The “Bernie or Bust” Movement: Idealists, Sure, But Actual Progressives? Maybe Not.

Few things have confused me more lately than the so-called “Bernie or Bust” movement, one of the most ludicrous things to come out of this already bizarre election cycle.

Essentially, “Bernie or Bust” (sometimes called “Still Bernie”) is the concept that if Senator Sanders doesn’t win the nomination, his supporters will refuse to vote for anyone else–especially not Hillary Clinton. In other words, a political version of “I don’t like how this game turned out, I’m taking my ball and going home.”

There’s something oddly absolutest about the “Bernie or Bust” movement, whose language uncomfortably borrows the “my way or the highway” bluster from the likes of Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. Their position is so stubborn and so shortsighted, it makes “Bernie or Bust” supporters feel like the leftist version of the Trump voter; someone seeking an authoritarian-like figure to drop in and whisk away America’s problems, ignoring the uncomfortable reality that progress can’t be ordered by fiat.

Does Senator Sanders Help Foster This Mentality?

Sanders has become a cult of personality within a more radical segment of the left, so it’s no surprise that those supporters would ape his worst quality: the inability to compromise. Senator Sanders generally ranks fairly low when it comes to working across the aisle, and during his last year of being an active full-time member of the senate (we’re rightfully ignoring the time he’s been running for president), he sponsored a grand total of zero bills with the opposition. But let’s go a little deeper. of the 206 bills Bernie Sanders has sponsored or co-sponsored that went into law since 1991 (his first year in Congress), only 73 of them went across the aisle (just 35%). Of those bipartisan laws, we have little evidence to indicate that Sanders has much willingness to compromise with the GOP on anything meaningful. Here are just a few examples of the sorts of bills he was content to side with Republicans on:

• S.614: A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (“WASP”).
• S.254: A bill to award posthumously a Congressional gold medal to Constantino Brumidi.
• HR.2808: Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act
• HR.3204: Benjamin Franklin Commemorative Coin Act
• HR.3378: Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004
• H.J.Res.547: Designating May 2, 1993, through May 8, 1993, as “National Walking Week”.

You can call this sticking with your principles, but it’s really just partisan stubbornness with no political consequences. Vermont is a safe-haven for Sanders to be as much of an activist voter as he wants, allowing other, less-job secure Congresspeople to do the heavy lifting of actual governing. Sanders can take his own moral high-ground on any issue, and experiences zero fallout with his constituency. To me, this seem the opposite of being presidential, where you have to take the welfare of all Americans into account, and you’re forced to make decisions in situations where better options simply don’t exist. Even George Washington alluded to this conundrum in his farewell address (emphasis mine):

Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend.

To me, Senator Sanders seems like a person unable to compromise or admit error in judgment, and looks more than willing to sacrifice reality and pragmatism for the halcyon goal of liberal purity. Heck, he recently declared that as president, he’d withdraw Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court nominee, even though the need for left- and right-wing compromise on this issue is crucial, essentially saying he’d rather try and push through a more liberal pick despite an already limited well of support. I worry about a president with so little willingness to adapt, and who appears to favor no progress instead of some, constantly waiting for an ideal situation that may never materialize.

The Sanders Campaign for President, and the Betrayal of Progressivism

So how does this translate over to a presidential campaign? Well that’s where this mentality starts to complicate things. The ultimate failing of the “Bernie or Bust” movement is what it uncovers about some Bernie Sanders supporters: They may not have the stomach to be actual progressives, or worse, they may not be progressives at all.

The running thread of Sanders’s campaign is drastic change and revolution, and according to his most ardent supporters, Bernie Sanders is the one man who can make it happen. It dreadfully ignores the sharp, painful reality of the political system: Not only is revolution impossible, it’s a freakishly obtuse ideology. Inflexibly supporting one candidate–regardless of real world circumstances–places Bernie Sanders on a pedestal that makes him look less like a presidential candidate, and more like someone who’s running to be a benevolent despot. In the eyes of “Bernie or Bust” supporters, Sanders is the ONLY person who can make change happen, and if they can’t have him, they won’t participate. All other ideas and concepts must be invalid, even if there’s proof to the contrary.

This isn’t progressivism, it’s stupidity–and also dangerously close to what Donald Trump supporters say about their candidate: He’s the only one who can fix America, and you’re not only wrong, but morally wrong if you disagree.

Real Progressives Must Embrace Slow, Incremental Change, and an Unreliable Cast of Characters

All of this leads to a fairly uncomfortable truth about the nature of government. It’s a slow, demoralizing beast that will more often disappoint than enlighten you. There are a lot of different personalities and interests involved, and making government pivot is like asking the Earth to start spinning in the opposite direction.

Which is why “Bernie or Bust” is flimsy, and seems less like a movement and more like an exercise in bitter posturing. Obsequiously following Bernie Sanders like he’s some kind of liberal soothsayer is a complete waste of energy, especially if you have a genuine fire for progressive issues. Do you dislike the power of the one-percent? Do you bristle at the harsh realities of income inequality? Sanders supporters need to go way beyond idolizing a presidential candidate, and instead devote their mind, body, and souls to changing things themselves, in a sphere that they can control, escaping the narrow limits of presidential politics.

Here are places where anyone interested in progressivism can start:

• Think small. Take a hard look at the less-than-glamorous government jobs out there, and see who has them (state assembly, county government, city council, etc.). Figure out how to get a progressive candidate into one of those positions, regardless of how insignificant you think it may be.
• Spread awareness of progressive issues–offline. Get away from the computer and mobilize regular people to come together to fight for change. Bernie Sanders attracts voters because there are ordinary citizens who are receptive to his message. Capitalize on this interest by talking to people in your community about what they need in their lives. Chances are, the progressive movement can address their concerns and fears.
• Write. If you possess cogent thinking on progressive issues, write it down and publish it. How do you think the Constitution got ratified? Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers to get the public on board. Write your own essays and promote them to your friends.
• Vote with your lifestyle choices. If certain companies are treating working people like assholes, or are promoting agendas that hurt our society, stop patronizing them. Find other places to spend your money, and reward businesses that value the American worker and other progressive ideals.
• Volunteer in non-political arenas. Give your time to the needy. Mentor a young person. Visit a nursing home. The goal of the progressive movement is to promote the overall welfare of humanity. Live those ideals in your daily life, and spread progressivism directly by helping those around you to have a better life.

Bernie May Be a Bust, But Progressivism Is Just Getting Started.

Regardless of how strongly anyone might want Bernie Sanders to win, it’s very unlikely that he’ll be the Democratic nominee for president. It’s at a point where you’d have to suffer from Marco Rubio-like delusions to think otherwise.

But where does that leave “Bernie or Bust” supporters, people that have vowed to follow Bernie Sanders into the abyss? For them it’s a hard look in the mirror followed by a simple, direct question: “How strongly do I really believe in progressivism?”

Ultimately, we have to move past “Bernie or Bust” and make the march towards Progressivism or Bust. Americans are pissed as hell, and open to some serious change right now. Will it come from the left, or will Donald Trump drown out reason with his Il Duce-esque propaganda? Progressivism has the opportunity to shape politics for a generation, but it needs strong people in the trenches to get it done.

And therein lies the challenge: How badly do “Bernie or Bust” zealots really care about progressivism? How hard are they willing to work for it? Supporting Bernie Sanders for president is easy. It requires no effort to repost nonsense from U.S. Uncut or to parrot GOP Hillary Clinton smears on Facebook. What does require effort–serious effort–is living the ideals of progressivism and making yourself an example to your community.

Bernie Sanders was a good start. It got the conversation going. But progressivism is action, and that’s all that really matters here. And you know what’s exciting? Anyone willing to fight for progress can. To quote from recent my obsession, Hamilton, “Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now.”

But only if you’re willing to open your mind past its current limitations, and learn what progressivism is really all about.