The scene is almost laughable: Bernie Sanders, the senator from Vermont, cheerfully touts the massive turnouts at his “fight oligarchy” rallies and “no king” events. He even dares to suggest that the United States is on the brink of a political revolution. It’s almost as if Washington and the Founding Fathers are in a cosmic eye-roll at the spectacle of this so-called revolution that Sanders is rallying for. The senator tends to forget that America perfected its revolution back in 1776, setting the stage for liberty and freedom, not the socialist policies he’s peddling as some newfangled enlightenment.
What Sanders seems to be overlooking in his quests across the nation is what makes America such an exceptional place. The country he envisions usurps the foundational idea of opportunity for all. Who knew that a senator could serenely call for the overthrow of capitalism with the same earnestness as asking for a second helping of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving? It’s intriguing, if not somewhat baffling, to see a political figure campaigning for the very ideas, like socialism and communism, that many citizens had hoped were permanently consigned to history’s back shelf.
The irony, really, is palpable. America, despite its imperfections, has accomplished a miraculous journey from the birth of its democracy to becoming a global symbol of wealth and innovation. Yet here comes Sanders with his plans to dismantle the very system that has so successfully pulled countless people out of poverty. Oh, the senator might argue that his ideas are novel, but many would say they are a trip down a failed historical lane, hampered by the ghosts of economies that never quite lived up to their utopian promises.
Bernie’s political revolution calls for a fundamental reform of the Democratic Party, but perhaps more accurately, it calls for a rebranding of mediocrity. The philosophies being paraded now are reminiscent of old-world ideologies that left little but a trail of disenchantment. If only Senator Sanders could channel the energy from his rallies not into dismantling the pillars of American success, but instead into updating American infrastructure or improving the quality of its public education—now that’s a revolution George Washington might have raised a glass to.
Perhaps one day, when people tire of hollow promises and socialist melodrama, they will recognize the value in treasuring and enhancing the system that has made America the beacon it is today. Until then, one can only hope that Sanders, and those cheering him on, take a moment to reflect on what truly makes America great, and learn to cherish its remarkable, albeit sometimes messy, journey in a world that’s still yearning for its exceptional magic.
