Party Unity, Regardless of Who Wins the Nomination

[MineralMan]

We all support one candidate or another for the nomination. One will become the nominee. I think it will be Clinton, but I could be wrong about that. So, what do supporters of one candidate do if the other is nominated?

Here's what I'll do: I'll support and campaign for the nominee. That's what I've always done. I haven't preferred some of the Democratic presidential nominees over the years, but I've worked hard during the general election campaigns for each and every one, since 1960, even before I could vote.

I don't plan to change that habit. I can see the list of Republican candidates. There's not one on that list who deserves any support. In fact, the most likely nominees for the Republicans are horrible choices.

Bernie? Hillary? Either is a far better choice. Which will be the nominee? I'm guessing it will be Clinton, but if it's not, that won't change my plans to work hard at getting out the vote and getting the Democrat elected.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but that seems to be how we win.

[Skwmom]

1. You can keep saying this until the cows come home. It won't make it so.

There is no winning if a corporate Democrat is elected.

[MineralMan]

3. That's easy to say, but doesn't really mean much.

It seems probable that Clinton will get the nomination. It's possible that Sanders will, but I'm not thinking that's at all likely. So, what then, if Clinton is the nominee? Let the Republicans win through inaction? Does that make any sense? I don't think it does. Please explain your thinking. I'm not seeing the thinking in your reply.

[daleanime]

2. If you wait until after the primary to be working in the same direction....

you've waited too long.

After doing everything they can to dampen democratic enthusiasm the leadership won't be able to relight the flame with a round of campfire songs.

[MineralMan]

4. But, see, that's why we have primaries.

I've said that I'm supporting Clinton in those primaries. I'm voting for her in my precinct caucus. If Sanders wins instead, then the people have spoken and he'll get my support.

There's no unity during primary campaign season. People support different candidates. That's our system, and that's what we do. After the primaries and the convention, though, we have an official nominee. What we do after that will make a huge difference.

I'm saying what I will do, regardless of who the nominee is.

[daleanime]

5. The. Last. Saturday. Before. Christmas.

I've endured decade's of being marginalized in my own party. I've chosened the least 'offensive ' candidate year after year. I've had maintain my dignity as the ideas I want to work towards, ideas held by the majority of americans, were mocked as 'unrealistic '. Now I have watch as this travesty of a primary weakens who ever does end up as the Democratic nomination, just to improve the odds of the annoited candidate.

Enough.

Far too much.

If this party is unchanged by this primary, then it is no longer my party.

[MoonRiver]

6. And you are a lot better off because Obama was president, rather than Romney.

Is that a true statement?

But obviously you will do whatever you want.

[Amimnoch]

8. +1000!!!! They'd throw out the baby with the bath water.

[MoonRiver]

12. Can you imagine what this country would be like if rMoney had "won?"

[daleanime]

13. And everything was peaches and cream?

No little-bitty room for improvement anywhere?

[MoonRiver]

17. Always room for improvement!

Most of what Obama had to deal with his first term was clean up REPUBLICAN bush's mess, which almost brought down our economy btw.

[daleanime]

21. So then you have no problem with me....

saying we need to improve?

[MoonRiver]

22. As I said,

there is always room for improvement everywhere.

[daleanime]

23. Then why mock me?

[MoonRiver]

25. I didn't think I did.

Sorry if you felt that way.

[daleanime]

29. Asking a democrat, and a progressive one....

if they though things would be better under rMoney? And you don't think that's a slam?


Walks away shaking head.

[MoonRiver]

30. SometimesI do wonder here.

[daleanime]

32. Which is to imply that I'm....

dishonest about myself?

[MoonRiver]

37. No not at all

[daleanime]

38. If that was the case....

wouldn't it go unsaid?

[MoonRiver]

39. I seriously don't know what you're talking about.

I wish you the best though.

[MineralMan]

7. Your choice. What can I say?

[daleanime]

14. Yes, my choice. And if the party won't work with me....

instead of against me, I'll have to find some people who will.

So I get to work real hard for at least a couple of months and see if I get to remain a democrat.

[MineralMan]

16. Well, you have my best wishes in your work.

Truly. Good luck with it. However it turns out, I'll be backing the Democratic nominee, so if you succeed, I'll be there. If you don't, I'll still be there.

[Live and Learn]

10. +1000 nt

[SoLeftIAmRight]

9. yes - they know they have me by the balls

what choice do I have

[MineralMan]

15. Very colorful. As individuals, we have a good deal

of ability to control our individual lives, within some limits. There's enough range to let most of us choose our directions, if we aren't held back by limitations we can't control.

I've never felt like anyone had me "by the balls," as you put it. In my 70 years, I've made many decisions that went against the grain of convention. I've had the freedom to do that, succeed or fail. Looking back, I can clearly see how my decisions have affected my life. Looking forward from past positions, of course, I couldn't see where my decisions would lead.

There have been many points where I could have made any number of choices. I made the choices I made. The results are what they are. Had I made different choices, the results might have been different. That's true for all of us.

I wasn't born in feudal times, thank goodness. I was born in 1945, into a society that let me make choices. Looking around me, I'm still seeing people making choices that will affect their own lives. I'm not seeing most people being kept from making choices due to society holding them "by the balls."

Yes, there are people who have few choices, but everyone has some choices. It wasn't always so in history. Would having more choices be better? Probably. Maybe. On an individual basis, perhaps not in many cases.

Deciding for whom to vote is a choice, but its impact will be minor, really, on my life. Especially in the short term. I will choose to support the Democratic nominee for the presidency. History has shown me that is a better choice. The amount of difference between the two leading candidates for that nomination will make a much smaller difference. Inertia will prevent major change, regardless of which Democrat is the nominee.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

18. bla bla bla bla bla

they have you - as you said "I will choose to support the Democratic nominee for the presidency"

BTW - I saw Hillary say "I will LET the people decide" - she is so nice - she will LET you decide.

[MineralMan]

19. She has no choice but to let the people decide, really..

It's a figure of speech. Neither does Bernie. He can try to convince people that he's a better choice. So can Hillary. In the end, though, the people will decide, and the nominee will be the one with the most votes from those people. That's how it works. You and I each get one of those votes.

And, yes, I'll be supporting the Democratic nominee. That's my choice, too. I'm the only one who has me "by the balls."

[Bleacher Creature]

11. I think Clinton will be a far more effective GE candidate.

Last edited Sun Jan 3, 2016, 04:48 PM - Edit history (1)

And I also think she has a better chance of accomplishing something if elected.

But please don't think for a second that I wouldn't PROUDLY support Sanders if he's the nominee. I would vote for him, donate to him, and volunteer for him. In fact, a successful Sanders presidency would probably align with my positions on the issues more than any other candidate. I just have serious, serious reservations of that happening.

[MineralMan]

20. I tend to agree with you, which is why

I'll be voting for her. I want to win in November. But, I'll go with the choice of the voters, for sure.

[SheilaT]

31. Even though recent polls show Bernie doing considerably

better than Hillary in the general?

[Bleacher Creature]

34. Absolutely.

GE matchup polls are unreliable and useless while the primary is still ongoing.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-year-out-ignore-general-election-polls/

In this case, you are comparing one candidate (Clinton) who has been on the national stage for almost three decades, who has been vetted more than any non-incumbent in history, and who has nearly universal name ID against a candidate (Sanders) who still has relatively low name ID outside of places like DU, and who has never been touched by the GOP hate machine.

[SheilaT]

36. Of course, considering to what extent the main stream media is totally ignoring Bernie,

his actual standing in the polls in nothing short of remarkable. Especially that he shows up better in the general than she does.

I don't quite get what Clinton's supporters say about her having been "vetted" more than any non-incumbent in history. It seems to mean that they think nothing old can ever be brought up against her, and that's simply not true. Granted, certain things, like Benghazi and Bill's little flings, are totally bullshit and/or irrelevant, but that doesn't mean the Republicans will refrain from bringing them up.

Then of course, there's the little problem of her IWR vote, her standing by while thousands of women and children were killed by American bombs and drones in the Middle East, her willingness to send refugee children back home, her unwillingness to support a real living wage, her friendships with people like Henry (the war criminal) Kissinger. Knowing all those things makes me completely unwilling to support her, at least at this point in the process.

[renate]

24. I feel the same way

I'm going to vote for Bernie in the primary, but I'll be more than happy to vote for Hillary in the general if she's the nominee. Whoever the alternative is going to be, he'll be BAD.

I would think that most Democrats, whether they prefer Bernie or Hillary, like what Bernie is saying about income inequality and the rigged political system. I really don't understand some people's antipathy towards him here. The odds are already wildly in favor of Hillary's being the candidate--why are any of her supporters (not the majority, but some) antagonizing Bernie's? Nobody here wants the Republican nominee to win; we're all united in that idea. So why the meanness? It makes no sense to me.

I miss the between-elections DU where (almost) everybody is nice to (almost) everybody.

Edited to add that I just saw some really horrible comments about Hillary, and I think *respectful* disagreement should go both ways. Some of the things I read sounded like they were about a Republican candidate. Yuck. Whoever the Democratic candidate ends up being, we just cannot allow the Republican one to win, and Democratic unity is one part of preventing that.

[MineralMan]

26. Exactly. I'm looking beyond the primaries, already.

I like Bernie Sanders and his ideas. I'll be happy to support him if he wins the nomination. I'll also support Hillary if she wins. I suspect she will. I have no antipathy toward Sanders or his supporters. I think some of them are attempting to issue some sort of ultimatum, though, and I do think that's a serious mistake. That has led me to support Clinton in the primaries. I don't respond well to ultimatums. Neither do lots of other people.

[renate]

27. I was editing my post while you responded, and I just want to say again that I agree with you

I don't like ultimatums either; they seem unproductive both in terms of persuasion and politics.

[EdwardBernays]

28. The country is more important than the party

And all the party fealty extremists seem to miss that point entirely.

[riversedge]

33. For sure.

[highprincipleswork]

35. Party unity should begin by respect for the feelings of other party members

This applies to Clinton and Sanders and O'Malley supporters alike.

But anytime people's wants and needs are dissed by others, that is a warning sign. Why is it that Clinton supporters have routinely dissed the wants and needs of Sanders and O'Malley supporters to have more debaters? Even outside observers with absolutely no reason to care whether or not more debates are held have commented on how weird the schedule is - almost as if the goal was lack of exposure for Democratic candidates. They have also wondered about this as a strategy, seeing as the Republicans have been able to grab the spotlight for so long. But look, whether you think more debates are necessary or not, why take a condescending, shaming attitude towards those who say this is needed for an even playing field? In a unified party, these concerns would have been addressed wisely and calmly and collectively long ago. Failing to do so is an open admission that the party is not unified, and really just doesn't give a shit about some of its members and their concerns. That is the regrettable part of that.

All the other name-calling and bickering, those are probably small change compared to ways in which the system may appear to be rigged in anyone's favor. Shouldn't happen. Shouldn't be allowed to happen. And even the appearance of it should not be allowed to happen. Not if you really expect party unity in the end.

[el_bryanto]

40. I support Bernie now but I will support whoever wins the genearl election

Lets face it right now there are three possibilities. Bernie wins and I support him whole heartedly. O'Malley wins and I support him happily (as I am impressed with him, just like Bernie more).

Alternatively Clinton gets the nomination; now her stance on certain issues is not at all what I want. But, her stance on other issues is light years ahead of any Republican. When you consider issues like woman's rights or civil rights or immigration there is no question that Hillary Clinton will be stronger than any republican. And even on issues that I think she's weak on, she's still stronger than any Republican. So I'll support her. I'd rather support someone who more closly reflects my desires but what are you going to do?

Bryant