (that’s integrity, folks).
but then it quickly dawned on me that so many of the folks that i admire on twitter were not going to be happy.
for reasons that are unclear to me, there’s a huge movement to get behind AOC’s message while simultaneously rejecting bernie. a bizarre position, given that she’s been unabashed in her admiration of his message, campaigned for him in 2016, & feeling moved by his movement. he is her ideological forebearer.
still, i knew that the blue dog dems, liberals, and ‘you go girl!’ twitter would be pissed. EW has replaced HRC as the coronated candidate. let me be clear. warren is brilliant, down to earth, and more than fit for this job. she has an authenticity about her and ability to connect that makes you want to root for her. she and bernie are usually aligned on issues and are good friends irl. warren is a progressive. still.
warren has been wishy-washy on medicare for all, is pro-israel-no-matter-what, & unabashedly pro-capitalism. none of that shit is cool, ok? ultimately, it makes me trust my gut that bernie is the candidate who will remain the most dedicated to the world that i envision; an anti-war, progressive society that takes care of its residents despite nationality, race, gender identity, income, and all intersections between. this is a fight for the future of our country and i’m riding with the dude who’s been in the cut for decades.
for those reasons, i’m bernie 2020. given that i’ve seen almost every single AOC interview, i had an inkling that she would be the same. & then she was! but here’s the thing - for some folks, there’s a huge disconnect. they don’t get it. they see bernie and think:
❌ white man (who just had a heart attack)
❌grumpy old man (with a bad attitude)
❌ baggage from 2016 (and a heap of haters)
❌ unrealistic vision that isn’t possible in the confines of the presidency
❌ a missed opportunity to elect the first woman president (of native ancestry lolz).
especially the last one. feminism! girl power! in fact, check out this tweet.
ah yes, “identity politics.” that thing where um, uh…you kind of support the person whose identity is closest to yours..? or like, whoever is more oppressed is who you should align with because they deserve it more?
but here’s the thing. that popular, nebulous, nonsensical definition is wrong. black feminist radicals created that term. identity politics is about organizing around the collective interest of an intersection of identities. black women were politically organizing, animated by specific interests & needs of black women. the combahee river collective who popularized this term knew that sharing an identity does not automate shared interest. all kinfolk ain’t skinfolk. when it comes down to it, your vision matters more than your social identity. in this way, endorsing bernie is aligning with AOC’s identity politics. bernie’s political investments are more concerned with the needs of the most vulnerable. think of it that way.
✅warren consistently centers ‘middle class working families’ in her messaging while bernie focuses on ‘working people’ and the ‘impoverished’.
✅ bernie wants to cancel all student debt, warren only wants to cancel it for some
✅ bernie is anti-war and anti-imperalism, warren wants…a green military?
✅bernie is a committed socialist, warren is a committed capitalist
✅bernie ran against clinton (a hardcore neoliberal), warren endorsed clinton
there’s more, but you get the point. there is one candidate in the 2020 field whose vision is clear, equitable, & staunchly committed to justice for all americans: bernie sanders. asking why AOC would endorse bernie instead of EW fails to recognize that their overall interests are divergent. warren is a woman yes, but bernie would also be the first jewish president. AOC has already acknowledged that she has jewish ancestors in puerto rico - by this logic, should she be as committed to that identity? or should she endorse julian castro, a fellow latinx?
tbqh, some of the blowback smacks of co-opting the intellect & labor of WOC & then discarding them…if you f*cked with AOC last week, today should be no different. she is still fighting for US and even if he isn’t *your* candidate, do not embarrass yourself by dragging her. check the legions of idiots on twitter now, saying she has no clout in the party anyway (HA!) & claiming she would be bad for the warren campaign. nah. you may not agree with this decision but it would behoove you to respect it.
if you still don’t get it, imagine what AOC’s platform will look like when she runs for president– more like bernie or e. warren?
we can all agree on this, i hope: tr*mp is an abomination and should be impeached. warren or sanders, this country will be much better off.
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