The Entrance Fee of American Politics
An interesting thing has happened to China in the midst of the coronavirus battling. After the initial wave of illness swept up the nation, China went into an intense shutdown that resulted in policemen citywide checking your temperature wherever you went. The city of Wuhan didn’t allow anything to enter, or anything to leave for a period of time. The result? The air pollution of Wuhan actually decreased dramatically.
An interesting thing happened in Italy as well. Over in Venice, in the midst of the shutdown the waterways became clearer, the fish and birds started returning. Even dolphins were popping up in the newly clean waterways in the popular city.
If this virus has proven anything, is that with global support, with everyone working together, the Earth can ultimately and quickly be saved, our actions can indeed provide life into our planet and reverse some of the damage we’ve been causing. Unlike what some scientists believe, the Earth isn’t quite at the point of no return, all it takes is for governments from every continent to realize the dangers and accept that improvements must be made.
But alas, in the most popular government in the world, the one candidate that loudly and openly clamored for a more united planet, and a planet more prepared and willing to fight climate change is inches away from losing his second and final campaign towards the presidency. Despite the support, despite the strong feedback towards his ideas and ideals (which I shall add is being copied and may even be used during this outbreak), Bernie Sanders is more than likely going to lose the Democratic nomination once again and this time without an additional opportunity to run again. To add salt to the wound, his eventual withdrawal will come during a time in which his warnings are coming true, and his ideas (albeit, temporary fixes) are gaining traction within the Trump Administration. Before even having the chance to reach out to the 40% that are not registered with the two major parties, Bernie’s path to the primary election has been once again halted by losing to the DNC.
Bernie Sanders predicted this current crisis, predicted the consequences of maintaining a broken health care system, predicted the Trump Administration’s results and dirty laundry list of cabinet members (With Barr being the latest to perform shady activities), predicted the wave of anti-minority sentiment that has scattered and tarnished the United States. In terms of policies and the direction the United States should take, Bernie has been in the lead since 2016. Some of his policies that were considered too radical in 2015 have taken root in different parts of the country, from climate change battling to raising the minimum wage. Even some of the people influenced by his movement back in 2015 made strong marks in recent times, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The Squad, and Andrew Yang.
But it’s not enough, because Bernie Sanders just isn’t the typical politician with the connections and the money trails that would link him to corporations, the elite, or secret groups that helps fund and continue the rich rotation of politics. Also, 2020 Bernie Sanders is running not just on his usual beats, but doubled down on the more controversial and progressive ideas like Green New Deal, like giving Palestine a louder global voice, like giving prisoners the right to vote, and even eliminating money from the political process while even desiring to change the electoral process and how the election is counted.
But it’s not enough, because he’s not in this exclusive club. If you aren’t a longtime Democrat or Republican, odds are you aren’t going in to fight in the main election.
Joe Biden, the current leader in the DNC side, has also been in politics since the 1970s, has also run for president multiple times, but unlike Bernie has connections within Wall Street and the deepest regions of the Democratic Party that has allowed for him to receive layers of support regardless of performance. Even with his weaker debate skills, even with his gaffes, even with his reluctance to alter the political process to prevent the chaos surrounding the 2016 election as well as the 2020 Iowa caucus, all the previous presidential candidates formed in line and relented their support to him before we even got to the first multi-state primary. Joe Biden doesn’t have rivalries with billionaires and established Democrats like what’s happened to Bernie Sanders over the years, which allows for less sharp criticism from mass media and in-party people to be tossed his way.
When you become the outsider, when you battle the monetary forces that controls the market, it becomes that much harder to enter politics and enforce the change you seek. Just look at Lula several thousand miles south of the United States.
Similar to popular Brazilian Leftist Lula’s political career, Bernie Sanders has had to partner up with one of the larger political parties in order to continue his movement, in order to continue attempting to implement his ideas to American politics. Like Lula, Bernie’s views don’t line up with those of the larger parties that have held power for decades upon decades. But Bernie Sanders knows he cannot win an election as a third party candidate, and knows the intense stakes nowadays with Donald Trump on the other side. Third parties have had limited success since the Bull Party way back in 1912. His biggest supporters aren’t even Democrats or Republicans, much like how Lula’s fanbase mostly consisted of those that were against the largest political groups in Brazil.
The difference is, Lula was able to break through within Brazil’s slightly more open electoral system after three failed attempts and became arguably the most successful president Brazil had seen since after the fall of military rule. Lula actually was able to use his leftist politics to propel Brazil into a top 10 global economy.
Bernie Sanders on the other hand has failed to break through that ceiling and truly make his run towards Donald Trump and everything Trump represents. Granted his political team and strategy wasn’t without its faults in 2020, but the United States’ way of politics makes it impossible for someone like Bernie to succeed without big money, without support from the more powerful political parties and influential groups. So even if he had outearned Biden, had received way more contributions, and even has stronger marks from independent voters as well as republican voters, it simply isn’t enough to overcome the expensive game of American politics.
Money rules everything, especially politics. Bernie Sanders was never mainly about improving the economy, he was about improving the lives of everyday citizens. Sanders never focused much on the markets, he focused on taxing them to provide basic services to everyone. He didn’t discuss trade, unless it was about trading ideas and solutions to the larger problems plaguing the planet, from war to climate change. Bernie Sanders was never about the money, and that was always going to cost him. Pure honesty in politics just doesn’t work for the folks that pump the most money into this sporting event known as the elections.
Bernie Sanders is one of a kind, he’s always been ahead of the curve in ideals and principles, but sometimes being ahead of everyone forces you to have to wait for the rest of the world to catch up and truly see what you’ve been trying to present. Whether it’s fighting against segregation, against bigotry towards the LGBT community, against costly wars and costly military, against Wall Street, against money in politics, against gerrymandering, against broken electoral systems, against heavy polluters and climate change, and most notably of all against the concept of healthcare being a business, Bernie Sanders has always been in the fight, has never wavered, and has never quit. Even after dropping out of this race, he won’t quit this fight.
Someday we’ll look back and truly appreciate the man and ponder what the United States could have been under a Sanders presidency. It could have been something remarkable, groundbreaking, and special. We could have finally expanded our political mindset beyond just two parties. But because of the power of money in United States politics between the two major parties, we’ll never see a Sanders presidency become reality.
We’re always on the edge of actual democracy, but the wall of cash is simply too tall to overcome.