Since my last post we have witnessed a growing hostility between the Clinton camp and the Sanders campaign. I do understand that the frustration must be high for those who support Bernie, but the tone and tenor of the dialogue emanating from the Sanders' campaign has obviously intensified over the past several weeks. Just days ago, the Nevada Democratic Convention to select delegates for the National Convention and to adopt state rules for future delegate selection methods resulted in near violence, for the most part, emanating from the Sanders supporters. Press reports clearly laid the near-violence on the Sanders supporters who came as protesters and disruptors, not as debaters ready for a calm discussion. They shouted down Senator Barbara Boxer and disrupted the convention. No one has denied this description. If mob violence is a "future we can believe in", then I will take a pass.
As should have been done by all leaders in the party, this sort of behavior - and the threats that were made against the state chairperson in the aftermath - are more the actions of an angry mob and not the civil discourse of a political policy debate. The DNC chair, several Senators, and other observers decried this behavior and called upon all of the players to denounce violent, disruptive behavior as well as personal threats and intimidation which also took place after the Nevada convention. Bernie Sanders, sadly, did not. Although his comments generally were a rejection of violence, he defended his supporters and blamed their frustration on the Democratic Party "leaders" instead. In other words, he blamed the outbreak of violence and threats in Nevada on the victims of that disruption and violence. Hmmmm... blaming the victim.... heard that somewhere before..... I would have thought that Senator Sanders was better than that.... It seems more and more that Bernie's presence in the race - and the level of discourse that his campaign is encouraging - is creating real damage to the nominee of the party - Hillary Clinton. Bernie's heated negative attacks against the party, the process, and the candidate are doing nothing more than handing the Trump camp fodder for the fall. Makes one wonder just what the objective of the Sanders campaign truly is. Democratic Party process reform is one thing - but, blowing the election cycle - the equivalent of taking your ball and going home - is just not acceptable.
Recall that the Democratic Party could have prevented Bernie - an independent until this election cycle - from running inside the party primary process. That would have cast Sanders in the role of previous independent candidates with Democratic Party leanings like Ralph Nader. Instead, the Party took a risk and welcomed him into the Party and the process. Notably, the process then and now was the same and well-known to all parties. Bernie has complained that he is losing because of "closed" primaries" - elections that only permit registered Democrats to vote in the selection of the candidate. Hmmmmm. Who should we let vote to determine the candidate of the Democratic Party? Republicans? Independents? Or, should Democrats select the Democratic candidate? Perhaps Bernie the Independent "Democratic Socialist" wanted this one to be a two-fer - get registered Democratic votes AND Independent votes knowing the fate of Ralph Nader and others who ran as Independent-only candidates. Of course, there is no national party called the "Democratic Socialist Party" but there is the "Socialist Party" and a number of others to choose from. However, these do not offer either the platform, media attention, or the numbers of voters available to advance a candidacy to the finish line. Does the Republican Party permit registered Libertarians vote in their primaries? Of course not. Do they let the America First Party or the Prohibition Party standard bearers onto their Presidential Debate stage so they can appeal to registered Republican voters? Come on.....
So, Bernie gets to run as a Democrat - which he had prior to this cycle, he had steadfastly contended that he was not. And, he does surprisingly well against the presumed candidate in-the-wings, Hillary Clinton. Baggage, yes. But, with a wealth of experience - as First Lady, as US Senator from New York, and as Secretary of State, no modern candidate has been better prepared for the office of the Presidency. Her knowledge and experience, her battle-tested and well-scarred toughness in the face of adversity is unmatched. As I write this, we all know that Hillary will become the nominee - with a majority of the raw votes case, a majority of the won Pledged Delegates, and a majority of the Super Delegates (unless Bernie takes California by 50+ points over Clinton). The Sanders' campaign continues to pretend that they can still win the nomination..... and pretend that their increasingly intense attacks on Hillary actually help the Party. His position is that he "will do everything that I can to defeat Donald Trump this fall." Now, what does that mean? Does he, along with Elizabeth Warren, campaign night and day to make sure that Bernie's supporters remain engaged and vote for Hillary come fall? Or, could it mean that Bernie leads his "political revolution" on a quixotic journey into an independent campaign effort... say, as "Democratic Socialists" and, in combination with the Socialist Party, try to establish a new political construct in the array of national political parties? Could it be that the Sanders' plan is to split the Democratic vote so that Trump wins while cloaking himself in "doing everything that I can...." as an independent candidate? Is it possible that, after 4 years of s disastrous Trump Presidency, he plans to emerge as the "savior" candidate to take on Trump in 2020? OK... so, I may be crossing over into the political twilight zone.... but, all of these are at least possible....
More likely, Bernie loses to Hillary, Hillary becomes the nominee, Bernie endorses Hillary and Hillary gets booed by Bernie Delegates, and Bernie appears on Hillary's behalf several times in the fall and in some TV ads and maybe mail to his donors and identified voters in negative-Trump messaging. But, after the Bernie-inflicted damage of these last several weeks, the narrowing Hillary lead over Trump in the polls, and a continuing Bernie attack on Hillary and the Party for next month or so before the Convention, will that be enough? And, isn't that the real question? Stay tuned.
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