 Back in 2017 a lot of the left was so excited to see a Socialist lawmaker get elected to Virginia's House of Delegates and that individual was Lee Carter and You know seeing him in power It really sent a message to leftists across the country that if he could get elected anything is possible This is not someone who was being accused of being a leftist as many Democrats are by Republicans This is someone who self identified as a leftist and it was really exciting to see him in a position of power Now he ran for governor and unfortunately he lost that race Terry McCullough Who was the governor previously won the Democratic Party primary so he lost that race and now? He's done so he decided to take to Twitter to kind of share his experience over the course of the last couple of years And he really confirmed something that I suspected was true That even if it's getting better in American society to identify as a socialist and to espouse Socialists views and rhetoric in the real world Especially if you're a lawmaker, it's really really difficult to exist as An out-and-proud socialist so he writes via Twitter this job has made me miserable for the last four years I made a lot of people's lives objectively better, but the constant assassination threats and harassment were terrible for my family and my health I'm relieved to say that I've done my part and now it's someone else's turn I helped get health insurance for half a million people I helped thousands of diabetic people pay for insulin. I helped legalize cannabis. I helped end the death penalty I helped workers own their cooperative businesses. I helped people unionize. I'm gonna sleep Well, and he should what he accomplished is Just incredible and he's one of the socialist lawmakers around the country that proved that their politics is Incredibly effective. I mean him Shama so want these folks are showing that when you have people powered behind you you can actually govern in an effective manner even if you have big business and your colleagues against you and There were so many times where he was taunted by his own colleagues in The governing body in Virginia I mean there was the time when somebody held up a hammer-in-sicle sign to taunt him and this is not a Republican who's doing this. This is a Democrat and also he shared a boomer meme that Republicans made and shared about him They were basically trying to attack him as part of this red baiting bullshit It's just he faced this constantly and I'm sure that he's not even sharing all of it and to me. It's It's discouraging right because it feels as if it's getting more easy for people to you know Come out as a socialist for lack of a better word and socialism is becoming more popular You know more far-left ideologies like anarchism communism They are getting increasingly popular in the United States and that's going to continue as capitalism fails but we're still not to the point where it's easy to govern as a socialist and Part of this is I think reason why individuals like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez We should it to leave Ilhan Omar over time. They kind of get a little bit more or I should say less Radicalized seemingly and they kind of learn to play the game in DC as it is and they're not as firebrand as when they got elected Because I think that the system just like beat you down I mean AOC even said that she felt like she wasn't even sure that she wanted to run for a second term because the Democratic Party was just So unwell welcoming to her and that's putting aside all of the threats that she gets from Republicans So I mean the system itself is designed to beat you down. This is what capitalism does so the fact that You know Lee Carter was there. He put up with so much bullshit for multiple years and he was still this effective. I Think it really speaks to you know the spirit of so many people Around this country who are fighting to make the world a better place So Lee Carter nothing but love and solidarity for you, brother I think that what you did was just incredible you created a blueprint and a lot of people Will look up to you for decades to come for inspiration because what you pulled off I mean That's that's the blueprint. That's that's the map That's what we have to do and maybe you know You might not be able to have a long career as a socialist on maker Maybe it'll beat you down But if you get in there for a couple of years and you improve people's lives in a really concrete way as Lee Carter did That's still something that's totally commendable that should be applauded. So I absolutely am thankful for Lee Carter You know what I have loved to see him become the governor and one-day president of the United States Obviously, yes, but still what he accomplished should not be minimized It should be celebrated because it is really damn hard to be a socialist in the United States of America still till this day You know the McCarthyite red-baiting smears are going to continue to exist, but with time things will change They just haven't necessarily changed as much as we would have hoped to this point, but still That's off to you Lee Carter You did excellent and you absolutely should be proud of yourself