Not waiting for Hillary: Sen. Bernie Sanders heads to New Hampshire

[davidthegnome]

182. What's up with this purity crap?

It seems that there's a number of posters protesting that anyone running as an independent cannot be supported here at DU. Why? Because Nader, or something.

Mr. Sanders is not one of those politicians that clings to the middle, or frequently jumps over to the right when he feels it suits him. He is more liberal, to my knowledge, than the vast majority of our elected democrats. He has demonstrated that he is more progressive, he has demonstrated that he is the kind of guy who really fights hard for what most of us here believe in. He is an independent candidate who, at the very least, should have an honorary D - the right kind of D. Not a blue dog, not a corporate pawn, not someone who believes in pandering to the right.

If, here at DU, it is actually "against da rewelz" to support someone like Sanders, then perhaps we should petition Mr. Skinner to reconsider a couple of those rules. Are independents no longer allowed here if they actually support independents? You know, a lot of people have left the democratic party to join independents because the (D) seems to have moved a good distance to the right in recent years.

If Mr. Sanders runs for office, either as a democrat or an independent, I fully intend to vote for him unless there is someone I like better. Do I have to give up my democrat card? Am I either with us or against us?

Instead of grumbling, holding our noses, and telling ourselves that the people we actually like, who's policies we prefer... can't win... maybe we should just vote for them. Put our money, our action, our support, where out hearts and minds have been for years. When Bernie Sanders is a far better democrat than the more popular actual democrat candidates... maybe we need to reconsider our priorities.

I'll vote for the best candidate, the one who represents what I believe in. If the only candidate running that represents me is Bernie Sanders, then that's who I'll vote for. But, go ahead and alert on me or something, or call me an evil Naderbot.