Dear Senator Sanders:
If I were starting a country from scratch, I might very well call on you to build its government structure. I would be confident with you leading the charge. I understand the value of what you espouse and I see how it works in some other countries.
But we are not starting from scratch. We are immersed in a full-blown crisis. It’s like Donald Trump is a kid who got behind the wheel of his parents’ car and he keeps crashing it into things. And we’re being forced to watch, feeling helpless.
Most of us want someone to shoot out the tires, wrangle the keys away from the little miscreant, and put a safe driver behind the wheel. If, in order for that to happen, he or she has to drive down the center lane for a while so we can all catch our breath and regroup, we’re OK with that.
I know ‘center’ is a dirty word among your following and I get why you and they find it maddening. But consider this: we now have a centrist sugar daddy who wants to drive, but if he gets beat by another driver, he’ll give that driver all his resources – gas, mapping technology, manpower, reach.
However, you, Senator, won’t commit to using them. You’re willing to ask tons of passengers who are not convinced you can drive to get in the car on faith. You want them to hop into a vehicle that could run out of gas, or take them on a ride through heavy fog rather than accept help from a person who wants to just get the car under control. And to just assume we’re climbing in with a healthy driver since you won’t be releasing your medical records.
Surely you jest.
I love some of your supporters. A few are dear friends, some of the best people I know. They’re not cut out of the ballyhooed “Bernie Bro” cloth. They’re real, humane, engaged citizens who see something in you that I never have. I like you in the Senate. I like a lot of your policies. I could easily live with you as President. But it’s getting from the crash site to where the rubber meets the road that concerns me greatly.
When a citizen put the question to you at a CNN Town Hall, you didn’t directly answer whether you’d take the resources Michael Bloomberg would offer. Then Anderson Cooper pressed you on it and you said, “I don’t think we’re gonna need that money.”
You are delusional, Senator. As Johnny says to Penny in Dirty Dancing, “Take the money! You should take the money!”
Trump has amassed and continues to amass campaign money beyond what most of us can believe or imagine. I know you’re proud that your average donation is $18.50 and I appreciate it’s a central tenet of your campaign to lead a revolution where we don’t need no stinkin’ billionaires.
But again, we’re not starting from scratch. We still live in a country where money matters in campaigns. Most of us agree it shouldn’t and are repelled by it, but is that the point right now?
Boom … bam … crunch!
That was the sound of Trump crashing into the Justice Department again. Whoa, look out, he’s backing up, now he’s revving the engine. Boom! Another hit on DOJ. If you’re seeking answers on what this feels like, maybe call someone at the State Department. They’re covered in bruises and broken bones.
And of course this letter wouldn’t be complete without addressing the Bernie Bros. I know the trolls and bots – some of them courtesy of Trump — are making them seem worse than they are and more widespread than they are. But they still exist and you could denounce the bad behavior more strongly. This isn’t just about bullying, but the all-or-nothing credo they keep touting. You seem reluctant to do that.
And yet you want the keys? A lot of your supporters rail at #BlueNoMatterWho, but you need us. Don’t get cocky. It’s fair to say the majority of us want a revolution, but we have to win before that can go down.
Given all this, how are we to gather that you have the vision to steer the car? This matters.
Because if the kid who’s at the wheel now keeps crashing it for another four years, not even the junkyard will be able to salvage the parts.
Sincerely,
Nancy Colasurdo
