Progressive Babies (Cut off Nose, Spite Face)

~SUMMARY~
It’s bad enough I have to fight with Trump Republicans: brainwashed MAGA cult members for whom absolutely nothing matters. I’ve also encountered a group of “true progressive” babies who want to boycott Joe Biden and blow it all up because their guy didn’t win the primary. I’m not talking about us sincere progressives who were lukewarm on Biden but still are voting for him because the country will implode under four more years of Trump. No, I’m talking about those advocating a Biden boycott to somehow force a “real progressive” on Democrats someday. I’m a progressive, a realistic liberal. I’m a social Democrat, as left as you can get without being a sot or communist. (Note to sots: I’m not conflating the two.) But practically speaking, I don’t want my country to burn down. Progressive babies are pouty, recalcitrant, dangerous children who don’t see any big picture and are willing to turn America into a “Twilight Zone” Jack-in-the-Box. I’m tired of you phony purists. There is currently one practical solution: Vote Biden. Anything else supports burning down the country so that there is nothing left for you or any other histrionic ideologues to fight for. I’m sick of your whining. MAGA cult members, whining progressive babies, come together, see the light. (It could happen.) (scroll down for full article)

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COVID-19 Deaths

(COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University; approximately 8 a.m. each day)

9/17/2020 — Conservatively Estimated Trump Malfeasance Deaths: 98,416

(Ersin, Tom; “Pandemic Deaths Due to Trump Malfeasance: 68,709 – so Far”; GraniteWord.com; 7/16/2020; as conservatively extrapolated from COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University; 9/17/2020.)

The United States accounts for 4.2% of Earth’s population, 21% of world COVID-19 deaths, 22% of world COVID-19 cases.

MAGA Cultism and Progressive Babies — Two Sides of the Same Self-Destructive Coin

It’s bad enough I have to fight with Trump Republicans: brainwashed MAGA cult members for whom absolutely nothing matters. Here, lately, I’ve encountered a group of “true progressive” babies who want to boycott Joe Biden and blow it all up because their guy didn’t win the Democratic nomination.

I’m not talking about sincere progressives who were lukewarm on Biden: he wasn’t their first choice in the primary, but they’re still going to vote for him because the country will implode under four more years of Trump. I feel for those people. They’re my people. Biden wasn’t my first choice, either. (Though us practical liberals will acknowledge Uncle Joe has made significant movement toward progressive policy positions.)

No, I’m talking about the people who are advocating a Joe Biden boycott by voting third party or not voting, to somehow force a “real progressive” on Democrats someday.

I’ve heard some say they don’t support “lesser-evil voting,” that this has given us 40 years of “the same,” whatever “the same” is. (In 2016, eschewing “the same” got them Donald J. Trump.) So instead, they’re going to use or withhold their vote to send a message to “establishment” Democrats by writing in a protest choice or sitting out the election.

This is like playing shortstop on the Little League baseball team your mom coaches, then she takes you out of the game for poor sportsmanship, then you go behind the opposing bench and start rooting loudly for the other team. (Full disclosure: My mom did take me out of the game. I did get mad, I did go behind the opposing bench, and I did start rooting loudly for the other team. But I was 11.)

If you don’t understand this election is different, you’re beyond hope. You’re insincere and, worse, counterproductive to your ostensible goals.

“Neoliberals”

No, what progressive babies are engaged in is worst-evil voting. If they can’t have their first choice, the most leftist candidate in the lot, they’ll not vote for second-best. They will, in effect, support a dangerous, corrupt, incompetent autocrat instead. That’ll show the milquetoast neoliberals. Take that. If I can’t have the one I love, then blow it all up. If my mom takes me out of the game, my team is dead to me.

This is classic perfect-enemy-of-the-good thinking. And it could destroy a great country.

Progressive babies love to describe us sincere realists with terms like neoliberal, a now watered-down meaningless pejorative that sounds cool to them (comparable to MAGA supporters using the term RINO to describe any non-Trump Republican). These babies wear their zero-tolerance attitude on their sleeve to say, “Look at me, I’m the only liberal with morals, with scruples, with integrity — it’s my way or the (destroy-our-country) highway.” They believe it’s worth four more years of Trumpism — possibly destroying American democracy beyond repair — to convince us they’re right.

They’re all the Same

Then there are the cretins who believe — or say they believe — that Biden is the same as Trump: no policy, ethical, or competence differences. I don’t know if some of these guys are all shock value or what. But the ones that do believe this and are willing to reelect Trump are out of their minds. It’s like the dumped psychopath boyfriend (progressive baby in Bernie persona) who kills his ex (America who dumped Bernie) because if he can’t have her, then make her suffer. These Biden-equals-Trump miscreants are urging that since their guy didn’t win, burn the mutha down.

If you believe Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the same, I can’t help you. If you can’t understand that this election is different, there’s no further value in conversing.

Bernie

Let me remind everyone: Bernie Sanders is not a Democrat. He’s an Independent. What right do these babies have to try and force a non-Democrat down the Party’s throat? Be thankful they let him run in their primary, accept that he lost, and shut the hell up. Get your own damn party if you don’t like the way Dems run theirs. In the meantime, as a progressive — and a Democrat — I’ll support the most liberal party and candidate that can win.

I love Bernie. I’ve loved him for many years, since long before he became a superstar, before most progressive babies ever heard of him. But he chooses NOT to be a Democrat. I love AOC, aka Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I love the balance she creates in our party. She chooses to be a Democrat. She chooses to work from within. She creates ideological tension with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a more moderate (but highly effective) Democrat. Fantastic. This is how the system is supposed to work.

As actor Steven Hill’s character on Law and Order, District Attorney Adam Schiff, said after a tough government corruption case, “America: the worst form of government on Earth — except for all the others.” It has its faults. But you work with those. If you don’t like the way the DNC runs things, work from within for change, in good faith, or get the hell out. Don’t try to force Bernie, a non-Democrat, on us, then stamp your feet and take your ball home after the majority of the party decided he probably couldn’t beat Trump. We couldn’t take that chance.

What’s a Progressive?

I’m a progressive, a critically thoughtful, realistic liberal. I support social democracy. I’m as left as you can get without being a sot or communist. (Note to Democratic sots: I’m not conflating the two.) But practically speaking, I don’t want my country to burn down. Progressive babies, the ones who don’t now support Biden-Harris (a very strong ticket, i.e., capable of beating Trump), are pouty, recalcitrant, dangerous children who don’t see any big picture and are willing to turn America into one of Billy Mumy’s Twilight Zone Jack-in-the-Boxes.

You must support the most ideologically aligned candidate to you who has a chance to win, at each juncture along the way. If your candidate loses the primary, then you support the next ideologically closest candidate who has a chance to win. Then you work for change from within. There is NO OTHER realistic, effective way to move forward. After the most corrupt, incompetent, amoral U.S. president in history is removed, THEN you can resume blowing up the system. What this means for reasonable and effective progressives is that they can resume responsibly attempting to move the Democratic Party leftward.

I’m tired of you phony purists who refuse even to consider the thinking of Bernie Sanders, AOC, et al. who right now are staunch Biden-Harris supporters. There is currently one practical solution: Vote Biden. Anything else supports burning down the country so that there is nothing left for you or any other histrionic ideologues to fight for. I’m sick of your whining.

MAGA cult members, whining progressive babies, come together, see the light. (It could happen.) ■

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Trump Corruption Chronicles — We Must Never Forget

Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report — House Intelligence Committee

Trump-Ukraine Call, July 25, 2019 — Rough Transcript

Whistleblower Complaint — Regarding Trump-Ukraine

Mueller Report — Intros and Executive Summaries

Mueller Report — Complete

Trump-Russia Timeline (Bill Moyers)