A reason Sanders is taking his time endorsing Clinton ...

[slipslidingaway]

his contributors were mainly us common folk and not wealthy campaign contributors and there were millions of them.

These were not people who had the luxury of donating the maximum, but contributed small amounts, week by week and bit by bit.

They were Democrats who felt for a long time they had no say, they were young people who have entered the political process for the first time and felt inspired (and not for just free stuff) they were independents who decided this 'Democrat' was a person worth contributing to and working for and they were also Republicans who have become so disillusioned with their own party.

It is easy for the wealthy and corporations to work within the system, give to both and see who comes up the winner.

It is much more difficult to flip a switch for millions of people who supported a more equitable campaign finance system and also know the opponent has enriched themselves while the middle has been disappearing.

That is a more difficult situation to turn around.

[gordianot]

1. As I recall voting at conventions is often dramatic.

Strange things happen at conventions and besides it is good theater for talking heads.

[slipslidingaway]

14. It will be interesting :) nt

[gordianot]

43. It will be absolutely fascinating not to be missed.

[slipslidingaway]

49. Hope the true Dems can make advances! nt

[gordianot]

51. Oh thank you my favorite meme unique to this election cycle.

Someone needs to make a statue to the "True Democrat". At least as it is expressed on DU if not in the real world.

[Lord Magus]

23. I don't know where you recall that from.

Voting at conventions tends to be a foregone conclusion. About as exciting as when the electoral college convenes in late December to officially elect the president. The most "dramatic" thing that's happened at a convention vote in decades was when Hillary in 08 interrupted the roll call vote to release her delegates and call for everyone to give Barack Obama the nomination by acclamation. That sort of show of support for the winner by the loser could be called dramatic, but it didn't impact the actual outcome of the convention vote.

[gordianot]

24. OMG you ever hear of the 1968 Democratic convention?

Last edited Fri Jun 17, 2016, 12:11 AM - Edit history (1)

I even remember the 1960 convention.

[Lord Magus]

28. Yes, back when voters didn't get to decide the winners.

That was a completely different era.

[gordianot]

40. Right voting in this country is conducted so well.

Please note I am not one who denies the outcome or calls this Primary a conspiracy. Neither do I dispute Primary outcomes. I have also attended and participated at least 12 State Democratic conventions Anyone who thinks back room deals have disappeared well; that is politics both parties. Go right ahead and think that voting in Primary is all that determines a candidate.

Try it sometime it is high drama and actually fun.

[onenote]

72. I don't think you understand the meaning of the word "often"

Going all the way back to FDR's presidency, there has been only one instance in which the Democratic party's presidential candidate was not decided on the first ballot (1952) and maybe one other instance (1960) where the outcome of the first ballot was in doubt when the voting started. Moreover, since 1976 (ten conventions) there has only been one other time in which the outcome of the first ballot was arguably in doubt when the voting commenced (1980), although the reality was that even in 1980 the drama was more a media creation than actual uncertainty about the outcome.

[bkkyosemite]

2. keep donating $54 a month for 5 months from 2 million supporters = 1/2 Billion. And there

are old Democrats too...who know he tells the truth. Thank goodness. He has opened the eyes of millions.

[slipslidingaway]

16. Yes he has opened the eyes of millions which is why the ship takes time to turn ...

unless you just want everyone on board to drown.

Just $10 per month which is ongoing, but other donations as well.

[bkkyosemite]

18. Any thing helps..

But there is a movement for what I said on the net. Every little bit counts.

[slipslidingaway]

31. Totally agree! And in the end I was in the plus column for months :) Happy to do so! nt

[bkkyosemite]

32. ...

[brooklynite]

37. Funny thing...Bernie never told us how much he raised in May...

$44 M in March
$26 M in April
$?? in May

...maybe the glitter is gone?

[hack89]

3. Or he still wants your money. nt

[bkkyosemite]

4. No or we want to still give him money...two ways to look at it.

[hack89]

7. The con in con man stands for confidence

people never grudgingly give money to a con man because they believe in him.

[bkkyosemite]

10. Oh we believe in him alright because of one simple thing. He is telling the truth.

[rock]

12. Well, duh

Naturally you would say that. How stupid would it be to say, "Oh we believe in him alright because of one simple thing. He is telling nothing but lies".

[bkkyosemite]

15. You are very wrong but I'm not here to convince you of anything. He is telling the truth.

Well duh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[MaeScott]

64. They can't handle the truth. That's why so many lies about Sanders were told.

[Ned_Devine]

58. He's the con man? That's pretty galling

How about the person that holds secret $250K speeches for the same Wall St. banks that crashed the economy in '08 and then says she wants to rein in Wall St.

Now, THAT's a con job

[hack89]

62. He is still fund raising for a primary that is ended and where he lost. Nt

[slipslidingaway]

19. Happy to have his voice fighting for us and have never viewed him as a con man ...

now we could speak of others who say one thing to supporters and another to corporations, but I will be polite.

[840high]

45. .+1

[slipslidingaway]

34. Clinton never needed the money, only a dollar, but this week her campaign called twice ...

looking for donations after the Orlando killings, fundraising on the back of this massacre was rather disgusting.

[Ned_Devine]

59. Big surprise there

[Hoyt]

5. Probably trying to cover any outstanding campaign debt.

OK, by me as I would not ant him to end up on debt. He's run a good campaign with decent goals that, I honey think, Clinton has a better chance of achieving.

[democrattotheend]

69. Does he have any outstanding debt?

If so I have not heard that. If he needs help paying off debt I wish he'd ask.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. Greatest Page for your timely, informative post!

[slipslidingaway]

20. Thank you CaliforniaPeggy ...

your post is most welcome

I think Sanders is walking a fine line here not trying to capsize the boat.

He knows not everyone will support Clinton and that his supporters are not all staunch Democrats, he would also like people to stay involved on a variety of levels, it is a marathon and not a sprint.

[Jackilope]

8. Thank you for posting what many of us are feeling.

[slipslidingaway]

21. My pleasure and thank you! nt

[bigtree]

9. oh, bullshit

...ordinary Americans voted for Hillary, not corporations.

Sanders spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the primary. In the end, votes defeated Sanders, not money.

It's high time that Hillary voters are recognized more than the caricatures the Sanders campaign invented.

[slipslidingaway]

25. Sanders was not backed by big money, Clinton was and benefitted by her name recognition and ...

the DNC holding the first debate 2 months after NY voters were required to switch from independent and two months of free media for the Repubs.

Yes he spent hundreds of millions from millions of individual contributors, I am just surprised that some people want him to toss them over the side so quickly. That would be counter productive to the Clinton campaign in my opinion.

But some just continue on and on.

[bigtree]

46. voters are responsible for her success in this primary

...most of her money raised has been in reserve for the campaign against the republican rival. That makes all of the corporate talk nonsense.

[KoKo]

70. Over 400 Pledged Super Delegates before she even Ran are responsible

along with the unprecedented help of her husband, the Former President of the USA, who used his power and name recognition to help her out in all the areas she couldn't get to. And, let's add the power and wealth of her Campaign Funders with Super Pacs who funding a vast campaign with thousands of workers and resources.

She thought it would be a coronation given that other possible strong Dem candidates knew they couldn't fund themselves to compete against the well-oiled Clinton Machine. It was left to only three very weak candidates who would be brought in to challenge her.

Until Bernie Declared!

[pangaia]

41. Oh bull shit yourself.

You have no idea what Bernie's fight is really about.

[bigtree]

47. his fight was to get himself elected

...and his campaign became a craven pursuit of that ambition, to the point of becoming almost exclusively an anti-Hillary effort.

[Jackilope]

57. Which explains why he is encouraging supporters to stay involved....

.... and run for office themselves. He is teaching us that we are the revolution. It scares the hell out of those that want the status quo and to keep the wealth at the top. That's why they pour their dark money into other politicians campaign funds. There are more of us than them. The grand theft has to stop.

You have missed his repeatedly saying no one person can accomplish all the vision and goals. It takes all if us from a grass roots level. It isn't about him, it is about us.

He isn't like the well oiled corporate political machine. It is silly that you project that on him. It is millions of us kicking in $27.00. People tired of the pay for play racket. Tired of greedy crooks trying to steal out of the Social Security fund, make obscene profits over illness and medicine.

#OurRevolution

[pangaia]

68. Beautiful !!!

I never have the patience nor wish to spend the time explaining it to someone who has no interest in knowing.
Thank you.

[pangaia]

67. You just proved my point.

[Johnny2X2X]

11. Bernie is not a democrat

Never was, and now he's screwing the party.

He could have helped further his cause, but now I hope the Dems kick him out and bar him from the convention.

[slipslidingaway]

27. If you believe a label defines a person I cannot argue. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

50. Did he co-opt a label to run or not?

[Armstead]

54. He ran as a Dem for two reasons....

1) In our totally fucked up political system you have to run through one of the two major parties to have a chance to make a difference. We should have at least four parties that are more aligned with the actual spectrum of viewpoints that exists.

2)He did not want to play a "spoiler role" and perhaps contribute to a GOP victory. You ought to be thanking him for that, instead of maligning him.

[Maru Kitteh]

56. I have yet to be convinced that he is serious about not contributing to any GOP success.

I will be pleased if he acts in a way that changes my mind about this.

Luckily, our nominee is doing quite well right now, the way things are.

[Armstead]

60. Maybe you should watch what he has been doing

Short of bowing down and kissing Clinton's ring, he has been trying to navigate a course in which he can make that transition despite being pulled in different directions by different elements.

[Maru Kitteh]

61. Holy hell, I watched him tonight.

He LOST. He can't even admit that he lost.

You're old enough to know what a truly close election is, and that this one wasn't. The fact is, Hillary blew him out of the water. Truthfully, it's been over for quite some time now.

So you tell me. If Hillary's name was Howard, would the also-ran be entertained so seriously or even tolerated? I think not. Yet somehow, even in victory, it's supposed to be up to her to make him feel better; just like it was up to her, in defeat, to make things easier for Senator Obama. It's always up to her.

The truth is this; her numbers are rising steadily as the primary season fades further into the rear view mirror. As much as it horrifies the true believers, those are largely Sanders supporters she is picking up.

He is losing ground. Even though the contest was quite decided, he had much more to bargain with a few weeks ago than he does now. He could have carried his agenda forward with greater force. Instead he has allowed his fulcrum to gather closer, and he loses strength each day.

[Sunlei]

55. early on he said he wouldn't run as independent because that would split the party.

Sanders would never do that.

[akbacchus_BC]

44. Excuse you, Mr. Sanders is a Democrat even though he was Independent. His values is for the working

and middle class, health care for all, less student loans, and I can go on. Who are you to say that he is not a Democrat?

[Maru Kitteh]

52. “I am not now, nor have I ever been, a liberal Democrat,” - Bernard Sanders

‘Why should we work within the Democratic Party if we don’t agree with anything the Democratic Party says?’”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/bernie-sanders-2016-democrats-121181#ixzz4BoCfNHys
Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook

[KoKo]

71. Hillary is reaching out for Republican Votes

According to posters here.

So, how does that suit you?

[Sunlei]

13. Senator Sanders does exactly what he always said he would do. He's a benefit to our D party platform

[bkkyosemite]

17. He's the only one telling the truth and NEVER flip flopping.

[frazzled]

22. How can you flip flop when

You keep repeating the exact same thing for 40 years? Except on guns: he's flip flopped on that one more times than a trout on a hook.

As an op ed in the Times said today, Sanders has been conducting the Windows 95 revolution.

[bkkyosemite]

26. And that Windows 95 is sure good................because 12 million are very happy he is in.

[JonLeibowitz]

36. If I believed every opinion piece I read in the NYT I would be quite the simpleton.

Thank goodness I don't, and was able to recognize that oped as pure unadulterated bullshit.

[Sunlei]

30. I think they both 'tell the truth', Sanders was a benefit to Mrs. Clinton & will continue to be.

I still have hope they will team-up as our President/VP. My Yin and Yang dream team. But if he doesn't we will still have a great Senator to be proud of and another D President.

[slipslidingaway]

29. I agree, although I believe some are too blind to see ...

[Sunlei]

33. They're disappointed, he did very well a good run and his supporters love him.

He's still there, he's no quitter

[slipslidingaway]

35. There are millions of individual contributors, he cannot just toss them aside ...

plus he really wants a more progressive party

[Sunlei]

42. I was proud how high the DU donations got, last I checked it was about $70,000?. maybe more.

I donated to only Sanders campaign, I really felt Ds and Mrs. Clinton needed to hear his words. She needed competition to temper her policies in a more progressive direction. I think if Biden ran, Bernie would not have run or done as well as he did. I also think the under 30 crowd would have ignored Clinton and Biden.

I'm done with this elections political donations, I didn't donate to Mrs. Clinton she doesn't 'need' donations.

[slipslidingaway]

48. He raised over 200 hundred million, this is not up to date ...

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/election-2016-campaign-money-race.html?_r=0

and I was happy to donate and advance his views and his fight for the majority of citizens

I will donate to some other politicians, not Clinton.

I think the under 30ish crowd will be difficult, one child might??? vote for Clinton or she might be busy that day, the other child so far is adamantly opposed to voting for Clinton as are several of his friends. They might be busy that day as well.

[Sunlei]

53. To not vote is sad, apathetic- our one vote is the only real democracy america has. Once elected

our republic takes over and the elected person can do pretty much what they want.

[akbacchus_BC]

38. It is up to Mr. Sanders to bow out. I believe he knows he will not win

the nomination but he wants changes in the Democratic party. Mrs. Clinton bowed out at the last moment in 2008, so lets give Mr. Sanders the same opportunity.

[slipslidingaway]

39. Yes!!! nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

66. No. This is just factually incorrect.

[Arkansas Granny]

63. Hillary dropped out 4 days after the last primary in 2008 and fully endorsed Pres. Obama.

The race in 2008 was much closer than 2016. There is no comparison to the way Bernie is behaving now.

Hillary Clinton asked her supporters to give their full backing to former rival Barack Obama as she officially ended her bid for the White House on Saturday.

"This has been a tough fight, but the Democratic party is a family and now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together," she told cheering supporters at the National Building Museum in Washington.

"Today as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won, the extraordinary race he has run and and I throw my full support behind him — and I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me," she said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/clinton-drops-out-of-2008-u-s-presidential-race-1.755018

It's too bad that Bernie doesn't have enough class to follow her lead and strive for party unity instead of stomping his feet and demanding that he get his way. He has an opportunity, if he'd just take it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

65. No, she didn't. She bowed out after the California primary

Despite winning it. Making no dumb arguments about momentum.