Something for Bernie Sanders to Consider, among Other Things

[MineralMan]

If the Senator from Vermont decides to continue with his campaign right up through the convention, he will be running a great risk. It will be obvious to every one after Tuesday that he cannot become the nominee. Expect to see all Super Delegates who have already said they'll vote for Clinton at the convention reaffirm their decisions. Probably, some additional ones will declare their intentions as well.

Here's the thing: Every Democratic Senator is a Super Delegate. As far as I am aware, all of them are planning to vote for Hillary, except for Bernie, himself. Here's the problem with that. If, as is expected, the Democrats regain a majority in the Senate, Bernie is risking a great deal if he continues to bluster and attack Hillary Clinton in a vain attempt to defeat the candidate who will have one a majority of pledged delegates.

In the Senate, Bernie is an Independent. While he normally caucuses with the Democrats, he insists on his Independent status. If he pisses off Democratic Senators by acting as a spoiler to a smooth nomination in July, his Senate colleagues are very likely to simply ignore him in the Senate. They will have a majority in the Senate, so his vote with the caucus is not as important as it normally has been.

Sanders would still vote with the Democratic caucus, because he cannot vote, in good conscience, with the Republicans on most issues. But, he will no longer be a crucial vote. If he continues to insist that the will of the voters be overturned, I can see the Democratic caucus responding by simply taking away his committee seats and ignoring him altogether in discussions on legislation. In that case, he will have virtually no clout whatever as a Senator.

It might even be that his state, Vermont, could refuse to return him to the Senate two years from now. That risk is so high, Sanders might even consider resigning his seat next year. His fellow Senators might simply shun him for his sorry performance between the primaries and the convention.

I hope Bernie does not continue his truculent opposition to Clinton's nomination. It will not succeed and he may well suffer considerably ignominy from it.

Think about it, Bernie. Help us elect a Democratic President in November. Do the right thing.

[Vattel]

1. He is desperately trying to save lives. Give him a break.

In all probability he will lose and he knows that. But he is playing by the rules and, quite literally, lives are at stake.

[NurseJackie]

6. Oh my! :-P

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Omfg. You should send this to sanders campaign hq

right fucking now!

[MineralMan]

7. Why? Bernie already knows it.

If you want him to see it, though, please feel free to send it to him.

[tularetom]

3. I'm certain he will give your implied threats the attention they deserve

Keep being truculent Sen. Sanders, keep up the bluster, and don't worry about the ignominy.

Nobody will have a clear majority of delegates until the convention.

[MineralMan]

5. He will never see what I wrote.

So, he'll have to make his own decisions, as always.

[tularetom]

17. Alas, it is so, and more's the pity

Because he really needs anonymous posters on the internet telling him he's just a cranky old curmudgeon.

[MineralMan]

19. Gosh, did I use those words without realizing it?

Nope. I checked, and neither "cranky" nor "curmudgeon" appeared in my post.

It looks like you're the only one using those descriptors.

[tularetom]

25. There you go, being all literal again

Think outside the box!

[MineralMan]

26. I'm a literal kind of guy.

Words are my life.

[highprincipleswork]

4. Obvious? Not obvious. Too much mass media and New Dem brainwashing.

[MineralMan]

10. An RT video?

I stopped watching those long ago.

[highprincipleswork]

34. Too funny, too true? Get your news from the kind of mass media Bill Cllinton paved the way for?

[Live and Learn]

8. Bernie doesn't read DU. Why don't you send him a letter? nt

[MineralMan]

9. Why would I do that? This wasn't a letter.

It was my opinion. I'm sure that Bernie Sanders is capable of forming his own opinions.

You're welcome to forward it to him, if you think he isn't already considering those things.

[Live and Learn]

11. Well, you seemed to be addresing it to him. nt

[MineralMan]

13. No, actually I didn't. I referred to him in the third person throughout.

It's just a post stating my opinion, as are all posts I write here. Had it been a letter to him, I'd have written it differently and sent it to him, rather than posting it here.

But, thanks for your reply.

[Live and Learn]

14. Good grief: 'Think about it, Bernie. Help us elect a Democratic President in November.' nt

[MineralMan]

16. Vocative case.

Exhortations are often in the vocative case. Look it up.

[Live and Learn]

18. It doesn't look like vocative case to me. It looks like you are addressing Bernie. nt

[MineralMan]

20. Well, English doesn't use a different noun form for the vocative

case, so it can be hard to notice. Here's another example of its use:

"Lord love a duck!" Now, that's not a prayer directed at a deity. It uses the vocative case.

If it were a prayer, or a request, it would have said,

"Lord, I beseech you to to love this duck."

Since the rest of my post was in the third person when referring to Senator Sanders, the last sentence was an exhortation using the vocative case, directed at the reader, rather than to Bernie. It's a subtle distinction in English. Some would say that English doesn't even have the vocative form to use. I disagree, as a semi-amateur linguist.

[Live and Learn]

22. For the love of a duck, why not just have said 'Bernie should' instead of 'Bernie,'? nt

[MineralMan]

23. I did do that in several places in the post.

It was not a letter to Bernie. I know how to write letters to political people. I do it all the time.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. So, our highly ethical Democratic senators are going to indulge in petulance?

Will he no longer be invited to the clique's parties? Will they stick their tongues out when he passes them in the hall? Call him a Meanie? Write messages about him on the restroom walls?

And, some wonder why people don't bother to vote.

[MineralMan]

15. Petulance? Not at all. Disapproval of

his actions after the primaries are over and the will of the voters is known.

Disapproval.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. The will of the voters? Will the voters approve of senators acting like vengeful adolescents?

Shunning? Removing from committees? Because he ran for president? Has he done a bad job as a senator? Screwed up the committees?

Do tell.

[grasswire]

28. yes, this scolding in the OP reveals...

...the nature of the Clintons, in spades. Retribution. Authoritarianism. Meanspiritedness. Revenge. Enemies list.

Sounds almost Nixonian.

[Lord Magus]

30. "Taking it to the convention" is not the same thing as running for president.

It's a demand on Bernie's part that the win be handed to him after he lost.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

36. So what? How would that interfere with him being a senator and doing his job after the election?

[Lord Magus]

37. I'm not even getting what you're arguing.

He'd still be a senator, but that doesn't mean other senators would have to do him any favors.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

38. The OP talked about shunning and removing him from committess.

Are those "favors"?

[Lord Magus]

43. Yes, committee assignments are favors. -nt-

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

44. So, our government is run on the basis of "favors", "revenge", and "rewards".

"Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton

Or, if you prefer:

“History has tried hard to teach us that we can’t have good government under politicians. Now, to go and stick one at the very head of the government couldn’t be wise.” Mark Twain

[grasswire]

27. Nobody's listening, Dad.

The fears you cite are invalid.

Bernie has nothing to lose. He is the head of a movement that is greater than the Third Way; a coalition of progressives and independents. The political landscape has changed. HRC may prevail through this rigged election, but she will be the last Third Way to gain the WH, and will likely be impeached within weeks.

You are simply on the wrong side of history. The old rules are failing to control the surge.

[MineralMan]

29. More's the pity.

I'm afraid I can't take your predictions very seriously. When you bring impeachment into the discussion, you fail to convince.

As far as history is concerned, at my age, I will be history before too many years pass. History is being made every time we elect a new President. This time, we'll be electing our first female President. That will be a significant change in the political landscape. It will make history, and I'll be on the right side of that.

As President, Clinton will continue to make history. What that history will record remains to be seen, of course.

Bernie may be the head of a movement. Whether that movement actually ends up prevailing also remains to be seen.

I hope to live to see more history being made, of course.

[grasswire]

31. you may see more history made than you want to.

Republicans are cheering the idea of both Clintons impeached. That would be historic, you must admit. Even the possibility of HRC being indicted is historic. No Democrat has run for POTUS under criminal investigation by the FBI.

If you are not aware of what the enemy (Republicans) are planning, then you really need to get out of the bubble.

They have the votes to make it happen. And oh, how they want to beat her up.

[MineralMan]

39. I have already seen far more history made than I wanted to.

I've seen several Republican Presidents do serious damage to everyone's dreams. I've seen unjust wars, unnecessary poverty, blatant discrimination against women and minorities, and much much more.

I don't know your age, but I remember every President, starting with Eisenhower. I remember good periods and horrible periods. I remember the history that has been made in my life. That's why I vote for the better option in every presidential election.

So, I'm no stranger at observing history being made. I expect to see more of it being made, and to try to influence it as I'm able.

There will be no impeachment of Hillary Clinton. That's your own pipe dream. Smoking is bad for you. I recommend giving it up.

[grasswire]

47. Didn't you see enough of it when you were a member over there...

...to know it's real?

[Lord Magus]

46. No, "the possibility of HRC being indicted" is nonexistent.

[Lord Magus]

45. Bernie losing doesn't mean the election was rigged, just that most voters don't want him.

No matter how hard this may be for you to believe, not everybody's looking for a "revolution" and not everybody supports your "movement."

[HumanityExperiment]

32. Shorter... Help us elect a *Progressive/Liberal President in November, Do the right thing.

'Think about it, Bernie.' He has, thx for pointing it out

[Jake Stern]

33. "His Senate colleagues are very likely to simply ignore him". . . .

. . . . .until they're scrambling to find votes to shut down a GOP filibuster.

[oberliner]

35. I think he will suspend his campaign after Tuesday's results

Barring some kind of massively large wins in CA and NJ.

[MineralMan]

41. Yes, I do, too. He may wait until after DC votes, though,

just to say he waited until everyone had voted. But, he might just suspend and concede on Wednesday. I'll be watching either way.

But, when he does concede, it will be a great "surprise" to his supporters. I'm sure the agonizing cries will be heard here and on other political discussion venues. That will be followed by vituperative anger, and then by silence.

I'm listening for the sound of silence, frankly. There's a General Election to win, after all.

[BobbyDrake]

40. He should lose his committee assignments. We've got Democrats who need the experience and exposure

that he's sponging up. We need to begin preparing our next generation of Senators, not placating non-Democrats who stab us in the back over and over.

[MineralMan]

42. If he's smart, that won't happen, and he'll continue to be

relevant in the Senate. I think he'll do the smart thing, really, and maybe sooner than many think.

[Waiting For Everyman]

48. Hillary will just have to cool it until the correct time

for the Supers to vote at the convention.

And neither she, nor anybody else has any effective lever over Sanders. Don't believe me, wait and see.