Maybe I’m one of the few leftists who is going to say this, but fuck it. You know what? Let Haley Stevens support Mike Rogers.
Seriously. Why should I care?
And before anyone starts jumping down my throat, let me explain.
Because here’s the thing: Abdul El-Sayed isn’t exactly the progressive superstar that some people are making him out to be. And quite frankly, I think he’s a disappointment.
Now, I know there are people out there who are treating him like he’s going to be the next big thing in progressive politics. Like he’s going to come in, shake everything up, challenge the establishment, and deliver all these wonderful things.
But I’m not buying it.
I don’t have much confidence in Abdul. I don’t have much confidence in his ability to govern, and I certainly don’t have much confidence that he’ll deliver the kind of change people are expecting.
To me, he looks like another politician who could end up being a disappointment once the campaigning is over and the actual governing begins.
And honestly, I get similar vibes from Zohran Mamdani. Look at the expectations surrounding him. Look at the promises, the rhetoric, and the excitement. Now look at the compromises, the adjustments, and the things that have already started to look different from what people originally expected.
At some point, we need to stop treating politicians like they’re superheroes.
Campaign promises are easy. Governing is another story.
And I don’t want another politician who campaigns like a revolutionary but governs like another establishment Democrat.
Now, before anyone tries to make this about something else, let me make something abundantly clear.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Abdul being Muslim.
I don’t care that he’s Muslim. I don’t care about his religious background. If someone is attacking him because of his religion, then fuck that. That’s not what I’m doing here.
My criticism is about politics, policies, and what I believe he will actually accomplish in office.
And yes, I know someone is probably going to bring up Palestine.
Well, here’s my take on that.
First, let me say that what’s happening to Palestinians is horrible. The suffering, the destruction, the loss of innocent lives. None of that should be dismissed.
But at the same time, I’m going to be brutally honest: Palestine is not the biggest issue facing Americans right now. There are so many other urgent domestic issues that deserve our attention, too. Healthcare, housing, affordability, wages, education, workers’ rights, the economy, and countless other things affecting people’s everyday lives.
And I’m sorry, but I don’t think every single political conversation needs to revolve around Palestine.
Furthermore, I don’t think we should pretend that every politician who says the right things about Palestine is necessarily going to deliver meaningful change. There’s a difference between rhetoric and action. And that applies to politicians across the political spectrum.
So, at this point, I’m not particularly interested in making someone’s position on Palestine the sole determining factor in whether I support them.
And that’s another reason why I don’t understand the outrage surrounding Haley Stevens.
She has decided to support Mike Rogers. Okay. That’s her decision.
Am I suddenly endorsing Mike Rogers? No.
Am I saying he’s some wonderful Republican who is going to save the country? Absolutely not.
But here’s where I stand: I would rather see a politician who I believe is a fake progressive lose than continue rewarding Democrats who campaign on promises of change but ultimately deliver something entirely different.
And maybe, just maybe, losing elections might actually teach the Democratic Party something.
Maybe Democrats need to understand that they cannot simply expect progressive voters to fall in line every single time. Maybe they need to understand that slapping the progressive label on someone doesn’t automatically make that person deserving of progressive support.
And maybe progressives themselves need to stop treating every Democratic candidate as the next great hope for the movement.
I’m tired of political hero worship. I’m tired of people acting like criticizing a Democratic politician somehow makes you a Republican. I’m tired of the assumption that if you identify as left-wing, you must automatically support whoever the Democratic Party puts forward.
No. That’s not how this works.
I can be left-wing and criticize Democrats. I can be progressive and criticize politicians who claim to represent progressive values. I can disagree with someone who is technically on my side of the political spectrum.
And I can do all of that without suddenly becoming a Republican.
So, Haley Stevens, support Mike Rogers if that’s what you want to do.
I’m not particularly interested in defending Abdul El-Sayed just because he’s the Democratic nominee.
Maybe that’s an unpopular opinion among some of my fellow leftists. Maybe people will disagree with me. That’s fine.
But I’m not going to pretend to have confidence in a politician when I don’t.
And if the Democratic Party wants the support of people like me, perhaps it should start giving us politicians worth supporting.
Being a leftist doesn’t mean being a loyal servant of the Democratic Party. And it certainly doesn’t mean checking your critical thinking at the door.