My Thanks to Bernie Sanders

[WiffenPoof]

Objects In The Mirror…

As I get older and I realize that I am much closer to the end than I am from the beginning, I start the obligatory reflection on my life. It’s as if I’m in the passenger seat heading down an unfamiliar road, looking through a rear-view mirror. It’s one of those side mirrors that has the curious warning: “Objects in the mirror appear much closer than they actually are.”

We were close, weren’t we? But then again, maybe we weren’t. Maybe it was just an illusion.

After the California Primary, I took a few days off from politics. I think we all know what was coming. This is particularly hard for me since I’m a dedicated political junkie. There are very few things in life that accurately reflect who we are better than our political identity. It not only exposes our view of ourselves, but it reflects how we see the world around us. It taps into our idealism as well as our cynicism…our hopes and dreams…our disappointments.

Nothing says you’re getting older better than the realization that you have fallen out of the prime demographics. Suddenly, what you think and feel mean less to the corporate machine. It is a rude way to be put out to pasture. Getting older is not for cowards.

I’ve thought a lot about Bernie lately. The professor with the messed up snow white hair, glasses and a manner that clearly demonstrates his unflinching determinism. Many of us were surprised that someone like Bernie would show up carrying high the banner of a true Democrat. It had been so long that we barely recognized him. Only a year earlier, I would have bet that the original tenets of our Party were long gone, never to be seen again. But there stood Bernie. Unapologetic and exceedingly confident…Bernie was to express the hopes and dreams of our better angels. We had not seen anything like this in decades.

Not everything that is reflected in the rear-view mirror is pleasant. I recall as a 10 year old being woken up in the middle of the night by my mom who wanted me to see something I would never forget. There, flickering in black and white, were that day’s newsreels of the racial strife from the deep South. I was horrified to see African-Americans being controlled by high pressure hoses while German Shepherds nipped at their feet. I recall my mother, with tears streaming down her face, whisper to no one in particular…”who are these people?” “This is not America.” The experience would have a profound effect on me. The word “injustice” finally had a meaning. It also solidified in my mind a twisted image of the South. That image remains to this day.

Not everything through the rear-view mirror would darken my view of the world around me. There were moments of light, moments of hope. There was Martin Luther King reminding us that it is the “content of our character and not the color of our skin” that mattered. But then, April 4th would come too soon.

Or the reflection of Robert Kennedy who “saw things that never were and asked…why not?” Yes, even in our darkest days, Bobby knew that America was bigger than any single person and that we merely must look ahead to find our way home. But then there were the words: “Now, it’s on to Chicago…”

I could have sworn that the reflection in the mirror was closer than it appeared. In reality, it was Bernie’s “last hurrah.” And perhaps America’s last hurrah.

All that I came to believe that America was about was in Bernie Sanders. It was about reason and compassion. It was about optimism and justice. It took Bernie to remind us that we weren’t being as naive as others would have us believe…that it was not just our dreams that were real, but that all things were possible.

With all due respect to “Willie the Shake” I would like to believe that “it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” But I’m not so sure. My disappointment is profound and as I drink from a glass that is half empty.

After California I realized that I would have to vote for someone that I did not fully support or believe in. That my vote would mean nothing more than it has ever meant in the past. I wouldn’t be voting for someone, I would be voting against someone else. A hollow victory at best.

All that remains is to thank Bernie. I’m just not sure how.

Perhaps it is best that I simply stare ahead on this unfamiliar road. Comfortable in my passenger seat, I will avoid the rear-view mirror for fear that our collective dreams will appear closer than they actually are.

-Paige

[monmouth4]

1. Beautiful statement WiffenPoof and I am right along side you in your thoughts. n/t

[Metric System]

2. More people voted for Hillary. She put together a more diverse coalition of voters.

[tk2kewl]

10. way to shit on heartfelt post.

Classy

[merrily]

101. Several on this thread.

And don't even get me started on good-bye OPs or bannings.

[840high]

34. wtf?

[Ken Burch]

35. Nothing in the OP was anti-HRC

And enough with the "more diverse coalition". You don't have any reason to keep using primary talking points.

[Pluvious]

62. Sometimes these people have got no heart n/t

[yodermon]

65. Bernie had the 4th most votes in history for a Dem primary candidate

This is not a sport. "Scoreboard! Loser go home!".. nope, sorry. Overly simplistic and cutting off your nose to spite your face.

He was able to harness the Occupy movement, which I thought was impossible to do via any political process.
I'm hoping he can provide a model going forward.

[passiveporcupine]

89. You obviously don't get it

Or you have no empathy. You should really just not say anyting at all

[roody]

113. Did you read the OP?

[ismnotwasm]

3. While I respectfully disagree

This is beautifully written and in my world, deserves a rec.

[WiffenPoof]

4. I Appreciate...

...your comments. Thanks you.

[bjobotts]

77. Agreed, very well said.The perfect self supporting progressive who stood for the people, not power

[MaggieD]

5. You clearly see a different politician than I do

[WiffenPoof]

6. And you know what...

...that's okay. It is what makes this country great.

[MaggieD]

8. Yep it's fine

I can't begin to wrap my head around it, but that's okay.

[chwaliszewski]

99. We have that in common.

The reasons you can't understand why people like myself support Bernie are probably the same reasons why I can't understand why people support Hillary. This is in no way bashing Clinton. I will never support the Republicans or their ilk but I do prefer some Democrats over others. I don't dislike Hillary, I just prefer Bernie but will be happy that the Democrats win.

[sammcgee68]

90. Hope

My first big disappointment came after the New York Primary (I do believe if we would of carried New York the momentum would have carried us through to the end.) After that I took a sabbatical from Politics but then got re energized (Thanks DU) and attended a Bernie rally in Louisville, where it was announced that Bernie had won Indiana, and became caught up in the enthusiasm of sharing this moment with Thousands of Bernie supporters surrounding me on all sides. A moment I will cherish forever. Then came California and down again. It has been a roller coaster ride which I am happy to have ridden. My only consolation is that the other 90% of the crowd surrounding me in Louisville were much younger than me and they are the ones that will carry the torch into the future.
Peace there is Hope.

[ehrnst]

76. Not to mention all those who actually worked with him - and didn't endorse him. (nt)

[jemsan]

7. Well said...

Very accurate description of the way I felt after California and still do. Not sure where to go with these feelings as I watch my adult children who really thought that Bernie could win and would win thus changing their lives for the better. Watching Hillary and the status quo being promoted by the print media and television media and ignoring the Bernie Sanders message that so many people support and espouse is heartbreaking. Watching the DNC pay lip service to his message is heartbreaking. Watching the party that I have belonged to for 50 years ignore the ideals and values of VERY large numbers of people who supported Senator Sanders is heartbreaking....while expecting us to vote for her. I suppose I will watch till the convention and see what Bernie does and wants us to do and hopefully some of these issues will get better, but I have little faith that they will. I just wish that I felt like if I voted for Hillary SOME of what Bernie stands for will actually come to fruition. Just don't know. #feelinthebern

[MaggieD]

11. Oh the drama

They voted the same 93% of the time. Seriously, enough with the DNC and Hillary bashing.

He never had any chance of winning because he's not a Democrat, and Democrats are not socialists. Never have been. Never will be. I'm sincerely sorry if you thought they were or even should be. Most Dem party voters are not socialists either.

Also, he was completely tone deaf when it came to issues impacting women and minorities. Maliciously tone deaf like GOPers? No. But tone deaf all the same. IMO. You can't win a Dem presidential primary in this country by dissing Democrats, and only attracting the votes of young and middle aged white people. Thankfully.

You should probably stop rehashing the primary at this point.

[WiffenPoof]

12. I appreciate your advice....nt

[MaggieD]

13. I wasn't responding to you

[Surya Gayatri]

48. Thank you, MaggieD, for the dose of reality. SO well said...

Ditto to this:

You should probably stop rehashing the primary at this point.

[WiffenPoof]

63. MaggieD

I hear a lot of people say that Bernie is not a Democrat. I think that one of the major points of my OP was that he is indeed a Democrat....possibly more a Democrat than what we see today. I understand what you are saying, but I evaluate candidates on their positions not their labels. Bernie is much closer to being what FDR was. Would you consider FDR a socialist? I think not.

Anyway...Bernie is NOT a Socialist, but has labeled himself as a Democratic-Socialist. In my thinking, it is merely a more extreme version of what people call Democrats today. I suppose that is why we Bernie supporters are referred to as "Progressives." It is because the Democratic Party has moved so far to the Right over the past thirty years that a new label needed to be created.

When you refer to Bernie as a Socialist, you sound a lot like someone on the Right.

Cheers....I appreciate your response.

-P

[MaggieD]

71. Bernie is an independent - not a Democrat

If you have an issue with that you should tell that to Bernie, not me. He is the one that refuses to be a Democrat. In fact, he has spent his entire career dissing the shit out of Democrats, just as he has done this entire campaign. It seems to me that most of you never heard of him until this primary, but actually some of us are a bit more wonky than that and have been listening to Bernie dissing Dems for a long time.

I AM A DEMOCRAT. I have no use for someone who claims over and over again that he is NOT a Democrat, AND who has spent his career smearing Democrats. Especially when the one doing the smearing has no real progressive achievements on his record. How dare he smear people who have actually made progress on a PROGRESSIVE agenda?

Hell, Hillary helped 8 million children get Medicaid that were not previously eligible. And she did that as first lady. That is HUGE as they say. Meanwhile we have to listen to Bernie preach that she isn't progressive enough? She is damn sure more accomplished in advancing the progressive agenda than he will ever be.

Enough already.

[WiffenPoof]

82. You seem so angry....

I would think you would be happy. Your candidate has won. Celebrate.

[MaggieD]

87. I'm annoyed that Bernie has dissed the shit out of Dems

and floated this ridiculous idea that they are corrupt, and that Bernie (not a Dem) Sanders is our only savior. And if you are a Dem you should be too.

[AgingAmerican]

108. I don't see some as ever getting over the primary fight

But those still engaged will fall by the wayside after the convention.

[angrychair]

84. With all due respect MaggieD

Is he perfect? No. Does he have all the answers? No. Did he win the Democratic nomination? No.
That being said:
He was registered as a Democrat and on the ballot in all 50 states as a Democratic presidential candidate. He got millions of votes from registered Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents. He is a Democrat.

He is a progressive. He is the co-founder and pass chairperson of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Lastly, on SCHIP. Did HRC, in her honorary role as First Lady, contribute to the passing of the SCHIP legislation? Yes.
I would humbly suggest that when people speak of her involvement in that process that temper it with the reality that she had no official role in that Bill's legislative fight or passage in Congress.
The reason SCHIP passed was because of Ted Kennedy. No other reason. This claim attempts to rewrite history and steal from the memories of Ted Kennedy and his amazing accomplishments.

[liberal from boston]

110. Senator Sanders

Senator Sanders gets it done: http://www.alternet.org/comments/election-2016/bernie-gets-it-done-sanders-record-pushing-through-major-reforms-will-surprise-you#disqus_thread


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/6/1428616/-Bernie-Sanders-What-the-Hell-Have-You-Done-for-Us-Lately

[bjobotts]

74. My God your shallow and petty insights are so childish.He's what the dem party was all about

till the DLC let in the lobbyists catering Wall street and the big banks for funding. I'm 66 and represent many Bernie supporters who are so sick of your demeaning short sighted comments. "Democratic" Socialism is the only form of government which both ensures our freedom AND our survival keeping the greedy few from monopolizing what we all need to survive like air and water. by agreeing to regulate those who pollute our environment for instance. The USA has been a democratic socialist state since FDR and the Reagan-nites are continuously trying to bring an end to FDR programs or privatize them. You don't 'diss' democrats you diss pretend democrats and the issues they stand for. Your authoritarian attitude disses anyone who disagrees with your unqualified and limited view. Most dem voters are socialists since they support SS (socialism), Medicare, Police and fire departments, libraries, military (all socialist programs). The right to unionize. The list goes on and on (EPA, FDA, Consumer protection Agency etc etc etc) 27 Million dems resent your Bernie bashing and what you don't seem to understand is every time you bash Bernie, you bash Hillary who cannot get elected without the independents and the Bernie supporters which is who most independents support. Stop looking down your nose at your fellow dems and then maybe a discussion can take place. How do you feel about fracking and global warming and what should we do about it?

[MaggieD]

75. You represent yourself

And your opinion carries no more import than mine. The difference is that the people I support actually have progressive achievements. Bernie talks and smears and complains a lot, but that is about it.

[LiberalLovinLug]

106. +1000

"what you don't seem to understand is every time you bash Bernie, you bash Hillary"

so true. Some here are terribly sore winners and are only helping Trump by their childish petulance. You'd think they'd understand the importance of acting like an adult and be a gracious winner. And if they can't manage that then be quiet.

[pnwmom]

16. The party didn't ignore the Bernie's ideals or message. They amended the platform

to incorporate his concerns, and his own Platform committee members approved the changes and approved the amended platform.

It's time for the Democrats to unite. While we quibble among ourselves, the biggest threat to democracy we have ever faced is trumpeting his plans to destroy the country.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/bernie-sanders-scores-big-wins-democratic-platform

Bernie Sanders scores big wins with Democratic platform

The document, which is available in its entirety, is surprising in its audacity on everything from free community college to expanding Social Security, overturning Citizens United to banning assault weapons, criminal justice reform to repealing the Hyde Amendment that prevents public funding of abortion.

There can be little doubt that many of these provisions and more – reforming the carried-interest loophole, postal banking, the industry ties of Federal Reserve board members – can be attributed directly to the Sanders campaign’s role in negotiating the terms of the platform. The senator and his team made a concerted effort to move the document to the left, and they achieved their goals in dramatic fashion.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/07/01/bernie-sanders-is-winning-some-big-victories-over-the-dem-platform/

But the actual language of the latest draft has not yet been released, and it will be released as early as today. It will show a number of new provisions on Wall Street reform, infrastructure spending, and job creation that go beyond the victories that Sanders has already talked about. They suggest Sanders did far better out of this process thus far than has been previously thought. Many of these new provisions are things that Sanders has been fighting for for years.

We already know from the DNC’s public description of the latest draft of the platform that it includes things such as a general commitment to the idea of a $15-per-hour minimum wage; to expanding Social Security; to making universal health care available as a right through expanding Medicare or a public option; and to breaking up too-big-to-fail institutions.

Here’s more.

SNIP

[WiffenPoof]

64. Thanks for your response...

You have outlined what I should probably appreciate more about our Party. Indeed, there has been some movement from the Hillary camp to include some of what Bernie is passionate about.

Just for the record...I do not hate Hillary. I will obviously vote for her in November and help wherever I can to get her elected. My preference for Bernie is only because I see Hillary as a part of the "old" Dems....that is, them Dems from the past thirty years. Prior to that Democrats were more like Bernie.

-Paige

[George Eliot]

18. Thank you WiffenPoof and jemsan. Labels mean little.

I wonder if those of us with some age don't remember a time that was more democratic? Before the third way, Wall Street, and Citizens United. Small business reigned, your local banker lived in town and knew the community, churches stayed out of politics and earned their tax exemptions honestly, and politicians mostly cared about constituents instead of the Koch Brothers. Congress has always been a little corrupt but now . . . phew! The middle class was important following the war. It is a time long gone mostly because so few of us remember what we had and understand what we've lost.

A link I read this morning about North Dakota which still has many of the virtues of a by-gone time. An interesting read. http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/sanders-supporters-check-out-amazing-piece-american-history-path-you-might-take

We have Hillary who is better than Trump. Hopefully, Bernie has widened her perspective. I'm hopeful. He was amazing to take on such a task. Perhaps his teaching will inform and educate the millennials to something better in their future and they will act upon it.

A note to all those who want to tell me that many people didn't have it so good. I know that. A lot of people don't have it so good now either. And that includes minorities and women. I hope Hillary will truly be the President that will set things right again.

[Silver_Witch]

54. Thank you!

[politicaljunkie41910]

24. Sorry but at age 58 I've belonged to the Democratic Party for 40 years. I have 3 adult children

and I'd be very disappointed if they were sitting around waiting for someone to come along who would "change their lives for the better" other than they themselves. Anyone who puts all their faith in One man is setting themselves up to be disappointed since after all, Bernie is just a man, not God, and a flawed man as we all are. Bernie cannot do more for you and your children than you can do for yourselves. The fact that you put so much of your hopes and your children's hopes and dreams in this man says all I need to know. Everyone is looking for someone to save them, when they should be saving themselves. As long as I have my health and my mind, I am the master of my destiny, not Bernie or Clinton or anyone else. That is what I would tell my adult children and I would expect no less from them, nor I from myself.

[George Eliot]

42. Change takes leadership. Very cynical view I think.

And a little cranky.

[Surya Gayatri]

49. ^^^AMEN to this!^^^

Anyone who puts all their faith in One man is setting themselves up to be disappointed since after all, Bernie is just a man, not God, and a flawed man as we all are.

[sangfroid]

57. Well, I am 63

and all the young people I've met working for Sanders are most certainly NOT waiting for Bernie or any single person to bail them out. They view this as a collective action, and so does Bernie. This is one of the reasons they are hanging on to the end: because they are invested in the campaign.

[WiffenPoof]

66. I wasn't going to respond...

...because your assessment of my OP is so over the top. But here goes:

Keep in mind that the OP was written with a lot of passion and was more prose than anything else.

I know that Bernie is only one man and that he is not a god. And believe me, I have not been waiting around for some kind of savior to guide my life and make everything better. I'm quite independent, thank you.

I'm sorry that you read my OP in the way you did. I was merely trying to show that Bernie Sanders represented what many of us think that the Democratic Party was and still should be. Our party has moved so far to the Right that people like me are considered radical and extreme....when the truth is that what Bernie stood for was the original tenets of our political philosophy.

I understand your response...but I think you might be reading too much into it.

-P

[pangaia]

80. You have infinitely more patience than I do.

[NCTraveler]

9. Enjoyed reading. Thanks. Nt

[WiffenPoof]

67. Thank you....NT

[pnwmom]

14. Strong Hillary supporters would have felt exactly the same way as you,

if Bernie were the nominee:

After California I realized that I would have to vote for someone that I did not fully support or believe in. That my vote would mean nothing more than it has ever meant in the past. I wouldn’t be voting for someone, I would be voting against someone else.

That's usually the way it is when your preferred candidate loses a hard fought primary. I figured that out quite some time ago.

But as for me, I can't wait to vote for Hillary in the General Election and to see her become President of the United States.

November cannot come soon enough.

[WiffenPoof]

69. Excellent post....thanks NT

[MFM008]

15. Very thoughtful

Post.

[calimary]

17. Hey Paige -

if it's any comfort to you, I'm noticing some of that stuff as I get older.

I worked with a female radio colleague who was really depressed one day. It was her birthday. She was bummed: "I'm leaving the demographic!" She was turning 35. The target demo at that time was 18-34. I tried to comfort her by pointing out that "that's not true. You're not leaving the demographic. You're not EVER gonna leave the demographic. That's us Baby Boomers. The target demographic is gonna get older, right along with you! And for a long time, that's been true. But no more! It just hit me a little while ago. We Boomers are no longer the target demo. There are way more Millennials than Baby Boomers now. So THEY'RE the target demo as of now. At least til THEY age and are surpassed by another younger generation.

As far as wanting to thank Bernie, while I do not share these same feelings you've voiced, I do know of one way to thank him in the most concrete and realistic manner. Don't sit home on Election Day. Go vote. MAKE SURE you vote for everybody with a "D" after their names. Because that's the only way to get a Democratic president the support needed actually to get a few things done - INCLUDING a lot of Bernie's ideas and positions he supports. That includes the top job on the bill. Keeping the White House safely in Democratic hands is the only way to ensure that what Bernie wanted to see has a shot at becoming reality. And a GOOD shot at it, too. Plus the consideration of having a "D" or an "R" pick the next Supreme Court nominee(s). If Heaven Forbid we get stuck with an "R" in the White House, a Democratic opposition is the only thing that will prevent that "R" to get his way and run roughshod over the progress that we've managed over long slogs and long decades to make. In this case WE'D have to build a wall. We'd rather desperately need to!

You will have exactly ZERO chance to recognize or honor, or enable, any element of Bernie's movement if you don't do what you can to keep the White House in Democratic hands. NOBODY wants Donald Trump in the driver's seat! I'm certain Bernie's legacy means far more to you than it would mean to desert it in November. And I feel that you AND other Bernie supporters deserve at least a "friendly" in the White House, if indeed you can't have your "best friend" in there. I know it isn't the outcome you had your heart set on. I hope you come to some peace about this.

And yeah. I'm 63 now. Getting older sure can put you through changes!

[bluedye33139]

19. If Sanders had won

If Sanders had won, I would have found myself voting for a flawed candidate in whom I did not entirely believe. But I would have done it, and Sanders would have likely gone on to win.

What I don't get is why my preferences are somehow inferior to the preferences of others. I smile a little when I see people who apparently believe that they deserve absolute perfection in politics, and it hurts them (destroys them, even) to have to vote for a real candidate who doesn't represent all of their views.

I thought most people realized, as they became adults, that they had to deal with life as it was, not as it was imagined.

[TheProgressive]

22. Sanders a 'flawed' candidate?

I know, a statesperson for the people by the people is hopelessly flawed... Thanks for your post

[bluedye33139]

23. You're welcome

Yes, if Sanders's career had been what the PR kits tell us it was, he woulda been great! Problem is, the PR kits weren't very accurate.

[Ken Burch]

32. If you don't support Bernie, that's fine, but it's not fair to treat him as a phony.

He really is the person the kits say he is.

[George Eliot]

43. Yes, which is why "authentic" comes to mind so easily.

Ask anybody in Vermont or New Hampshire - they know him best. I wonder why people feel the need to say such stuff?

[liberal from boston]

60. Senator Sanders

Senator Sanders gets it done: http://www.alternet.org/comments/election-2016/bernie-gets-it-done-sanders-record-pushing-through-major-reforms-will-surprise-you#disqus_thread


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/6/1428616/-Bernie-Sanders-What-the-Hell-Have-You-Done-for-Us-Lately

[bluedye33139]

104. Can't win a majority

He can't win a majority of votes in any kind of national election, and he rather dramatically failed to win the primary. I think there's something about the use of threats and intimidation that excites his followers. If he had been a Democrat for decades, he would have actually had to talk to other legislators to get reforms passed. This way, he can make threats and long speeches over and over and over, and there's something about that antagonistic negativity that arouses his supporters.

[AgingAmerican]

109. Had the DNC and MSM not meddled in the primary, he would have won by huuuuge margins

But that is ancient history now.

[bluedye33139]

111. Yes, if the Democratic party had had no leadership and

and had run itself like an anarchist's convention, and if there were no black people, Bernie Sanders would be president. But, as you point out, it's over, as he lost, because it turns out that the party does have a structure and there are black people.

[liberal from boston]

112. Senator Sanders

Lists of many but not all of Senator Sanders accomplishments:


Senator Sanders gets it done: http://www.alternet.org/comments/election-2016/bernie-gets-it-done-sanders-record-pushing-through-major-reforms-will-surprise-you#disqus_thread


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/6/1428616/-Bernie-Sanders-What-the-Hell-Have-You-Done-for-Us-Lately

[roody]

114. If Sanders had won, he would have been killed by the PTB.

He gets to live now. For that i am happy.

[eastwestdem]

20. One fact wrong...he was never a professor. He only has a bachlor's degree and worked a series of odd

jobs before being elected mayor of Burlington VT in the early 80s.

[WiffenPoof]

26. I Know That He Was Never A Professor

I was trying to say that he looks professorial (at least to me).

-P

[Maru Kitteh]

21. It helps to make sure you get outside a little each day. This is very well written.

And I am sorry for your sadness. I'm not being facetious in the least about getting outside, every day. Get outside, and just mindfully appreciate the feel of the sun and the air, something beautiful in your environment, and just being. Speaking from experience, it really does help. I hope in the days, weeks, months and years to come, you'll find this wasn't such a bad ride after all.

[WiffenPoof]

27. Thanks for the advice....it is very much appreciated. NT

[italiangirl]

25. WiffenPoof

I am touched by your beautiful post. Your words are comforting to me and I will save it in my "favorites" forever to remind me of all the values that Bernie stands for. I will be 85 on July 17th and am thankful that I am still here to be witness to everything he believed in and fought for. He opened my eyes to a dream that I never thought possible verses the status quo. I am very upset that I am in a position to vote for someone because I am voting against someone else. My heart isn't there to vote for Hillary and I am heartbroken that, as a loyal life-long democrat and a street fighter for the democratic party that I am in this position. I have to console myself that "It is what it is." My vote will not be for Hillary, but a vote for the Supreme Court and love of Country.

WiffenPoof, I understand and appreciate your feelings and wish you peace in your heart. It's tough, I know.

[insta8er]

28. Thank you, very eloquently written. But we have the youth and therefore the future. The establishmen

t might have their victory, but we are shaping the future. Bernie is putting a lot in motion, with a little luck we can hold any elected president or madam president accountable through a house and senate that will no longer bow for special interest but answer to the people.

[NanceGreggs]

29. This is a beautifully written piece …

… and I don’t for a moment doubt its sincerity.

However, I would point out that hindsight, despite the old adage, is not necessarily 20/20.

“Many of us were surprised that someone like Bernie would show up carrying high the banner of a true Democrat.”

By his own admission, Bernie “became” a Democrat because it would get him the media attention he needed to run for the presidency. His “carrying the banner” mostly consisted of disparaging the very party that he used to advance his own political ambitions.

Bernie stood by in silence while his supporters posted vile comments on the FB pages/websites of long revered and respected Democrats simply because they endorsed HRC over him. He passed up no opportunity to cast the Democratic Party as corrupt, nor to cast himself as the “saviour” of a Party he’d denigrated – and refused to be a part of – for decades.

If this is your idea of a “true Democrat”, so be it. But be aware that “true Democrats” do not spend a year-long campaign demeaning the party they are allegedly running for.

“I could have sworn that the reflection in the mirror was closer than it appeared. In reality, it was Bernie’s “last hurrah.” And perhaps America’s last hurrah.”

Bernie’s “last hurrah” is by no means the country’s last hurrah – and the fact that far more Democrats see HRC as the means of moving towards what all Democrats want is the proof thereof. You can tell yourself that Bernie was the be-all and end-all, but that doesn’t change the fact that in the end, the voters decided that he was neither.

“All that I came to believe that America was about was in Bernie Sanders. It was about reason and compassion. It was about optimism and justice.”

I fail to see the “optimism” in Bernie’s message – and apparently, I am not alone in that assessment. Bernie was good at telling us how bad things are, with little substance behind his vision of how things could be – other than touting things like tuition-free college and single-payer healthcare while KNOWING he could never make those things a reality.

I understand your sense of loss. But what you need to recognize is that the things Bernie promised were never really there – they were just a reflection in a mirror, and were never as close as some people continue to insist they were.

[Ken Burch]

31. You could have made your points without the last, dismissive lines.

The optimism in the Sanders campaign was in its assertion that people, all people, should matter, and that real change can happen if we make it happen.

Your candidate will be a good president. But those who backed Bernie thought(and still think) that transformation is possible. It's never cool to mock that.

I hope HRC can be a figure who knows we need to fight for big dreams.

[NanceGreggs]

38. And many of those who backed Bernie ...

... insisted that transformation was ONLY possible if Bernie was elected, and have persisted in "mocking" the idea that HRC and her supporters want any transformation whatsoever.

Fighting for Big Dreams is important - that's why HRC was fighting for healthcare reform decades ago.

There is a difference between fighting for Big Dreams and telling people those dreams will come true if they vote for the candidate who makes promises he KNOWS he can't keep.

[Ken Burch]

39. Please let go of your bitterness, Nance.

You won. For the moment, that's enough.

There was no reason for you to say anything hostile in response to the OP.

[NanceGreggs]

40. Just as there was no reason ...

... for HRC supporters to be called DINOs, conservatives, Republican-lite, status quo-loving water carriers for the 1% - et cetera.

But it went on here for over a year anyway.

I was not hostile towards the OP in any way. I simply responded to the same old/same old "Bernie was America's last hurrah" cliche that never had any basis in fact.

So here's your chance to "alert" on the grounds that I am still fighting the primary - which seems rather ridiculous in view of the fact that some BS supporters are still insisting that Bernie was the nation's ONLY hope for positive change, and the HRC people voted for the status quo instead.

[Ken Burch]

45. I am not going to alert on you.

I seldom alert on anyone.

[Loki]

53. Why do you insist on thinking that only Bernie supporters believe in transformation?

Why? If we are really believers in Democracy, then we DO believe in the transformative process or we would have never had the 19th Amendment, the Civil Rights movement, Social Security or anything else that benefits people in this country. They came about because of people who believed in the transformative process that can and will benefit people. To think that only you and your candidate possess these qualities is just as dismissive. I would never make that statement to any other Democrat just because you had or supported another candidate. When we can accept that we may go about these in a different manner, or choose and different candidate, does not lessen anyone's commitment to the process.

[George Eliot]

44. Bernie ran Dem because he had to for attention. It was smart.

And it really irks me that people think they know what and what not someone can do. Bobby Kennedy: "I dream things that never were and ask why not?" We are the poorer for people who cannot dream or understand that things can change. My god, look at the sixties: King and LBJ. Unbelievable that you believe that.

The richest country in the world cannot pay for healthcare for all and free public college? You have low expectations indeed.

[NanceGreggs]

47. It was never a matter of what we can or cannot pay for.

It's a matter of what the Democrats can get passed in a GOP-controlled congress.

Even Bernie, when pressed on the matter, could not come up with a viable plan to get these initiatives passed.

Campaign promises make for nice soundbytes. But ignoring political reality accomplishes nothing.

"Bernie ran Dem because he had to for attention. It was smart."

What wasn't so smart was telling people that the party he was running for was corrupt, and only HE could change it. THAT was beyond dumb.

[Surya Gayatri]

51. Another response that cuts through the BS, especially the last paragraph...

[George Eliot]

72. You're bitter. I get it. B was truthful. Authentic.

What you have against truth and authenticity, I don't know. But it is sad to sound so bitter. As for the Congress, how many times do Progressives have to point out down-ticket dems and coattails? He brought out a whole group of new voters who would have voted democratic. You believe what you want to believe. That's your right but it doesn't mean you are right. Why do you think so many came to his message as late as we did? And to Trump's unfortunately. Because most of us already know both parties are corrupt.

Even Bernie, when pressed on the matter, could not come up with a viable plan to get these initiatives passed.


This shows how little you understood his campaign. It does show that you seem to be comfortable with the status quo. That's okay. Just be honest about it.

[NanceGreggs]

73. You're projecting.

I'm not the one who's bitter. It's my candidate of choice who's on their way to the White House, not yours.

The "HRC supporters are happy with the status quo" meme is simple-minded, black-and-white thinking. But it's something I've come to expect from a certain quarter here.

[George Eliot]

79. Well, that didn't answer my post but... ok.

[yodermon]

70. He ran as a Democrat so he wouldn't be a spoiler for the Dems in the fall.

he was universally praised for it on this board when he announced.

Now it is considered a cynical ploy and worthy of criticism.

Very sad.

[Surya Gayatri]

50. In a word, the paragraph about:

"becoming a Democrat to get media attention"...

and

"carrying the banner consisted of disparaging the party"...

[yodermon]

68. The hopelessness and cynicism in your post is just breathtaking. n/t

[Ken Burch]

30. That was heartfelt and true. n/t.

[840high]

33. Don't let our dreams die.

[PowerToThePeople]

36. He has shown the path

to a whole new generation.

The battle is far from over.

[herding cats]

37. This is a simply beautiful post.

I don't agree with all of it, but I do deeply appreciate they way you articulated your feelings.

Very well said.

[bklyncowgirl]

41. Thank you for this post. This time it feels different

I'm used to backing losers in presidential primaries. Gary Hart, Jesse Jackson, Jerry Brown, Howard Dean, Bill Bradley were all my guys. Obama was the first primary candidate I voted for who actually became president. This time it feels different--and no, it's not because my guy hasn't conceded.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older though clearly I'm more in step with young people than my fellow boomers. How strange is that by the way.

Maybe it's because our two party system does not offer us a much choice when it comes to political parties. It's column R or column D. I never never have been and never will be an R but over the years I've seen the Ds mover further and further away from me.

Don't get me wrong. I hope Hillary Clinton sends the Donald back to his bankrupt and shuttered Taj Mahal. I hope she turns out to be a great president but for now thank you Bernie for fighting the good fight for economic justice.

I'm still allowed to say economic justice here aren't I.

[George Eliot]

46. I was a Kucinich delegate! Funny. N. Dakota is what B wants.

It is already operating as an open primary state which reflects many of the virtues Bernie promised. Why aren't people simply more informed?

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/sanders-supporters-check-out-amazing-piece-american-history-path-you-might-take

Sanders Supporters: Check Out This Amazing Piece of American History for a Path You Might Take
A "no" vote for corporate farms may have implications for those trying to make the DNC platform more progressive.

On June 14, North Dakotans voted to overrule their government’s decision to allow corporate ownership of farms. That they had the power to do so was a result of a political revolution that occurred almost exactly a century before, a revolution that may hold lessons for those like Bernie Sanders’ supporters who seek to establish a bottom-up political movement in the face of hostile political parties today.

Hillary won and I'm not disputing that. But to continue the disrespectful meme that Bernie was a fake or promised smoke and mirrors is simply false. Anything is possible. Hillary can do it, too. If she makes domestic issues a priority.

[Silver_Witch]

52. I remember those rearview mirror images as well!

I was lucky my mother too was a liberal. Yes she failed me in many ways but she showed me a world we could dream of and make happen. She taught me we are all the same inside!!! In the 60s she even had friends "the boys" who loved each other deeply and whom she adored just as they were and my "Aunts" who weren't my Aunts at all. Just two women who loved each other and lived together and make shabbat dinner!

Yes I was very lucky indeed!!!

[Paka]

56. K&R

Thank you so much for that. You say it so well. I'm 75 years old and know that I will never have a chance to vote for a quality statesman like Bernie again in my lifetime. But at least I did have it this one time.

[Carol Morgan]

58. I Love WiffenPoof's OP

As a 40 year lifelong Democrat. I feel your disappointment.

As for the comments on this thread from those who wish to needlessly twist the knife....not so much...

[mithnanthy]

59. Thank you WiffenPoof

I am approaching 70 years old. I supported Eugene McCarthy, J F Kennedy, George McGovern, Dennis Kucinich, Al Gore, and Barack Obama. Bernie Sanders is probably my last great hope. His ideas for all the struggling people, and innovative ideas, touched my heart. He is a great man.

[Triana]

61. "And perhaps America’s last hurrah."

I do believe that's true.

[jcgoldie]

78. That was heartfelt and lovely

And I think completely misguided. Cheers.

[deathrind]

81. 100% agree.

Bernie was truly in it for the people not the power.

Thank you for the well written post!

[freebrew]

83. Agreed...

if the Democratic Party was the 'open' party it used to claim to be, closed primaries would be done.
The party elite get to choose the nominee, not the people.
Then, maybe we could elect a candidate to vote FOR.
As it is, I must either vote against some excuse for a human, or the status quo.

I've been doing this far too long.

[Marie Marie]

85. K & R - Well said and thank you.

[lumberjack_jeff]

91. Exactly. n/t

[JeaneRaye]

93. Speaking for me.

Thank you for putting the thoughts in my head into a clearly written piece. I am 62 years old and in good health but since the shelf life of my family seems to be around 75 years, I also have a lot fewer years in front of me than behind me. If we keep the same president for the next 8 years, I will probably only see one more after that; maybe two. I believe that Bernie Sanders could have really made our world a better place and I'll likely never see another candidate that can make a real difference. Hillary Clinton just represents more of the same to me and I really don't like what we, as a country, have become. I read your piece with great sadness because it is so true. Thank you again for writing it and thank you, Bernie Sanders, for trying to make a difference.

[soldierant]

94. I am getting older too, and I am with you.

Your sadness is also mine, and that is tragic for both of us. For me, a huge sad factor is that I supported Hillary so enthusiastically in 2008 - before the convention. I have started wondering of some of my lack of enthusiasm for Hillary now could be me - or could be unrelated to reality - I have come up with a couple of things that are helping me some:

http://bluevirginia.us/2016/05/people-taught-hate-hillary-part-judicial-watch
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/06/19/1540275/-The-People-Who-Conditioned-You-to-Hate-Hillary-Part-II-Citizens-United

And then just this morning -

http://www.opednews.com/articles/BREAKING-NEWS--TrumpTheFr-by-The-Pen-Fbi-Director-James-Comey_Federal-Bureau-Of-Investigation_Federal-Investigations_Hillary-Clinton-Emails-And-Server-160706-256.html

That from a group which is probably as committed to Bernie as any of his supporters ever were (particularly those who have claimed to be his supporters but will not listen to his advice - in which group I would certainly NOT include you). I hope to get that balanced an outlook by November. But if none of it seems helpful to you, please ignore it.

[cherokeeprogressive]

95. Kickety Rec'idy!

[reflection]

96. One of the best OPs

I have read here in forever. Beautiful command of the language, and I echo the sentiment. Bravo. Thank you.

[PoliticalMalcontent]

97. This is a great post, Wiffen.

Thanks for your contributions. It's important to share viewpoints respectfully, and I feel yours were very elegantly stated.

[chwaliszewski]

98. What an elegant and heartfelt post...

I feel the same as you do, WiffenPoof.

[PatrickforO]

100. Very nice post.

We'll see of the POB in our party take anything from Bernie to heart. I hope so, because like you, I thought Bernie represented the best of what the Democratic party had to offer.

[Lunabell]

102. I appreciate Bernie

He's given me belief that younger people are getting involved. There is a brighter future. Thank you Bernie.

[malthaussen]

105. Fascinating thread...

... not least because several of the responses IMO amount to "kicking someone when he is down." Pour moi, I will await events... should I live so long to reasonably assess the value of the next President and Congress, I'll do so then, not before the event when everything is a pig in a poke. The Democratic candidate hasn't even made it to the WH yet, it is rather premature to evaluate.

Mr Sanders harked back to a different age, one that it will be up to the rising generation to resurrect or not, as they please. I liked that analogy of a rear-view mirror with "Objects may appear closer than they are." It sums up beautifully the sense of disappointment many feel when they view this year's primary results. I'd also suggest, though, that the rear-view mirror might be more rose-tinted than otherwise. In the words of Bergman and Bergman, "Can it be that it was all so simple then?" That's a fraught question. We were all so much younger then (those of us were alive at all), and perhaps our experience lacked the nuances that are a consequence of piling up the years. Or perhaps the sorts of energy and hope sent in the direction of Mr Sanders are the province of the young, and hold for us of a more weathered appearance the virtue of reminding us when we were young. However it occurred, it seems a singular accomplishment that an old fart like Bernie could arouse such enthusiasm among people young enough to be his great-grandchildren (and a few more contemporary old farts who see in him the embodiment of principles that matter to them, and that have been given short shrift in politics for a generation or so). Usually, it is younger leaders who attract the attention of the young.

That the GOP has experienced a revolution even more profound than the Democratic Party is something that should interest us. Both Mr Sanders and Mr Trump have this in common: they have served as a focus for those discontented with the way things are done. And it is pretty clear that those voices are a substantial part of the U.S. electorate, if not an absolute majority. There are many possible reasons for this discontent, and time will tell if our government, whoever is at the helm, and whoever is sitting in our legislature, will address these reasons or ignore them as usual.

There is this morsel of comfort for those who are voting against a candidate, rather than voting for their candidate of choice: never in U.S. politics of the past 50 years has the person to be voted against been so completely reprehensible. It is not much comfort, but those who see voting as an act of conscience can, if they will, be satisfied that the other candidate can not be borne. (This presumes the GOP goes ahead and nominates Mr Trump; if they stage some sort of coup and present another candidate, he will assuredly be less of a stinker than Donald. Well, unless they nominate Cruz)

-- Mal

[LiberalLovinLug]

107. Thankyou so much for expressing this

I will support Hillary, and as is the penchant of every Bernie supporter, I have a hopeful outlook in what I saw in the massive crowds he drew, with almost half the Democrats support, that the nation can still one day ride that kind of transformative momentum to a more egalitarian society and that Hillary, after watching and realizing the support that Bernie's message invoked, will choose a more progressive platform to woo those Democrats that stood up for these values over leaning the other way, the third way, and trying to woo old school disgruntled Republicans who would only support Hillary because she won't upset the applecart of business-as-usual.

" In reality, it was Bernie’s “last hurrah.” And perhaps America’s last hurrah."

I truly hope this is not the case. But it was a chance of a lifetime, and sorry if staunch Hillary supporters do not agree with that. Accept that is how many feel. Let us have our moment of grieving for what we believe could have been, even if you thought we were living in the clouds.

[Highway61]

115. Beautiful post

Thank you. I totally get how you feel.
Your dreams ARE closer....he made a "huge" difference.