Sanders’s revolution faces primary setback as MoveOn congratulates Clinton

[BootinUp]

Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, arrive for a meeting with Hillary Clinton at a hotel in D.C. on June 14. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Flores handily lost a low-turnout primary, running 14 points behind State Sen. Ruben Kihuen, who is now the slight favorite to head to Congress. It was the closest of the routs against Sanders's candidates, and it was telling for how little "the establishment" candidate differed from the candidate of "the revolution." While Sanders backed a 36-year-old progressive Latina legislator, the Culinary Workers union and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) backed a 36-year-old progressive Latino legislator. Kihuen was the sponsor of a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, a major Sanders objective. Flores had badly lost her 2014 bid for statewide office; Kihuen offered a fresh face and similar policies.

The tough Nevada losses underscored the difficulty of what Sanders is trying to do next. Without conceding the nomination, he is asking supporters to help elect supportive candidates in primaries and show up in Philadelphia to change the Democratic Party. He will not, as some media speculated, use a coming Thursday night message to supporters to end his campaign. He may rally his base outside the convention itself, similar to what former Texas congressman Ron Paul did after his 2008 and 2012 bids for the Republican nomination.

But there's division about how far Sanders's fellow revolutionaries want to go — or can go. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sanders's highest-profile endorser, fulfilled his promise last week to support the winner of the pledged delegate contest. "I absolutely support Hillary Clinton," he said. Ilya Sheyman, executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action, has steered that organization away from the "contested convention" by recognizing Clinton's victory.

"MoveOn.org is officially congratulating Hillary Clinton on her historic, hard-fought, and successful run and being the presumptive Democratic nominee for president," Sheyman wrote in a Medium post this morning. "We’re so grateful to Bernie Sanders for the historic campaign he’s run that’s tapped into a powerful movement of millions of Americans who demand a government that works for all of us, not just corporations and billionaires. Bernie Sanders has pledged to do everything he can to defeat Donald Trump this November, and MoveOn is proud to stand with him in this fight."

Continued at the Wash Post

[msongs]

1. looks like the revolutionaries couldnt be bothered to show to up for something like...voting nt

[SirBrockington]

2. Who were other candidates he endorsed?

14 points was the closest so far? wow

[NurseJackie]

3. Does Bernie suffer from osteoporosis?

Both my parents had to deal with that to some degree (my mother mostly) and it's something that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

[BootinUp]

4. why do you ask?

[NurseJackie]

5. This photo reminded me of the possibility.

I assume he's got a stooped posture here because he's entering (or exiting) a vehicle. But it reminded me of many other times when he appeared stooped over, and it (sadly) reminded me of how my parents struggled with it.

[azurnoir]

6. MoveOn's actual statement

“MoveOn members congratulate Secretary Hillary Clinton on her glass-ceiling-shattering campaign and being the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

“MoveOn members thank and celebrate Senator Bernie Sanders for his inspiring, issue-driven campaign that’s elevated a powerful progressive agenda, electrified the country and brought millions of new voters into the political process. It’s clear that the vision and movement at the heart of Sanders political revolution are not only future of the Democratic Party, but the here and now.

“At the upcoming Democratic Convention, the Democratic Party needs to embrace a bold progressive platform that will, amongst other priorities, tackle economic inequality, pursue diplomacy over war, fight to get big money out of politics, confront climate change, confront sexism, structural racism and misogyny, and address the need for immigration reform.

“And the party needs to pass reforms to the nominating process to actively embrace millions of voters brought in by the Sanders campaign.

“The best way to defeat Donald Trump and those who support and enable his toxic and hateful campaign is for the Democratic party to welcome Bernie Sanders’ supporters and unite behind a bold progressive agenda for the future.

“We’re ready to defeat Donald Trump and those who support and enable his hateful and toxic agenda.”

http://front.moveon.org/celebrates-sanders-congratulates-clinton/#.V2G9h7srLIU