Sanders is itching for a convention fight

[cloudythescribbler]

113. The attitude of the OP and many of the posters here of express hostility to Bernie ONLY helps Trump

I know that many of the posters at least implicity believe that Hillary has the election in the bag, and that virtually all of Bernie's base will unite behind her no matter what she does (including making NO further concessions on the platform, not letting him address the Convention after getting 45% of the vote in the primary campaign, etc). Also, his continuing political struggle -- his campaign was AlWAYS about more than just a particular political campaign, but building a political base for a political transformation and a movement for it continuing after the election -- is routinely cast as based on egoism, desire for the limelight, fractiousness, spite, whatever. All of this is in my arrogant opinion (IMAO) sheer nonsense. But above all, neither HRC nor her surrogates all the way down to the grassroots have ANY rational motive for doing this if their goal is to beat Trump in November.

I have been a Bernie supporter since day 1 (and wanted to see him run, AS A DEMOCRAT IN THE PRIMARIES, before "day 1&quot and support his continued efforts focused on the platform. I have always said I would vote for Hillary against Trump if she got the nomination. But there are MANY Bernie supporters -- maybe no longer heard from on DU -- who feel otherwise. I am NOT convinced that already over 80% of Bernie's supporters have lined up behind Hillary; some posters in recent months reported that their many political colleagues IN SWING STATES WHERE THEY WERE were not going to vote for Hillary and many working class Bernie supporters (nowhere near a majority but still) were considering voting for Trump.

As for the convention, I would NOT assume that all the Hillary delegates will be as disciplined and as staying on message as the Hillary/DebbieWassermanSchultz folk were on the platform committee in general. There might be many platform issues that will get delegates' support across the divide, and be stopped if at all only by the superdelegates. This is healthy democracy and could help the Convention be other than an absolute bore.

Many of the issues (like opposing TPP and more issues on climate, like a suggestion I have been pushing for calling for nationally televised hearings in the Senate -- even in the likely event that the GOP maintain their gerrymandority in the House -- on the 350.org climate issues, as well as platform and other debates about 'closed primaries' and such) are issues that would NOT cost any cumulative number of swing votes in the general. I support a position to the left of Bernie on Palestinian rights, but I know that many Democrats feel strongly that this issue might cost votes in November; on the other hand, it might have a lot of support among many of Hillary's delegates.

The mean-spirited attitude towards Bernie and on any of these platform issues (as if he had no right to seek changes at all, without anything less than having won the primary campaign) ONLY WILL TEND TO ENCOURAGE THE MANY BERNIE SUPPORTERS WHO ARE NOT necessarily going to show up and vote and vote for Hillary in the general. (Honestly, my worry in this area is specifically in the swing states, with little concern if people in NY or CA or MA choose to vote for Jill Stein or something. It is where the election might be close that is crucial -- and constant Bernie-bashing as a temperament will, eg, only tend to drive Bernie's base away. I'll bet more than 20% have either left DU (temporarily or permanently) or are just holding back from participating. Some would say 'good riddance' but this is precisely the problem. Is the goal to WIN the election or, in losing it, blame Bernie and his base?