Originally posted by Keith D. Foote at The Bern Report.
Some Democrats booed Bernie Sanders when he said, “The goal isn’t to win elections, the goal is to transform America.”
Bernie Sanders is obviously working from a bigger picture perspective than many of his smaller-minded colleagues. These are the same politicians who support Hillary Clinton without actually considering the consequences of another Clinton presidency (based on her recent history — lots of arms sales, war, and lots of under-the-table deals).
The Democratic convention is just a few weeks away, and Bernie Sanders has not endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. Some Democrats feel this is disloyal to the Democratic party (they seem to have forgotten Bernie is actually an Independent), while many Bernie supporters wonder why he should. Endorsements no longer have much sway with American voters, and many Sanders supporters believe Hillary Clinton supports the wealthy (and not necessarily just American wealth) and her own personal desire for power. If Bernie did endorse such a person, his followers would think him hypocritical. Why would Bernie Sanders endorse Hillary Clinton? (With only a 5 point lead over Trump in the polls, per USA Today, she’s just not seen as much better than Trump.)
Bernie surprised some of the Democrats in attendance when he told them winning elections wasn’t the only thing they should focus on.
After delivering his opening remarks, Democrats inside the meeting bullied Senator Sanders during a tense question-and-answer session on an endorsement for Clinton and to help foster party unity. These people seem to have forgotten that Bernie’s goals for changes in the Democratic party have been mostly ignored. Why would Bernie Sanders endorse Hillary Clinton, who is turning the Democratic party into a liberal version of the Republican party?
Senator Sanders told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that “we look at the world a little bit differently,” when asked about the booing and rude behavior, later on Wednesday.
“What I’m trying to do and the reason I ran for president is to help transform this country. To deal with income and wealth, inequality a declining middle class, the fact that so many of the young people leaving school deeply in debt,” Sanders added, though he remained noncommittal about endorsing Clinton. said, before expressing approval of Clinton’s policy announcement Wednesday combining his higher-education proposals with hers.
Bernie Sanders may eventually endorse Mrs. Clinton, but it is his choice as to when. A forced endorsement is far worse than no endorsement at all, for multiple reasons. Email your Senators and ask them about this recent bullying tactic to make Bernie Sanders conform to the status quo. You can say something like this:
It is my understanding some Democrats have attempted to bully Bernie Sanders into giving Hillary Clinton an endorsement and drop out of the primaries prematurely, by booing him. I would like to know who these immature individuals are. I would like a list of names. And I desperately hope you were not one of them.
Public awareness has a tendency to make politicians act like adults. Not always, but sometimes. Public awareness also tends to stop bullying.
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