in regards to Bernie supporters giving up and leaving...

[retrowire]

I admit that I'm an angry person with no tact before I say this.

can we PLEASE stop throwing in the towel when we're met with unfair opposition? grow a backbone people!

what do you think Bernie is up against? he's said it from the beginning! it's an uphill battle. this will not be a cakewalk and was never going to be one!

Bernie deals with this crap everyday no doubt about it.

how does he deal with it? well let me first explain where some of you are going wrong.

when you're met with people praising Hillary and smearing Bernie you tend to smear back. no! bad Bernie supporter! bad!

Bernie has never run a negative ad in his life. he refuses to smear his opponents. we should do the same.

so next time you're up against the odds, just stick to the truth. don't try insulting others, don't even stoop to their level. be like Bernie. just give them facts. fight misinformation with information! you can't save them all so yes there will be people who stick to their guns! but oh well, leave them be and move on to the next person who could hear about Bernie.

also even if you feel that the administration is biased, oh well. as long as you have a voice on this site, as long as you have a voice for Bernie anywhere, USE IT.

Bernie will not win with apathy, he will not win with discouragement, he will not win with fear of the opposition.

stop throwing in the towel, Bernie hasn't and he won't. if Bernie keeps fighting an uphill battle for you, I think we should keep returning the favor. don't you think?

[SmittynMo]

1. No towel throwing here

I firmly believe he can do it. It's time we take our country back and get someone that represents the people. NOT corporate America and the 1%.

[daleanime]

16. More like we were thrown out like trash....

It's not disrespectful for us to acknowledge that our concerns and problems mean nothing to this current administration. That's just facing the facts.

But don't worry, we love you anyways.

[raouldukelives]

23. They are oblivious to it.

They think by improving and expanding the power of corporations, they will have more money, and they are right.

They just don't want to own, or are entirely oblivious of, the consequences.

A big, sopping wet towel tossed over any marginally liberal or progressive desire for change that is not in the interest of multinational corporations.

Our democracy is struggling to breathe, a towel is over our face and every dollar in Wall St is another drop of water.

[jwirr]

39. Being against a policy TPP is not throwing in the towel. All too many presidents in the past have

had nothing but yes-men around them. It is a citizens duty to be involved. And losing faith in a politician is totally different than throwing in the towel.

[INdemo]

7. Yes Bernie can win

Bernie does not draw a crowd of thousands if no one is interested....

[djean111]

2. I cannot imagine letting the supporters of another candidate impacting my life in any way, shape,

or form. Much less my vote or support for Bernie. Some days I just think of poo-flinging monkeys, gathering around afterwards, screeching, and consider that yeah, we are all descended from the same family tree. So some behaviors may be wired genetically.
NOT calling anyone a poo-flinging monkey, just saying that we all guard our territories and beliefs in different ways, most likely wired by nature. Just smile, roll your eyes, and move on, is the best response.

[Autumn]

25. So true and that's the perfect attitude to have, they are just words on a screen.

and the only impact they have is what we give them.

'Just smile, roll your eyes, and move on, is the best response.'

[n2doc]

3. It will get worse the more Bernie improves and becomes more of a threat to take the nomination

I fully expect the level of hyperbole lies and innuendo to reach unprecedented heights should Sanders take Iowa. It will get very ugly. There are vast amounts of money at stake here and the 1% will do everything they can to fight him. Ignore it and keep eyes on the prize.

[retrowire]

9. exactly

this is only the beginning.

[nenagh]

14. "there are vast amounts of money at stake here"

so true...

[daleanime]

17. And power,

this election cycle will be unlike any thing before.

[appalachiablue]

45. +1 So true. On the one hand he's denigrated as fringe, a socialist 'loon' yet there's a whole

lot of fuss about him and false info. It's because people are seeing the truth and solutions he speaks of, for 40 years and they're supporting him more and more every day- by the thousands and from all ages and backgrounds.

Bernie is THE SUNLIGHT CANDIDATE and I Love it!

[Dont call me Shirley]

5. Towels are not flying here. Reason is still the best response, just like Bernie does.

Become Bernie, be one with Bernie in responding to crazy-makers, channel Bernie when thrown a curveball, study Bernie's reactions when given unfair questions then employ "The Bern", this is how we react like Bernie does

[mikehiggins]

8. Shirley, that is just crazy talk n/t

[Dont call me Shirley]

57. It's fucking madness...

[daleanime]

18. Every one like to mess around.....

don't they.

[TM99]

6. I will fight on

for as long as it takes to make meaningful change in this country. It won't happen with a Republican. It won't happen with a New Dem either.

[INdemo]

11. The corporate fight against Bernie is proof the

corporate mafia and Wall St owns the two party system. Bernie wants the "we the people" to own our political process and the Wall St puppets will spend millions to make sure we don't regain this ownership

[think]

10. I chose to hide the General Discussion thread and just focus on participating in groups

like the Bernie Sanders group.

GD no longer is place I care to spend my time.

[INdemo]

12. I think I will be following you.

[merrily]

52. No need to go to GD when you can be called out meta right in the Bernie Group.

One stop shopping.

[dreamnightwind]

13. I have plenty of backbone

but only so much time. It's wise to examine how much of our energy to expend arguing with people here, we need to do tangible things for progress, not just argue with other DUers.

I'm not a real fan of tabling, fairly shy really, seems like a good use of time though, I might try to hook up with a registration effort. How does that work, can you do so in the context of supporting a candidate or do you just have to generically go out there and neutrally register Dems?

I like the Bernie group here, also want to find a similar but larger community that is more progressive to balance the DLC--based DU time I put in, any suggestions?

[appalachiablue]

15. I second that about a larger progressive community. Pls. keep me in mind, thanks.

[dreamnightwind]

19. Glad to hear it, I imagine a lot o people here would be interested

Skinner created HillaryMojo.com, and he also created the DLC website.

When he made HillaryMojo I don't think it was his intention that Hillary supporters would leave DU to go there, I don't really know, but I assume it was more of a supplemental thing, so they wouldn't be bogged down with negativity from non-supporters.

Something similar for us would be nice. We do have this forum, which is awesome, kind of odd and stifling though to only have such a forum under a neoliberal-owned site, I actually feel like I still have to worry about what I say here, not the optimal context for working for Bernie IMO.

[appalachiablue]

46. Athough I don't know how to create an additional venue for Bernie supporters others here must.

Got to remember to bring this up, and it doesn't have to be elaborate.

[retrowire]

20. its simple,

there's no reason to ever argue. just discuss things!

if you are met with opposition simply listen and if you must, politely disagree and move onward.

I myself find it easy to bring up Bernie by simply discussing the news of the day with friends and coworkers. somewhere along the mine politics will come up and I can sometimes ask, "have you heard of Bernie?"

after that just tell them what you know. of that doesn't resonate with them, oh well. try later on when the election comes closer.

if it angers them, they're a lost cause. to paraphrase Einstein, "one thousand geniuses cannot win against one fool."

[think]

21. An organized voter registration drive by the Bernie camp would be great.

So far to my knowledge there is not a coordinated effort like this.

I am thinking this may be my area of focus again also.

When it comes to registering voters one needs to know the local laws as to what is and what isn't allowed.

Many years ago in South Dakota I was part of a coordinated voter registration drive with the local Democratic party. We were allowed to state our affiliation but you had to be open to registering voters for any party. Most people signed up as Democrats but some didn't.

Here is a link to some tips & information from the league of Women's Voters on starting a voter registration drive:

http://lwv.org/content/tips-successful-voter-registration-drives

(There is a link on the page to find state guidelines.)

If you need any help find information I'd be more than happy to try and find it. I love research

Best of luck and Go Bernie!

[retrowire]

22. ooh!

how does one register in north Carolina? and when?

[think]

24. Here's some info & a link to the North Carolina government website to voter registration & drives:

Hope this is helpful

Voter Registration in NC

Qualifications to Vote

To register to vote and vote in a North Carolina county, a person must meet the following qualifications:

Must be a U.S. citizen.
Must be a resident of the county, and prior to voting in an election, must have resided at his or her residential address for at least 30 days prior to the date of the election.
Must be at least 18 years old or will be 18 by the date of the next general election.
Must not be serving a sentence for a felony conviction (including probation or on parole). If previously convicted of a felony, the person’s citizenship rights must be restored. Citizenship and voting rights are automatically restored upon completion of the sentence. No special document is needed.
Must rescind any previous registration in another county or state.

~Snip~

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A VOTER REGISTRATION FORM.

To register, a person who meets the voting qualifications must sign and complete a voter registration application. When completing the application, applicants must provide their full name, residential address, date of birth, and citizenship status. In addition, the application must be signed. Failure to complete a required field on the form will delay the processing of the application. After completion, the application should be mailed to the board of elections in the county in which the applicant resides. If the application is for new registration in a county, the form must be submitted prior to the voter registration deadline. The board of elections must receive the original signed application.

~Snip~

The deadline to register to vote in North Carolina is 25 days before the date of an election. The voter registration application must be received by the applicant’s county boards of elections by this date.

~Snip

Voter Registration Drives

Voter registration services may also be offered by any individual, group or organization that desires to conduct a voter registration drive. No special training or permission is needed to conduct a voter registration drive; however, organizers should follow the guidelines set out in our Voter Registration Drives: A Citizen's Guide brochure. County boards of elections can provide voter registration supplies to drive organizers in limited quantities (less than 1000 blank forms). If a larger quantity of forms is needed, organizers may request the forms directly from the State Board of Elections. Download the Voter Registration Drive Supplies Request Form if you plan to conduct a voter registration drive. Applications collected at voter registration drives must be delivered to the appropriate county board of elections by the voter registration deadline.

Any applicant that submits a voter registration application at a voter registration drive and does not receive a voter card in the mail within two weeks of this submission, should notify their county board of elections or the State Board of Elections immediately.

More information & source:
http://www.ncsbe.gov/ncsbe/registering-to-vote

[dreamnightwind]

26. Awesome, thanks for that

Many people who might be inclined to vote for Bernie might be disgusted with the whole process and may have already checked out of politics, so a registration drive could really help.

I would like to work towards reforming the system as opposed to just registering a lot more people to vote for the status quo, so thanks for the link, I will see what is and isn't proper, at this point I have no idea. Not sure that's what I want to do, either, but it would definitely be helpful so I'm trying to talk myself into it. For the more social among us who want a way to help, tabling seems like a great thing to do.

Research is a valuable skill, I will keep you in mind, hopefully others are reading this too and might find uses for your research. Thanks again for your post, and go Bernie!

[Vincardog]

48. When I signed up to register voters in TX; I was not supposed to disciminate. I wore a

Yellow Dog Democrat shirt when I went knocking doors. Some people did not want to talk to me. I did not register those people.
Some people were hostile
but did find out I was there to register new voters. I gave those people the registration card.
Some people were friendly and those people I helped fill out the registratation and returned it to the county for them.

[merrily]

58. You might call the Office of the Secretary of State of your state as a first step.

Or look at the website.

This is a very state law deal.

[Bernie 2016]

27. Now there's a thread about it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026901149

[merrily]

61. What the hell is going on this week?

That's not a thread about Bernie supporters giving up. Who are you?

[swilton]

28. Thanks for your inspiration.

Absolutely! We need every voice!

[DrBulldog]

29. The only towel I'm throwing ...

. . . is over Hillary's head.

[L0oniX]

32. Oh silly ...don't be making Hillary out to be a Muslim. Are you calling her a towel head now too?

[appalachiablue]

47. BAM!

[Half-Century Man]

30. I am the type of person who pushes back when pushed.

Not very helpful in general. I have learned to not push through hard experence. But, when I have to dig in.....

[L0oniX]

31. If Hillary wins the primary we have no chance of taking the gov back from the 1%.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

33. I only saw one person leaving.

She seems fairly sensitive and perhaps didn't feel supported. I can't blame her.

With Hillary in the race this is likely to get more nasty than usual. And in primary season DU historically gets extremely nasty. So let's support each other, hold our noses (due to Hillary-always-plays-the-race-card stench) and get Bernie nominated.

[DefenseLawyer]

34. Over? Did you say over?

Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! Ain't it ain't over now. Cause when the going gets tough.... the tough get going! Who's with me?

[NorthCarolina]

35. I must have missed something on this site.

Is there some reason to believe Sanders supporters are abandoning DU?

[Le Taz Hot]

38. Yeah, thank you.

No, you haven't missed anything though I'll admit this new tactic of coming into a support group and lecturing them as if they were political rubes is somewhat amusing.

[retrowire]

43. yes.

at least 3 Bernie supporters within the past 2 days have stated they are giving up or thinking about it. my post is meant to solidify our resolve to not give up on Bernie because hes against even greater odds than we are and he's not giving up.

[Moral Compass]

36. Excellent post

[Le Taz Hot]

37. Who's giving up and throwing in the towel?

And presenting the differences between a corporate-friendly candidate (even YOU have to acknowledge that one) and a candidate with a life-long history of social activism is NOT a "smear attack." What are YOU afraid of when you come into the Bernie group and start barking orders based on monumentally false presumptions AND assuming we're all political rubes is laughable.

I have no idea what campaign or DU activity you're describing in your OP but you are obviously living in a different world than the rest of us.

[retrowire]

42. ...

there have been at least 3 Bernie supporters in the past 2 days that have stated they are or at least feel like giving up.

if my op offends you then I'm confused as to why a message of encouragement offends you to begin with.

[Le Taz Hot]

50. Three out of thousands of Bernie supporters on this board

which does not warrant an OP. Your message wasn't of "encouragement" it was admonishment to all of us based upon 3 people's posts. You then compounded it by attempting to "educate" us in politics. Did we forget where we were?

[retrowire]

54. my apologies

that was not my intention. please reconsider your opinion of my post.

[TBF]

40. "Be like Bernie"

You may have the makings of a t-shirt there ...

[abakan]

41. The fight between the Hillary people and the Bernie people.

Is an exercise in the absurd. What we are talking about is the primary and who becomes the nominee. This should not be a fight but a difference of opinion. A difference of opinion should be discussed and reviewed but it should not be allowed to split us apart. We should save the fight for the general and support the nominee, no matter who it is.

[retrowire]

44. absolutely

united we stand, divided we fall.

it's like a brain, both sides must communicate in order to strengthen our overall wisdom. if both sides fight then... the brain really doesn't do much thinking.

[NorthCarolina]

49. People drawn to Bernie for the right reason

will not be dissuaded from supporting him for the simple fact that there is no real alternative in the race that even comes close to his ideals.

[merrily]

51. Thanks. A meta call out of Bernie's supporters in the Bernie Group because there weren't

enough in other forums and groups and this isn't supposed to be the one place where we're sure to be safe from that. And it has almost 40 recs already, too. Great.

Biting my lip so as not to post more.

[retrowire]

53. huh?

sorry, I can't understand the tone or intent of your post. would you clarify?

[MuseRider]

55. For those of us

not here often enough to keep up I have to say it is getting hard to know who is with us and posting support or who is against us and sneaking in to cause trouble or show support to later go ahead and cause trouble.

I have quit looking at names for the most part, I don't care for the, "I support someone else but think y'all are cool too!" followed by a snarky post elsewhere on the forum.

[merrily]

56. MuseRider, I think I know exactly what you are saying. If you have looked at my screen name and my

posts, you may have seen me post similar things in GD as you just posted to me, but you have never seen me post against Bernie or against supporters of Bernie as a group.

[retrowire]

59. ohhh

you're implying that my op was calling people out.

I named no one. I only saw an issue arising and sought to speak my mind to the epidemic of pessimism and discouragement that seems to arise around here.

all my op is saying in simpler terms is... don't give up!

[merrily]

60. Um, no. That is not all your OP is saying. I said I was biting my lip. Take a hint.

Please do not keep posting to me about this.

[MuseRider]

67. I was not accusing you

in case you felt that way. I am just so confused. There are at least two people that I know of who say they like them all but seem to always be there with only anti Bernie stuff. I don't really care, this is what this is all about, but it annoys me when I find myself agreeing with someone who posted something positive about Bernie but then find out it was all snark because that is how that person rolls.

I don't mind being wrong, I don't mind being argued with but I do mind looking like a dope. Running against people who use every horrid tactic in the book makes me queasy and I don't like all the deception.

But them, what do you expect from an old dirty hippie? LOL

[merrily]

68. I didn't think you were accusing me.

[pa28]

62. Bernie has as close to a bullet proof record as a politician can have.

The opposition has a frankly terrible record on everything ranging from civil rights to taxes and trade. Of course they are going resort to gutter politics.

By November or December when this race really tightens up (and it will) the smears are only going to worse. Even more mindbending reaches and cynical distortion. If you can't take it now I don't think you'll want to be around then.

Look at it this way. We have the truth and the record on our side. Instead of getting frustrated and throwing in the towel embrace the challenge and beat them with the facts.

[retrowire]

66. THIS.

exactly the message I'm going for. thank you.

go Bernie!!!!

[Herman4747]

63. Excellent Post. Don't Smear Hillary!! Because come July next year...

...we're all going to have to be getting behind Hillary so that the Republicans don't seize the White House.

[Le Taz Hot]

64. Please speak for yourself

and do not refer to "we all."

[retrowire]

65. agreed..

I mean... you're posting in the Bernie group after all.

we kind of want Bernie to win lol