ode to Bernie

Look, I wish Bernie had followed the path of his self-acknowledged hero Eugene Debs re: challenging the damn duopoly. That was his early trajectory.

But there are a thousand social change pathways. Which someone decides to follow is a question of inclination and opportunity. Bernie, even though he still calls himself an independent, wound up with the opportunity to wield a certain kind of significant influence by occupying a position within the progressive current of the Democratic Party. A voice like his is needed to support a candidate like Jamaal Bowman.

Jill Stein represents an outside alternative. She can’t/won’t/shouldn’t express support for a Jamaal Bowman-type Democrat . . . as per her role. Bernie represents an inside alternative. It’s a role that we can understand and admire, even if our chosen pathway is quite different.