Why are Democrats deliberately choosing the weaker candidate to take on Trump?

[Ken Burch]

66. 1) It's not accurate to say ALL unions back HRC

Here is a list of those who back Bernie

Here is a list of Bernie's many labor endorsements:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bernie_Sanders_presidential_campaign_endorsements%2C_2016

APWU – American Postal Workers Union, representing 250,000
ATU – Amalgamated Transit Union, representing 190,000
CWA – Communication Workers of America, representing 700,000
ILWU – International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing 50,000
NNU – National Nurses United, representing 185,000
NUHW – National Union of Healthcare Workers, representing 11,000
UE – United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, representing 35,900

State, regional, and local divisions

AFL-CIO – American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations: VT, SC
AFGE – American Federation of Government Employees: National Union for Social Security Workers (Council 220)
AFSCME – American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees: WA, WI and Locals 2724, 2057, and 25 (MI)
AFT – American Federation of Teachers: Locals 1474, 1931, 1966, 1990, 2023, 2034, 2141, 2199, 2226, and 6366 (CA)
CTU – Chicago Teachers Union: Caucus Of Rank-and-file Educators (CORE)
IAIW – International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers: Local 7 (MA)
IBEW – International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: Locals 2222, 2304, 2313, 2320, 2321, 2322, 2323, 2324, 2325, 2326, 2327, 159, 357, 440, 490, 776, 1837, 1228, and 113 (MA, RI, CA, ME, VT, NH, NV, SC, WI, CO)
IBT – International Brotherhood of Teamsters: Local One-L, Pennsylvania Federation Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division
IFPTE – International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers: Local 70 (DC)
NEA – National Education Association: VT
PASNAP – Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals
SEIU – Service Employees International Union: Locals 560 and 1984 (NH)
TWU – Transport Workers Union of America: Local 100
UBC – United Brotherhood of Carpenters: Locals 1503 (OR)
UFCW – United Food and Commercial Workers International Union: Local 5 (CA)
UH – UNITE HERE: NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, ME, and Locals 2, 30, 49, 54, and 2850 (CA, NJ)
USW – United Steelworkers: Local 310, 1999, 2003 (IA, IN)
UURWAW – United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers: Local 36 (CA)

2) It's not a bad thing that Bernie appeals to college students. McGovern didn't lose because he had college support-he lost because the party regulars abandoned him. We don't have to nominate people who don't connect to the young. People who hate the young and don't want them to have a say are going to be totally right-wing.

3)The Cold War is in the long-dead past. And Bernie never defended any of the bad things that happened unde the Sandinstas or Fidel(the Sandinistas were much less dogmatic than the Cuban regime and most Americans never actually supported the Contra war-or the coups against Allende and Arbenz, or the Kennedy obsession with ending the Cuban Revolution and putting the rich back in power in Havana). He only endorsed the good things-the free education and healthcare programs. There was never a progressive, humane, positive agenda behind anathemizing Cuba and Nicaragua, for that matter. Nothing got better for anyone but the rich in Nicaragua when the people were bullied into voting the Sandinstas out in 1990...and, while Cuba needs free speech and an end to repression, nothing good would come to the people there from putting the place through Eastern European-style "shock therapy&quot such as mass privatization, mass layoffs and massive cuts in state benefits).

5)The issues that hurt McGovern in '72 were his support of reproductive choice, gay rights, school desegregation and marijuana decriminalization, and his support of civil liberties and the rights of the accused against Nixon's "law and order" racebaiting. The country was with McGovern on getting out of Vietnam, increased environmental protection and doing more to fight poverty and protect working people.

So again, the lessons are that Bernie's campaign is not the McGovern campaign. that Democrats don't have to keep young people out in the cold to win, and that the country is much more progressive, anti-corporate, pro-LGBTQ, pro-choice, pro-woman and antiwar than it was in the backlash year of '72.

If it weren't, Trump(who is basically Nixon-as-a-bad-insult comic)would be thirty points ahead of either Bernie OR HRC).