Excuse Us, Bernie Sanders, But Nobody Appointed YOU Savior of the Democratic Party [View all]

[MrWendel]

http://bluenationreview.com/bernie-sanders-nobody-appointed-you-savior-of-the-democratic-party/

By Melissa McEwan

In a Q&A with TIME, Bernie Sanders positions himself as arbiter of the Democratic Party’s future, goes hard negative on the Clintons, calls a progressive activist (and a BNR founder) “scum of the Earth,” and reiterates one of the most delusional talking points of 2015—that he’s the “strongest candidate to beat Donald Trump.” We are longtime activists, advocates, and Democrats, and we reject the hubris that would have one man disparage the work of millions who don’t happen to agree with him.

Dear Bernie,

Reading your recent TIME interview, we felt the need to respond.

First, it says so much that you’re willing to use the term “scum of the earth” about someone who has helped build progressive infrastructure, but not about Donald Trump and his sleazy operatives, who you’re obsequiously hoping will breathe new life into your campaign.

Second, when you speak about the Democratic Party as its self-appointed savior, do you realize how that offends millions of rank and file Democrats who support the nominee-to-be Hillary Clinton? Not to mention the thousands of elected Democrats who have worked their hearts out to promote Democratic and progressive causes?

Do you really imagine that, at the local level, Democrats—elected and activists—are only debating whether or not they are beholden to Wall Street billionaires? We’re working ourselves to early graves fighting for clean water, good schools, early childcare programs, abortion access, jobs programs, equality measures, library funding, needle exchanges, infrastructure improvements, dog parks, lunch programs, fair housing, and countless other issues that are more immediate and personal than the sweeping broadsides you make against “the establishment.”

We support Hillary Clinton, but Hillary Clinton is not the entirety of the Democratic Party. The DNC is not the entirety of the Democratic Party. Do you not appreciate the irony that, by constantly attacking the Democratic Party as a monolith, you’re doing more to alienate and treat as irrelevant the average Democrat across this nation than the Democratic Party leadership ever has?

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