2016 could be the year that North Carolina Democrats come out of the political wilderness. But just as a they’re staging their comeback, the party system itself seems to be unraveling.
What is the Democratic Party in the age of super PACS and Senator Sanders? Wake County Party Chairman Brian Fitzsimmons has to answer that question. If he gets it right, he could change the course of the state – and the country.
“There’s going to have to be a time when we recognize that Hillary – the Secretary – is not as bad as people think she is. And the Senator and his supporters are not as vitriolic as people think they are. And my goal is to get us to that point.”
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The framing of this article is a clear indication of where the writer stands.
The objection to Clinton as the Democratic standard bearer is not that she is “as bad as people think she is.” And labeling Sanders supporters as “vitriolic” at any level is an unworthy and inaccurate smear.
Clinton’s unacceptability to many Sanders’ supporters has nothing to do with her personality or superficial questions about who is good and who is bad. Nor is her experience an issue. Nor is her gender the issue. Her unacceptability relates to the very basic and serious fact that she is completely indebted to Wall Street, the fossil fuel industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the private prison industry and other interests that render her and almost every other mainstream American politician (yes including President Obama) subject to a conflict of interest that prohibits them from governing for the good of the Public Interest.
Those who portray Sanders’ supporters as unreasonable or “vitriolic” for shining the light on this legalized corruption within our system are attempting to manipulate public opinion and divert attention from Sanders’ important and timely message and the revolution he is successfully leading.
Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders is not a mere contest between two individuals, a sporting event as so often treated by the mainstream media.
It is a choice between business-as-usual and a revolution in which urgent issues are finally addressed to meaningful scale. This includes an obscene level of income disparity, climate change, criminal justice reform, universal health care, college tuition debt, campaign finance reform, rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, a corrupted voting and election process and so much more.
Mr Kotecki and Thomas Mills who regularly attempt to trivialize these differences are providing no service to their readers with distorted shallow comparisons of the two candidates.
If Bernie Sanders doesn’t win the nomination, some of his supporters will doubtless feel forced to choose the Orwellian corporate oligarch over the Mussolini-like strong man. Which is worse in the long run is debatable. Unfortunately there are no winners in this debate.
But, the Democratic autocrats who believe Sanders’ supporters will automatically flock to Clinton are delusional. Some will vote for Clinton. Some will vote for Trump. Some will vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Some will stay home and mourn the death of democracy in America.
For those who feel the most important outcome in this election is to defeat Trump, whatever it takes, you better do everything within your power to overcome the fix and help Bernie Sanders get the Democratic nomination. If Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, the Democratic Party will be divided, regardless of how irrational you may believe that to be.
In a perfect world ideological purity may exist. However, in the real world I will gladly vote blue in November regardless of who the Democratic party standard bearer is. We all know from recent experience that Republican policies HURT people and Democratic policies HELP people. Mrs. Clinton OR Mr. Sanders will help continue and expand the policies of President Obama. Any Republican will undermine and destroy that progress. Voters whose candidate didn’t make the final cut would be very shortsighted to take their ball and go home. Our choices couldn’t be clearer.
I certainly agreed with Avram Friedman. However, as a Bernie Bro I encourage fellow followers to push his vision even if she is elected. I follow the movement, the vision, not just the man. We stand a chance with her more than Trump.
As an older man I know that precious rights can take decades to implement.
If the “janitor” really believes what he wrote he has apparently cleaned up too many chemical spills and has incurred some serious brain damage. Trump is perhaps the “lesser evil” of no one other than Phil Berger or Pat McCrory.
Sorry James, but Hillary Clinton is thoroughly the most reprehensible candidate the democrats could have chosen as a presidential candidate and it speaks volumes about the predominant corporateness of the current National Democratic Party. As many other progressive independents have voiced, I can only agree that Trump is the lesser evil when compared to war-hawk, war criminal, establishment insider and Wall Street bought and paid for Hillary Clinton.