Senator Sanders,
I've been lying awake most of the night confused by something in your campaign's statement yesterday and in your speech last night.
You indicated that the Democratic party needs to decide whether to "welcome into the party" a group of people who are supporting your campaign.
I'm confused because I always thought the Democratic party (like other parties) welcomed anyone who wanted to join. No questions asked. No hidden fees. You do not have to be present to participate. If you want in, "Congratulations, you're in".
I'm realizing that there is some greater expectation you must have for what it means to welcome these people into the party. But I wonder if part of the dynamic here is whether these people really want to be welcomed into the party.
Take closed primaries, for example. I won't get into the tactical decision of whether we should have closed primaries or open primaries. But the fact is that any eligible voter can participate in a closed Democratic party. ANYONE. All they have to do is choose to sign up to be a Democratic party participant. In other words, it is not a question of whether you are welcomed into the party but whether you wanted into the party. (There are some deadlines to insure that you really do want to participate in the party and are not just gaming the system, but the principle remains.)
Take your statements that you will do anything in your power to prevent Trump from being elected president. I am grateful for those statements. But I wonder why you don't say you will do anything in your power to see that the Democratic nominee is elected president -- even while you are claiming that you should be that nominee. It seems like those should be the same thing. But it would sure sound a lot more like someone who wants to be part of a party to declare not only that you want Trump defeated but that you want the Democratic nominee elected.
Take those general election polls, for example. You and your supporters enjoy pointing out that you do better in the polls against Trump than Clinton does. There is even some apparent argument that I don't really understand that suggests that these polls should mean you should be the nominee even if you don't receive the majority of votes or pledged delegates. I'll put that aside along with any discussion of whether those polls have any bearing on what the actual November results would be.
What those general election poll numbers say to me is that if you were to win the nomination, Hillary supporters and the Democratic party and its members would embrace and support you in November. But if you are not the nominee, a significant number of your supporters would not support the party nominee in the general. What does that say about which group is the more welcoming and inclusive?
When I hear your supporters chanting "Bernie or Bust" -- as they noticeably did during your speech last night -- and you do not dissuade or discourage this -- it suggests to me that there are a lot of folks supporting you who are not interested in being a part of anything bigger than one candidate, one campaign.
In order to play on a team, you have to want to be a team player.
In order to be part of something like the Democratic party, you have to want to be. You have to acknowledge that the party has value, that it is not totally corrupt, that it shares your desire for peace and economic and social justice, even if you may not agree on all of the details of how to pursue those goals. You have to have some regard for its leaders and its history. You have to want to be part of a larger coalition, to compromise, to see the positive value in getting part of what you want even if you won't get all of what you want. To do the hard things that are necessary to win national elections in a country where much of the electorate has views that are strongly at variance with your own.
So please understand if some of us wonder whether folks who have spent their lifetimes declining to be in the party, criticizing the party, not appearing to acknowledge and accept the results of the party's nominee selection process, truly want to be welcomed into the party. But putting all of that aside, if you want to be welcome into the party then just show it. Disavow "Bernie or Bust". When the winner of the pledged delegate race becomes mathematically certain on June 7, graciously acknowledge the result, endorse the nominee and spend your maximum energy and your considerable influence in delivering Democratic victories up and down the ticket. Should you and your supporters do so, you will not only be "welcomed into the party", you will be "greeted as liberators."
I think the decision is up to you and your supporters, Senator. I believe I can speak for the Democratic party when I say one thing is certain.
You're welcome.