I hope all my fellow Hillary supporters read this diary, the whole thing, even though it’s long. It’s important. And before I say anything else, I want to apologize for every unfair comment I have made to a Bernie supporter. I know I’ve said unkind things, have exaggerated, have mocked. I am sorry. It seems so easy to get carried away like that, in this little closed environment. Many of us who are enthusiastic about our candidate can get carried away, though I’m not excusing anything. I think it’s time to stop. Let’s never mind the he-said-she-said, who-started-it arguments. Let’s move forward. Let’s not respond to the hurtful comments, let’s ignore them, and instead, engage in a positive manner where we can.
Dividing the left has always been the primary strategy of Republicans when fighting Democrats. We fell for it over and over in years past. (I have never seen Democrats as united as we were in 2008, and we won.) The truth is, we can’t come together and win, we can’t move forward toward a better deal for all of us, if we’re divided. Not in this country. And going forward, we need our Bernie supporters, not only for their votes in November, but for their energy, their vision, and yes, their youth. They are our future. And thanks to them, it will be a bright, exciting future.
I have met many local Bernie supporters who inspire me very much — they inspire me about the future, the one I know they will build for my grandson. They are devoted to making that future a reality. I can’t wait to see them lead. Right now my daughter and her young family live in Canada, where they are enjoying a non-profit health care system, affordable university, adequate parental leave, and a safety net for all Canadians including new ones, a safety net that is the pride of every Canadian, and rightly so. It is my hope that Bernie has started something in America that will allow my daughter to come home in a few years to a country with that same level of commitment to community.
We are supporting different candidates for the singular role of president this year, it’s true. It is also true that we here all have many things in common; before the primary turmoil we shared progressive goals, and we still do. We all want to avoid another bank disaster and reduce the power of banks over our economy. We all want to rein in the craziness of the wealth divide, and better address poverty and the devastating effects it has on growing children. We all want to make it easier for people to get an education without going bankrupt. We want parents to have time off to take care of their babies. We want social justice, for immigrant families, for families of color, for women, for LGBT Americans, and, perhaps most urgently right now, we want justice for black men in this country.
I will come right out and say this — we will not get there without Bernie’s movement. If we lose them, if we divide, we lose the collective energy and the common voice to get us where we need to go. Without Bernie’s movement, ultimately we will fail.
I am not asking Bernie supporters to join us in supporting Hillary if she wins, which seems likely. That is up to them, and while I hope they do, that is not my purpose here.
I am instead asking Bernie supporters if, going forward into the election and beyond, I can please join them, in working toward making Bernie’s progressive dream for America a reality. I promise to add my voice to the millions who are demanding that the problems he laid out be aggressively addressed, not just in the Democratic platform, but in practice when the election is won. I commit to donating, making calls and knocking on doors over the next 6 months to make sure that our most progressive candidates make it to DC. I promise to engage locally so that this Republican blight that has infected too many counties and states in this country can be eradicated, so that we can protect the hard-won rights of the LGBT, immigrant, and female members of our coalition, who are being targeted by the right at the state level. I will make sure members of Congress, the Senate and the White House hear my voice as it joins with yours to demand a less militaristic foreign policy and better use of our tax dollars. I will join with you to demand trade reform to restore and protect American manufacturing.
Most of all, I commit to support YOU, Bernie supporters. I promise to do whatever I can, whatever you need me to do, to ensure that you are the future of the Democratic Party. Because if you are not, if you leave us, if we are divided, my daughter will come home to much less than I hope for her, and for her growing family.
We respect and appreciate what you’ve done this primary season, even if we don’t say it. I say it now, what you have done is amazing, inspiring. It is as though you have brought all our heartfelt goals out into the light, and made us unafraid to speak them too. You give us power. We need you. The Democratic Party needs you, and the country needs you. We cannot get there without you.