The Clarity of a Smaller Field

[democrattotheend]

42. I really wish he hadn't run this year

I'm glad he ran in 2016 and showed that someone as unapologetically progressive as he was could mount a serious campaign, and that it was possible to raise enough money to mount a credible campaign without doing any high dollar closed door fundraisers. Cringeworthy supporters at the convention aside, I feel he changed the party for the better and I was proud to be a part of it.

But this year, Elizabeth Warren offered the opportunity to nominate someone equally progressive (or pretty damn close) without being hampered by the socialist label and without burning so many bridges. I wish he'd let her carry the torch and represent the progressive viewpoint (which is what he wanted in 2016 when he encouraged her to run, only running himself when she refused) instead of splitting the vote with her and turning some of his supporters against her (though I don't think that was necessarily his intent, since from what I recall, they were mostly civil to each other except that one little spat over whether he said a woman couldn't win).

It's disappointing because I think once upon a time, he cared more about advancing the progressive agenda than his own ambitions, but the allure of being in the spotlight and having some real power in and after 2016 after being mostly on the sidelines for so long went to his head, unfortunately.