Bernie Sanders: Revolutionary or Politician?

Last updated on: July 6, 2015 at 1:42 pm by Andy Gill

Bernie Sanders: Revolutionary or Politician? 2015-07-06T13:42:40-05:00 Andy Gill

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

After Al Gore won the election in 2000, and then somehow lost, I disconnected for a bit from politics, I was too young for that. But, as of recently I’ve been re-engaging slowly, but steadily. And now, suddenly all at once I’m back into the game.

Because, Bernie Sanders.

He says what he wants, and has no regrets. And because of this he’s taking the Internet by storm. By now, you should’ve heard of him. He’s raised $15 million (one-third of what Hillary has raised), had a record-breaking appearance in Wisconsin filling an arena to capacity [with 10,000 people in attendance]. And although Sanders is still trailing Hillary by rather large amounts, his unexpected rapid progression, has catapulted him onto the leaderboard and into the mainstream media making him a legitimate threat to the Clinton Campaign. It does make me wonder if he’s another “Obama” that’s going to devastatingly seize “the throne” out from underneath Hillary [1], again.

Bernie is a socialist underneath the guise of the Democratic Party, looking to win the ticket and get the presidential nod from the powers that be. He’s calling for a revolution by attempting to subvert a democratic system. The issue, with this is… he’s subverting the wrong system; we’re not a democracy so much as we’re an oligarchy that’s hiding behind the guise of democracy (He, out of all of us, knows this best… Which is confusing to me).

Here’s the thing, even if Sanders did get “the nod” from the “powers that be” and is inaugurated into the oval office, I’m not sure that would really or truly make much of any difference. While Bush revealed to us that our system is jacked and Obama revealed to us that the presidency is a middleman position. Which, all of this, as a result, makes me skeptical towards a guy like Bernie. Is he truly a revolutionary, or is he really just another politician? Is not a revolutionary politician an oxymoronic statement? Sure, he’s backed the poor, spoken against corporations, and consistently stated that #blacklivesmatter, but I’m still yet skeptical and questioning whether or not he’s like every other white progressive, leveraging oppression for their platform.

Don’t get me wrong, I like many of Bernie’s ideas, but like too many of us, I no longer believe the presidency is the solution to our problem, and with politicians I have a very hard time differentiating between their well-intentioned ideas, and their outright lies. Because, again, one guy is not going to be our “hope.” In all actuality, I think this is just a genius move by Hillary, as she’ll win ticket and snag Bernie as her VP.

Ironically, I hope I’m wrong about Bernie, truly. This is something in which I want to be proven wrong on and about…

So, I think what’s best to discuss and focus on right now is, hypothetically, if the oval office was the “throne” and this campaign was a “game,” would Hillary be Daenerys or Cersie…?

[1] http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/02/bernie-sanders-poll-surge-hillary-clinton

Culture

Politics

Previous Post

July 2, 2015

How You Can Help Fight Racism, And 7 Books to Read

Next Post

August 21, 2015 How is Race a Social Construction

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Books Buzzfeed Christian Church Church Culture Dating Dechurched eXvangelical Guest Post Humor Inspirational Justice LGBTQ Life Marriage Media Millennials Mini Post Monday Money Podcast Politics Race Reason Relationships Science Sex Socioeconomic Theology Theology Uncategorized Video Wednesday Youth Ministry

Select a Month June 2020 March 2020 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 January 2013 December 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian tradition is famous for the musical "Gregorian chant"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Roman Catholic Anglican Presbyterian Methodist

Support this
Column