The Bernie Revolution Has Failed

[Zorro]

I come not to condemn Bernie, but to mourn him.

I woke up this morning to read up on the latest events on Dkos and found that Bernie Sanders did not congratulate Hillary Clinton on her victory, concede the race and urge his supporters to back her fully in the general election.

This is a disappointment as I fully expected that this would be what he would do. I fully expected Bernie would declare the race was over but the revolution would continue. I fully expected he would tell his supporters that they had accomplished a great deal in getting the progressive message into the halls of power at the DNC and that the way to continue to have influence was to show the power they had in defeating the Republicans and electing Democrats. By this means, the ideals, values and issues of the Bernie campaign would be shown to mirror those of not just his supporters or even Democrats, but of a majority of Americans.

Regretfully, I was proven to be wrong.

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/6/17/1539785/-The-Bernie-Revolution-Has-Failed

[underpants]

1. Didn't read link. I don't think it failed. His message resonates

both Hillary and Trump have been forced to incorporate his message.

[midnight]

48. You are right…. And not only that but they will have to work

and accepting Bernie has leverage and he ain't going anywhere…

http://commondreams.org/views/2016/06/20/bernie-sanders-leverage-isnt-going-anywhere-deal-it

[CrowCityDem]

2. And his endorsed candidates are losing primaries. He has talking points, no actual organization.

[avaistheone1]

4. Bernie has more than talking points, his life and his work are key to his platform and his

character.

Claims that he has no actual organization are untrue. How could have ever gotten so far without an organization? Impossible.

[CrowCityDem]

9. His campaign was run in minor-league style. They fumbled all over the place.

[avaistheone1]

10. Let's suppose that is true then Bernie must be one hell of great man and candidate given he has

come so far in this campaign.

[CrowCityDem]

17. People said the same about Clinton's campaign in 08, and she got closer :p

[Red Mountain]

42. Ha!

Either he's pretty damn good or Hillary's pretty damn bad.

Take your pick.

[seabeckind]

12. And in spite of all their fumbling

Managed to come with a couple of states of the prize.

The overwhelming favorite was forced to play defense and show up for the games.

What a travesty. Pointing out the empress' outfit was a bit transparent.

[CrowCityDem]

18. A couple states? Bernie lost by a landslide, in practical terms.

[truebluegreen]

19. Thus sayth veteran goal-post movers.

In the beginning it was predicted that he would win only Vermont, and maybe 5% of the vote.

So yeah, he's a total failure and a joke.

Pathetic.

[rock]

32. Not true

Different people predicted different things. BSers love to set up straw men by stating what the people thought and give really low goals. Then they quote the actual outcome and say: see.

[truebluegreen]

33. April 2015 Bernie at 6% ("up slightly"), Clinton with 61%

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/h-a-goodman/polling-trajectory-shows-bernie-sanders-defeating-hillary-clinton_b_8406282.html

See.

[rock]

36. Non sequitur

I see.

[truebluegreen]

37. I don't follow....your (ahem) reasoning.

(See what I did there?)

[rock]

38. Yes I see

You said the same thing I did in different words. Very clever.

[Wisc Progressive]

23. Geee, he only drew more than 1.5 million supporters to his rallies

while Hillary Clinton could not even fill rooms that would hold a few hundred at most...

They did not have the benefit of a run in 2008 like Clinton, but he accomplished some amazing things and even energized enough small donors to out-raise som billionaire-sponsored repugs (and where did Clinton's money come from? I won't even go there!).

It is just too much to see that now to be considered a good democrat in some circles you have to disown the new deal, misrepresent $12 as being a $15 living wage, and proclaim that medicare-for-all, which the US majority supports, is impossible!

[CrowCityDem]

24. Someone is compensating for their candidate's electile dysfunction.

[Wisc Progressive]

40. I know Cliff Arnebeck and have collaborated with him to publish stories about his important work

The electile dysfunction is the fraud that is being used to annoint a candidate, but I now know election fraud doesn't matter if it is "our" candidate with a D after their name. Their is a lawsuit coming (contrary to reports, was not filed 6/6/2016 -- will be filed within 2 weeks (probably next). Cliff is being generous and he claims that Clinton is being "used".

This lawsuit is actually about going after Karl Rove as he has been involved with flipping OH in 2004, 2008, and attempt in 2012 that was prevented because of an election-day court order that Cliff won to recount the entire state manually if there were any irregularities -- the fix was called off at the last minute as the FBI and feds were now watching.

This is why KKKarl Rove melted down on Faux Noooooze that night -- no one could communicate to him at the last minute that the fix was off as communiations were, at that point, being monitored by the feds. See for yourself:

[avaistheone1]

43. Hillary has ED?

I realize she has a bladder problem we all witnessed that during the December 19th Democratic debate.

Hhhmmm now she had ED too!!! Perhaps she simply has a case of penile envy.

[avaistheone1]

3. Bunch of worthless bunk.

Let's face it Hillary has not been a gracious winner.

[1StrongBlackMan]

14. What has HRC said or done that would have you think her a less than gracious winner?

[BlueCaliDem]

15. I don't see it, either. I *have* seen an ungracious loser, though - in full color. eom

[Trajan]

5. We are the political revolution

And you just keep believing we've failed if it fits your preferred narrative ....

Bernie will most likely fail to obtain the nomination, yes ...

But, hear this and hear this good - Bernie isn't disappearing ... He has sparked a movement that goes beyond a campaign for one specific office ...

Bernie is still right here, and his supporters are still right there ... Watching, organizing, planning ...

From the moment candidate Bernie entered the political arena, he defined a vision of the world which many of us will carry forward ...

We will hold the feet of OUR Democratic politicians to the fire and demand justice for regular citizens ...

We will organize a New Progressive 'League' that will help us contribute to a new corp of Liberal/Progressive candidates to bring the interests of regular working families to the U.S. Congress and State Houses ...

How can he fail if he isn't done?

[BlueCaliDem]

16. I don't see any traction for any "political revolution". I just see a lot of the same when an ultra-

left cadre of groups come together to thwart the Democratic Party (never a mention about the Republican Party, though), and make a lot of noise but nothing gets done.

Nader (twice and funded by Republicans); Dennis Kucinich (couldn't win a primary), and now Bernie Sanders (losing badly against a Democrat because he FAILED to win the key demographics that fuel the Democratic Party base).

I see NO down-ticket wins (Flores is defeated by Kihuen by 14 pnts). NO viable candidates that don't appear a little "off". NO power. Just the same-o, same-o.

It's why I left the Green Party in 2003. I got tired of losing and got extremely tired seeing Republicans win.

[truebluegreen]

20. LOL for "ultra-left cadre."

45% of the Democratic Party is "ultra-left".

Pathetic.

[LuvLoogie]

29. 60% of that have already moved on to Hillary.

[truebluegreen]

31. Because they are not stupid enough

To think that splitting the Democratic/liberal/progressive vote into several pieces qualifies as a Good Idea.

Equating that with an embrace of Hillary and her policies IS stupid. imo.

[stopbush]

6. Sanders and his supporters refuse to work within the two-party system.

They're like people stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. They're told there's two ways off the island - by boat or by plane - but they insist on waiting for a bus.

His armchair "revolution" is dead as soon as he exits the scene. That's the fate of most personality driven fads, and it will be the same for Sanders 15 minutes of fame.

[nolabels]

7. I think there was a mistake, this should have been posted in the fiction topics forum

[farleftlib]

46. That

or the petulant sore winners group.


There hasn't been any bowing and scraping so some people are not going to stop flaying a very dead horse.

[potone]

8. This thread reminds me of why I stopped reading dkos many months ago.

The poster who wrote this essay thought that Bernie should have quit in April. April! Before many of the primaries had taken place. This whole article is written in bad faith: the poster never supported Bernie and pretends to be disappointed in him.

What this person does not understand is that Bernie did not concede, not in order to be a spoiler, but to live up to his commitment to his supporters to stay in until the convention and to influence the platform as much as he can. I guess people have become so used to politicians breaking their word that they cannot understand or appreciate a candidate who keeps his word, and view it as some kind of character flaw. I find this very sad.

Furthermore, it is absurd to say the "Bernie Revolution has failed." He said all along that a political revolution could not be achieved by one man, and he is encouraging his supporters to vote for progressive candidates and to consider running for office themselves. This is entirely consistent with his message during the campaign: it is not about him, it is about us!

I know that some people cannot see beyond their fervent desire for Hillary to become president. But for those of us who are looking at the long term--and who have lived long enough to see how the Democratic party and its policies have changed over time--what we see is a party that has betrayed its constituency in important ways, ones that threaten the well-being of our nation and the planet. It would be remiss of us as citizens, as well as a self-destructive exercise in despair, to simply accede to the status quo.

We are trying to save what the Democratic party used to stand for. If we cannot influence it, we may have to fold our tents and leave. If that happens, it will not be because we want to leave, but because the party no longer wants us.

[Chakaconcarne]

11. Exactly... a Hillary presidency will, without a doubt

Shift the Democratic party to the right..because with obstruction from the right she will have no choice...we will get a social bone here and there but fiscally and economically we will continue to move right...

The disappointment should not be with bernie but with ourselves for allowing this to happen.

[seabeckind]

13. I dropped kos long before that.

2008 to be exact.

That was when they decided that the way to convince any opposition of their opinion was to quiet the opposition.

Like having a sedition act or a HUAC.

[truebluegreen]

21. +1

[alarimer]

45. I agree with this

I've been dismayed at the tone that some Hillary voters have employed in order to diminish what Bernie has actually accomplished. When I first heard he was going to run, I thought "Oh, god, here's another quixotic quest that will end in nothing." But then I actually listened. And so did a lot of other people.

But we still get no respect. We are "sore losers" or dismissed as racists or sexists or both.

It is clear to me, though, that most so-called liberals only really care about themselves or their pet issues. They are not interested in the why and how of the destruction of the Democratic Party, so long as they have theirs.

[Wisc Progressive]

22. Since when is KOS a legitimate source of information?

That evil orange site is run by a republican that works to take the democratic party RIGHT. He has created quite the divisive climate at his superblog now and many of us (including me) lurk or joined here just to get away from the disinformation over there.



The truth about KOS

[Bill USA]

25. with Hillary Clinton running, policies benefiting working people & therefore the USA r more likely

to be put in place. Mourn not (for a revolution that would not have succeeded), rejoice!

[highprincipleswork]

26. You are not equipped to say.

[gopbasher452]

27. What a disappointment

Sanders was undoubtedly the best chance for genuine progressive change in America. I'm tempted to just stay home in November, even though I know that Trump winning would be a disaster for this country and the world. Sad.

[BigDemVoter]

44. Do what you will.

But remember what we got stuck with in 2000 when many people stayed home or voted for a 3rd party. If that happens, you won't be able to complain.

[Warpy]

28. Failed? Hardly.

I was one of the supporters who never thought he had a chance of winning the nomination. I supported him in the hope that he'd make a huge showing at the primary polls and serve notice on the stodgy conservatives in the halls of power that "business as usual" simply was no longer good enough, not that it has been for a couple of decades.

He has succeeded because the issues of the majority will have to be addressed or the conservatives who never cared who won as long as their personal cash flow was positive will soon be looking for new jobs.

If Trump actually goes the distance and runs as the GOP candidate, then Clinton has been handed a great gift of someone who should be easy to beat. The election will be hers to lose and I hope she's savvy enough to realize the only way to lose it is to run a lackluster campaign dictated by cheap labor conservatives, free traders, and bankers who loathe being regulated.

If she is this savvy, then Sanders will have won a victory for all of us.

[truebluegreen]

30. Imo you have a short attention span.

[kimbutgar]

34. I think he has awaken a lot of people

Last night I watched him and was impressed how he urged people to get involved and run for office. I have never heard thus from any other candidate.

No Bernie is leaving a legacy and the roots of a citizen take back of our country.

[Night Watchman]

35. The "Revolution"? Maybe. Maybe Not.

But his candidacy is ready for embalming!

[Gothmog]

39. Sanders revolution has been a flop

[bobthedrummer]

41. The ship of state remains a ship of fools with no charts and a mutiny underway.

[4dsc]

47. Hillary will ignore the Bernie contribution to the party

while she pats herself on the back and do nothing to welcome the Bernie folks into the fold.