So one of my favorite media/social justice figures of the past decade has been Shaun King. And while I know many people who think Shaun to be a piece of shit/a conman/a [fill in the blank]—well, they’re wrong. One hundred percent wrong. The guy busts his ass, has an enormous heart, wears his compassion on his sleeve. He’s been battered, slammed, mocked, ridiculed—and he keeps coming back. Because he’s strong and smart and focused.
Truly, he’s a role model.
Over the weekend, however, I noticed Shaun (a Bernie Sanders advocate) leading a Twitter movement where he enlisted people to promise they would never, ever, ever vote Michael Bloomberg …
And I feel like screaming.
Look, Mike Bloomberg is filled with holes. Tons upon tons upon tons of holes. There is no doubt about that, and this piece lays them out very well. So I get it. Truly, I get it. In my ideal world, Chris Murphy is running against Trump in 2020, with Stacey Abrams as his vice.
But the world isn’t ideal. It just fucking isn’t. And while I hate being this guy—well, I’m going to be this guy. Bernie Sanders cannot win a general election against Donald Trump. Actually, wait. Stop. Scratch that. He can win a general election against Trump, because 2016 taught us anything is possible. But is an 80-year-old Vermont “socialist” (as he will be branded every … single … day) the guy to lead us into battle? Will he pick off moderate Republicans who are fed up with Trump’s bullshit and offended by his assholeness? Will he inspire moderate Democrats who sit on the left, but not too far left? No. No fucking way.
And that’s fine. Truly, that’s fine. If you like Bernie Sanders (and I like Bernie Sanders a lot), support him. Fight for him. Donate money to him. Insist he’s your guy in the primary, and stand by him until the end.
And then, if Bloomberg is the nominee, don’t stay home like a fucking asshole.
Bust ass for him.
Why? Here’s why: Because another four years of Donald Trump means one, if not two or three, Supreme Court appointees—which likely means the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Because another four years of Donald Trump means an even greater destruction of environmental laws and the devastation of our children’s collective futures. Because another four years of Donald Trump means an even greatest partnership between the DOJ and the White House. Because another four years of Donald Trump means more xenophobia, more kids in cages, more travel bans, more bullying, more thugging, more unjust imprisonments, more ICE raids.
Life sucks. It does. It’s a blowjob to the skull.
But to urge people to stay home if Bernie Sanders isn’t the nominee; to tell your one million followers that it’s your guy or nobody—well, it’s just fucking self-absorbed bullshit.
Not cagey.
Not sophisticated.
Self absorbed bullshit.
And worst of all—you have one million Twitter followers. You have an enormous voice. If Mike Bloomberg is the nominee, use that shit. Meet with him. Demand stuff. In writing. Make it clear that if X and X and X and X don’t happen, he will face the onslaughts of onslaughts. That’s power. Real power.
Telling people not to vote?
That’s wrongheadedness personified.
