The Worst Has Happened: Bernie Sanders Endorses Hillary Clinton—Now What?
At a joint event today in New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders officially gave his nod of approval to Hillary Clinton. Most of us were expecting that he’d take the fight to the convention or at least wait until her continued legal entanglements fully clear up. But, it seems he felt he had squeezed out the last of the progressive sweet talk he was ever going to get from the woman he calls his friend and colleague. He is a man of his word, and a part of all of us loves him a little more for it.
Timing aside, Bernie does have a history of advocating for the “lesser” evil — that is, voting against the bigger bowl of shit even if we end up with the smaller bowl of shit. In 2004, he made clear his plan to do “everything I can to dissuade people from voting for Ralph Nader… I am going to do everything I can, while I have differences with John Kerry, to make sure that he is elected.” Away fly our #SteinSanders dreams. To add insult to injury, for some of us, his endorsement was nothing short of glowing, unlike the epic cold shoulder he gave her husband exactly 20 years ago:
I am certainly not a big fan of Bill Clinton’s politics…I have helped lead the opposition to his trade policies, which represent the interests of corporate America and which are virtually indistinguishable from the views of George Bush and Newt Gingrich. I opposed his bloated military budget, the welfare reform bill that he signed, and the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which he supported. He has been weak on campaign finance reform and has caved in far too often on the environment. Bill Clinton is a moderate Democrat. I’m a democratic socialist.
Yet, without enthusiasm, I’ve decided to support Bill Clinton for president. Perhaps “support” is too strong a word. I’m planning no press conferences to push his candidacy, and will do no campaigning for him. I will vote for him, and make that public. Why? I think that many people do not perceive how truly dangerous the political situation in this country is today. If Bob Dole were to be elected president and Gingrich and the Republicans were to maintain control of Congress, we would see a legislative agenda unlike any in the modern history of this country. There would be an unparalleled war against working people and the poor, and political decisions would be made that could very well be irreversible.
So, what are progressives supposed to do now?
First, accept what has happened. Bernie Sanders has fully pledged his support to Hillary Clinton. He will not contest the Democratic Party’s nomination for President. He will not run independent. He will not run Green Party with Jill Stein. Bernie Sanders will not appear on any ballot running as President or Vice President. (And write-in votes get tossed in the garbage without being counted.)
Mourn. Distance yourself from politics for a few days. Delete the Facebook app from your phone. (That goes for Twitter, Reddit, anything that your right mind knows will make you anxious.) Properly take care of yourself. Allow yourself to cry. Read an apolitical book. Read something political that’s not about this election. Subscribe to uplifting news. Catch up on sleep. Consider cleansing your Facebook of old activity. (Bernie had an essay dug up from his 30s used against him; Obama faced an attack based on a kindergarten assignment to say he was “lying” about presidential ambitions #kindergate. Whether it’s you, a future spouse, or a relative that runs for office, best take control of what’s out there.)
Recognize that this movement was never about Bernie. We had all been silently pissed off at establishment politics and economics long before he began his campaign. It’s not as though anybody wanted to vote for a lesser evil last year (and the next election, and again, while both evils get progressively more evil). Bernie got in and made us excited about the presidential race, excited about policy, interested in our own ambitions. He simply put words to our feelings about the process thus far and gave us hope for real change. He did little more than show us there were others who felt the same way. The backbone of this movement was already here; he just brought us together.
Don’t allow this endorsement to minimize all that he’s done for this movement. Bernie accomplished the impossible, and then some, in the past year and we cannot allow that to be overshadowed. Many politicians balked at the fear of going against The Clintons. Bernie Sanders did it and broke records left and right, repeatedly breaking his own records. Recall that he challenged the most established and most powerful dynasty politician we’ve seen in recent decades. With the frontrunner collecting more money in a single hour-long speech than he and his wife make all year, Senator Sanders knew that somebody had to stand up to the monster the establishment had become. He threw his hat in the race to represent struggling Americans (and non-Americans) and to rein it in.
To say that 73-year old Bernie Sanders, the Jewish, politically independent, democratic socialist, U.S. Senator from Vermont, was a long shot would be an offensive understatement. A year ago Bernie polled in single digits. He was laughed off with Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee. If he somehow won Iowa and New Hampshire, they forecast, he would lose every other primary. “Clinton might actually be relieved to be challenged by someone who has so little chance at winning the nomination,” they quipped.
But unlike his opponent, Bernie didn’t run for President because he wanted to be President. Bernie Sanders ran for President because he could no longer bear the reality of children going hungry in the wealthiest country in the world. He was — is — genuine. He’s held his views and fought injustice for longer than most of his supporters have been alive.
Last year he lacked name recognition and Establishment perks like superdelegates, more than half of whom declared public support for his opponent before even she had entered the race and most of whom write the rules of the nominating process; further, the media’s improper inclusion of their pre-convention stated preferences gave the perception that the race was over since it started. (And people like to vote for a winner.) There were media blackouts, media bias, voter suppression in the form of “random” purges and closed primaries, accusations of sexism at every single turn, and very likely election fraud. But even after all that (and probably more), Bernie Sanders ended up with 43% of the vote and 46% of pledged delegates. That’s not going away.
Bernie did so much more than run for President. He brought our progressive views to the table. He forced conversations about campaign finance reform, economic inequality, for-profit healthcare, and mass incarceration. He pissed off a lot of Wall Street executives — the one time Elizabeth Warren stood by him. He delayed Hillary’s coronation well into June. Because of Bernie, Hillary Clinton has had to pay lip service (nothing more, don’t be fooled) to progressive positions like free college tuition, expanding healthcare, and a $15 minimum wage. Because of Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton will be the last Establishment “New Democrat” to squeak through with the nomination. And for his endorsement, she had to work. He did not take the cabinet position like any other selfish politician — no, he demanded policy. He wanted substantial change and support for the values and the people for whom he’s been fighting.
Bernie inspired a revolution.
Say what you will about his actions today, Bernie Sanders is no traitor. And although Bernie is no longer leading it, this movement is far from over.
Sanders will now return to the Senate to continue the struggle with more power, more support, and a louder voice than ever. Whoever the next president is, Bernie will maintain millions of supporters to keep this country on the right path.
What you do next is your decision and you must feel comfortable with it. You have exactly four months to make it.
Though we part ways, none of Bernie’s accomplishments can be devalued.
