@dnakali I can’t agree with you more. Thank you. The moderate Democrats leave many out of the equation. I have hoped, however, that assuming Biden gets the nomination, that he will adopt many of Bernie Sanders’ policies in order to unite the Democrats.
It's going to take a lot of pressure to make that happen. I turned on NPR to hear Biden’s Deputy Campaign Manager spouting a lot of evasive nonsense.
Although I was a Bernie, Warren supporter, I had begun to feel that Biden might being peace to America, and I had started to feel hopeful about Biden.
Until I listened to his deputy campaign director talking today. Perhaps they will change over time.
She was asked if Biden would attempt to adopt some of Bernie’s policies in order to reach out to Bernie supporters. Without saying no, her non answer told me No they will not reach out to Bernie’s supporters’ needs unless the Bernie policies already overlap with Bidens.
She put it in such a b.s. way that I understood for the first time why many Bernie supporters have said they refuse to vote Democrat if Bernie is not the nominee.
And then after all that 0bfuscation, she had the nerve to proclaim that Joe Biden will be the most progressive American president America has ever seen.” Really? Someone please teach that person to answer the question.
I pray that this kind of political insincerity will change.
Just want to try a little bit of hope here.
I'm a legal services lawyer at an organization that covers the Texas border among other parts of Texas and the Southeast. Our clientele are indigent Americans, legal permanent residents, migrant workers, undocumented persons, victims of human trafficking, victims of crimes, workers who have been unlawfully fired, children who have been taken from their parents; families who have been separated at the border or returned to Mexico; refugees and asylum seekers. I am sure that everyone I work with would say that immigration law (and related laws) was not good before Trump - detentions and family separations were happening in the US all the time without much attention. But I also know that everyone I work for would say that there is NO QUESTION that the Trump administration has made it worse. The public charge rule; the reduction in refugees; the Muslim ban; the changes in the definition of what constitutes grounds for asylum; the family detention centers and mass separations; the policies requiring refugees to return to Mexico - these are TERRIBLE policies with massive effects on millions of people. I know we all know this. But I want to caution people about worrying that there is not much difference between a "moderate" and Trump. There definitely is. I'm not saying a moderate is going to resolve all of our systemic deeply prejudicial problems, but it will AT LEAST undo some of the incredibly damaging policies that the trump administration has rammed through in the last three years - it will at least stop the flooding of the judiciary with McConnell's evil rightwing picks.
I also think we risk underestimating Bernie (and Warren and AOC's) successes - they have already pushed the entire conversation left, including Biden, and they - and we! - can continue to do so. I'm not sure I can link here but I read a good article about this by Jamelle Bouie: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/opinion/columnists/biden-sanders-2020.html
called This is Not the Moment for Progressives to Despair. We CAN keep pushing Biden left, we CAN keep fighting, and by getting him in, we start a shift that might be slower than what many of us were hoping, but can begin. Don't give up hope. Keep fighting - we can do this. Keep showing up. Keep asking for more. Don't despair. My favorite prediction of all on this site is the following, which I keep on a sticky note taped to me desk, apt for this moment: "Do not despair. You came to do good work and you have the opportunity to do it now! It is an honor to be here. You get to rise. You are rising." Keep rising!
@meliaamal I love what you wrote. And I pray too that Biden Will feel the pressure. I for one do not plan to let up on that pressure. We can be hopeful and at the same time be demanding.
@meliaamal -- I so agree. As "moderate" as Biden is, I have no doubt he'll undo the damaging policies that have inflicted so much harm. I can't wait until he starts reversing them. I'm living for Jan 2021.
Btw, I do the same type of work in NYC. Kudos to you for being on the front lines. xoxo
But I want to caution people about worrying that there is not much difference between a "moderate" and Trump. There definitely is. I'm not saying a moderate is going to resolve all of our systemic deeply prejudicial problems, but it will AT LEAST undo some of the incredibly damaging policies that the trump administration has rammed through in the last three years - it will at least stop the flooding of the judiciary with McConnell's evil rightwing picks.
I totally agree. Besides the judiciary (which in and of itself is huge), I would say a really potent example of this is what's going on now with the COVID-19 pandemic and the current administration's response (and lack thereof).
I don't think any of us knew that that the administration had dismantled the task force in charge of responding to pandemics, but here we are, and it is well within possibility that hundreds of thousands could die in the next year.
@jeanne-mayell Oh my God, yes! I happened to be listening to it today on the way back from class so you must've heard it at the same time I heard it. I was upset and screaming in the car. It won't cause me to be a non-voter, but it does alienate our demographic. As much as I'd like to say that not all Bernie people will vote from a place of bitterness or pain, I know that's not true. I know people who will write Bernie's name in even if it's between Trump and Biden, or flat out refuse to vote at all. I was grateful to see AOC try and quell some of the pain and anxiety in the collective because I think they/we need to hear it.
On another note, thank you all for being so welcoming on the threads and in tonight's meditation. I apologize for not really getting into the conversation tonight; I'm actually rather introverted and don't do too well in group dynamics. I do much better one-on-one as it's hard for me to multi-task and focus on many people simultaneously. I'm just now realizing most of my difficulties in life (depression, anxiety, suicidality) stem from not just undiagnosed ADD, but also historical trauma.
For those interested, historical trauma is similar to PTSD but the difference is it is intergenerational so it is passed on from one generation to the next generation through the genes even if one has no personal memory of the original traumatic event. An example would be Native people and the Massacre at Wounded Knee and how that still affects each successive Native generation especially because the grieving process was interrupted. We see this a lot in descendants of Holocaust survivors (the foundational work the theory was based on) and Black populations (slavery, genocide, forced displacement from their land). Dr Maria Yellow Horse Braveheart discusses historical trauma in Native communities.
My professor did work with her and he kind of summarized it on the genetic level. Our bodies release cortisol (stress hormone) that keep us stuck in a physiological, trauma response so the adrenaline starts causing symptoms like diabetes because cortisol interferes with the body's use of insulin, which in turn causes weight gain, and diabetes. It's kind of a cycle we see repeated generation after generation. A reason we see high levels of diabetes in Mexican Americans too (trauma from Spanish colonization and genocide). We are also seeing research supporting the link between high blood pressure in African Americans and historical trauma related to everyday racism and slavery.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic. I find the whole subject fascinating as a psych major and daughter to a Holocaust survivor. I just wanted to say thank you all for your kindness. I might currently be a light complected Latina, but that has not always been the case. I've experienced what it's like to have brown skin and light skin and the perceptions people place on me because of it. It still shocks me when people think they can confide their racist views with me b/c I'm white passing (at least at the moment) or when I'm darker, being told I'm the perfect kind of medium tone and 'not too dark'. I'm not even getting into the colorism in our Latinx communities either. It's a doozy (I can't believe I typed that out...I'm spending too much time with my white husband...haha)
Anyway, I tend to only seek people of color and rarely white people just because I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm thankful today's meditation didn't turn out negatively. I'm working on removing my biases towards white people and giving people the benefit of the doubt so truly, thank you all for being rather welcoming and kind.
Thank you two so much for your words and your work! I was born and raised in Brownsville, TX so I know what's been going on at the border and I have friends that go across the border (up until recently as that's become more difficult) to feed and help the asylum seekers in Matamoros. You are correct in what you stated. I just worry among the feeds I've seen in my threads on Facebook b/c I see a lot of people wanting a 'return to normalcy' and that suddenly everything will be right as rain with Biden and that's not enough for me or my people. However, I do see your points and obviously like I said, Biden isn't an authoritarian; I just hope people don't forget us is all. I went and helped translate in Spanish for a pro bono lawyer who was helping an asylum seeker. This person's lawyer told me about how without knowing anything about this person's history, his first response was "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just deport X now." These assholes don't care at all. The Native community here in OK is also suffering tremendously as is the Black community. I didn't even know about the Tulsa Race Massacre until I moved to OK 4 years ago! It's unreal what gets obscured and purposely scrubbed from the history books in our educational systems.
Anyway, thank you two so much. I really need to remember we're not here on own and like you said @jeanne we need to remember that it's not all on our shoulders either. This is a group effort. <3
What a joy to have you with us at the meditation last night and I am so pleased that you are not only sharing but so eloquently with us today. A very, very large number of here consider ourselves introverts and even reclusive but when we need to we rise to the occasion and join groups or even appear to be extroverts with others by empathucskly bonding with others even in public situations. It's a strange but happy paradox. And many carry great sadness and pain but can still care about and reach out with love to others.
Our own @vestralux has extensive and an in-depth knowledge base of historical and collective trauma and (I believe) writes about it professionally.
The topic is hugely complex as are all forms of trauma and PTSD. M any here can relate and emotionally understand
Blessings and welcome to our tribe. We are so happy you have joined us.
The New York Times:
Elizabeth Warren Is Unlikely to Endorse Bernie Sanders.
'Senator Elizabeth Warren, whose endorsement became highly coveted in the Democratic presidential race after she dropped out last week, is unlikely to endorse her ideological ally Senator Bernie Sanders, according to several people close to her, even though Mr. Sanders is looking for political lifelines as he struggles against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Ms. Warren is expected to withhold her endorsement from Mr. Sanders as well as Mr. Biden at this point, choosing to let the primary play out rather than seek to change its course...
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/us/politics/elizabeth-warren-endorsement-bernie-sanders.html
Welcome to the forum! I appreciated what you wrote and found it fascinating. I love hearing the different sides and perspectives on this site.
PS: I think your avatar is one of the cutest cat pictures I have ever seen! ? ❤️