In 2016 I struggled with my primary vote decision. I decided that I had to vote for the candidate that best fit my ideals. At the time it was clear to me that the best candidate that did that was Bernie, even though I didn’t think he’d ultimately win the nomination and I wasn’t sure he’d be able to win America in the fall. I was incredibly pleased to see Hillary adopt many of the principles Bernie ran on when she and the party put together their 2016 platform.
It’s been four years. A lot has changed.
One of the things that has changed over the last four years, for me, is the amount of exposure Bernie has gotten since 2016. We’ve seen and heard a lot more from him and about him in that time.
It’s clear to me that one of the reasons Bernie has had so little legislation introduced in Congress over his long tenure there is that he is slow to yield. A good leader does not only need a vision and passion. A good leader also needs to be able to yield and allow the best idea in the room to rise to the top and then support that idea and the team that fostered it. What I’ve seen from Bernie is similar to what I’ve seen from Trump and that’s a hard headed stubborn man who is slow to listen, slow to see the value of others opinions and slow to yield for the good of all.
I still agree with much of Bernie’s ideals. But we need more than ideals and stubbornness in a leader. We need someone who truly leads, listens, learns, and lifts good ideas and those who have them higher.
That person is not Bernie Sanders.
I believe that Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden are leaders who embody those leadership qualities. The qualities I want to see in a President. Warren fit better with my ideals than Biden and She had my vote. But now that she is out, my vote and my support will go to Biden and not Bernie this time.
Bernie will bring a host of delegates to the convention in Milwaukee. That’s a very good thing. The ideals they carry will make our platform against Trumpism that much stronger and more unified for all Americans.