Back in the late 1960s and 1970s, the parallel to today’s Sanders supporters were political activists who opposed the Vietnam War. In the Michigan 17th District Democratic Party, these activists formed an organization called the Liberal Conference, which functioned as a caucus within the local Party structure. We were vocal. We didn’t like the UAW’s domination of the Party, nor did we like the conservatives coming out of the construction unions.
But...and this is the key point...even as we worked to develop candidates with our values and to elect the right people in the primaries and the general elections, we worked within the Party structure. We knew that change had to come from within. We made sure that we had proportional representation in all decision-making, such as endorsements. We made our voices heard. We made those union folks respect us and listen to us. And we elected good people — see my earlier blog about Bill Brodhead. At the national level, the voices of people like us got Lyndon Johnson out of the 1968 race.
Because...the bottom line was that in almost all instances, the Democratic candidate represented what we stood for more than any Republican candidate could. And this is what I say to Sanders supporters: work from within. Get involved. Gracefully accept the progress that has been made (e.g., this year’s platform) and keep it going. And vote for Hillary, whom you know is far, far, better than the alternative.