2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumEmbrace Code Pink, Bernie or Bust, Jill Stein and any others who position Hillary-Kaine as centrists
Republicans want to paint Hillary as an out-of-the-mainstream liberal (or socialist).
Hillary could either respond "damn right" or she could respond "you're wrong, my views are mainstream American values."
Had Hillary chosen Warren as her running mate, we might conclude that Hillary had chosen the "damn right" path, but Hillary's choice of Kaine tells us that Hillary is reaching out to the center.
If you want to be perceived as a centrist, you need people who oppose you on your right (the whole Republican Party) and your left (Code Pink and Green Party, etc.). Now that Warren and Sanders are 100% behind Hillary, the Republicans would have more success labeling Hillary as "out of the mainstream" if there was no one pushing back at Hillary from her left.
This is the ideal situation: Hillary has opponents who say she's too far to the right but they are only a small 3% to 5% segment of the vote. Don't just accept this; embrace it because this is a part of the definition of "mainstream."
LBJ had a small group of opponents on his left, Carter had a small group of opponents on his left, Bill had a small group of opponents on his left, Obama had a small group of opponents on his left, and they all did just fine. We live in a democracy. We should foresee and accept that our system of government -- the best system yet invented by the human mind -- will and must encompass a broad range of opinions and competing visions for the role of our government.
We cannot claim to represent the mainstream in one breath and -- in the very next breath -- express outrage and surprise that there are some to our left whose views are outside of our mainstream vision.
Embrace the fact that Hillary has chosen a position where she sits in the center with some few on her left and many others on her right.

DanTex
(20,709 posts)Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)embrace the fact that Sanders brought new people into the party (which is good) and there are some few who will not support Hillary (that is to be expected - it happened in 2008, too), but -- ultimately -- 90% of Sanders' supporters WILL support Hillary (that's been reported as a higher percentage than Hillary '08 supporters who said they would be voting for Obama at this stage in '08).
Bernie or Bust exists. Just like PUMA existed in '08. Importantly, Sanders is doing everything he can to bring his supporters to Hillary (and he's had great success as indicated by the 90% support of Hillary from his supporters). We can deny the Bernie or Busters of we can acknowledge that they exist and we can work together to shrink that already small group. Then, we face the next choice of dening the existence of that shrunken group or pointing to their recalcitrant opposition as evidence that Hillary stands with the middle and not the outliers.
We live in a democracy where people of all kinds with a full spectrum of beliefs participate with us in choosing our own leadership.
I understand the frustration, but dissent on the left and on the right is a feature of democracy, not a bug in the system.
DanTex
(20,709 posts)BoBs get to participate in our democracy, just like Trumpists do. I'm not saying that they should be disenfranchised. I'm also not saying that either group doesn't exist. They obviously do exist.
What I am saying is that I'm not going to embrace either one. I don't embrace hateful lunatics trying to make Trump our president.
lamp_shade
(15,120 posts)OKNancy
(41,832 posts)Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)Part of supporting Hillary's choice to seek the center is accepting that she has pitched her tent to encompass as many as she felt comfortable including but there are some on the far left who are not in the tent.
It does no good to deny that some few on the left are outside of Hillary's embrace because it is a fact. Once we acknowledge the fact, we can either bemoan it or accept it and make use of that fact for our own purposes (use the far left as a foil to demonstrate the mainstream nature of Hillary's positions).
RonniePudding
(889 posts)What a silly OP.
TwilightZone
(28,835 posts)She deserves the mockery she receives. She certainly shouldn't be embraced by anyone who wants to win in November.
As for the "Kaine is a centrist" silliness, you clearly don't know much about him. He's a liberal.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Tim_Kaine.htm
JRLeft
(7,010 posts)Everywhere it's labeled something else.
JRLeft
(7,010 posts)Hillary says she's against it now, but was for deregulation and trade. Tim Kaine was pro TPP and , deregulation in Thursday.
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)from the overwhelming majority of Sanders supporters and use the gift from those won't accept her (the gift is a narrative that Hillary's mainstream appeal is too moderate for the far left).
LexVegas
(6,629 posts)NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Bernie or Bust, Stein, and Trump can all go embrace Johnson. Know what I mean?
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)from the left.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)The other asshats you mention have no ideology, cause, or intelligence. They aren't even close to the same. Protesters rock. Fart-ins are too complicated for the anti-intellectual boo brigade you mention along side of Code Pink.
Left?
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)I have repeatedly stated I like their platform.
Stein is an embarrassment as the representative for the Green Party.
What does that have to do with the dumb ass Bernie or Bust crowd? Nothing.
Renew Deal
(83,462 posts)Even more so than Bernie
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512283025
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)
I'll give you credit for an original (if pathetic and transparent) way of declaring for someone other than the Democratic nominee.
Simultaneously clever and sad.