True to his word Bernie has committed to support the Democratic candidate. Whether he decided she would be the candidate based on inside knowledge or by simply observing the party’s unwavering support of her in the face of Comey’s blistering account of her misdeeds, Bernie was certainly reasonable in concluding that she would be the nominee. And Bernie is a man of his word. So yes, he endorsed her as he said he would.
Nevertheless, I expect most of us will struggle with the question: Why did he do it?
Nevertheless, I expect most of us will struggle with the question: Why did he do it?
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Some supporters hoped Bernie would start a new party or run as an independent. But as Ralph Nader pointed out on May 16 in his interview with The Hill, it was already too late then for that to succeed.
Some of us hoped Bernie would break away from the Democrats and head the Green ticket. After all, couldn’t he weasel out of endorsing Hillary by pointing out that her win was not a fair one but rather the product of election fraud and voter suppression? By joining the Greens, he could rely on an existing party infrastructure and a strategy that will include Greens on most state ballots by November.
Bernie, however, is nothing if not an astute political analyst, and he had to have considered some pretty bad consequences down that road. First, he would have been accused of reneging on his promise. Though he might have reasonably justified that decision, the mainstream media would have ignored any rationale. Integrity is a reputation Bernie has earned over decades (Ralph Nader called him “scandal-proof”), and he dare not toss his good name away lightly.
Second, the progressive gains Bernie’s supporters made in the Democratic platform would almost surely have been lost. Though the platform is often considered to be of little consequence, to Bernie it is not an empty document, because he fully intends to hold the party’s feet to the fire to make sure they carry through with their promises. And based on his campaign over the past months, he is well able to rally voters to such a cause.
Third, any kind of third-party run is risky. While Ralph Nader did not lose the Presidency for Al Gore, Nader’s Florida votes could have pulled Gore past Bush; and Bernie long ago stated he would not fill a “spoiler” role. Many of us became convinced that the support Bernie had amassed made that risk worth taking, but I wonder if we gave sufficient weight to the hazard of fraud. This primary season should have made that likelihood clear. And don’t imagine general elections to be cleaner or more dependable than primaries without researching the elections of 1996 and 2000.
The Convention
One more question: Bernie gave us his word that he would take the campaign all the way to the convention. Does watching his delegates cast their first ballot satisfy that promise? It certainly was not quite what we were looking for. As convention events unfold, we will have time to evaluate how well he keeps that promise.November
What do the progressives who have supported Bernie do now? I aligned with Bernie because he promoted policies of compassion, caring, justice, and love. I plan to get behind the Green Party, which reflects those ideals, and vote for Jill Stein—although I will recheck my options in November based on the electoral college projections for my state. I will never vote for Trump under any circumstances. His policies advocate the opposite of what Bernie advocated. Even if Trump made a 180° turn, the hate and bigotry he has already normalized and inflamed have irreparably degraded—and will continue to damage—our national discourse and demeanor for years to come.
Meanwhile, we have some major things to do besides Presidential politics. We need to work our tails off for progressive candidates in Congress and at state and local levels. We need to push push push for the issues we have backed in Bernie’s campaign. And we need to root fraud and voter suppression out of elections with: verifiable ballots, open primaries, an end to opaque voting methods and machines, election day holidays, stricter conflict-of-interest rules, and more and better observers. One thing we have learned for sure this election season is that if our votes do not count, all our work is for nothing.
