Why Hillary Supporters need to lay off the name-calling and listen for a bit

I’m writing this in response to a friend’s Facebook discussion, which is not public so I won’t link to it. In a nutshell, people are expressing extreme frustration with Bernie Sanders supporters and their perceived bad behavior at the DNC this week. There was a lot of name-calling and negative descriptors thrown about and everyone agreed that really, Bernie Sanders supporters are just THE WORST.

Well, I disagree.

Let me start by saying: We’re on the same side here. (Well, most of us. I did spot a Trump voter in this discussion.) I supported Bernie in the Primaries. I still support Bernie. But after much soul searching I have decided that because a) I am a swing state voter and b) she is running against a man who is fundamentally dangerous to our democracy, I will vote for Hillary. Those of you who’ve known me a long time understand what a journey it’s been for me to get there.

Before anyone writes me off as a “typical Clinton hater” or a “misogynist” or a “Bernie Bro” (all of which I’ve been called, the last two rather inexplicably), understand that I tried very hard to like Clinton. I have evolved on her over the years from outright loathing, to indifference, to respect, to wariness. I don’t think Hillary is evil. I despise the inflammatory conservative rhetoric calling her “Killery” and chanting “Lock her up!”. (For the record, I was also disgusted by the very very very very small group of Bernie delegates who chanted “Lock her up” at a protest this week, and I said as much.) I think she is a human person with flaws and faults like all the rest of us.

My reluctance to embrace her campaign stems from my deeply rooted objections with her policy and her record borne out from that policy.

It really boils down to the my belief that money in politics is the single most important issue we’re facing today. It transcends all other issues because it is the impetus for every de-fanged regulation, failed policy, bad law and lack of legislation where needed. If you disagree and you think some other issue is more important than the corrupting influence of money in politics, you’re welcome to that opinion. I’d ask you to tell me which issue you think is worse and I’m willing to bet I can trace the source back to money in politics every single time.

This is the core of my problem with Hillary. She is compromised on this issue, and I don’t believe she is going to seriously work to change a system she and her colleagues benefit from so greatly. I sincerely hope she proves me wrong.

Now you might be thinking I’m some brain-washed “Bernie Bot” (another name I’ve been called) who just seized on this issue because Bernie is popular and money in politics is trendy to hate and I want free stuff and blah blah blah…

You’re wrong.

I am a six figure income earner and my taxes would DEFINITELY go up under a Sanders administration. I’m also an expat, and living abroad I would not benefit from the vast majority of Sanders’ proposals. And I’ve been concerned about money in politics for longer than I’ve been old enough to vote. I voted for John McCain in the 2000 Primary because he was the only one talking about campaign finance reform, and I was livid when Rove’s dirty tricks (backed by dark money) drove McCain out of the race.

Now…all that said. There is a lot of ugly language being thrown around this week describing Bernie supporters. In the discussion that sparked this post alone, Bernie voters have been called “crazy”, “spoiled toddlers”, “assholes”, described as “screaming nonsense”, “stamping their feet” and “myopic as fuck”, and implied to be uncompromising, snobby, privileged white people who need “perspective” because they’re only in it for free stuff.

Take any issue you care about passionately, anything you feel strongly about, and picture the same language being applied to something you believe deeply in.

Imagine having a conversation with someone who disagrees with your position, you’re both feeling a little agitated, neither feels like the other is listening. And they say to you: “You’re just a crazy spoiled toddler asshole screaming nonsense and stamping your feet! Stop being so myopic and uncompromising! Maybe if you didn’t want so much free stuff you’d have a little more perspective!!”

Does this sound like an effective way to build consensus?

Listen, I’m frustrated with my fellow Berners at the moment. By the way, someone in this discussion took exception to that term, saying it undermines the message of Bernie and implying it’s not a moniker we chose for ourselves. We actually like being called Berners and, no, it doesn’t mean we missed the point and think it’s all about one man. We call ourselves Berners because it encapsulates the passion we feel, the ferocity with which we’re willing to fight, and helps us honor the man that brought us together.

Anyway. I, too, am frustrated….but I understand the underlying reasons for their behavior. And I’m trying, sincerely, to help people move past it.

I’ve been having this same conversation about rhetoric that helps versus rhetoric that hurts our cause with my fellow Berners since he lost the New York primary. In the weeks since he endorsed Hillary in New Hampshire, I and many many others in Bernie circles have been working behind the scenes to help people vent their frustration while putting events in context, helping them make the ideological shift and focus on the long game of advancing a Progressive agenda and wresting us back from the brink brought on by neo-liberalism.

Every day has been a fight. I have to keep justifying, explaining, listening, refuting, contextualizing the same arguments over and over again whenever I encounter some new, freshly incensed Bernie voter. It’s frustrating and emotionally exhausting. I’ve taken my fair share of abuse (and then some) from both sides. But I don’t feel I have a choice. To you they are spoiled, whiny, and unreasonable. But these are my brothers and sisters you’re talking about, and nobody gets to talk shit about my family without coming through me.

Berners know we have a larger mission before us, and it’s going to take us some time to figure out the best strategy. Part of that mission is dealing with the crisis that a Donald Trump presidency represents, which means voting for Hillary. Some Berners, in their current anguish and rage, are not ready to confront that just yet. Most of them already accept that, however. And the others (with some exceptions) will. Just give them a little more time.

But it’s not just the furious Bernie supporters who need to uncloud their vision. The rest of you need perspective, too.

Naturally, the Bernie voters from whom you hear the most “noise” are those who are most deeply discontented with the primary results. The amplifying effect of social media (and skewed representation in the convention hall) makes it look like the Bernie camp is in total chaos. That’s nonsense.

No one has hard figures yet and nobody will until probably October, but a recent poll conducted by Pew Research finds that 90% of stalwart Bernie supporters will vote for Clinton in November.

In fact, more Bernie supporters are currently expressing a willingness to vote for Clinton than there were Clinton supporters ACTUALLY voting for Obama in 2008. So stuff that in your pipe and smoke it. (Recall how hardcore Clinton holdouts in 2008 called themselves PUMAs…for Party Unity My Ass.)

Are you agitated by the booing and displays of defiance at the convention? Check out Cory Booker’s spot on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he said he couldn’t even hear the booing and was actually perplexed by all the headlines.

Go read Nate Silver’s Live Convention Blog on FiveThirtyEight for Monday (boos are exaggerated by camera placement and hyperactive media coverage) and Tuesday (boos are “notably absent”). You’ll see that while Twitter was blowing up about all the booing and protesting, the FiveThirtyEight crew said in the actual convention hall it was a very small group of people who just so happened to be situated next to where all the media outlets were set up with their cameras and mics.

That gave the appearance that the convention was more contentious than it actually was in the room, which fed into the Twitter conversation. Seeing the Twitter commentary and catching the odd video clip people who weren’t even there assumed all hell was breaking loose and started lashing out. Hillary supporters were lashing out at Bernie supporters. Bernie supporters were lashing back. All because of an exaggerated appearance.

Specifically Nate Silver (who was in the hall) described it as follows:

Instead, I saw an atmosphere that might best be described as “charged,” in the sense of being a bit eclectic, a bit raucous and a little unpredictable. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for Sanders in the hall, perhaps more than there is for Clinton. But contrary to those earlier reports, there wasn’t a lot of booing when Clinton’s name was mentioned.

Silver’s observations echo my own from abroad. I wasn’t in the room, but I watched the speeches and other proceedings on YouTube the next day. I had read all this Twitter commentary about speakers being booed non-stop, but I found that some of the boos were directed at the subject matter (specifically, Donald Trump in the case of Elizabeth Warren’s speech), not the speaker. I was immediately struck that the Twitter reports and media coverage seemed exaggerated.

Now all of this is completely overlooking the question of whether or not they “should be” booing or had any right to protest at all. Every time you call Bernie supporters “petulant children” you raise our hackles once again. We have legitimate grievances, this week is particularly raw for us. The rest of the Democratic voters need to wash down a big mea culpa with a tall glass of shut up juice for a few days.

For at least the last year it has been obvious that the Democratic Party leadership was trying to manage (if not manipulate) things in Clinton’s favor. This was obvious from the debate schedule, comments from party leaders in the media, voter suppression tactics happening at the state party level, the party’s lack of concern about voting irregularities being reported, states where 60% of polling stations were closed down (the majority of those closed being in impoverished neighborhoods), and so much more.

While the overwhelming majority of Sanders supporters do not believe this equates to a “rigged” election, it most definitely illustrates a heavily influenced election. Those observations were validated by the recent DNC email leak. Yes, I know the Russians are behind the leak (sorry, Berners, but they just are). And yes, I know they are doing this to sow discord and the timing was deliberately calculated. But none of that changes the contents of the emails which were plenty damning. Whether or not it would have changed the outcome is unlikely. The Sanders camp does not assert the election was stolen and I agree with them. But it is possible a more neutral DNC would have produced a different result, and we’ll never know.

Once again, I ask you to put yourself in their shoes. Imagine for a moment you were working very hard to achieve something vitally important. Something you believe is critical to securing your future, and that of your family and your community at large. Now imagine you have reasons to suspect someone has been working behind the scenes to undermine your efforts on this very important thing. Then imagine you are invited to an event to discuss this thing, and the day before you show up you receive proof that, yes, in fact, they HAVE been working against you all this time. How are you going to feel when you walk in that room and see the people responsible?

To have the same people then tell you “Hey, we need to be unified. Stop acting like petulant children!”….come on, are you really surprised at this result?

Thank GOD some people actually get this. Thank god for Joe Biden:

“Look, they worked hard,” he told reporters at the DNC. “We ought to show a little class and let them be frustrated for awhile. It is OK. They’re all going to end up voting for her, Hillary.”

Thank god for Cory Booker and Donna Brazile (even if she was a minor participant in the email fray, she has demonstrated genuine remorse now). And here’s something I truly thought I’d never say: Thank god for Howard Dean.

But most especially, thank god for Dahleen Glanton and her very pointed piece in the Chicago Tribune:

DNC betrayed Bernie Sanders and the rest of America

The Democrats created a mess. And they are turning to Sanders — the very one they betrayed — to come in and clean it up.

As for the rest of you coming unglued on frustrated, at times irrational Bernie voters: It wouldn’t hurt to put yourself in their shoes and try on a little teeny bit of empathy, just for a minute. At a minimum, you should distance yourself. Pull your nose away from your smartphone, turn off the TV for a bit, and check back in about a week or so. Once most of the poison has been drained off, the excitement of the convention (which was our last opportunity to make our voices heard on this subject with all the nation watching) has waned and we kick into full gear with the general election…you’ll find that most heads cool off. In fact, most of them already are.

Unless, of course, you persist in calling us fucking assholes, spoiled toddlers, and petulant children looking for handouts. We expect that shit from Conservatives, but when it comes from Liberals it’s just gas on the fire.

One last thing…

I’m grossly offended and genuinely angry at the assertion that all the protesters are “white faces.” This has been a common refrain against Bernie supporters from the moment it was clear he posed a legitimate threat to Clinton’s campaign, and it’s fucking bullshit. There are plenty of minority voices in Bernie’s movement, and there are plenty of them on the floor at the convention.

In fact, here’s an account from one young Hispanic Bernie delegate (just 17 years old) who was attacked by a hysterical Clinton delegate while the rest of the Clinton delegation (not to mention a nearby campaign rep) reportedly turned a blind eye:

Another Bernie supporter I know, a black man, was accused by an editor of a major online news outlet of having “white privilege.”

In summary: Everybody calm the fuck down. Stop calling each other names if you want anyone to take what you have to say seriously. If you feel like the Bernie supporters you’re encountering are behaving immaturely, they might be. Some of my Berners are acting out in ways I don’t like right now. But I understand their pain and share it. And I ask you to consider how you’re contributing to their reactions with unhelpful inflammatory rhetoric.

Seriously, if I hear someone describe Berners as “petulant children” one more time I am going to LOSE MY SHIT. Not really. I’m a little more mature than that. But I might pen another novel like this in response…and who wants that?