Guys….its over.
I think that Bernie Sanders is a terrific candidate. He has kept on the battlefield longer than any could have expected. I have given him money and I have suggested that others give him money as well. He fought a great fight, and he came close to winning the nomination.
However, now it appears plain: absent something catastrophic or game changing (indictment of HRC or her top aids, revelations that she has committed fraud, sudden illness or death), he will not be the Democratic nominee for the Presidency of the United States.
The reason I take this position is simple: he does not now have the votes. HRC leads in the delegate counts, and Bernie is relying on the super-delegates to cast him into the role as nominee. She will need very few to rise to the occasion; Bernie, essentially, will need a revolt in which virtually all of them come to his side. Again, absent something catastrophic such as HRC suffering a stroke, I do not see him winning, and I don’t think anyone else does, either.
For the record, I am not thrilled with HRC. She has, in fact, mishandled everything from being interviewed by Terri Gross on Fresh Air, to refusing to release her speeches, to taking a “I’ll-pretend-I-have-reservations-on-the-TPP (even though I spent years supporting it)” position, to offering a hawkish view that is likely to result in the death of U.S. troops in global conflicts.
I disagree with her on these issues, strongly, which is why I went to vote for Bernie in the first place. However, the reality is that HRC is pro-choice, pro-gun-control, pro-human rights, and pro-environment. While I would that she moved to the left, and will continue to push her to do so, there is, at this point, no realistic grounds to fight against her nomination.
I bow, with as much grace as possible, to the inevitable.
Towards that end, I hereby give notice to the Kos community that, absent some compelling fact which has not yet come to light, I will support HRC as the nominee for the presidency of the United States. Rather than try to differentiate between the great and the merely good, it is more important that we destroy the republicans, who offer only evil. I, for one, will vote for HRC if she is the candidate. I call upon other Bernie supporters to do the same.
Thanks,
Cthulhu
P.S. (1) I will not publish much about HRC over the next weeks; it would be inappropriate to do so, absent something compelling happening.
(2) I understand that I have offended some in my comments in support of Bernie and against HRC; others have thought me restrained. I will not try to excuse my fight, but I will ask your forgiveness, collectively, and the understanding that I fought as hard as I could, and you all did the same.
(3) What has pained me the most in this time is that, while I have fought hard, and others have also fought, Bernie continues to hold back — apparently, out of a desire to keep relations somewhat friendly. I understand his position, but I think, if one is going to run for President, one should be prepared to offer up a full and fair critique of the other candidates. He seems unwilling to take that step, which, while nice, makes me wonder how he would compete in the general. Yes, it is nice that he has such a high reputation, but that is because he hasn’t had to throw a punch. I will say this for HRC: she knows how to hit, and hit hard, and keep hitting. I may not love her, but I certainly recognize that this is a skill that will be desperately needed in the upcoming campaign.