I knew that this was coming, but the timing seemed off.  About an hour before the campaign livestream, news broke that Senator Bernie Sanders was suspending his bid for the Democrat nomination. As I listened to the broadcast – tuning out from time-to-time as Bernie went through his greatest hits – something grabbed my attention. If you were to guess who he would quote, who would it be?  If you are like me and thought it would be Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., give yourself a half-point because he quoted two individuals. The senator from Vermont reserved his initial quote for Nelson Mandela, and the words hit me like a punch in the gut, “It always seems impossible until it is done.” 

Bernie expanded on the quote, laying down the gauntlet while shooting for the stars in his signature no-nonsense fashion.  Four significant issues lay at the heart of his campaign:  economic justice, social justice, racial justice, and environmental justice for all who live in the US. He stressed how important it is to believe that fairness and equality are our birthrights as human beings. It is when the will of the people is so loud that it can no longer be ignored by those who hold power, change occurs.

And just as I began to do the greatest-hits-tune-out again, he said something that gave me hope. Sanders explained that he is remaining on the ballot for the remainder of the 2020 Democrat primary process, stressing his goal:  not to win the nomination, but to collect delegates.  His assurance that Our Revolution is not over suddenly became more apparent.

Nelson Mandela

Why does this matter?

Sanders clearly stated that former Vice President Joe Biden would be the Democratic nominee for 2020, so why cast your ballot for Bernie in the 26 state and territorial primaries between now and the Democratic National Convention (DNC)?

There are close to 1,500 undecided delegates.  Sanders already has over 900, and here is why that matters:  The number of delegates each candidate has collected decides the future of the party.

If you are like me and support the Unity Reform Commission that was born out of Bernie’s 2016 success, and delivered a blue wave in 2018, the choice is clear.  A vote for Bernie and vote for our future.

As I look deeper into the individual rules each state and territory have for 2020, I will provide more detail on each race, and any significant changes regarding the DNC.  I will continue to advocate voting for Bernie Sanders in the primary – while wholeheartedly supporting Joe Biden in his 2020 Presidential campaign.

Martib Luther King

Bernie ended his broadcast by stating that the movement isn’t over and that our struggle continues. Perhaps the words of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr are more appropriate during this time in history: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Perhaps it can be summed up simply by saying, “Not me, Us.”

Sources:

The Green Papers, 2020. United States General Election 2020. https://www.thegreenpapers.com/ [Accessed 9 April 2020].

DNC, 2017. Report of the Unity Reform Commission. https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/URC_Report_FINAL.pdf [Accessed 9 April 2020].

NYT, 2020. Presidential Primary Election Calendar. [Online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/elections/2020-presidential-election-calendar.html [Accessed 9 April 2020].

Previously published at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bernie-sanders-genius-heres-why-kat-cary