2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Can Bernie supporters comprehend why someone would prefer Hillary over Bernie? [View all]rogerashton
(3,920 posts)I'm supporting Bernie. Here is roughly what I wrote a few days ago to a fellow Berniac who said she or he would go third party, probably Green, if Bernie is not the nominee:
1) Hillary is not just a lesser evil. She is a fighter who will oppose Republican actions to take from the poor and give to the rich, and will do what she can to advance many of the issues we are fighting for. And she has plenty of experience with Republican dirty tricks and rule-or-ruin opposition -- she won't be fooled by that.
2) You should vote for her even if you live in a safe blue state. A big margin means "political capital" with which she will be all the more able to work effectively for our shared goals. We also need to look down-ticket and give support to Congressional and State candidates who will fight for our goals -- without a wholehearted support of the top of the ticket, this is more difficult. The "message" sent by a third-party vote will not move the Democratic Party to the left -- look how that worked in 2000! Even if the Supremes had not illegally stolen the election, there is no sign that the Green insurgency moved the party left in any way.
3) Just because Bernie doesn't win the nomination doesn't mean that the political revolution is over and ends in defeat. Quite the contrary -- it means we have more battles to fight before we win. Those battles will be fought within the Democratic party. Leaving it would be defeat.
4) Hillary is responsive to changes in popular sentiment, as witness her "evolution" on LGBT rights. This is often held against her, but I submit that it is a reason to support her if she is the candidate, especially for those of us who now support Bernie. A massive movement of Bernie supporters to support her candidacy would leave her with two messages:First, that this is a group that can give her victory, and second, that our opinions are increasingly widely held. That will move her in our direction. A desertion of the party in the case of Hillary's nomination would have the opposite effect: it would encourage her to look for her winning margin in the center. You may call that hypocrisy, but I call it politics.