2016 Postmortem
Showing Original Post only (View all)I've gotta say this. [View all]
Sending as many Sanders pledged delegates as possible is about demanding a New, New Deal in America. It is a declaration that we are out here, and are a force to be contended with.
Threatening to withhold support from Hillary undermines that message. It is NOT the way to be heard. Cynics are not taken seriously as a political force. People so ready to "pick up their ball and go home" are not taken seriously. Cynics don't inspire action. They do the opposite.
It is the ULTIMATE in cynicism to believe all is lost without Bernie. It is the ultimate in cynicism to believe WE are POWERLESS to bring about real change in the Democratic party. It is the ultimate in cynicism to believe there is "no difference" between Clinton and Trump.
There is a difference. Bernie sees it. He has said repeatedly that on her worst day she is 100 times better than Trump. He has committed to do everything in his power to make sure we do not see a Trump presidency. He recognizes that the damage a Trump presidency would do to this nation would take decades to undo. A Trump presidency would undo and undermine the things he as fought a lifetime for; things he has kept fighting for despite set backs. It mystifies me that so many who profess to be such strong supporters discount his convictions on this point.
We need to cultivate the hope and confidence in our own power to fight for a New, New Deal. Even if, against the odds we are up against at this point, Bernie is nominated, we would be facing an uphill battle to reshape Congress, and get the necessary legislation through.
I've generally refrained from expressing my frustration, but can no longer keep quiet and watch as the thing most central to Bernie's campaign -- empowering people -- is being stamped out by his own supporters.
I have zero expectation that anything I say is going to change any minds, but the level of cynicism and pessimism expressed by many of the Bernie supporters here has gotten too painful to watch. The attitude is the OPPOSITE of what Bernie stands for.
He tells us it was NEVER about him. He means it. It was about lighting a spark in us. He fought to be our torch barer, but it looks like that is not to be.
If the hopelessness expressed in predictions that Trump will win against Hillary takes hold it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I can't remain silent in the face of the apparent glee some appear to take in seeing an outcome that Bernie shudders at. Where is the confidence that WE can make sure that does not happen?
If enough of us stand up we CAN reshape Congress. We CAN get good legislation through. If we do that, who do you think is more likely to sign that legislation into law? Trump? I don't think so.
It is not about voting for lesser of two evils. It is about maximizing OUR chances of success. It's about setting up the most favorable conditions possible. Sitting it out and allowing Trump to take the White House sets up the most UNFAVORABLE conditions possible. Enabling Republicans to determine the make up of the Supreme Court sets up the most UNFAVORABLE conditions possible.
On the notion of going "third-party." We do not currently have a functioning multiparty system and Bernie knows it. It's why he ran as a Democrat. The way to create a multi-party system is to implement instant runoff voting. Unless and until that happens, the barriers to third-party success are almost insurmountable. But that is a subject for another post. With regard to Bernie, I don't think he would ever even contemplate a third-party run. If he did, I would lose respect for him. The chances of victory are too low, and the consequences of loss are far too great.
So, What Do We Do?
We fight for every vote from here on out. We send as many Sanders pledged delegates to the convention as possible. We leave any lobbying of superdelegates to Bernie's campaign. Harassing them is damaging the cause.
It's not about Bernie. Stop making it about him. It's about what he stands for. And it's about telling the Democratic Party that we want them to commit to making the Big Goals a reality. We know it can't happen overnight. We are not idiots. But it will NEVER happen if our party writes off real change as impossible, and tells us to just shut up about it.
A vote for Bernie is a way of saying, Hey, I'm not going to shut up about health care as a right; I'm not going to shut up about the need for workers to be paid a living wage; I'm not going to shut up about demanding that the wealthiest among us pay their fair share in taxes; I'm not going to shut up about cutting carbon emissions. These things are too important to our future. They are too important to our children's future.
Declaring that you are bowing out of the fight if we don't win this time around is NOT the way to get that message across.
Bernie delegates on the convention floor are there to stand for real change. They may not be a majority, but if we are committed to getting as many votes as possible in the remaining states, at least 45% of the pledged delegates on the convention floor could be Bernie delegates. And those kind of numbers are hard to ignore. (You don't "dis" that many people at a televised event.)
Apologies for the length, but my frustration has been building for awhile.
On Edit: Related thread (clarification and a possible way to keep the fight going):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1280&pid=188164