There are 16 states (or territories) that have yet to vote in the primaries/caucuses. The calls for one of the candidates to throw in the towel because he can’t possibly win are not only premature, but equivalent to calling for all of us in those 16 regions not to vote. Our votes matter in expressing our political preferences even if our candidate doesn’t prevail. It will matter in the end how close we came to winning even in a loss. Our voices should be heard by the Democratic Party, and by the nation as a whole. It should be important to Hillary, the likely Dem Nominee, to know just how much of a mandate she has. It should be important to her to know how many people in her own party want a more progressive agenda. I want my voice to be heard. It is my right to vote. It offends me when people in my own party express that they want to take away one of the choices on my ballot.
But Hillary hasn’t won yet. Yes, it is very likely she will win. But not absolutely a given. Bernie has every right to court the Super Delegates. He can couch it in whatever terms he chooses to try to sway them. You may find his terms unpalatable to you. You may find his attempts silly and futile. But who would want a POTUS that simply rolls over? The quality of applying persistent effort to a goal is desirable in a leader. Nothing he has done is unfair or against the rules. I am proud of Bernie for being persistent. What if Hillary does the equivalent of a Dean Scream? He should be there to carry on.
Now a message to the Bernie or Bust folks. Please keep in mind the one overwhelmingly paramount issue for this election: Climate Change. We must have a POTUS who will not throw the entire Earth baby out with the increasingly polluted bathwater. Even if you truly believe Hillary is not where you are on a whole lot of issues and not even a nice person, she would be worlds better than Trump (or any Repub) on Climate Change. Sure, not as good as Bernie, but a Trump presidency would essentially be game over for human habitation on this planet. There will be no place left to stage a revolution. If this were still the 1970’s, I’d say, sure, vote your heart, choose a third party candidate, allow a moron into the White House and precipitate a revolution. Sorry, those days are over.
A final note to the ardent Hillary supporters: Please let the entire process play out. You may yet win. Your candidate will not be harmed by the democratic process of allowing every vote count and every voice be heard. Trump won’t be using Bernie’s criticisms of Hillary as he has plenty already lined up. Be careful in your proclamations not to alienate the many Bernie supporters who are not die hard Bernie or Busters.