This is one thing I know to be true

[randr]

If, and when, Hillary were to win the nomination over Bernie, Bernie will become her biggest supporter. Same holds true if Bernie is the chosen one. That is how the system works. That is how political parties, and we here at DU profess to be 'Democrats', work.
All the vitriol and threats slung around by both sides are nothing new. We few McCarthyites remember the consequences well; Nixon may have won the election due to our apathy. That was in one of the first elections that "boomers" were supposed to have an impact. Al Gore lost to our attraction to an 'outside' the beltway candidate. Yeah, we had high hopes and a moral compass we were clinging to just as millennials have today. We soon learned things do not revolve around 'doin the right thing', there are serious consequences to our every opportunity to vote or not to vote.
In a few short months the future of our Nation and the World at large will be decided by what will in all likelihood be less than 30% of our voting population. The single voting block that organizes and gets out their vote becomes the winner.
The numbers in play make it possible for any single voting block, be it women, millennials, white folk, black folk, Hispanic folk, LGBT folk, or newly energized independent folk, to decide the outcome of this election if they just show up and vote in numbers above 60%.
So I ask all here at DU to please think more highly of your precious right to vote and do not let a small group of people take away your future.

[PonyUp]

1. It's his policies, not the man. My vote will not follow Bernie if he sides with Hillary. n/t

[randr]

2. We can count that as a vote for Trump!

Hooray you won the moral battle.

[PonyUp]

3. R's and D's aren't the only ones on the ballot for president. Didn't you know that? n/t

[randr]

4. And who do you think is likely of the other candidates to become the leader of the free world?

[PonyUp]

7. Sorry, I vote my conscience. It's not a popularity contest to me. n/t

[el_bryanto]

5. Well if you live in a deep blue state feel free to vote anyway you like

If you live in a contested state, I'd advise you to consider your position carefully.

Bryant

[excringency]

18. This, times 1000

Please consider el_bryanto's point. In 1980 Teddy Kennedy fought Carter all the way to the end of the convention. There were many hurt feelings and intransigent stances taken. While Carter probably would have lost even without a challenge from Kennedy (Iran hostages, economic woes, etc.), this did allow for a Reagan landslide. That brought with it coattails that led to a Republican Senate and a house with Republican gains coupled with Dixiecrats who in effect gave Reagan a compliant Congress despite Tip O'Neill. I fervently hope this election cycle brings with it the possibility of the beginning of the end of the recent conservative era begun with Reagan's presidency. That cannot occur without a wave of united Democratic voters headed to the polls to elect not only a president, but also a House and Senate. With regard to wanting a real change and voting one's conscious, might I suggest we work the three non-election years as well to change the makeup and focus of the Democratic Party. Politicians will follow the votes, and if we can change the views of the majority of the rank and file we won't have to defiantly vote our conscience as part of a losing cause the next time.

[Adrahil]

9. Effectively, they are. That's just the plain facts.

You can't deny global warming.

Evolution is real.

You can't order the the tide not to come in.

Either the Democratic or Republican nominee will be elected President in 2016, and if you are not voting for the Democrat, you are helping the Republican.

All the above are true.

[FSogol]

17. Maybe not, but they are the only ones who have a chance of winning.

Not voting for the Democratic candidate = voting for the GOP.

[Svafa]

28. Yep. The more I think about it,

the more I think I don't care to support one neoliberal hawk over another. Write-in, vote third party, or stay home are looking increasingly appealing. I don't care if you have a D after your name; if your policies are basically Republican-lite, I'm done with you.

[VulgarPoet]

6. This is an excerpt of a conversation I had with a Hillary supporter who was willing

to talk with me on the situation, and they don't seem to think the situation I am in can be reconciled. How does one reconcile "the greater good" and mindlessly follow the herd when we've seen that there can be better?

Deadly sincere. I just can't seem to mesh with the idea that even if Clinton IS the one who gets the nomination-- I mean, I've spent too long looking at her records where my issues lie. TPP, the Patriot Act, the Iraq war, all the crap that foisted us into Syria, and Libya, and caused people I work with, the men and women I considered to either come back from those hellholes missing parts of their body, or missing parts of their souls. I remember she voted to allow the use of cluster bombs, and one of the guys in my squadron was telling me just how evil those things were; because he crosstrained out of EOD into Communications, and they're just-- they're an armament straight from hell. And I get that in a war, sometimes, you need to stoop to the level of Hell to win, and to preserve your troops. World War II was enough of an example of that. But in my eyes, we haven't gone to war for any reason other than profit, and deliberately making enemies in the past sixteen years. I hold her, and every other liberal who voted for that responsible; it's not just her-- but how do you reconcile a vote for someone who shares none of your core beliefs? Someone who's record would imply that they don't share any of your beliefs?

Honestly, the thought is just depressing at this point. The world's going to shit, and all data would suggest that while we can alter the course... No one seems to want to. I've seen so many people so far say essentially go against moral convictions, go against voting record information, go against everything that one would use to make a decision on where their vote is going-- to get in lockstep. If that's all politics is, going along to get along and ignoring the foul taste in your mouth at the end of the day, then what the fuck is the point?

[randr]

10. When the moment comes, and it will come,

that a thorough and honest analysis of Presidential choices, as we are processing here with our primary candidates, takes place there will be a choice to make.
The comparisons we are weighing between Hillary and Bernie, need to be equally and fairly brought to bear in our analysis of the final choices. I will go out on a limb and say that Trump will never come close to the ideals we choose to uphold.

[VulgarPoet]

19. I'll agree with you on a very thin margin there.

But where the issues stack up for me, it's a very barely-there margin. It just galls me, that we could be doing better, we could be bucking the trend of stagnancy and mediocrity that is plaguing our nation-- and we're not. And a large contingent of us seem to think it wasn't there. I used to wonder why the most brilliant people I ever met either became expatriates or burnout drug users. Seems a right vicious cycle some days, especially here when you have to pit core beliefs and morals with "the vast majority of the populace is uninformed so picking the lesser of the evils is a necessity and not just a possibility".

[randr]

20. It is a hard bullet to bite

but one that has kept the human race alive none the less.

[blm]

26. How many policies we debate end up being decided in the Supreme Court? Obama has had a majority of

the policies he prioritized and campaigned on end up in the Supreme Court.

We are also voting for the type of judiciary we want making those policy decisions in the long run. If you WANT to see another Scalia or Alito don't vote for the Dem nominee. If you want to see another Ginsburg…..VOTE for the Dem nominee.

[WhiteTara]

31. Sounds like your depression

may guide you to make a wrong choice. Even Bernie says Hillary is a thousand times better than any republican. Please don't help in making our world go to shit. George Bush made a travesty of it and another puke will finish us off.

[Buzz Clik]

8. And what of Bernie's supporters here at DU who have spent endless time and energy despising HRC?

Comparing her to Nixon?
Calling her a serial liar?
Accusing her of completely selling out?

Will they be changing their minds?

Do we want or need their support?

[randr]

12. I don't think it is we who need their support

The future will be what they make it; it will belong to them.

[RiverLover]

11. what are we voting FOR?

More war?
More wall street writing their own legislation & the president signing off on it?
More fossil fuel cos inserting their execs in our energy dept & the EPA?
More Monsanto & Dow killing our ecosystem?
More cuts to SNAP?
More off shoring our jobs?
More off shore oil drilling (with exploratory drilling paid for by taxpayers)?
More corporations not paying their taxes while they send their jobs to countries with slaves/slave wages?

What are we voting FOR?

[randr]

14. Maybe a continuation of our march toward equal rights

and not a return to a world of hate, possible world wars, or an economy that is far worse that the one Bush created.

[blm]

27. A 5-4 court that will decide whether progressive policies and equal rights will survive this decade.

That cannot be overlooked.

[randr]

34. And who do we want to make the appointment?

[blm]

36. exactly…..another Scalia would doom all progress.

..

[liberal N proud]

13. Hope this is true

It has in the past, but this year seems so much different.

[Waiting For Everyman]

15. "how the system works" doesn't work anymore

The only way to avert the Trump presidency is to nominate Bernie. The only way. That's how it is now.

If Bernie supporters were the kind of people who vote how they're told, they would be Clinton supporters. Clearly, that is not true. Clearly, IF anybody bothers to notice this primary at all.

The big come-together isn't going to happen. People can ignore that if they want, but that won't make it less true.

Edit:

"Bye, bye, Miss American Pie... "

Chickens may take a long time coming home, but evenually effect will follow cause.

[randr]

16. If averting a Trump presidency IS the goal

I suggest that there will be other ways to achieve that outcome in our future. One day a time until the day comes when we can not look back. The future has a way of sneaking up on you.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Bush was an "outside the beltway" candidate??

Who knew?

[randr]

22. I was referring to Nadar

I hope a parallel in history is not in the making.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. Humbug. Gore lost to Bush.

As for Nader. He attracted the votes of the Left. Neither Bush or Gore did and neither got their votes...Nader did.

Basic math: 0 +/0 = 0

[randr]

24. The votes that went to Nader in Fla

would have tipped the balance for Gore and there would have been no SC decision.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

25. Only if they had voted for Gore.

The obvious conclusion is that Gore failed to attract their votes. So did Bush.

Again 0-0 = 0

[randr]

32. Not the obvious conclusion

A different conclusion would be that people voted their consciences knowing full well that their votes would end up on the scrape pile of history. Therefore, allowing a candidate that would be responsible for massive deaths and sufferings over the next 8 year to win.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

35. All too obviously, their votes didn't end up on the scrap pile of history.

Some people keep bringing them up to rationalize Gore's failure to persuade the Left to vote for him.

[MoonRiver]

29. I think Hillary will be fine, unless Bernie goes rogue and runs as a third party.

He has promised not to do so, and I trust his word.

[closeupready]

30. I will be voting. My state, however, isn't in play, it's solid blue, so

it really isn't a big deal how I vote, or how anyone votes - it'll go Dem, as always.

[NCTraveler]

33. K&R nt

[kristopher]

37. That would be true if it were an even handed contest.

The way the DNC has tried to stack the deck for Hillary and obstruct Bernie creates a horse of a different color.