The other day I was wondering why it was the Bernie supporters just couldn't wrap their heads

[all american girl]

around the fact that Hillary was winning, and winning big. This may not be a revelation to anyone else, but it dawned on me, they bought into their own interwebs memes.

They spent months and months and months swarming FB, swarming twitter, swarming comments sections. They belittled anyone who said anything positive about Hillary, anyone how supported her, anyone who questioned Bernie's record. No one was safe...hell, they went after Trayvon Martin's mom-did they really think she cared what they thought? She's had to put up with right wing hate for far too long...

They swarmed online polls...see Bernie is winning.

They laughed at Hillary's listening tour. They laughed at the size of her events. They proudly posted pictures of Bernie's rallies, which there is nothing wrong with that, put if you pointed out the make up of the rally, you were racists.

When Bernie's campaign did something wrong, it was Hillary's fault. If more voters didn't come out, it was Hillary's fault, who cares that she won by such huge margins, that the contest was a shut out...still her fault.

When voters started voting, and Bernie wasn't winning, they belittle, again. Vagina voters, Stockholm Syndrome, low information voters, Confederate voters. The votes were stolen. How dare more people be able to vote (NV).

Independents couldn't vote in some primaries, rules put in place, in some cases, for decades, it was rigged against Bernie. (Someone needs to inform the Doctor that Hillary borrowed the TARDIS and didn't tell him)

Maybe what some of these folks need to learn, is that if you bully everyone who may have a differing opinion than you, you are not getting the full picture. Just because you were successful at being the loud mouth at the party, doesn't mean you changed anyone's minds. Everyone else just gave you side eye and went about having fun. We didn't go away. We talked among ourselves, we chose to ignore you. We just didn't care anymore. Why care what the bully says.

Maybe someone should have come forward and advised them that when you go after civil rights icons, you may lose some votes. When you go after a well loved and protected organization like PP, you might lose some votes. When you call the most qualified person in the race, and she's a woman,unqualified, you might lose some votes...and when you call her a whore...well it goes without saying. When you go after a woman who nearly lost her life and a woman who lost her baby to gun violence, you may lose some votes.

The Bernie supporters believed the hype and the memes and didn't bother to listen to those around them. Because they refused to hear, they couldn't believe their own eyes.

[Thinkingabout]

1. We the people have spoken, by a large margin, she has the most delegates also.

[all american girl]

2. Yep

and it's party time...and then on to the GE

[Cha]

3. I know what you mean, all american girl.. I've been saying kinda the same thing.. I

think they actually believe all their Hillary hate hype to get sanders elected.

It's like the way faux "news" whines about President Obama.. if I believed all that I wouldn't like him, either.

Well stated OP... we know for a fact that BS has lost more than a few supporters over their vicious tactics.

You would think that since it didn't work in the beginning that they would have stopped. But, Noooooooooo. It only got worse and they lost even more supporters.



Hillary

Thank you!

[all american girl]

4. It's probably not a good idea to behave like Fox in a Democratic primary

Acting like women shouldn't be proud to vote for a woman is exactly how Fox liked to marginalize the AA community when it came to Obama. Not going to work (said in you GHW Bush voice, played by Dana Carvey )

You know, when he got his ass handed to him in NY, the outcry before that in what Bernie and his people where saying, and the doubling down on insulting certain voters, I couldn't understand why they didn't see the writing on the wall...I just don't get it.

[Cha]

5. It's hard to even know what bernie was thinking by hiring 3 time loser tad devine

in the first place.. and weaver's no better.

Not that I'm blaming it all on them. BS is the candidate.. he needs to take responsibility for his team and his insulting surrogates.. and his insulting mouth.

[all american girl]

6. nothing to ad

[KittyWampus]

12. Amazing the Media never did the "Sanders needs to shake up his campaign" bit-

[sufrommich]

7. Very well said. Believing online internet polls was a

study in naivety on their part. I never understood how they could not comprehend
that they're clickbait gimmicks.

[brer cat]

8. Well said, all american girl.

The very vocal supporters we encounter on the 'net seem to truly believe they represent the entire country or at least the "worthy" part of it. Therefore they belittle, demean, and ridicule anyone who isn't with them. Their egos are so enmeshed with Bernie that they don't see reality...even last night some were claiming there was a path to the nomination for him.

[beachbum bob]

9. Zeolots are zeolots for a reason....

Facts and reality means nothing...

[GusBob]

10. I can sum it up in 3 words and less

White Male Arrogance

It was boiled down to one word: Berniebros

[KittyWampus]

11. The most ironic thing of all THEY are the ones calling everyone else "Authoritarians".

It started metastasizing around Snowden/Greenwald and Sanders just helped it become terminally obvious.

These people are emotionally driven, addicted to rage and prone to demagoguery.

In short, they are Ideologues attracted to an Ideologue wiling to spout the angry, empty rhetoric they want to hear.

It's sad and well beyond what happened during every other Primary I've gone through on DU.

Perhaps it's that now the internet really is a part of just about everyone's daily life (with smart phones giving everyone permanent access to the internet 24/7).

And the internet feeds bullying behavior unless it's checked by strong Moderation.

[all american girl]

17. It's so much easier to get people going when they are pissed at the world, and yeah

the internet just fuels it along. When you never have to get out of your rage you think everyone is right along with you. I'm hoping some of these people have some reflection time, but I'm not holding my breath.

[mercuryblues]

13. They also

remind me of the boy who cried wolf. They lied so much about Hillary's record that I would not believe them if they told the truth.

When the primary began, I was leaning Bernie. Then the surrogates and bros started in. When fact checking their statements, I often found quite the opposite was true. Combine that with what you wrote here:

When you go after a well loved and protected organization like PP, you might lose some votes. When you call the most qualified person in the race, and she's a woman,unqualified, you might lose some votes...and when you call her a whore...well it goes without saying. When you go after a woman who nearly lost her life and a woman who lost her baby to gun violence, you may lose some votes.

It was not so much that these things were said and done. It is because Sanders did nothing to stop it. When he did, it took days. It came off as a forced, 1/2 hearted attempt. He will not fight for me and my rights.

[all american girl]

18. I liked Hillary from the beginning, but I was leaning towards Bernie.

And yeah, thanks Berniebros, because of them, I realized, yeah, no need to settle for second best. All the things that was a positive on his side, she did earlier and stuck with it longer...I'm thinking that's who is going to work for us.

As a woman, his crap PP establishment statement...that pissed me off to know end. This came after people had been shot at a PP, I think, or right around that time...not getting it, Bernie.

[OKNancy]

14. In the words of Joy Reid...

Zealot: one who views their cause as so self-evidently righteous, anyone who declines to join is evil and corrupt.

[all american girl]

19. I love her!!!!!!!

[DemonGoddess]

15. K&R!

Independents couldn't vote in some primaries, rules put in place, in some cases, for decades, it was rigged against Bernie. (Someone needs to inform the Doctor that Hillary borrowed the TARDIS and didn't tell him)

Okay, now that I'm done laughing my ass of at that gem of a line!

Zealotry brings nothing but trouble. You see it in domestic and international terrorism, every damn day. The zealots certainly don't speak for the majority.

[Walk away]

16. Have you checked out the "Hillary about to be arrested by the FBI" reality...

...that they are living in now. It's wholly born out of the silliest fringe of the internet and they are eagerly buying it and creating a complicated narrative about it. Did you realize that, when Bernie met with Pres. Obama a while back, it was to discuss a contingency plan for Hillary being taken away in handcuffs before the Convention? They swear it's so because it's "all over FaceBook"!

They actually believe that this will happen. It has become part of their reality and they don't even question it. In fact, they seem amazed that the rest of us don't know that this is a fact and plan accordingly.

These folks are unmoored from the real world.

[all american girl]

20. H-O-L-Y Crap

OK, these people are losing it. They have their own Fox network insanity online...this sounds just like all the people who what Fox all day long, they will believe anything because it was on Fox (replace with internets). This is getting sad.

[Walk away]

25. It's actually a riot! If you say anything about Hillary winning...

they ask you why you think she can win as the FBI is "on their way".

[all american girl]

27. Step away from the twitter....step away from the twitter....

[Stand and Fight]

33. That meme is tired and old. It's not Twitter. Twitter is a tool.

I'm a frequent Twitter user and there's tens of thousands more avid Hillary supporters on there. Very passionate and very quick to take on the Berners and any of their stupid memes. In fact, I'd say it's the front lines of the fight against a left wing demagoguery take over of our party. So, please lay of the Twitter crowd. It's a great way to stay up to date on current events. Please and thank you.

[all american girl]

34. I was just joking...no harm meant.

[Stand and Fight]

36. No offense taken. It's all good. :)

[all american girl]

37. ...

for you

all of us!!!!

[Walk away]

39. You are correct! It wasn't Twitter.....It was DU!

[hamsterjill]

32. Yes, they are unmoored.

They are also unrealistic and sore losers it appears this morning.

[CajunBlazer]

21. K&R

[uponit7771]

22. They were basically posting and tweeting to themselves without other perspectives

[all american girl]

23. It was also interesting to watch as they would turn on each other

If someone pointed out that something was wrong....they were a shill and whatever the insult of the day was. They had to work their way back to the cool kids table.

I even understanding them having a big sad now, but they haven't once ever acknowledge their complete horrible behavior. They still think the way they behaved was spot on and patting themselves on the back.

They all need to talk to people in the real world.

[uponit7771]

24. +1, group think scares the shit out of me... its so poisonous and even reasonable people can't see

... it some times

[all american girl]

26. That is so true.

It's as if they are like the teabaggers in that way. You can point facts at them and nope, not going to believe because....I believe there will be some growth and minds changed when they are bathing in the Bernie anymore.

[Walk away]

40. They were discussing how the terrible, rude Hillary supporters here would soon be crawling to them..

...apologizing and begging for their votes! That was popular last night in GP.

[RelativelyJones]

28. It was the Planned Parenthood statement that did it for me.

Made me take a dim view of the "revolution".

[all american girl]

29. Yeah, that ws a big no-go for me

I hadn't come to terms in making my decision, but in the end, I think that was one of the biggest reasons, if not the very big reason, why I supported Hillary. The thing is, though, he still didn't get it in the end. When he said that crap that Trump says was just a distraction, and it was about punishing women who get abortions...man, anger...that's all I had.

[pandr32]

30. Excellent, well thought out post!

[all american girl]

31. Thank you...get it while it's here, because it will probably never happen again

[Stand and Fight]

35. What they've gone and done is created a bunch of left wing echo chambers...

You find them here, on Facebook, Twitter, the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post... Really anywhere that people would gather to discuss things. A trend I noticed taking hold last year is that the Berners would defend the Senator. It happened in case after case. I think in the beginning it was well meaning. After all, Sanders was seen as a underdog and — at first — he was largely ignored by the media. And you know, Americans love an underdog!

Then gradually, ever so slowly, the premise of their support was no longer valid as the media reported consistently on Sanders. The problem was that the Berners didn't give up the belief that they were ignored, underestimated, and didn't stand a chance. They got caught up in the same mentality that so occupies the Christian Right's true believers. They were convinced they were being persecuted and then in a zealous over reaction their defense of Sanders became bullying in his name. This was evidenced by their penchant to immediately storm in and squash all civil discussion with purity diatribes decrying the lack of intelligence of the opposition, impugning their integrity as being bought and paid for, and dehumanizing rants centered on sex, race, and political leaning.

Eventually no one felt it was safe to speak out in contrary to the Bernie memes and his supporters. So, as described to me by many of Hillary's supporters and other observers across the Web, they grew quiet and less likely to speak up. DU's own Hillary Clinton Group is a fine example of this.

No one wanted to venture out. We hid behind hashtags on Twitter, protected Facebook groups, and private discussion boards if fortunate enough. Occasionally, on Facebook and Twitter especially, the Berners would show up and immediately start back in with the insults, insinuations, and accusations.

Let's be clear, Hillary supporters weren't angels across the board. Some of them could be downright belittling in their reverse ageism and trumpeting mockery of "Bernie babies want free stuff!" That wasn't productive and did nothing to quell the growing divisions. However, the Hillary zealots paled in comparison to the Sanders True Believers. You can still see that in action today by going outside of this group or onto any of the aforementioned social media sites. It's known that approximately 80% of DU was at one time solidly in the Sanders camp.

[all american girl]

38. You need to make that an OP all on it's own

That was so beautifully put.

I will 100% agree with you that some Hillary voters were belittling to Bernie's supporters, and especially if the were young. It kind of made them sound a bit like "get off my lawn," so we all need to learn from our bad behaviors.

[Stand and Fight]

41. Thank you. I just happened to watch it all as it unfolded.

I was undecided till February, but -- as I've said elsewhere on this board -- the more I looked at the candidates' stances on issues the more I felt HRC was more in tune with my views. The behavior of the Sanders people was not something I could ever embrace. I have a serious problem with "group think". It could be the rebel in my blood, but that would be a cop-out. It was just a matter of the issues and what candidate aligned best with my views. The behavior of his supporters here and elsewhere made my decision that much easier.

[all american girl]

42. I was undecided until Jan/Feb time frame.

I will thank the Bernie supporters for one thing on their group think. Because they all kept posting the save videos and the same talking points, I went and started looking things up...really what it was, was making sure I remembered things correctly. Some of the things that were posted, I was not remembering quite the same way. Once I started going down that road, I started looking at things she did when she was younger, and I was quite impressed. Now I'm not going to vote for someone based only what they did in their 20's-30's, but I did find it interesting.

I'm more of a person who likes to see a path on how a plan would be implemented. I liked that about Hillary. I was not only supportive of her platform, which is very similar to Bernie's, but I like how she plans to get from point A to point B, and able to explain it.