Susan Sarandon & the pseudo-socialist Sanders supporter

Where ego trumps progressivism

Earlier this week, actress Susan Sarandon appeared on MSNBC where she alluded to the fact that she and many other avid Bernie Sanders supporters may never vote for Hillary Clinton — even if it means a Donald Trump presidency.

When further pressed by Chris Hayes about her personal stance and the dangerous implication she was making, Sarandon responded “I don’t know. I’m going to see what happens” going on to say “some people feel Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately… if he gets in, then things will really explode.”

Alright, let’s make one thing abundantly clear. If you are someone who is willing to allow Trump to win the presidency, someone willing to throw your less fortunate comrades to the wolves in an act of political defiance, and someone willing to watch the world burn in order to win some imaginary moral victory because you are just too “passionate and principled” to vote for a candidate who is anything less than perfect, you are no socialist, you are no progressive, and most importantly, you have no business supporting Bernie Sanders.

While Sanders has built his entire campaign on the idea of uniting the American people to usher in a political revolution, it seems some of his followers are far more concerned with their own egos than the overall well-being of the country.

The fact that some significant percentage of Sanders supporters, though thankfully not the majority, have adopted Sarandon’s ‘Bernie or Bust’ attitude is extremely troubling and runs completely antithetical to everything Bernie stands for. While Sanders has often been criticized for being too idealistic, Sanders himself does in fact seem to understand how the political process works — he’s been in Congress for over two decades after all. Sanders knows how monumentally important it is to get Democratic victories in the White House and in Congress, and he has consistently echoed this message even when things have gotten contentious.

“On her worst day, Hillary Clinton will be an infinitely better candidate and president than the Republican candidate on his best day.” — Bernie Sanders

While Sanders is undoubtedly more progressive than Clinton, the myth that she is no different than her Republican counterparts has got to stop.

Sarandon claimed that Clinton “hasn’t voted right,” but is that actually true? Clinton and Sanders voted the same way 93% of the time, and data has shown that Clinton was the 11th most liberal member of the senate. Clinton may not be the perfect candidate, but to even suggest that a choice between her and any Republican candidate would be difficult for anyone who considers themselves a progressive is utterly ridiculous.

As Sarandon notes, Sanders does not appear to be in the race for his ego. Sanders understands that making progress is at the core of progressivism. He understands that while Hillary may only support a $12 federal minimum wage, the GOP supports no increase in the minimum wage. He understands that while Hillary accepts donations from Wall St. — as Obama did before her — she supports Dodd-Frank and overturning Citizens United. The GOP wants to repeal Dodd-Frank and supports Citizens United. He understands that while Hillary may not have a flawless environmental record, she has a comprehensive clean energy plan. The GOP has yet to acknowledge that climate change even exists.

So if you truly care about what Susan Sarandon claims she cares about — the militarized police force, income inequality, privatized prisons, threats to women’s rights, immigration reform, LGBT issues, the environment — you should not even hint at the idea of allowing a man like Donald Trump to run this country.

While a Trump presidency may not have a huge effect on the life of someone like Susan Sarandon, it could be a matter of life and death to those less privileged than she. A Trump agenda would mean immigrant families torn apart, women’s reproductive rights severely diminished, no increase to the minimum wage, more tax breaks for the rich, and a conservative Supreme Court that would negatively affect our lives for at least a generation.

If you think “fighting the status quo” means turning your back on the most vulnerable people in our country because your guy doesn’t get the bid, you are not a socialist, you are a pseudo-socialist. You are not actually concerned with the principles Bernie is fighting for, you are concerned with winning a ‘revolution’ that doesn’t exist. It is not about us, it is about you.

To the Bernie supporter who understands the importance of this election and who will stand in solidarity behind the Democratic nominee, thank you. To those of you convinced that ‘anyone but Hillary’ is the way to go, I ask that you start paying attention.

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Watch the full interview here: