Next steps for betrayed Bernie Sander Supporters

It was common knowledge that the fix was in for Hillary Clinton, after her surprising defeat at the hands of Barack Obama in 2008, it was clear that the Clintons would strike a deal with the party establishment to insure that she would secure the coveted Presidential nomination of the Democrat Party in 2016. But it was equally important to prevent the appearance that electoral process was being circumvented for the coronation of former first lady. Hence we saw an elaborate setup to disguise what was essentially a perfunctory exercise. The ploy was to have a number of place holder candidates such as Martin O'Malley, Lawrence Lessig, Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee and Bernie Sanders announced their candidacy alongside Hillary. These were a carefully picked flock of charisma devoid nonentities burdened with a substantial baggage of underachievement and failure. It was obvious that they were supposed to sink like a stone in the ocean upon launch and Hillary was to clinch the nomination. This is exactly what happened but for one major impediment, an impediment of such epic proportions that is looked like 2008 was happening all over again for Hillary.

Despite being a place holder candidate, socialist Bernie Sanders had gained quite a faithful underground support especially among the young due to his numerous appearances on talk shows usually lambasting the powerful for rigging the system against the underprivileged. The mood for this year’s presidential race was largely anti-establishment, these very sentiments catapulted Sanders into formability. Sanders gradual ascend to becoming a factor in the primary race astounded everybody including Mrs. Clinton. Sanders gained a strong and passionate following owing to his platform of confronting income inequality, guaranteeing free health care and education to everybody in the US (not excluding illegal aliens), combating climate change, reforming Wall Street and increasing corporate tax. . It did not matter that his plans for freebies for all would bankrupt the US, or his plan to heavily tax corporate houses would cause corporate houses to flee the US resulting in the collapse of the economy. Sanders supporters did not care that his idea of open borders would create chaos and endanger the lives of Americans citizens or his notion that climate change causes terrorism was absolutely preposterous. To his followers, Sanders was the authentic and honest candidate they had been waiting for to take on the system, it did not matter that he had not specific plans to back up implement his vision. His ill-fitting suits, his disheveled dandruff emanating hair, his saliva spraying oratorical fireworks and his often disoriented looks added to the authenticity, in his presentation, Sanders was unlike any contemporary politician.

The Democrat Party establishment continued to do all they could to help Hillary. Primary debates between Hillary and Sanders were held on the weekend where TV viewership, it has to be noted that on the GOP side the debates were broadcasted on weekdays during prime time. Bernie won state after state but the delegate count was always on Hillary's side. The female card was played several times, including bring out Madeline Albright to repeat her famous line that "There's a special place in hell for a woman who does not stand up for another" With all this going on there was not a smidgen of doubt that Hillary would be the nominee, but the fervor and the passion was on Sander’s side. 

Despite the fact that it was mathematically impossible for Bernie to secure the nomination, he promised to continue to campaign citing that this more like a movement against everything that was wrong with the system. He would emerge as one of those old fashioned political candidates who was more interested in participating in the democratic and engage people with his ideas than winning the nomination.  Sanders was to be the lone warrior would stand resolutely against all odds and despite his loss, he would be applauded as something who stood by his ideology and principles till the end. The far left precincts of the Democrat party were particularly pleased with Sanders for compelling their party to move to the left. Victory may not have been his but the honor and respect was most certainly his. It must be noted that Bernie is an independent which meant that he didn’t have to capitulate to the establishment of the Democrat party.

Then on 12th July, 2016, at a rally in New Hampshire, Sanders emerged on stage with an unusually ebullient Hillary Clinton. Sanders congratulated Hillary for securing the nomination and then he went on to laud Hillary for her deep understanding of issues such as rigged economy and income inequality. He asserted that Hillary understood the need for comprehensive immigration reform (euphemism for open borders) and the need to lower student debt and to make public colleges and universities tuition-free for the middle class. He also said that Hillary understood that the criminal justice system was unfair to minorities and needed a total transformation. All Hillary could do was nod in agreement and punctuate it with an occasional cackle, this despite not exactly embracing any of the issues that Bernie stated.

For any other candidate this would have been business as usual, quarrel viciously during the primaries, hug and yield during the main contest after tacit deals are struck. But for Sanders who always proclaimed to be above the corrupt establishment this was quite a capitulation. With his endorsement, Sanders had shouldered the burden of all Clinton’s bad judgment, corrupt practices and her mendacity. For a man such as Sanders who has very little going for himself but his stanch principles, this endorsement leaves him devoid of any credibility at all. But most importantly this is a blatant betrayal of the thirteen million who voted for Sanders, many of whom worked tirelessly for his campaign with very little gain.

So, where do these thirteen million Sanders supporters go? Where do they find a candidate who has not sold to the big businesses and is not beholden to Wall Street? Which candidate of these presidential candidates wants better trade deals between the US and other nations and will not needlessly invade other countries to fight unending wars? Where do they find a candidate who will support the needy and have an efficient healthcare system?

Do they listen to Sanders, the man that betrayed them and vote for Hillary? Hillary Clinton has been a pro war with her support for invasions of Iraq and Libya, that had led to global chaos. Hillary has been pro-Wall Street, receiving handsome amounts for her speeches to Goldman Sachs, the contents of which she still refuses to divulge. Her foundation accepted millions of dollars from countries with abominable records on women right and LGBT rights, issues that Hillary claims are the core of her candidacy. But most importantly she has somebody who doesn’t always have a committed relationship with the truth, all one has to do is look at her repeated vehement assertions that she did not send any classified information via her private email server, this was proved to be a complete falsehood by the FBI. During the primaries Sanders effectively highlighted all these seriously problematic issues relating to Hillary as he effectively projected himself as the only hope.  

It is clear that Hillary Clinton is not the candidate that the Sanders supporter will ever be satisfied with. So how about a serious look at Donald J. Trump? The idea may at first seem totally unacceptable to committed leftist Bernie supporter, largely owing to the unfavorable coverage of Trump by the media. But if they were to examine Trump’s record dispassionately they will find that Trump stands for many issues that Bernie championed, such as:

• Reform of campaign finance and institutionalized electoral malpractice  
• The maintenance of Social Security benefits.
• The levy of higher income tax for hedge fund managers
• The opposition to the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal).
• The opposition to foreign interventions such as the war in Iraq and Libya
• The belief that the money spent on foreign wars could have been put to better use domestically.
• The belief that healthcare needs improvement and should be affordable.
• The protection of the LGBT community.

The added advantage that Trump has is that owing to his vast experience in business he can get many of these issues resolved and programs implemented. All through his campaign Trump has taken on the establishment that includes his party bosses, the biased media, and a myriad of well-funded experienced candidates of his party to emerge victorious.

So Bernie supporters, despair no more, in Donald Trump you have a candidate who cares for the issues that matter to you, who is not committed to anybody but the people and has consistently outdone expectations to emerge victorious against all odds. Is there any more doubt in your minds? J