Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Bernie Sanders Dropout OP-ED

(I wrote this OP-ED the day of the dropout. I really liked it but I was unsure where I wanted to post it or what I wanted to do with it. So, here it is now!)

In early March, when it was made clear that the top two Democratic candidates would be Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, an image went viral on twitter. “Know Your Biden” it was titled, and this image was a lengthy list of all of the anti-women, racial equality and LGBTQ votes and opinions that Joe Biden has held in his political past. Social Media was flooded with trending hashtags and memes all about how bad Biden would be for our county, saying things like “Don't make me vote for Biden” and “At the same time Sanders was protesting for Reproductive rights, Biden was voting against them.” And then there were those that were against all of the top candidates, discussing the issue that all three of our possible presidents are white men, and pushing 80, which leads to a long list of undeniable concerns. The moral of the story is nobody was happy, but people found hope in the fact that Bernie Sanders was fighting for women, racial and LGBTQ equality, and that although he was behind in the polls, all hope was not lost.

Then, early morning of April 8th, many progressive democrats' worst nightmare came true. Bernie Sanders dropped out. 

I think America already knew that Sanders was not going to be our democratic candidate, as the numbers for Biden were just too strong. But it was clear that hope was being held out by Sanders’ supporters and many believed that his so-called “radical,” but also necessary ideas would have a place in the White House come January 2021. 

Now it is clear, cut and dry: we have our candidates; but what does it mean? Joe Biden's rocky voting history and lack of support from young democrats could lead to a low voting turnout from those leaning left, as they don't want to vote for Biden, and definitely not for Trump. Trump now has a strong chance of winning the election yet again. The morning the news of the dropout broke, “Congratulations Trump” was even trending on Twitter. Many are hoping that his poor handle - and even understanding - of the Coronavirus pandemic will scare voters away. However, if the past four years have proven anything, Trump's confusing actions have not triggered a falter in his supporters' passion, and I don't see that changing now. At this point, I think we all know that if Trump has another 4 years in office, the damage he does will be not only terrifying, but irreversible, and leave America with a slim chance of ever being great. 

Democrats must vote. Yes Biden is not the ideal candidate for many, and the idea of him having control over the country would by no means be a best-case scenario in the eyes of progressives, but voting is the only real way to have your voice make a change. Not voting would just be letting Trump win, a forfeit per se, and just letting this happen, allowing situations of clear injustice to take place over another set of 4 years, is not something that Democrats should allow to happen. So let’s not let it.