It frustrates me when folks say Bernie/AOC/etc limit resistance by working w/i elected office, because 1) these takes don’t contextualize *politicians,* 2) consider how we’re *all* limited by procedures, 3) note they aren’t making a claim on activism by describing *their* role.

We want Progressive Politicians to be our saviors, place every burden on them, then get tight when they are doing their jobs as *politicians* to pass legislation. I’m not expecting a Bernie Sanders or AOC or Cori Bush to occupy Congress until M4A is passed. That’s not their role.

And I really think we miss something important about coalition and movement building when we expect Progressive Politicians to be the same as Activists who we expect to only engage progressive action in specific kinds of ways.

And, the reality is that we are all limited by systems and procedures that surround us everyday. Even activists make decisions in relation to the systems that surround us and limit us.

So we *contextualize* people within their role and limitations. We push them, but we don’t assume they’ll be our savior and we also don’t impose a role on them they have not claimed for themselves.