EDDIE MCCOVEN; Mast Radio Program Director: mccoveej@plu.edu
With another sweep in the primaries for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and superdelegates piling up in her favor, one could argue that the Democratic Party establishment leaders are not “feelin’ the Bern.”
Why is Bernie Sanders running for the Democratic Party nomination? He hasn’t run as a Democrat before, and he’s been Independent through his political career up until recently. Before he was elected as mayor of Burlington, VT, he was in involved in the Liberty Union Party, a left progressive organization in his home state. Early in his political career, he was even endorsed by the NRA.
But all of this doesn’t add up and equal Democrat. So why not make an Independent bid for president since Sanders is clearly not a Democrat?
You cannot make a bid for the Democratic Party candidacy without being a party loyalist, so the campaign is a failure from the start. If you support Sanders, then you really shouldn’t be a Democrat. The pro-slavery party has very much been the “atta-boy” club since it’s founding and not much has changed.
Sanders isn’t a part of the elite ruling class like the Clintons, so he’s got no chance. After all, that’s how the Democratic party works: secrets, lies, big money and a thirst for power. I could also say the same about the Grand Old Party, but at least they don’t have superdelegates.
Why do people see Sanders as the candidate for change? He’s been a part of the Washington, D.C. muck and mire since 1991. Twenty-five years in the Capitol Building sounds like an entrenched bureaucrat to me and very much a part of the problem our country is facing. If you want change, then you need to ask yourself what change really is. Compared to Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump is definitely a candidate for change, but maybe not the change you want, or should I say, the change you think you want.
Don’t mistake this for an endorsement for the real estate mogul, but we need candidates like Donald Trump who are shaking things up. Donald is definitely stirring everyone up. Sanders is making waves with college students. The sad fact is college students don’t elect presidents.
The DEM establishment will make sure Hillary Clinton is the nominee because, after all, elections are earned by party favoritism, not by merit. If you’re a Sanders supporter and you’re a registered Democrat, are you going to leave the party when Sanders is screwed out of the nomination? You should, unless you like being walked on by a party that clearly doesn’t represent the needs of Americans.
I could also say this about the Republican Party. The only real difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party is how they spend your money after they steal it from you.
There are other alternatives. We can leave this two party system and realize that real change comes from candidates from other parties, like Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. I’m not sure if we can rip off the blue or red band-aids and apply a yellow one instead, but we can at least start thinking about it.
In the meantime, Sanders supporters need to start assessing their position because clearly, their man isn’t the candidate for change, and he’s not going to succeed at getting the nomination. It’s over, and it’s time to move on.
