Democrats, Can’t we all just…get along?

On this, the final day of the Democratic National Convention, I’d like to take a moment to talk to both Bernie and Hillary supporters. In the interest of full disclosure, I would like to state for the record that I am an ardent Sanders supporter and voted for him in the primary. In fact, for the first time in my 42 years of voting, I actually changed my party affiliation from independent to democrat just to cast my ballot for him.

My message is a simple one…

Chill the fuck OUT!!!

Seriously. ALL of you.

Let me start with the Clinton clan. Mostly because I have less to say to you than the Bern-ers.

Look, you won. Now show a little grace in victory. I have run into so many Hillary supporters telling the Sanders folks to “Suck it up” or “Get on-board” that I’ve coined a name for them; “Sore winners”. I even had a friend tell me to “Pull up my big-boy panties”.

Really? I’m 60 years old, fer chrissakes. This is my 11th presidential election.

A bit of advice from an award winning advertising and marketing copywriter and producer (me); this is not the way that you convince people to switch brands.

This was a much more closely contested battle than anyone ever foresaw. And Bernie was more than a candidate. He was and is a visionary. He inspired more than just political support. He stirred passion.

More than that, he helped transform the party and its platform. He dragged it back from the center and let us know that it’s OK to be liberals. We can say the “L” word again! I’m not a party guy. For me, it’s never been about democrat vs republican. It’s about liberal vs conservative ideology.

So when you talk to someone like me, be consoling. Not condescending. Don’t tell me to “Shit or get off the pot.” Offer me a couple of extra squares of Charmin.

I’m not blind nor deaf. I know that some Sanders supporters are pretty fanatical. Some are downright unpleasant. But we need to be enticed, not chastised.

Because there were 13 MILLION of us. And of the last six presidential elections, four were won by a total of five million votes OR LESS.

You need us. Believe me.

And here is where I turn my attention to the Bern-ers.

Especially the ones who say they’re now voting Green. Or Libertarian. Or not at all. Or worst of all, for Trump.

REALLY?

First, ANYONE who could even utter the threat of voting for that human toxic waste dump was NEVER a true Bernie supporter. You really need to get your mind right. That’s the electoral equivalent of throwing yourself on the floor and holding your breath until your face turns blue.

Many more are now looking closely at the Libertarian and Green parties. And before I go any further, let me just say that both are not without good ideas. Portions of their platforms have real merit. Both of them.

But they don’t have a frozen daiquiri’s chance in hell of winning. In fact, there is only one possible third-party candidate that might have stood a chance. Bernie. And only if he had come out as an indy right from the beginning. It’s too late now. Let it go.

There’s a reason he didn’t run a third-party candidacy. There’s a reason that he went from being an independent to a democrat.

Because he knew that the money, organization and machinery to launch a successful presidential bid belong to the two major parties. Because he knew that third-party runs go nowhere in this country.

But they can sho’ ‘nuff fuck up a major party candidate.

Just ask Bush Sr. who by all estimations lost his second term more to Ross Perot than to Bill Clinton. Or how about Al Gore. Whose 537 vote loss in Florida tipped the Electoral vote to the unquestionably disastrous “Dubya” Bush. One has to wonder how many of Florida’s 97,000 Green Party votes for Ralph Nader would have gone to Gore.

And believe me potential Greenies, Nader had FAR more name recognition than Jill Stein.

So, whether you consider yourself a Bern-er, a Sanders Supporter or a Bernie Bro, read this next line carefully;

Politics is NOT a zero-sum game.

We had our moment to bask in Bernie’s altruism. And part of it lives on in the parts of the platform that were inspired by Bernie. $15 an hour minimum wage? It’s in there. Debt free college? It’s in there.

If you gave a damn about Bernie’s vision for America, if you want to see “The Revolution” live on, you must vote for Hillary Clinton. A vote any other way will only help ensure that everything that Bernie Sanders (and you) did and stood for will have all been for naught.

One last thing; Donald Trump scares the shit out of me. I have never in my 42 years of participation in the political process, EVER seen anything like it. Campaigning is the “honeymoon period” when candidates are on their best behavior. You hear what I’m saying?? This is Trump at his BEST! And if he gets to the White House, may the good-gracious-almighty (insert deity of your choice here) help us all.

So, I don’t care how you do it. Do a couple of tequila shots before you go to the polls. Think of it as a vote against a narcissistic, self-absorbed Mussolini wanna-be. Whatever it takes.

But vote for Hillary Clinton.