Soapbox

The Revolution Has Been Put On Hold

   In a recent interview, Susan Sarandon, well known for her avid support of Bernie Sanders, was coy when asked about the willingness of Sanders' most ardent followers to vote for Hillary Clinton if Mrs. Clinton gets the presidential nomination.
   She said that she personally would have to  'wait and see', then added,
      "Some people think that if Trump is elected that will bring the revolution."

This is the most stunningly elitist and unconscionable remark I have heard from an alleged progressive.

    Bring about the revolution? I assume she is not talking about guns and militias and means that under President Trump, things will get SO bad that the rest of us "sheeple" (those who foolishly voted for the terrible Hillary Clinton) will finally realize that half-measures won't do, and at last "The People will rise up, overthrow our oppressors with our sheer numbers  and peace and economic justice and equality will at last be established in America yada yada yada.
    Hmmm.
    I try very hard not to let the stupid things that surrogates say reflect on the candidate they speak for until I see how the candidate responds, so for now I'm only thinking "Wow that woman is a self-centered idiot!"

    Revolution is a word that a lot of comfortable people throw around- maybe to show how edgy, or committed they are, or maybe they actually think it's a good idea. But here's the thing – people DIE in revolutions. Usually not wealthy, privileged people like Susan Sarandon, though.
    And also, the whole point of this democracy-thing we've got going is to make is so we don't need to have a 'revolution' to change things.

    Myself, I am a strong Clinton supporter, for a lot of (what I think are) very good reasons. But I would cut off my own ARM before I would refuse to vote for the Democratic nominee- whomever that is!
    "Bring about the revolution" is a nice thing to say when you are gonna be up in your penthouse or jetting to Cannes for the festival, and not one of the folks getting trampled in the fighting. Seems to me Susan Sarandon has exactly zero skin in a game for which she seems eager to send others out to the trenches.

    But I'm sure all the brown people who will be spied on and beaten and rounded up, the same-sex couples whose marriages are nullified and families destroyed, the women bearing children they cannot afford to have because of their employer's or their governor's religious bigotry, the ones dying for lack of health care, the ones killed in the wars Trump or Cruz will start- I'm sure they will take heart knowing that revolution to bring about the Promised Land will be coming along any day now.

    And by the way, we are STILL waiting for the glorious "Nader revolution" she promised us was gonna happen any day if we stayed pure, ignored the nay-sayers and voted for Ralph Nader in 2000, leaving the less-than-perfect but competent Al Gore twist in the wind- because hey, he was a 'compromise' and the time for compromise is over, America!!
That 'revolution' didn't work out too well for all those kids sent to Iraq, now did it?

    Here's the thing. If Berniecrats choose not to vote for HRC in November- or if Clintoncrats abstain from Sanders- that means that not only do they not vote for president, increasing the likelihood that either Tweedledumb or Tweedlesleeze will become Commander-in-Chief, but a lot of those people simply will not vote AT ALL.
    This means democrats down-ticket won't win, so the GOP keeps their majority in congress and they lock down all 3 branches of the government.
    In state races it means the same turdballs who gerrymandered your state or passed voter ID laws or decided that you shouldn't get to control your own body or that the religion of a bigot matters more than the human rights of the minorities they don't like… THESE people will stay in office too.
    And of course the GOP now locks up the Supreme Court, so kiss your rights goodbye. You think Citizens United was bad? Fasten your seat belts when President Ted Cruz appoints 2 or 3 new justices!

    And THAT means that all the things Sanders is campaigning to fix: minimum wage and big banks and college tuition and health care and military spending- all the things that Sarandon believes Clinton is such a sell-out over because she won't go far enough… they won't get done AT ALL!! Because the GOP will have a stranglehold.
   And once they've got it all- you think they will let you and your friends just vote to change it? They have already been pushing through laws to make it harder to recall politicians or place citizens referendums on the ballots.

    So that lovely peaceful revolution you are counting on, where everyone takes to the streets and politicians bow to their will and we're all better off, will be stepped on and suppressed until, short of an actual blood-and-guns and bodies-in-the-street Revolution, the people of America no longer have the power to undo what they have allowed to be done to them.

    Allowed by not voting.
    Allowed by refusing to compromise their superior  principles by voting for a "lesser" candidate (eeewww! I would feel so dirty!) who has some friends in places they don't like and who, while advocating a progressive agenda, doesn't favor going as far as their perfect candidate does. And so they spread rumors, use hate speech and pass on outright lies to try to convince others not to vote, or to write in Sanders if he doesn't run as an Independent.
   And gosh I think 3 parties would be a good thing for America but right now the ONLY outcome of a 3rd party or write-in candidacy is to give the election to the Republicans. Period. Everyone knows this.

    And so we come to Sarandon's coy, reckless, dangerous little remark.

    Look, if you really believe in what Sanders wants to do- and I know most of his supporters do-  you need to vote for him in the primary, work like hell, hope he wins and if he does not- vote for Clinton.
(And Vice-versa for Clinton voters- 100%. Sanders is doing well and if you urge Sanders voters to accept Clinton w/o being prepared to do the same if he wins- you are a dangerous fool!)

    To do anything else proves that when it comes down to it, you do not really believe in working for progress- even just a little progress- for everyone. You just believe in your ideology, and how special you think it makes you to be such a true-blue Berner.
     Look at me! See how incorruptable I am!!
Please. You're not incorruptable. You are self-centered, and either uncaring or an idiot.