2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumBernie Sanders has a constitutional right to run for President
I am so sick and tired of the many people here who post the kind of garbage that suggests that Bernie Sanders doesn't have a right to run for President by implying that a.) he's not a real Democrat and thus shouldn't be supported by the Democratic Party and b.) he shouldn't run as an Independent, lest he inadvertently elect a Republican.
If a. is true and b. is true, then Bernie should not consider himself eligible to effectively compete and run for President. In essence, the implied argument abrogates his right to consider himself on equal footing as anyone to run for President if he believes in the cause of the left, which he inherently does.
If there is one recurring meme that viscerally angers me at the arrogance of the Hillary Clinton supporters on this board, this is the meme.
The essence of it is seriously unjust and vilely self-serving.
Since this is a good example of Party Politics not serving the people but rather the people only serving the Party, then I would consider this anti-democratic. It curtails free speech and delegitimizes the support of his followers.
Given Bernie's sincere and long standing track records and voting with Democrats on a variety of issues as well as his public life being at the vanguard of liberalism and progressiveism (which should be the goals of the Democratic Party) then he is deserving of more respect and an apology from those who try to delegitimize him.
If the party cannot accept him then the only alternative would be for Bernie to run as an Independent, which would be electorally catastrophic.
Thus the onus is upon the DU community and Democrats (McCaskill et al.) to revoke their disparaging comments that are underhanded and destructive.
FlatBaroque
(3,160 posts)Hillary, in three words.
SamKnause
(13,108 posts)I live in Ohio.
We are not permitted to write in our preferred candidate.
Our ballot will not be counted if we do.
This country doesn't give a fuck about fair elections or democracy.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Greatness
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)When you run, you don't just win.
Punkingal
(9,522 posts)And it' a crying shame that some Hillary and Bernie voters didn't get to vote in AZ.
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)That's how the VRA got gutted.
Punkingal
(9,522 posts)I think we need to pull out the torches and pitchforks when the SCOTUS does something so outrageous.
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)It's also obvious that many more are fully willing to escort that sort of thinking as ally in order to benefit from it.
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)Punkingal
(9,522 posts)What I would like to know is who is the Rocky guy on all the ballots?
Rebkeh
(2,450 posts)Spot on. Democracy is for whom, exactly?
DanTex
(20,709 posts)AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)Stop being dishonest
DanTex
(20,709 posts)Bread and Circus
(9,454 posts)Tarc
(10,476 posts)Sanders will not go 3rd party, he's smart enough to see the big picture.
Waiting For Everyman
(9,385 posts)It's easy to change willy nilly, and people do it all the time.
It doesn't cost anything, it's basically just a self-designated label at will.
bigtree
(85,998 posts)...he has a right to run for whatever he wants, what he doesn't have a right to do without challenge is run all over our party, and the majority of voters, in a desperate scramble to regain his losing presidential campaign.
Uncle Joe
(58,366 posts)Thanks for the thread, Bread and Circus.