The real trouble with Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders would make a far better president than Donald Trump, for the same reason a bag of fire ants would make a far better president than Donald Trump. But we’re just three states into a fifty state primary race, and Sanders has only won two out of the three, giving him around 35% of the total vote. Sanders isn’t headed to the nomination; we’re headed to a brokered convention. In the meantime, let’s just say that Sanders suddenly has a CIA problem.
Earlier today, someone dug up the fact that in 1974, Bernie Sanders said he wanted to abolish the CIA. This isn’t anything new, of course. He made these remarks when he was relatively young, during the height of the anti-war movement. And while you can’t just get rid of the CIA and have no spies working for your country, his frustration in 1974 was understandable. Four years ago, Sanders made clear that he no longer feels this way; he just wants the CIA cleaned up. Okay, good. This is the position that most reasonable people would take.
Here’s the problem, though. Once Bernie’s fans on Twitter saw his quote about wanting to abolish the CIA, several of them began loudly agreeing with him. They didn’t seem to care that he made the remark nearly fifty years ago, in a very different time. Nor did any of them seem interested in checking to see if Bernie even still feels this way. They simply decided that because Bernie once said the CIA should be eliminated, it should definitely be eliminated. So many of his fans instantly began expressing this notion, the hashtag #AbolishTheCIA began trending on Twitter. And again, Bernie doesn’t even think the CIA should be abolished.
This is nothing short of a cult-like mentality. In fact it’s dangerously cult-like. Frankly, it has shades of the French Revolution Reign of Terror. Bernie’s most enthusiastic fans are doing no thinking of their own, and are eager to destroy anyone or anything that Bernie has ever spoken of in less than glowing terms. Their allegiance isn’t to progressive values, or to reform. Their allegiance is to their own cult-like worship of some bloke they’ve elevated into saint-like status. It’s no longer even clear if Bernie can control his own cult. When it comes to the CIA, they’re not even abiding by his current wishes.
