And by establishment, in this case, I’m also talking about people who demand loyalty to the party and support for Clinton.
I originally wrote this in a discussion in this thread. The original post which got me started in that thread was this
Which continued a discussion on various issues, including the idea that Bernie supporters have an obligation to be loyal to the democratic party.
Here’s what I wrote:
I’m kind of amazed that you guys don’t see that you’re losing a young generation that wants to be politically active.
They voted for Obama because he promised hope and change and seemed like a different sort of politician - not at all business as usual. And they were disappointed, he mostly governed as though he were a firm part of the establishment. We can argue about Obama’s success as a president, but he certainly wasn’t the radically different candidate that a lot of his supporters hoped.
So this time around they turned to a guy who no one can doubt his credentials as something different, as anti-establishment. The guy became a senator outside of either of the major parties, and that’s pretty incredible. He has decades of proving that he is as dedicated a public servant as there can be. I don’t think anyone can question is sincerity and integrity.
People are clamoring for him because he’s what we hoped Obama would be, at least in terms of a sincere player who isn’t beholden to the plutocratic interests that have controlled our politics so thoroughly. They know that Bernie wouldn’t do a sudden 180 when he got in the white house.
To these people, Hillary Clinton is the worst candidate. She is the polar opposite in this regard. She’s a slimey politician who lies every day, who evades, who changes her opinions when her focus groups tell her so. She’s been in bed with the financial sector of our economy our whole career. She’s as bought as any politician can be. She is, through and through, a tool of the establishment and a crony.
So you have this growing, passionate group who’s dedicated to having anything other than the same old same old, and you’re saying “ok you silly kids, you had your fun, but now it’s time for you to fall in lockstep and the exact opposite of the thing that has made you so interested in politics and so passionate. It’s time to put away your silly notions about changing the way things are done in Washington. Clinton is going to happen. It’s time to bend over and take it”, and then you say THEY’RE the bad guys because they don’t feel an undying loyalty to a party that doesn’t represent them.
All the while, you’ve been sneering at them and questioning their motives, calling them “Bernie Bros”, treating them like idiot children. And then you demand their loyalty. And the best argument you’ve got is “you know how shitty we’ve been to you, and how much you dislike our candidate? Well the other one is probably worse. So haha, you’re stuck. Bend over and take it.”
Not only are you taking interested young politically passionate people and breaking their spirit, you’re making them disgusted at your party. And it’s exactly the wrong approach to take with Trump as the other guy. Because after months of belittling them and insulting them and telling them they’re obligated to now support you, they’re going to be pretty fucking ready to buck the establishment. And you know who’s left in the race who appeals to such voters?
You could’ve gotten any incredible boost from this influx of young, socially progressive, extremely motivated new voters. Instead you condescended to them and demanded fealty even though you had no intention of representing their interest. You call them “entitled millenials” when they even ask you why they should vote for your side if you don’t care about any of the issues they care about.
It’s not the people who refuse to vote for Hillary that are cutting off their nose to spite their face. It’s you, the party establishment and Clinton supporters, who ridiculed and belittled Bernie supporters and tried to convince them they ha no choice but to be loyal to you, and they’re in the wrong if they aren’t. It’s a completely self-inflicted wound, and you’re all too smug to see it.