2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Please explain to me how it is a bad thing for Bernie to stay in through the convention? If Hillary [View all]stopbush
(24,393 posts)a unity platform that would stand in stark contrast to the Rs and the chaos that has engulfed their party.
Sure, Bernie can stay in it to the convention, but all that does is allow the MSM the opening to go to their "both sides do it" false equivalencies. Bernie pointing out minor differences with Hill is translated into "while the Rs are fighting for the soul of their party, Ds have their own problems with the continuing battle between Clinton and Sanders."
Trust me, that's what the narrative will be. The MSM will use their "balanced" view that "both sides do it" to excuse away the worst coming out of the Rs. They will look high and low to find the "equivalent" story on the left. Could be that the "Bernie or bust" movement is the same as the "Stop Trump" movement.
It's sad, because we have it within our grasp to put a totally different narrative out there RIGHT NOW. Bernie fought the good fight, but he's lost. Why not pivot to being an effective surrogate for Hillary and the down-ticket Ds? Doing so would enhance his future in the Senate, something that fighting to the bitter end will not do. The biggest challenge the Ds have this election is flipping the Bernie zealots to vote for Hillary. In this, Bernie is probably not only the best advocate, but the only advocate who has a chance of converting their anger into electoral action.
Or, we can play politicians-as-usual and continue the downhill slog of a candidate who can't win until the convention or until the money runs out.