By now, the chances of Bernie Sanders ever becoming the Democratic party nominee are slim to none. Whether you like it or not, it seems that voters will be left with the choice of voting for either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Donald John Trump come November. One of them will stand at the steps of the United States Capitol and take the oath of office. One of them will move into the White House and hold the Oval Office.
It's plain as day to see that a great majority of people believe Trump is the absolute wrong choice for this job. He is a misogynist, a racist and allegedly holds ties to the mafia. But, even though Trump has proven himself, time and time again, to be the opposite of what the United States deserves for a president, Bernie supporters still refuse to throw their support behind Clinton. Maybe because they feel she needs to "earn" their vote or that she is still not good enough for them. But, let us come back to reality.
If you choose not to support Hillary in the fall, because of some belief that she "owes" you, then you're basically busting the doors of the White House wide open for a man that stands for the exact opposite that Sanders.
We know what would happen if Trump became president. He would nominate fellow reality TV stars to the Supreme Court, he would promote xenophobia and racism across the world (basically overturning American democracy) and use the nuclear codes to probably blow up the Earth. If you would like a visual, go ahead and look at this parody of a Donald Trump Japanese commercial.
Now, if Hillary wins without the vote from Bernie supporters, the world does not revert to chaos and confusion. But, no valuable change occurs either. And isn't that what Bernie supporters are ultimately afraid of? That their dreams, hopes and aspirations for the future will never see the light of day. Even though the majority of Bernie supporters would continue to outcry her past, present and future actions, she would have no reason to prove herself to Sanders supporters.
In order to see valuable change come to light, Clinton needs to win the presidency with the vote of Bernie supporters. Not necessarily because Clinton will bring about change but because they will bring about change. If we keep our eyes on her like a hawk and push her to the edge, she will respond. Because, in the end, if we give her our support, she has to give something back.
Clinton may not be your candidate of preference, but she is definitely not your enemy.
The real enemy is Trump, who will not budge. All the passionate protests and inspiring rallies will make no difference to him or his policy. Because there is no policy and there is no "Donald Trump." To put it blatantly, he's like a dog walking around and marking his territory (if you know what I mean). He places himself in situations that he has no business in, and along the way manages to insult just about everybody. And by everybody, I mean everybody except those too awestruck by the billions lined up in his pockets and gargantuan golden monstrosities he calls hotels.
Also, let's not act like Clinton has not made incredible accomplishments. She is a distinguished graduate of Yale Law School, was the first female partner at Rose Law Firm, promoted nationwide immunization against childhood illnesses, helped create the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice and was the first ex-FLOTUS in U.S. history to be elected to the United States Senate among many more.
In addition, she is not that different from Sanders according to her voting record while in the Senate. The two voted the same, about 93% of the time, only disagreeing in 31 instances. Clinton did miss about a third of the votes given her candidacy for president back in 2007 and 2008. However, despite her busy schedule, records show that Clinton is a more effective lawmaker than Sanders was during both of their duration. During her eight years in the Senate, Clinton sponsored ten bills that passed the chamber. During his nine years, Sanders sponsored only one bill that passed the chamber. Clinton also successfully amended bills 67 times while Sanders only amended bills 57 times.
It seems plausible that because Sanders was not formally a member of the Democratic Party, he therefore lost many possible allies and possible bills. Even though his loyalty to his beliefs and stance is admirable, a president has to have connections and be able to make alliances. If you're president, there is no time to be stubborn and stiff, especially in the current political environment. High-level politicians need to be able to swallow their pride and reach across the aisle to at least get some work done. Clinton has those connections and allies, while Sanders has fewer.
Don't get me wrong, I still wish it was Bernie that would win the nomination, be sworn in on the steps of the Capitol and take a seat in the Oval. But, that is not reality. However, his movement is very much real, and can still make a revolution of sorts if we help it do so.
In the end, Hillary will not be Bernie in the White House... and that's OK. But, Hillary will hear our message and respond; unlike Trump who will hear screams and yells and instead build a wall and kick us out of the country.
Will you at least fight for change under Clinton or kiss the revolution goodbye under Trump?