I watched Bernie’s speech from beginning to end and I am perplexed that people had such a different interpretation from mine. I do not understand what people mean by him needing to concede. The race is over, everyone including Bernie and his supporters understands that. He also clearly stated that the goal for all americans, including him and his supporters, should be preventing Drumpf from becoming president, but that that can’t be the only goal. Our support for Bernie’s campaign was never about stopping Drumpf, and to simplify it to just that misses the point.
For that matter, it was also not even about Bernie Sanders. It was about changing our country and our democracy in the many ways Bernie outlined in his speech. Was there anything in what he was saying that Hillary and her supporters would disagree with? If so, I would like to know what they are, because they have been singing a different tune for the past year.
Bernie does not control his supporters so even if he were to promise loyalty to Hillary and “concede the election”, that does not guarantee his supporters would follow. I am glad that he is pushing aggressively for a progressive platform at the democratic convention, because that is the only leverage that we have left, and if he gives in now Hillary would again be tacking to the right pre-emptively compromising with corporate republicans, and selling out the progressive ideals she and her campaign has been pretending to support. Bernie’s campaign is obviously pivoting toward the future by encouraging his young supporters to get involved in local politics, because we do indeed new progressive blood in our Democratic party.
As Democrats can we say what we stand for for once? We already know the vast majority of the american people already agree with us on most issues. For once can we have the courage of our convictions and actually stand up for what we believe? That is what the american people want anyway. Good or bad they just want someone to tell them truth.