[A]ctor, activist, and general boon-to-humanity George Takei posted a video on Facebook urging supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders not to embrace the “Bernie or Bust!” mentality and support Hillary Clinton…. “This is a message from me, to all who voted or will vote in the Democratic primary,” Takei wrote by way of introducing his video. “Please, try not to freak out, friends, and don’t troll others here.”…. “Ultimately,” he said in the video, “we Democrats know that a bit of a tussle isn’t a bad thing. It makes us stronger, keeps us sharp. It’s like a family squabble, where only family — those very close to us — can truly get under our skin. But remember this, too — it’s precisely because we like and respect each other that the words and criticisms sting as much as they do.”
There comes a time in any competition when winners and losers are determined. No matter how well or how long one has fought the good fight, eventually you’re determined to be one or the other. Once that determination has been made, the challenge boils down to one question: Are you going to be a sore loser, a sore winner, or can you accept reality and make the best of things?
The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is no different from any other competition in that the final result is about winners (in this case, one victor) and losers. I was an early supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, and that support hasn’t wavered. I believe him to be a far superior candidate to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose close ties to Wall Street and Big Business make me exceedingly uncomfortable. For me, the choice was, is, and remains clear.
As much as I hate to admit this, it’s beginning to appear as if my candidate is an increasingly long shot and unlikely to prevail. As the primary/caucus process winds down around the country, Sec. Clinton has amassed what appears may well be an insurmountable lead in delegates. It’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings, of course, but if I was a betting man, I wouldn’t be wagering on Sen. Sanders.
Sometimes your horse doesn’t win, knowhutimean??
It sucks, but that’s the nature of competition. I could whine about the process (Superdelegates? A rigged system? Really? This is democracy?)…but both candidates were playing the game using the same rule book. Yes, the system is broken, inequitable, and in desperate need of an overhaul…but it is what it is until it’s changed. My candidate appears to be coming up short, which I believe to be a very sad thing for America, but such is life, no? Because American democracy is still in theory based on “majority rules,” this means that sometimes you don’t get what you want. You may not even get what you need, but the next election is only four years away.
In the present, the question is simple: Now what?
I get that there’s a lot of very intense butthurt spreading through Sanders’ base. Some are going so far as to play the “Bernie or Bust” card, insisting they would NEVER sully themselves by deigning to vote for Sec. Clinton, whom they view as little more than a moderate Republican. While I admire principles- Lord knows I’ve stood up for a few in my time- the “Bernie or Bust” attitude strikes me as nothing if not shortsighted and dangerous. Yes, Sec. Clinton in truth could fairly be described as a moderate-to-liberal Republican. That’s not going to change what appears to be imminent and increasingly inevitable.
OK, so you’re candidate probably won’t win. Is pouting and threatening to take your ball and go home really the most reasoned and matured response you can conjure up? Have you considered what the impact might be if you and thousands, perhaps millions, like you stay home or- even worse- decide to vote for a Republican? Are you really willing to risk seeing President Donald Trump put his hand on John Roberts’ Bible and take the oath of office on 1.20.17?
If Sec. Clinton prevails (and I’m not willing to give up the ghost quite yet), we as Democrats have a decision to make. Which is more important: Your unshakable, immutable, inviolate principles? Or ensuring that Donald Trump or Ted Cruz don’t get to call the White House home for the next four years?
As if it should take any reasonable person more than a nanosecond to consider the proper response….
In the end, I hope that you will- like me- get over your disappointment and do the right thing- because holding on to your anger and dismay might help purchase another, perhaps even more malevolent and dangerous version of George W. Bush.
We all remember how well THAT turned out, eh?
