Fans and devotees of Senator Bernie Sanders will boil with rage at what I’m about to say, but it has to be said; as far as the 2016 presidential nomination, for Sanders, that ship has sailed, it’s all over but the shouting — Hillary Clinton will win the nomination. Having said that, I don’t think he should drop out of the race until the last primary vote is cast or caucus is held.
I don’t agree with everything he’s raised, and I have my concerns about the practicality of some of his issues that I agree with, but he has raised important questions that need to be discussed at greater length and, frankly, without his prickly reminders, they’re likely to be ignored. He needs to focus on the long game; returning this country to some level of political sanity. Getting us back to a time when the two political parties disagreed philosophically, but got together on issues of overriding importance to the country as a whole, something we’ve been unable to do since the Tea Party wing nuts seized control of the GOP.
So, the question is, what does Bernie do from this point?
Keep up the pressure, tone down the personal attacks
Bernie should keep bringing up the issues that matter; campaign finance reform, mega-donor control of the political process, the income gap, education, etc. He should not, in the process, get back down into the gutter with mudslinging personal attacks against Hillary. She’ll get enough of that from whoever the GOP finally selects, and I would think the last thing Bernie wants is to be associated with that mob.
Focus on the rest of the party slate
While 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the big prize, of equal importance is wresting control of the congress from the rabble that controls it now. This means supporting down-ballot candidates across the country, and this means Bernie must convince his diehard supporters who believe, BERNIE or BUST, to think about the other candidates for other positions—including local offices—and cast ballots designed to change the total political landscape. He has to make them see that the attitude of ‘if Bernie don’t win, I don’t vote,’ is tantamount to throwing the election into the laps of people who will just do the country more harm.
Become a real Democrat
One issue that I’ve had with Bernie, in addition to my worry that he hasn’t thought out some of his positions in enough detail, is the fact that he’s been an Independent for so long, and only adopted the Democratic banner to run in this election. He needs to show me, and the rest of the country, that he’s not just an opportunist, doing what’s necessary to win an election. That would make him no better than the so-called Establishment politicians he claims to hold in disdain. If you’re going to fix the problem, sign up for a full hitch and really, I mean, really, try to do something about it.
Put some meat on all those bones
Political speeches and sound bites are all well and good—well, not for me, I’m something of a wonk who likes to know how you’re gonna do what you’re promising to do—but, there comes a point when Bernie needs to explain just how he plans to achieve all those grand things he wants for the country. This includes not only the money to go it—and, that’s no small price tag on even one—but, the political will and cooperation. He’s proposing things that no president can achieve alone. How does he propose getting congressional support?
Convince me that the man from Vanilla Vermont likes Chocolate and Caramel
I will not dispute Bernie Sanders’ civil rights credentials. Like many of his generation, he supported the movement. But, since that era, what has he done to show he understands the plight of non-white minorities in this country? It was only late in his campaign that he began to reach out to the black community, and I haven’t seen much in the way of reaching out to Hispanics or others. Given the racial demographics of Vermont, I can understand it to a degree. His constituency is pretty monochromatic. But, why did it take him so long to realize that an aspirant to national office needs to see the whole palette of colors in our national landscape?
Just a few short items that Bernie needs to put on his to-do list as he and his campaign prepare for the final few primary competitions and then the convention in July. What they all boil down to is, play the long game.