Sanders with Hillary Clinton at a Democratic debate. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg/Getty
Senator Bernie Sanders is perfectly correct in decrying corporate/fascist influence in American politics, and perfectly right to emphasize that the corporate-friendly policies of the past 30-odd years have been devastating for the American Middle Class. He has stood a long and important watch for our political well-being.
Understanding the sometimes absurd primary process is essential to understanding WHY Senator Sanders is so important in 2016. In a nutshell, the more support he garners and the more delegates he accumulates before the convention, the more the DNC will take note of the changing mood of the American electorate. We don’t discuss this often enough: The primary election process is designed so that We, The People, can make our voices heard in a way that the politicians can both understand and act upon.
As he accumulates delegates, Senator Sanders is also accumulating bargaining power. His delegate total will help to drag the Democratic Platform to the left. The Platform Committee will give extra weight to the Senator’s proposals for universal health care and free college tuition, etc. When the Democratic Platform is accepted by the convention as a whole – with Senator Sanders’ policy positions enshrined therein – the eventual nominee is bound to run on that set of promises and positions.
That is how the system works. Bernie’s influence upon our national discussion and upon the Democratic Platform is more important to America than whether or not he wins the nomination. He has pointed the way toward a sea change in governmental policy and given voice to the electorate’s dissatisfaction with Republican conservatism.
But ONLY Secretary Clinton can get elected on that platform. This has nothing at all to do with hatefulness toward Bernie Sanders. I voted for him in the North Carolina primary, for the reasons I stated above…he will drag the platform left. However, voters like me are not representative of Southern Democrats, who are much more conservative than Northern ones. Secretary Clinton’s name will seem very safe and familiar to Southern conservative voters. Bernie would lose to whomever the Republicans nominate because these people don’t trust his labels: “Socialist,” “Liberal,” “Jew”. Those are bad associations in the minds of the more conservative Democrats and Republicans, alike.
Battleground states are called that for a reason. The electoral and policy battles for hearts, minds and votes will be decided in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, etc. Presidents are presidents of ALL the people, not just the ones who voted for them. We have already seen the awful effects of Republican divisive campaigning. We need EVERY Democratic vote because we can’t afford to allow a Republican to take the White House this year. It is way past time for the political pendulum to swing away from conservative values. Bernie deserves thanks for igniting our political discussions and for being our conscience.
We continue Bernie’s work by keeping attention on climate change, income inequality, and the messages he brought to the forefront.
For more writing by Susan Kraykowski follow BenKingReport.com
