The Long Walk

It’s nice to see many people are giving the Democratic establishment the middle finger by declaring that they won't vote for Hillary in November if she gets the nomination. However, it's almost May, and six months is a long time from now. Will the Bernie or Bust movement be able to hold strong until then? If Hillary gets the nomination, it’ll be the beginning of the long walk.

It really says something about our democratic system that our choices in November could be between a neocon and a fascist. How the fuck did we get to this point? Seriously, both these candidates are unacceptable for the highest office in the land—or even any sort of public office, really. Hillary doesn’t deserve to be president based on her performance in the various offices she’s held and Trump is grossly unqualified, based on his performance in… uh, well, life (anyone can inherit wealth, if they’re fortunate enough to have a rich relative). Outside of their respective rhetoric, these two characters have almost nothing in common with the majority of Americans.

If the Bernie or Bust movement is still significant by the time the GE campaign starts, you can bet that the narrative that Hillary and the Democratic Party will put forth will be one that burdens voters with the responsibility of preventing a Trump presidency by voting for her.

I think we can expect Hillary and the Democratic Party, as well as their surrogates and celebrity endorsers, to lay the pressure on thick and really lean into progressives. Expect emotional appeals in order to coax liberals to vote for Hillary, specifically in the form of fear—fear and shame, but fear, fear, fear.

At first, it'll be easy to ignore the establishment fear mongering, but given Trumps antics and his propensity to say outrageous things, little by little it will start to seem more and more irresponsible to allow Trump to become president. There will probably be a bunch of Bernie or Bust folks that’ll cave and vote for Hillary, if they vote at all, and it wouldn’t be hard to see why they would.

The gist of it will probably be like this: if you don’t vote for Hillary, you’re responsible for Trump winning. Ah, but that cuts both ways. If you do vote for Hillary, you’ll be responsible for getting her elected. Dear liberals, progressives, leftists, and left-leaning folks, do you really want to be responsible for either of these two?

Just remember that the differences between Democrats and Republicans lie mostly in their social policies. There’s only a slight difference in their economic policies is that Dems haven’t gone full neoliberal. Everybody knows never do a full neoliberal. The Dems couldn’t win elections that way. Case in point: Mary Landrieu from Louisiana.

Besides the Democratic fear campaign, you’ll also have Bernie’s surrogates going out and imploring people to vote for Hillary. The Bernster himself looks poised to support Hillary:

Bernie Sanders told MSNBC yesterday, “I will do everything that I can, and I think Hillary Clinton and I agree on this, that we will do everything we can to make sure that a Republican does not win the White House. I will knock my brains out, I will work seven days a week to make sure that that does not happen if I am the nominee and if I am not the nominee. That's what I will do.

Well, Bernie is a man of integrity, and since he is running for the nomination as a Democrat, it wouldn’t do for a man like him to besmirch his own honor, unless there are some mitigating circumstances (i.e., maybe an indictment). In any case, he’ll do what he has to do, and you’ll do what you have to do. We each have our part to play.

I want to keep clear-eyed throughout this thing. It’s going to be tough going forward. The thought of Trump as president is not a nice one, and Hillary is no bargain. It feels like a choice between crack and meth. As November draws nearer, more and more liberals may feel compelled to vote for Hillary out of fear of a potential Trump presidency. It’s a double bind, but there is another way—a third way, if you will.

See, I’m aware that many Berniecrats are probably first time voters, and that if Bernie doesn't win the nomination, these people will probably sit out subsequent elections. That would be such a waste. Instead, they should give their support to third-party candidates, preferably the Green Party. Jill Stein’s platform is similar to Bernie’s, although she's to the left of Bernie, but I’m sure that shouldn’t be a problem.

In any case, no one should abstain from voting. So, the new task, in my opinion, would be to grow the Green Party, instead of wallowing in despair. I think that’s something to look forward to down the road.

You’ll know that the Bernie or Bust movement is still going strong if Democratic GOTV efforts are tinged with fear. Fear is the point. Whether you’re scared of somehow enabling a Trump presidency or what some GOP politician did, embrace it. This course of action may seem reckless, but ignore all the Demsplaining and stay the course.

Like I said, they’ll try to scare you into voting for Hillary—that you will be responsible for a potential Trump presidency, if you refuse to vote for her. Fuck that shit! You’re only responsible for the asshole you voted for, not the one you didn’t. However, ultimately, it’s the Democratic Party’s fault for enabling these cynical, sneering, pandering, Wall Street-bootlicking scum to run for office. It’s not the voters’ fault that many Democrats suck a bag of dicks.

Ignore the arguments of all of Hillary’s past accomplishments when she was a lawyer. These make better for retrospective arguments for why Hillary should’ve never sought public office—indeed she probably would’ve made a better child advocate than a politician, which she achieved by selling out her own values—than for reasons why she should be president. Hillary would’ve been best at heading an NGO focused on child welfare than corrupt politician, at least for the sake of humanity, since she’s good shown to be very adept at the latter, sans charisma. Remember that.

If Bernie doesn't secure the nomination, it will be the beginning of the long walk. Berniecrats will have to steel their resolve in order to successfully resist the attempts to fear and shame people into voting for Hillary. Remember, you're not responsible for who you don't vote for. Just be sure to get out there and vote. After the long walk, there will be the long road of trying to forge a better and more equitable political system—atrociously long.

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detroitmechworks's picture

So obsessed with pumping out the same product over and over again and maintaining their revenue stream through bullshit that they can't see how irrelevant they've become.

Does anybody listen to the radio anymore? Not many since Clear Channel ruined that particular media with nothing but pablum.

So shall it be with the MSM and the two main political parties. They've been shitting where they eat for so long it's inevitable they can no longer tell what is policy and what is crap.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

stevej's picture

So obsessed with pumping out the same product over and over again and maintaining their revenue stream through bullshit that they can't see how irrelevant they've become.

It really is spot on.

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“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.” -Voltaire

Bollox Ref's picture

So, not voting for a corrupt, oligarch nominee, isn't an issue.

I really can't think of anything that HRC could do, that would make me want to vote for her.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Ravensword's picture

The bet: Hillary beats Trump in a landslide.

Shall we help him lose that bet?

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WindDancer13's picture

she reaches the bottom of the hill first? If so, he will land on her.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

WindDancer13's picture

I will not be listening.

If HRC is the nominee, then there are several dozen projects that I think most of us will be working on to limit the amount of damage that either possibilities could do in the coming four years as well as exploring what we can do to bring about the changes that Sanders has opened our eyes to--and there were a lot, even for informed people. These things need to be started the day after the convention so we will be ready on inauguration day.

I should mention that we will actually have to also do some organizing once Sanders gets the nomination as well. The difference is about half the work. = )

In November, I will still be Bernie or Bust.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Hawkfish's picture

Mostly I am going to focus my time on Washington's I-732 because as Bernie said, the climate is the most important issue facing the world.

I see no reason to send HRC or the DNC any money - they are swimming in it and I hope they drown. Instead, I'll be sending what I had budgeted for Bernie in the general to:

  • Tim Canova (who is running a primary campaign for DWS's seat, and she is being um unpleasant)
  • Lucy Flores (who was abandoned by Emily's List after she endorsed Bernie)
  • Zephyr Teachout (who is running as an independent for the House seat next to where I grew up)
  • Pramila Jayapal (who is running in my district to replace the retiring Jim McDermott)

Also, campaigns are more than money, so don't feel like you have to give all the time. Phone banking, canvassing, blogging, social media and even just reading up to share stories with others are all important parts of the political process.

Oh, and I'm still doing stuff for Bernie. I'm with him to the bitter end, and so is my whole family.

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We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg

WindDancer13's picture

There is just a lot of work to do, and it will be non-stop. Even once things are in place--many years from now--that treat all humanely, there will need to be efforts needed to ensure there is no back sliding.

It sounds like you may have given up hope on a Sanders' nomination. Please don't. Remember, "the opera ain't over until the fat lady sings" (Dan Cook, 1976)...and she may have to do a lot of singing in front of the FBI. (PS That was not meant as a comment on HRC's weight.)

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Hawkfish's picture

In fact, I'm about to clean up my wife's monthly contribution (her credit card got hacked in March and I keep finding things that are busted...) So we are still here!

I probably chose that phrase because I had just been thinking about the fall and whether I would vote for HRC if that was the result. The way I see it, Bernie has given me so much that if he is committed to support her (because he is an honourable man) then I will join him in that dark valley. But that's just the way I roll, though, so please don't feel like I'm trying to make anyone else feel that way.

BTW, it isn't always obvious, but let's not forget that campaigning is grueling work. One of the things Bernie has sacrificed is his health. A Speech Pathologist I know is very worried about his voice - he has already had surgery once.

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We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg

WindDancer13's picture

I keep my credit cards maxed out is so no one will bother hacking them. = )

While Sanders may carefully choose his words of support for HRC, I think that continuing the revolution will be his agenda. He cannot say that he won't support her because that would bring the house down on his head, but I do not expect him to capitulate in any meaningful way. It is beside the point anyway...he will be the nominee. = )

I have worried about him for a very long time, but it has nothing to do with his current health. It has to do with an intimation that HRC made in 2008 regarding California.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Ravensword's picture

That group has always been at odds w/ actual progressive Dems simply b/c of the fact that many times the more progressive nominee lacked the necessary genitalia to get endorsed by EMILY's List. I'm not saying that they should endorse men instead of women. They can endorse whoever they want for whatever reason, but if their mission is to support actual progressive women, then they can always be more discriminating of which women they choose to support.

Even though I shouldn't be surprised that EMILY's List withdrew their endorsement of Lucy Flores for supporting Bernie, it's still a bit shocking and it really burns my ass to see that EMILY's List withdraw support from a candidate that meets all of their criteria for receiving funding and support, but happens to support—oh, my God—a-a man! That's fucking backwards as hell. Looks like another politician/organization/PAC that I'll be unsubscribing from.

Also, Tim Canova seems like a pretty cool dude, beyond having the balls to challenge DWS, but I seriously hope he wins b/c fuck DWS.

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This whole argument about a non-vote for Hillary is a vote for Trump really only applies if you live in a swing state. In my red state of Texas, a vote for Hillary has no value whatsoever. In a safe blue state, a vote for Trump (or a non-vote for Hillary) doesn't mean a thing.

It's a little different if you live in a swing state. If the race ends up being Trump vs. Clinton, for those of us who supported Bernie, neither of these candidates will give you hope. And in that case, I would follow the advice of Bill Clinton himself and vote for a candidate who does give you hope - whoever that might be.

And here's the video to back that up:

[video:https://youtu.be/RGW38Zy4bJo height:300]

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Ravensword's picture

He wants his wife to win, so Hillary will be the candidate who speaks to people's hope; the billionaire and Wall Street-class hope.

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PriceRip's picture

          I will vote for Bernie in November, period. I will vote for Bernie, but not as a protest. I will vote for Bernie, but not out of spite. I will vote for Bernie, but not because I feel abandoned.
          I will vote for Bernie because he is the best candidate, even if he does not agree that is the case. The point of voting is to say to the world: This is where I stand. The point of voting is to say to the world: Enough is enough and it is long past time for a change.
          It is not about Bernie or Bust. It is about the message, which is much more than just about Bernie. Don't take my word for it, just ask him!

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thanatokephaloides's picture

It is not about Bernie or Bust. It is about the message, which is much more than just about Bernie. Don't take my word for it, just ask him!

It's the alliteration, which makes it a nice slogan. But, like all slogans, it doesn't fit the reality with perfect accuracy.

But we all know what is meant here. It's the Revolution's way, not the Turd Way, or Bust.

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Ravensword's picture

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Wink's picture

And is the reason we still have a chance beyond November.

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

Wink's picture

NY is going to vote for Her Highness whether I vote for her or not, or simply choose not to vote. So, I'll vote Green. I would vote for The Donald before I ever vote for Her Highness, but since we have a Green option here I'll take that.

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

riverlover's picture

I will wait for a bit, but I want to know if WFP will hold the line and continue their endorsement of Sanders and keep his name on the party line come November. There might be enough anger about Cuomo's sellout of the party the last time around to do that. Not sure.

It might be worth calling yourself, to remind NY-WFP that they did endorse Sanders in Dec 2015.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Martha Pearce-Smith's picture


"Like I said, they’ll try to scare you into voting for Hillary—that you will be responsible for a potential Trump presidency, if you refuse to vote for her. Fuck that shit!"

...that we are starting to see a little of this intruding here at C99% already.... A little covert. A little overt...but I have noticed it. It gives me that same sick feeling in the pit of my stomach I get when I see bullying... Makes me angry too. Been biting my tongue a lot lately to maintain decorum. Sad

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First Nations News

You're entitled to your opinion and your actions. Perhaps those who try to convince you otherwise are trying to give credence to their own thinking. Remember when Obama brushed off his shoulder? Emulate that and plow forward. It's gonna be a long election period. Don't let it get you down.

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Martha Pearce-Smith's picture

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PriceRip's picture

          Intimidation has no place in anything we do, period. Intimidation is particularly repugnant at a site purportedly dedicated to progressive causes generally and progressive politics in particular. That is why I have shelled my account at TOP.
          I certainly don't want any of that intruding into this space. In November when I write-in Sanders I may comment one-last-time at TOP. I would like to reference this:

Like I said, they’ll try to scare you into voting for Hillary—that you will be responsible for a potential Trump presidency, if you refuse to vote for her.

and point out that we were not intimidated, and we are not responsible for the failures of the Democratic Party. I would like to be able to frame such a message so as to be taken seriously and understood by the denizens of TOP. I would not expect to be successful with respect to that last bit.

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start popping up, there are only two choices: Tamp 'em down or move on.

If someone wants to vote for HRC, or feels they must, that's their business. But the second they start telling me I have to, the conversation ends.

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"The real power is in the hands of small groups of people and I don't think they have titles. -- Bob Dylan"

I am seeing some "shame on you" between the lines here.
I will vote for Bernie in November.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Ravensword's picture

And that name is Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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Raggedy Ann's picture

Otherwise, were nothing but hypocrites. We will be in the same pile of steaming shit as the clintons. I refuse to support any establishment candidate. The revolution is on, for me. I will not succumb to frame, bullying, or abuse. Stay strong. Solidarity!

edited for typo give=have in title line. Smile

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

jorogo's picture

65 year-old contrary child here. Never smoked a cigarette, never watched "Friends", don't mow the lawn (natural grass is beautiful!), don't vote Party. Just always ask, "Why would I want to do that?" Don't often get a good answer.

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"If I sit silently, I have sinned." - Mossadegh

Ravensword's picture

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