# The way the Democratic establishment is treating Bernie supporters is a blunder. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 27, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263 "2016-04-27T16:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/121 "2016-04-27T22:44:22Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Logically, no; psychologically, nothing is easier. A personality can be entirely sane and yet encompass a great deal of cognitive and emotional dissonance without too much trouble. I don’t believe any human can be entirely sane. If you said reasonably sane I’d agree with this. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/122 "2016-04-27T22:47:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But, he likes to pretend that he is not loyal to his class. And, maybe he really isn’t – FDR wasn’t, after all; … An argument could be made that FDR’s actions were in total loyalty to his class. He didn’t want to see them lined up against the wall, after all. It’s not an argument I would make, but it’s not unprecedented in history. Von Bismarck, for example, didn’t offer his social legislation because he cared about the welfare of the working class. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/123 "2016-04-28T02:09:49Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I didn’t make any such declaration except for the people who came to see the candidates in RI last weekend. You are responding to my counter to the idea that support of the people can be determined by the number of votes when all the people are not allowed to vote. When independents have been allowed to vote in open primaries (which make up the great majority of primaries thus far) Clinton has done far, far better than Sanders. Yes, she has done even better in closed primaries, but let’s not make up information to suit a narrative. Open primaries won by Sanders: Vermont by a ton, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, RI by strong margins, and Michigan by a smidge (and possibly Utah, which I think was a caucus but I could be wrong). Six, possibly seven. Open primaries won by Clinton: virginia, NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, and Arizona, all by margins of over ten points and usually well over ten points, plus narrow victories in MA, IL, and MO. Fourteen. 14\>7. It is simply untrue that Sanders is the people’s choice when “everyone” is allowed to vote. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/124 "2016-04-28T02:57:16Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > 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](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=791318). 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. Bernie Bros are pathetic. They smear Hillary Clinton and then suggest that by not acknowledging them after absolutely thrashing their beloved communist, that they’re being mistreated…lol. Here’s the bottom line: you probably weren’t even going to vote anyway. Bernie Bros only got interested in voting when Bernie promised them a whole bunch of free shit. Why does Hillary Clinton care? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/125 "2016-04-28T03:02:05Z")
“OMG, like Hillary was like not nice. She’s, like, not a girl scout. But my BFF told me she was.” Hillary’s a bitch. I actually like that. We need a bitch to stand up to the republitards. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/126 "2016-04-28T03:19:05Z")
Those who use the phrase “Bernie Bros” are generally referring only to a particular subset of Sanders supporters. I do not use that phrase but I share the disrespect of that subgroup, a very vocal sub-group that felt they should have free rein to insult Clinton and her supporters and then whine foul if anything critical is said about Sanders. If he is called out when he lies. Most of those who voted for and supported Sanders are _not_ that sub-group just as most who voted for and supported Clinton do not use the phrase “Bernie Bros.” A larger number are more the group that wants “change” and will perennially vote for it when at all consistent with their other fundamental beliefs. Given a choice between two candidates one of whom represents greater “change” and both of who are mostly in agreement with their fundamental beliefs they will support the bigger change one … in this case Sanders. Of course once someone is the establishment they can no longer rail against the establishment. Obama did a great job actually delivering meaningful change. Clinton will continue that effort. I think most Sanders’ “change” supporters recognize that a President Sanders would have actually accomplished little (with some thrilled that they think he would try to think big even if he delivered naught). Sanders _winning_ would have been a _greater_ disappointment and source of disillusionment to those few (IMHO unrealistic) voters who expected actual big change than Obama was to them. I have more respect for the bulk of Sanders supporters than you do **SB**. I see most of them as smart enough to not be disgusted just because the majority of voters came to a different conclusion than they did and to not have skin so thin as to let some snark from a few drive them into passivity or even passive-agressivity. They are used to snark. They know how to roll their eyes and they know how to give it back at their discretion. Most of them are not so arrogant (and frankly ignorant) as to believe that they are, as you believe you are **SB** , “above all of” those of us who see our party as an instrument of accomplishing good and of preventing harms. They understand that there is a team out there that wants to put hardline conservatives on the Supreme Court, who would put this country back many decades, and would harm the well-being of the world, and they understand that stopping them requires the rest of us agreeing to disagree _some_, and working as a team to stop them and to move the country in the direction that we together agree on, even if the exact destination we argue about some. They are NOT idiots. And most are not sore losers. Most do not hold all those who do not completely agree with them to be the enemy. Most. Those who are sore losers and who do think of those who do not completely agree with them are the enemy are awfully loud and vocal though. And they are sure they are the vast majority instead of the tiny minority they are. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/127 "2016-04-28T03:30:24Z")
By the way some reality check here on the “low information” subject … _most_ voters - for Trump, for Clinton, for Sanders, and on, are low information voters. Not everyone is a junkie for this stuff and researching out both stated policies, actual records, and reasoned analyses of what is actually realistic and what makes sense. Elections are fought not in deep policy weeds but in superficial repetitious slogans, stump speeches, storylines, and packaging of candidate as the hot product all your friends are using (“Now 110% sincere!”; “More change!” …) That is true for the best candidates and the worst and all in between. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/128 "2016-04-28T04:13:35Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > I’ve been an Obama supporter the whole time. I’d vote for him again if it were legal. I’m not crazy about Hillary, but damn, she and Obama are VERY close on almost all policy issues. She’s a tad more conservative than Obama on social issues and right in synch with him on economic issues, and more of a hawk than he is. You are very unlikely to find a closer match to Obama than Hillary. I don’t plan to vote for Hillary, but it sure as hell isn’t because I think she’s going to go in a different direction than Obama. Au contraire. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/129 "2016-04-28T04:17:25Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > I don’t believe any human can be entirely sane. If you said reasonably sane I’d agree with this. I would say “reasonably sane,” but the King of the Potato People won’t let me. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/130 "2016-04-28T05:52:41Z")
I don’t think Bernie can win the Dem nomination, it’s almost certain to be Hillary after the last set of primaries. I would like to see Hillary adopt a more progressive position in order to mend fences with the progressives, and I do think she’ll make some superficial moves in that direction during the convention, but afterward, she’s going to pivot to the right in order to pick up the mythical independents who are politically between her and the Republicans. I actually don’t think there are a lot votes to be had there. Anyone who is to the right of Hillary is already a Republican. But she’ll try, because that’s what centrists believe is the thing to do once you’ve got the nomination sewed up, cozy up as close to the Republicans as you dare without enraging the base. (She will enrage the progressives, you can be sure.) Now I personally don’t care if Hillary lies like a rug, is mean to dogs and little kids and uses a knife and fork to eat pizza. What I care about is policy. And Hillary’s policies scare me. She’s hawkish on the Middle East, and in my opinion the Middle East is just a pile of sand capable of soaking up every last dollar and drop of blood America sends there and not looking a bit different afterward. And she is very likely to send a lot more blood and money to the Middle East given half a chance, and the Middle East is VERY likely to give her more than half a chance. I also think she has no real interest in ending wealth inequality or getting money out of politics. She likes the money in politics, she’s indifferent to the middle class (though she does favor social safety nets to care for the extremely poor) and she sees corporations as a solution to problems, not the problem itself. She sort of sees America as a bunch of peasants with people like herself and an elite of wealthy corporatists protecting the poorest of them and allowing the rest to lead their merry peasant lives of toil and drudgery. She’s not going to do anything to hurt the big banks until they fail, at which time she’ll let them plunder the taxpayers as much as they like. She’s not gonna reinstate Glass-Steagall. She’s not gonna prevent regulatory capture. She’s DEFINITELY not gonna break up the big banks. These are major problems that I don’t think Hillary is going to solve at all well, given her known proclivities. Neither will any Republican, of course, including Donald Trump (as someone said earlier, Trump is not beholden to oligarchs … he IS an oligarch). So what I’m going to do if Bernie is not the Dem nominee is vote for Jill Stein. I am in a red state anyway, as a Democrat, my Presidential vote is meaningless. But I figure if there is a significant protest vote from progressives, it might help signal to the Democratic Party that they do indeed Have A Problem. And in the meantime, I’ll be working on 2018, when I hope there will be a lot of[primarying of Dems from the left.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-congress_us_5720e608e4b0b49df6a9c933) ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/131 "2016-04-28T06:43:41Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > I don’t think Bernie can win the Dem nomination, it’s almost certain to be Hillary after the last set of primaries. I would like to see Hillary adopt a more progressive position in order to mend fences with the progressives, and I do think she’ll make some superficial moves in that direction during the convention, but afterward, she’s going to pivot to the right in order to pick up the mythical independents who are politically between her and the Republicans. I actually don’t think there are a lot votes to be had there. Anyone who is to the right of Hillary is already a Republican. But she’ll try, because that’s what centrists believe is the thing to do once you’ve got the nomination sewed up, cozy up as close to the Republicans as you dare without enraging the base. (She will enrage the progressives, you can be sure.) > > Now I personally don’t care if Hillary lies like a rug, is mean to dogs and little kids and uses a knife and fork to eat pizza. What I care about is policy. And Hillary’s policies scare me. She’s hawkish on the Middle East, and in my opinion the Middle East is just a pile of sand capable of soaking up every last dollar and drop of blood America sends there and not looking a bit different afterward. And she is very likely to send a lot more blood and money to the Middle East given half a chance, and the Middle East is VERY likely to give her more than half a chance. > > I also think she has no real interest in ending wealth inequality or getting money out of politics. She likes the money in politics, she’s indifferent to the middle class (though she does favor social safety nets to care for the extremely poor) and she sees corporations as a solution to problems, not the problem itself. She sort of sees America as a bunch of peasants with people like herself and an elite of wealthy corporatists protecting the poorest of them and allowing the rest to lead their merry peasant lives of toil and drudgery. She’s not going to do anything to hurt the big banks until they fail, at which time she’ll let them plunder the taxpayers as much as they like. She’s not gonna reinstate Glass-Steagall. She’s not gonna prevent regulatory capture. She’s DEFINITELY not gonna break up the big banks. > > These are major problems that I don’t think Hillary is going to solve at all well, given her known proclivities. Neither will any Republican, of course, including Donald Trump (as someone said earlier, Trump is not beholden to oligarchs … he IS an oligarch). > > So what I’m going to do if Bernie is not the Dem nominee is vote for Jill Stein. I am in a red state anyway, as a Democrat, my Presidential vote is meaningless. But I figure if there is a significant protest vote from progressives, it might help signal to the Democratic Party that they do indeed Have A Problem. > > And in the meantime, I’ll be working on 2018, when I hope there will be a lot of[primarying of Dems from the left.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-congress_us_5720e608e4b0b49df6a9c933) You do realize that Hilary is part of the ruling class? You do realize the ruling class, as a rule, only makes concessions when they need to in order to maintain or gain power? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/132 "2016-04-28T10:53:10Z")
Oddly, it would seem Hillary is going to be the nominee because more of We The People have \*voted \*for her to be. But maybe it’s because she’s part of the Ruling Class and Bernie isn’t, who knows? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/133 "2016-04-28T11:39:02Z")
No response from **CarnalK** or **SenorBeef** about the fact that black voters overwhelmingly (88-12, based on the '92 Maryland Senate race) will support white candidates over black candidates if they feel that the white candidate better represents them? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/134 "2016-04-28T12:41:32Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > No response from **CarnalK** or **SenorBeef** about the fact that black voters overwhelmingly (88-12, based on the '92 Maryland Senate race) will support white candidates over black candidates if they feel that the white candidate better represents them? Umm, thanks for the cite? I was just curious if the statement could be backed up. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/135 "2016-04-28T12:50:05Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Umm, thanks for the cite? I was just curious if the statement could be backed up. Fair enough. I was hoping for chest-beating and gnashing of teeth, but I guess that’ll do. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/136 "2016-04-28T13:41:53Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Oddly, it would seem Hillary is going to be the nominee because more of We The People have \*voted \*for her to be. But maybe it’s because she’s part of the Ruling Class and Bernie isn’t, who knows? Which may mean that “We the People” prefer that class for our Presidents. Or at least don’t mind it and prefer her approach. She isn’t winning because of some smoke filled back room. She isn’t winning because she had a lot more money - Bernie did quite well raising money. ([http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/21/politics/2016-bernie-sanders-fundraising-hillary-clinton/](http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/21/politics/2016-bernie-sanders-fundraising-hillary-clinton/)). She isn’t winning because corporations get to vote. She isn’t winning because of gerrymandering. She is winning because more voters voted for her than for Bernie. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/137 "2016-04-28T13:59:53Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > Well, how do you feel about them being mean to you? I’ve worked customer service, I’ve had a plethora of people being mean to me. You know what, that was ok to me. It wasn’t personal. > > I really can’t answer your question though. I feel bad when people are mean to people who are not my friends as well. I think being mean sucks and I don’t want anyone else to be the victims of it. Now, it doesn’t mean I run around being a white knight about it but I certainly can disapprove of something that I find wrong. > ] > > Ill admit that I don’t know where you were going with this question. I was trying to figure out why it’s okay for Sanders supporters to be mean, and it wouldn’t cost him your vote. But it’s not okay for Clinton supporters to be mean, and it would cost her your vote. You’ve said the meanness hasn’t been directed at you, and that it’s not personal. I wondered if there was any sort of principled stance behind it, but it just seems like you don’t like Clinton so will apply different rules to her supporters than to Sanders supporters. So, it’s really just that you don’t like Clinton. That’s fine, but not really what the OP of this thread was going for. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/138 "2016-04-28T15:10:03Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Which may mean that “We the People” prefer that class for our Presidents. Or at least don’t mind it and prefer her approach. > > She isn’t winning because of some smoke filled back room. She isn’t winning because she had a lot more money - Bernie did quite well raising money. ([http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/21/politics/2016-bernie-sanders-fundraising-hillary-clinton/](http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/21/politics/2016-bernie-sanders-fundraising-hillary-clinton/)). She isn’t winning because corporations get to vote. She isn’t winning because of gerrymandering. She is winning because more voters voted for her than for Bernie. And the fact that she is winning makes me more confident in my party. The OP thinks the way the party is treating Bernie supporters is a bad idea, i disagree strongly. We cannot follow the Republicans down the path of getting votes by promising things we have no way to deliver (15 dollar minimum wage, universal healthcare, free university) or things that would cause a catastrophe if they were actually accomplished (destroying wall street). We need to reject this as a party if we don’t want to go down the path the GOP has taken, even if it costs you votes. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/139 "2016-04-28T15:12:19Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > The OP is funny. Progressives and communists aren’t leaving the Democrat plantation. Where else do they get, at the very least, a pretense of pandering and a bit of cheese? Communists don’t get even that. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263/140 "2016-04-28T15:18:58Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > … We cannot follow the Republicans down the path of getting votes by promising things we have no way to deliver … or things that would cause a catastrophe if they were actually accomplished … Very well said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-way-the-democratic-establishment-is-treating-bernie-supporters-is-a-blunder/753263.md?page=8)