I honestly think that both progressives and conservatives should support Bernie Sanders. I know that sounds crazy. Bernie is the political opposite of so many conservative ideas. Why then do I think even conservatives should vote for Sanders? The answer is simple. We have a broken political system and Bernie is the only politician addressing the systemic issues that need correcting.

To my mind, the defining political issue is the influence of money on our political process. We have gotten to the point where our Republic no longer reflects the will of the people. That s a huge problem no matter what your political perspective. Do you want conservative policies? Are you rich? If not your voice doesn’t matter. Do you want progressive policies? Are you rich? if not your voice doesn’t matter. Here is a short video about this issue:

Here is a longer TED Talk:

If we want a government that reflects the will of the people these are crucial issues. It is important that we debate the issues and decide what direction we want the country to go but until we limit the influence of money on the system we will not have a government for the people.

So, why does this mean people should vote for Bernie? Quite simply Bernie is the only politician who is paying this issue its due. Trump acknowledges the problem when claiming that because of his wealth he is above the problem. But, he proposes nothing to correct the problem which would still impact other politicians. Only Sanders is taking this issue on. Heis most focused on campaign finance reform but also his platform also calls for an end to gerrymandering.

There are important debates we need to have in our country about important issues. But, until we make some changes it doesn’t matter what the people think. Further, until the gerrymandering issue is fixed the politicians get to choose their voters allowing members of the House to move futher to the extremes and not have to work across the aisle.

We need to fix these issues so that conservatives, moderates, and liberals can have the national conversations that matter and so that the politicians will be responsive to the people. As an Evangelical, I have plenty of friends who are “values voters” but until we change things the only value that matters is money.

About Post Author

Rondall Reynoso

Rondall is an artist and scholar. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Tennessee. He holds an MFA in Painting and an MS in Art History from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and is completing a Ph.D. in Art History and Aesthetics from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

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