With eyes on the 2020 election, the Lanthorn will be featuring all angles of discussion on the political ecosystem. If you want to share your thoughts via a letter to the editor, please email us at [email protected].

 It’s happening again.

We thought that after 2016, Democrats had surely learned their lesson that nominating a moderate will result in low voter turnout and thus a Republican victory in the White House.

Well, it looks like they didn’t learn.

Now the new moderate of this race, Joe Biden, is coming to our state looking for an easy victory with the momentum he enjoys because of his Super Tuesday win. And now, he’s got a new friend to help him out: our governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Not only has she endorsed him prior to the Michigan primary on Tuesday, March 10, but she is also joining his campaign as a co-chair.

Yes, of all people, Joe Biden. A man who has called for cuts to social security for 40 years, who opposes the popular policy of Medicare For All, who has advocated for segregationist policies in the past and who can’t stop freaking mis-speaking.

While polling shows Biden winning Michigan over Bernie Sanders, the same was said of Hillary Clinton in 2016 before Sanders ended up winning our state in a major upset. Indeed, not a single poll predicted that victory, which pollsters attributed to underestimating the turnout of young voters.

And guess what? Young people still really like Sanders. And it’s not just because of his support for free college and healthcare. We understand something that those in the establishment, like Whitmer, clearly do not: the importance of beating Donald Trump in November.

Biden’s abysmal policy record, including, but not limited to, his support for the Iraq War and opposition to Roe v. Wade, have made him extremely unpopular, and understandably so. Do we really think a man who has constantly found himself on the wrong side of history is the best person to defeat Trump? Absolutely not.

Sanders as the nominee would be the best person to counter Trump’s failed policies and dishonest rhetoric, and Michigan voters will surely go for him in November for his agenda. Sanders has made many of the problems plaguing Michigan part of his platform for years, such as fixing our crumbling infrastructure. You would think our governor, who ran on the slogan “Fix the damn roads,” would gladly endorse Sanders simply for that.

It’s obvious that establishment Democrats would rather nominate a morally bankrupt candidate who can’t beat Trump over an honest and anti-special interest candidate who can. Despite having the highest approval rating out of any senator in the country, those in the establishment view Sander’s record of fighting against the mega-rich elitist class who rule America as a detriment to potentially winning the presidency. If only they could understand that is the very reason why voters in November would go for him and not Trump, who embodies the kind of self-centered and demented capitalism destroying our country.

Please ignore our governor’s wishes and do not vote for the man who would surely hand Trump another undeserved four more years in office. Instead vote for Sanders, who’s vision for America will triumph over Trump’s campaign of lies and demagoguery.