A Bernie-Skeptic on Why Voting for Bernie May Be What History Calls For

The best argument in favor of voting for Bernie that you could make to Democratic voters like myself — who are Bernie-skeptics, and believe that the risks of a 2nd Trump term require making what we view to be the safer choice — is this one:

In most times in history, and in most things in life, taking the safest route is indeed the smartest choice and leads to the best outcomes. However, none of the moments in history that people who are liberal-minded either celebrate or look back to in regret, were such moments.

In those moments, either not enough liberal-minded people were willing or able to confront moments of peril and were overrun, or enough were willing to be less conventional and safe and made progressive history themselves!

If this election is the existential election we all believe it to be, its fair to wonder: Does this election feel like a pivotal moment in history? Are we mature enough to distinguish this pivotal moment from prior moments, which only in hindsight we recognize were far less pivotal for our way of life than we imagined at the time?

If so, we each must answer this question: Am I about to be one of those-who-knew-better; liberal-minded people who played it safe and were overrun?

Or would I rather be with the people who made history themselves?

So the potentially convincing message to Bernie-skeptics like myself is this one:

If you believe in liberalism and are disturbed by the new lows our country continues to experience under Trump on a seemingly daily basis; if you see Trumpism itself — its excesses, and lies, and greed, and racism, and xenophobia, and maliciousness, and incompetence — as a malignant threat to our republic: Does THIS moment not seem to be one of those VERY moments in history where liberal-minded people who avoided conflict are likelier to be overrun?

Why could this be such a moment?

Let’s look at the evidence: Does Trump and Trumpism seem like a moment in history that only the courage-to-stand-up-and-fight of many who are liberal-minded can overcome?

Sure it does, because Trump and Trumpism are unconventional themselves, and students of history can recognize the embers of villainy and mischief and malice lurking within them. Donald Trump and his True Believers are not the kind of people who intend to play it conventionally in this election. They are not going to play it fair. They will not be gracious losers if they lose.

It does seem to be one of these moments where liberal history of some kind is about to made — either as a moment to celebrate or look back to in regret. Considering what a second Trump term could mean — American and world history may well change irredeemably; Trump and his True Believers are not at all the kinds of people who play it by the rules; even if they lose there is a considerable risk they’ll deny it is true and refuse to accept it and seek to overturn it.

If it’s one of those moments, then isn’t it clear that choosing the safer, more conventional route would be making the exact wrong choice as a progressive?

It would seem that this is a moment where we are facing some kind of a revolution, one way or the other.

P.S. I’m Not saying this argument convinced me… I’m just saying it’s an argument I at least consider!