When Misogyny, Racism, and Antisemitism Aren't Deal Breakers For Your Revolution

"Sorry, I screwed up." 

As human beings, we often resist admitting when we're wrong. It is a blow to our ego when we have to admit we may have made a mistake. Depending on the severity of the error, there can be repercussions, none of which are pleasant. Someone depending on us may lose confidence. It may impact our interactions with those close to us. It may take time to get back into one's good graces. Needless to say, having to swallow our pride and apologize is one of the most difficult things that a person has to do in their everyday life. 

But it has to be done. Because we as human beings are fallible. We make the best decision we can with the information provided, but sometimes that decision doesn't pan out. Maybe we were missing information. Maybe turning that decision into action didn't go according to plan. Maybe there was some unexpected opposition. Maybe it was the right decision, but the timing was off. And maybe, just maybe, it was the right decision at the right time, but the end result had some unanticipated consequences that nobody could have foreseen.

Understanding all this is critical to having the type of humility necessary to apologize when needed. Yes, it stings the ego to admit you were wrong. But reflecting on your error helps you grow. You take time to review the decision that was made and the process through which that decision was reached. You analyze whatever it was about that decision that didn't pan out. While we never want to make mistakes, they often are necessary for personal and professional growth. Dealing with the aftermath of a decision that doesn't work out is part of one's development. It's easy to navigate when a decision works out; it's challenging to do it when a decision falls flat. Having the confidence to address both situations is what makes you a virtuous human being. 

Bernie Sanders has no such virtue. And because of it, he cannot admit when he is wrong.

This past week showed us that, like Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders has such an inflated ego that he cannot admit when he has made an obvious error. When it came to light that his endorsed Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner had a Nazi tattoo, Sanders refused to withdraw his support, even though he has acknowledged Jewish heritage. When it later came out that Platner also had a history of racist and bigoted social media posts, Sanders remained in his corner. When Platner then began sending NDA's to his campaign staff, Sanders remained resolutely by his side. By week's end, there were very few original supporters of Graham Platner who stuck with someone who clearly wasn't vetted before his Senate run. Bernie Sanders was one of those supporters. 

Because to withdraw support would mean that Bernie Sanders would have to apologize. He would have to admit that he was wrong and that he made a poor decision in endorsing Graham Platner. He would have to swallow his pride and shift gears to announce his support for Janet Mills, somebody he initially refused to endorse. Admitting his mistake would require Bernie Sanders to have humility. 

Instead, Bernie Sanders has doubled and tripled down. He has described Platner's tattoo as something that occurred during a "dark period" of his life. When asked about some of Platner's troubling comments about sexual assault being downplayed in the military, Sanders responded by asking if the reporter had served four tours of duty in Iraq, thereby intentionally refusing to answer the reporter's question. Even with Platner's political director resigning and the subsequent NDA's being required, Sanders sees no reason to withdraw his support. He's pot-committed, and like everything in his life, Sanders refuses to acknowledge the error of his ways. He simply cannot admit his mistake because doing so would make Sanders imperfect. It would make him, dare I say, human. And for Bernie Sanders' Great Socialist Revolution to succeed, has has to be infallible at all costs. 

This is what happens when you place yourself at the center of your own revolution. You make all the decisions. The buck stops with you. And when you make a bad decision, rather than own it, you ride out that decision no matter what. Bernie Sanders was always his own anointed High Sparrow, someone who was destined to lead. His supporters in 2016 and 2020 bought into this narrative. So Sanders went with it and tried to use his growing fame to endorse those whom he knew would credit him for their victory. He did so at the expense of immensely talented legislators like Letitia James, Tom Perez, Gretchen Whitmer, Sharice Davids, and Shontel Brown, all of whom he bypassed by endorsing another candidate. He's currently endorsing Abdul El-Sayed for the open Michigan Senate seat over Mallory McMorrow because El-Sayed is a former fellow at the Sanders Institute, the failed think tank that Sanders closed in 2019. He's all in on Zohran Mamdami because he needs a fellow socialist to get into a position of power. Sanders' own attachment to Graham Platner was clear: he was an anti-establishment Democrat whom Sanders could closely ally himself with to finally have a like-minded colleague in the United States Senate. Since Sanders himself has tried and failed to run for president twice, all that is left is for his acolytes to succeed. 

Which is why he can't have Graham Platner fail, no matter what. Maine is the best chance to flip a Senate seat from red to blue in 2026, and Bernie Sanders is committed to his chosen candidate. But in failing to vet Graham Planter, Bernie Sanders has again shown how problematic his "revolution" truly is. At its core, it is a movement based on angry White resentment from the left. Many are racist. Many are sexist. Many are antisemitic. Graham Platner is all three, and unsurprisingly, that combination is not a deal breaker for Bernie Sanders. We should all be grateful for Graham Planter's candidacy because it has shown that these Sanders-backed unvetted candidates are extremely problematic and would likely get crushed in a general election. Janet Mills has always been a stronger Maine senatorial candidate, and we're fortunate that Platner is imploding now rather than 12 months from now. 

And we're fortunate that Bernie Sanders continues backing him, showing us once again how his "revolution" relies on the absolute worst that the Democratic Party has to offer.