No, I’m not telling anyone to ‘shut up, period.’ I’m not saying ‘be quiet and stay in Vermont/NY.’
I am saying ‘Bernie, Hillary..when you’re out there talking about the elections, the Democratic Party, the ‘right way’ to do things...you’re not helping.
They’re both lightning rods. They both motivate strife and dissension in the Party, rather than compromise and unity. They’re both easy targets for the right wing, targets that they already have perfect ammo for and a lot of experience shooting at.
Hillary and Bernie, go out there and advocate for people. Advocate for policies. Inspire, motivate.
But keep your endorsements to yourself. Keep criticism of the Party and its current leaders and main players at home. Quit picking with the groups that you were so misaligned with that you couldn’t win the primary/general election.
Let active, respected, with-momentum Dems like Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Joe Kennedy, Ted Lieu and others lead. Let them stand up and criticize, motivate, and organize us. Don’t keep trying to ‘occupy’ the Democratic Party. Don’t go out there pushing loyalist establishment folks because they helped you out for so many years.
The momentum is there. The Blue Wave is a thing. Ride into the night, and stay out of the way.