Good bye for now... (for good?)

[Bread and Circus]

Dear fellow progressives and Bernie Sanders supporters on DU,

I want to take a moment to say good bye as this is my last day posting on DU for a while. This past primary season has been exciting and informative to say the least but it's time for me to take a break from the site. Like many of you, I am disappointed about how the nomination process has unfolded but I have to say I am beyond amazed that Bernie has made it this far. I never expected it and never would have predicted it.

Many of you are the best that DU has to offer and I hope you all stay on and fight the good fight. I just don't find DU all that interesting when all it is a cheer-leading squad for the Democratic Party, Inc... I like the back and forth of the primary season but as for the 3 years between, it's a bit too "group-thinky" for me. In other words, DU is usually kind of boring. I'm a pretty busy guy and I've got a long list of better things to do thank prattle on about how bad "Rethuglicans" are, as if I didn't know that already.

I sort of wanted to congratulate Hillary Clinton on her win in GD: P but I don't think the folks there really deserve it. The Hillary supporters that occupy this site are abhorrent to me. I imagine in real life they might be fine folks as I know sometimes boards like this can amplify the worst in people, but fundamentally I don't think they are that intelligent, astute, or ethical enough to bother with at this point. It seems all they care about is myopically winning... truth, principals, and long term goals be damned.

So, rather than post any of the usual congrats there I will just say thanks too you all here. Thank you for believing in and fighting for what's right and for what the Democratic Party SHOULD be about (even if it really isn't....Lord knows it is really isn't). Thank you for having my back and having the back of the powerless, disenfranchised, and yet-to-be disenfranchised. Thank you for speaking truth to power. Thank you for just trying to adhere to truth in a world, country, and party that wants to ignore it.

I have say this, as I cannot stomach voting for a candidate who will lead us into another war of choice, I am NOT going to vote for Hillary Clinton. Not this fall, not ever. In fact, I will give money to and vote for Jill Stein as a protest vote against wars of choice, an increased police state, and the selling out of average Americans. I do not recommend you follow suit. I only recommend you vote your conscious and for what you think is best.

If you are a "strategic voter" and feel you need to vote for the lesser of two crooks and charlatans, by all means vote for Hillary Clinton. If I had the deciding vote on the matter of her vs. Trump, I would vote for her too. Better to deal with the devil you know, as they say.

But alas, I have the luxury of living in a non-swing state...so my vote will be just for grins and self-satisfaction that I am not acutely responsible for the hell that is likely to be unleashed as a part of Clinton's war machine.

And yes, I do think Clinton will beat Trump, handily.

First, she is the chosen candidate of the donor class, and not just of Democrat donor class either. She is the true establishment candidate. And unless people really open their eyes en masse and knew the truth of how corrupt most things are, the donor class candidate almost always wins. The media sees to that. And if that doesn't work we always have funny voting machines and the courts to put a thumb on the scale.

I hope Bernie concedes soon or at least abandons this notion that he will flip the supers. The flipping he seeks is not going to happen and I think it overall sullies our collective message, movement, and brand. To flip the supers to overthrow the pledged delegates would be anti-democratic and is not what I think the progressive, liberal, justice loving left is all about.

I might visit Jackpine Radicals but I would rather not be part of a website that is so focused on one candidate. Candidates come and go. We need a set of ideals to adhere to, not just one person. I would like to be part of an intelligent website that is dedicated to truth, justice, fairness, and progressive/liberal values not just another website that is stealthfully (as this one is) beholden to a political party that seems fairly un-democratic.

Good luck and Godspeed (not sure what that means but I love how it sounds).

P.S. I don't think DU will ever be the same with the Clintons back in power. Part of what made this site great was fighting against an unfair system that promoted war and human misery. I am not really sure how that's gonna work when the site's denizens will be required to cheer-lead for the kinds of policies that we used to fight against.

Signing off for now.... (for good?)

Bread and Circus

[djean111]

1. Lovely OP. Thank you.

As far as Bernie flipping supers, I have no problem with him flipping supers that Hillary purchased before a single vote was cast. That reeks. I don't see "the will of the people" when they all pledged before the primaries started.

Agree with everything else you stated so beautifully.

[DUbeornot2be]

2. For me...

... it's soon notDUbe for me...
Voted today in Abq for Bernie. Tomorrow I change registration to Independent after 30+ years as a regiztered democrat. The d no longer has me. they blew it by selling their principles and now are simply corporate whores, bought and paid for...

[felix_numinous]

3. Thanks

Bread and Circus, hoping we all meet elsewhere one fine day

[progressoid]

4. We're going to lose a lot of good DUers in the coming weeks.

[rhett o rick]

5. I understand. Be cool. nm

[Dems to Win]

6. I'll add my good-bye note here

I refuse to watch the Hillary-Trump Reality TV Show, directed by Bill Clinton

What we are seeing is Reality TV, directed by Bill Clinton, who talked with Donald Trump prior to Trump's entering the race and reportedly encouraged him to get into it. Bill and Donny are working together to elect Hillary.

It looks like we really do have a Trump-Clinton race, so I'm going to try to develop new hobbies and give up on following presidential politics. I hate reality TV, and I'm convinced that's all a Clinton-Trump race is -- a reality TV show that ends with Hillary in the White House.

The more outrageous Trump is, the more he pushes people, who 2 years ago would have said they would NEVER vote for Hillary, into voting for her in the fall. It's the only way she can plausibly win, so that's the theater show Bill and Donald are producing.

I'm also convinced that the powers that rig the voting machines will do so on Hillary's behalf. She's the Establishment choice, by far. She's the one who will keep the Military Industrial Complex and Wall Street rolling along as usual, lining the pockets of the rich and powerful. The outcome is not in doubt.

I'm so certain of my cynical views that it's not worth paying attention anymore.

The primary has also been disheartening. I see an ugly racial split in the Democrats which makes me so very sad.

I no longer believe in the Rainbow Coalition.

Neither does Jesse Jackson, apparently. He couldn't be bothered to endorse and vocally support Bernie, one of the three white officeholders who endorsed him for both his presidential runs.

I voted for Jesse Jackson twice, in '84 and '88. I'm disappointed he was a no-show in 2016. He should have been out there defending Bernie against charges that he is a racist, or a newbie to the cause of civil rights.

So much disdain by black people toward 'white progs' on Twitter has really been a wake-up call for me, for several months now. So much gleefulness that the white guy from the white state has been taught a lesson, and white progs given a good slap. When did white progressives become the enemy?

So much contempt for Occupy Wall Street and their outrage over millions of homes stolen by banks via mortgage fraud, dismissed as 'white people's problems.' Ditto for people upset about drowning in student loan debt -- just 'white people's problems.'

Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus completely mischaracterized Bernie's record of support for civil rights. It's fine to endorse a different candidate, but to call Bernie a 'new friend' when he has a 20+year history of 100% ratings from the NAACP is real deceit.

A few tweets from Bernie supporters providing links to his civil rights record are described as attacks, as if whites aren't allowed to converse with blacks on Twitter. All nasty comments about Hillary are attributed to Bernie fans, when a mere 30 seconds of reading the profile of the tweeter shows it's from a Trump supporter. People can write articles about the tweets they've received, completely mis-attributing the source, and get them published in the Washington Post.

I'm gloomy and depressed. We can only make progress if we can find a way to work together and fight for progress for everyone. I don't see it happening today.

Farewell to DU and the Democratic Party. The struggle continues.

[Duval]

10. "The struggle continues"

A very apt description of what is going on. I understand where you are coming from and wish you well.

[ladyVet]

7. Hillary hasn't won yet, despite what the MSM and people here would like you to believe.

I'm still pulling for Bernie, though my spirits are down as well. I'm afraid of what the turnout will be because of that "announcement" yesterday, but I'm hopeful that people will realize they're being played right out of this so-called Democracy.

The fat lady hasn't sung the last note yet. Never give up, never surrender!

[Dont call me Shirley]

8. Progressive Democrats must unite. Try JPR a little more, it's not only all Bernie.

[Duval]

9. Good luck and Godspeed, Bread and Circus.

Do try JPR. It is only going to get better, since it is relatively new. And there are good articles, not just the candidate they support. And perhaps we'll see you there, and perhaps here.

[jonestonesusa]

11. Thanks for the thoughtful and heartfelt OP. eom