BERNIE’S DANGEROUS GAME AND HOW THE DNC SHOULD RESPOND

It is obvious to all that the ossified and stagnant political scene has been revolutionized this election cycle. (BLOG: America Spills its Guts in a Bloodless Revolution). On the one hand a lone destructive iconoclast has gutted the Republican Party. (BLOG: Trump’s Hostile Takeover of the Republican Party). On the other the Democratic Party has received a gigantic jolt to force it to put its money where its mouth is by a solitary single - minded, self - styled and socially conscious revolutionary. While both have much in common, (BLOG: Compare and Contrast The Donald and The Berne), Bernie does not quite get it, (BLOG:  What is it About Politics that Bernie does not Understand?). In stark contrast The Donald has succeeded in taking over the GOP narrative, (BLOG: Trump’s Revolting Revolution), but Bernie isn’t even close in winning the Democratic front spot. In some ways these outcomes reflect that the GOP standard bearers were totally disconnected from their electorate while the Dems front runner is at least on the same page. Bearing in mind the way the Founding Fathers constructed the American democratic process, neither Bernie or Donald would get anywhere with a legislative agenda if elected American President. (BLOG: What Could a Trump, Cruz or a Sanders Achieve as President?).

GAME CHANGERS AND THE RNC AND DNC RESPONSES

In an election that was going nowhere two events have changed the picture dramatically. Reince Priebus, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, declared Donald Trump the presumptive nominee even though he was, at the time, far short of the 1237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination. His rationale was that no way could Trump be beaten in the field. By so doing he axed as far as possible a chaotic Convention where an attempt could be made to unseat a candidate who had won the popular vote. The other dramatic event played out in the Democratic campaign when a rampage erupted at the Nevada State Democratic conference. Frustrated Sanders supporters, who were won't to blame their candidate's hopeless position on a rigged system rather than accept that he could not win, resorted to violence. To date the Democratic National Committee, (DNP), unlike their Republican counterparts, has not intervened and declared Clinton the presumptive nominee. 

 Priebus realizing that necessity was the mother of invention, officially handed the Party over to Donald in an effort to prevent Hillary becoming President. As he explained his first priority was to halt, among many other calamities, any chance of a hundred years of a liberal Supreme Court. In so doing he halted the futility of Cruz and Kasich looking for a “narrow path” to victory. This has given Trump the opportunity to focus on “crooked Hillary”. Notwithstanding the barrage Clinton is facing from Sanders and the paralysis of the DNP, the Democratic leader has laser like focussed on Trump thereby allowing the media to wax on about the phantom contest in the Democratic Primaries that Bernie is relentessly waging.

WHOSE SIDE IS BERNIE ON - BERNIE'S?

So  Bernie is still running hard against Hillary attacking her personally claiming that he has a “narrow path” to victory. Of course he generically says that everyone agrees that Trump should not be President. Hillary and her PACS are spending all their resources on the General Election while Bernie proceeds full throttle against her. Bernie then relishes in his pyrrhic victories usually in Caucus States and almost only in open contests where non Democrats can vote. Most of his successes are in red States that the Democrats can never win. The possible cross over vote is thus said to be not significant as the Republicans are only to happy to register in the Democratic Primary to register a vote against Clinton. The hype aside the GOP would just love to run against what some of them have alluded to as “The Communist”. But Bernie has put his head down and is in it till the end and is gearing up for a great fight in California and even at the Convention in Philadelphia. 

Hillary and the Democrats cannot really afford this sideshow that cannot change anything. Trump is gleefully quoting Bernie on the stump while empathizing with him that the game is rigged against him. Morning Joe, a former Republican Congressman, who hosts the most popular morning political talk show waxed long and hard on Sander’s inexplicable behavior. The participants harked on the “real” damage he was doing by “assaulting” Hillary Clinton. One liners hot from Sander’s campaign are given endless air time as The Donald repeats them. They include “Hillary has poor judgement”, that she is the “establishment” and “she is in the pocket of big business”. Enough already! The inescapable conclusion is that Bernie is more in this for himself than the cause of change. 

BIG DANGER 

Both Trump and Sanders believe that they represent  “revolutionary “movements and have not been careful enough in their rhetoric to clarify what they mean. The presumptive Republican nominee unabashedly forecast violence should he be “robbed” by the Republican Establishment to be the party chief. Needless to say political leaders have an incredible responsibility to define boundaries for their supporters. Sanders has issued a number of statements that have done nothing to prevent his struggle degenerating into a ruckus . When confronted with instances of his supporters’ violence at previous Clinton meetings he has first and foremost supported their right to protest and of course condemned fighting. All this violence is taking place, he claims, in the context that the Primary that is rigged in favor of Hillary by the Democratic National Committee, (DNC). While he wants the super delegates to switch in his favor he still from time to time believes they shouldn’t be super delegates but all delegates should be voted for in the Primaries where he is losing handsomely anyway.

All this while focussing on Hillary as the enemy and vilifying the DNC as rigging the contest for Hillary and against him who is the “victim”. For good measure Bernie desperately quotes the polls that forecast that he has a better chance against Trump, head to head. When all this is falls like water of a duck's back he claims that the battle is not over and he may even continue at the Democratic Convention. This can lead to a situation, as will be seen, that can reel out of control. 

THE RED FLAG OF THE NEBRASKA DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

The Democratic Nebraska Convention spelled out what might happen on a grand scale should this insanity continue. Hillary won the Nebraska Primary narrowly and when the subsequent meeting was moving to award her a few more delegates than Bernie all hell broke loose with cries of foul play. Chairs were thrown by The Berne’s supporters while they screamed curses. This was followed by death threats to the local Democratic chairman and her family and she had to change her telephone number. Nevada Senator Reid, who is the Democratic leader in the Senate, criticized the Sander’s supporters for causing the bedlam and he hoped that the maverick Sanders would  condemn the incidents. Instead the Sander’s spokesperson and Bernie himself hit back provocatively with, “The Democratic Party would be doing itself a favor if it could find a way to embrace the millions of people who have been energized by Bernie’s campaign and want to participate”. While eventually Sanders condemned violence the Sander’s campaign upped the ante by maintaining that the Democratic Party was using this violence to support Clinton. They even forecast that this turmoil could extend to the Philadelphia Convention. This had to have stung Hillary who, to date, when shown clips of The Berne’s frenzied exited mobs has cheered them on and said how positive this was for the forces of progress. 

Nebraska should be a foreboding for Sanders to step in and tell his supporters to cut it out. He needs too to spell it out in no uncertain terms - he needs to spell out the obvious - he has lost and it is time to move on and support the “presumptive” nominee. He needs to learn to chanel the anger he has awoken constructively and not destructively. Even the broken Republican Party are coming to terms with the fact that internecine fights at this stage are a no no. Cruz and Kasich threw in the towel when it was obvious that they just couldn’t win. It is ironic that the non party may well be more united against Clinton than the party that had no deep divisions till Sanders joined is not as ad idem against Trump. To date Sanders has not been forthcoming and Ms. Schultz has stated that Sanders has not condemned the violence and has "added fuel to the fire". 

So Bernie unless you want to do a Nader and give Trump a leg up stop it. The national polls are seeing a narrowing of the gap between Trump and Clinton. Clinton needs to wipe the floor with Trump so that the agenda of change that Bernie has propogated has a chance of being a reality.

WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE SHOULD DO

Deborah Wassermann, DNC Chairperson has not as yet intervened in the race in spite of Clinton’s overwhelming lead. A Democratic nominee needs 2383 delegates to clinch the nomination, Before the Oregon and Kentucky Primaries, Hillary had  2268 while Bernie had 1490. After those Primaries she is even closer to the magic number. In Clinton’s column there are 524 super delegates.  As matters stand Sanders cannot win. The only crowd that go and on about who wins or loses in these remaining contests are the media. Even Sanders recognizes that his only hope is if the super delegates would switch to him. He cannot overtake Clinton in the popular vote. As his behavior gets more and more off the wall the less and less likely that becomes anyway.  

The DNC Chairperson, Ms Wassermann Schultz, should take a leaf out of RNC Reince Pierce’s playbook and go on the offensive. Debbie Wassermann Schultz needs to urgently poll all the super delegates with a view to obtaining their final vote. If Clinton is still ahead by a mile she should declare her the Democratic presumptive nominee. If she is not then it would be worthwhile to wait till all the Primary races are over. As might be expected Sanders would go ballistic if the internal caucus tells as it is and some of his supporters will threaten not to vote for Clinton. The alternative to not settling this issue is worse as the violence will escalate, out of frustration, in a milieu where Sanders just cannot win and where he is all but justifying his supporters’ behavior. (Remember regardless what allegedly happened at the Nevada meeting it was merely formalizing the delegate count apropos of Clinton’s winning of the Nevada State Primary). 

Those most likely to carry through with the threat to abstain in November are most likely the Independents that would only vote for Sanders or not at all. If the Republicans can begin to amalgamate around Trump so as to keep Hillary out, after what he has said and done to the sixteen other candidates who, combined, attained the majority of the Republican electorate, then surely anyone who truly opposes everything Trump stands for is not going to stand by and let him win because Bernie is a poor loser. He is not being robbed he has lost. 

Most of the damage of such a move could be eradicated if Senator Elizabeth Warren was nominated by Clinton as her Vice President and she accepted. This may already be on the cards as she is engaging in a highly publicized tweet war with Trump. She has not publicly refuted such an option and is, also most importantly in this context, the Democratic Left’s first choice. She was bombarded with requests to stand and had she done so Bernie would not had a prayer in this race. 

So the back room boys and girls of the Democratic Party should get to work and legitimize reality. This might give Bernie something really to moan about. All Hillary’s soft talking and non confrontative approach has been unsuccessful and met with abuse. The only concession Sanders has offered was not to attack her on her e mails. He is veering out of control and if this goes on much longer he will be giving Trump a run for his money as to who is the most irresponsible leader on this madcap stage.  

Bernie sadly will not make the adjustment and has fixated  his campaign to attack the Democratic Party. Although he hasn't a prayer at winning the nomination he tells his adoring crowds that before Trump can be defeated Clinton must be eliminated. Furthermore, he is not making any attempt to condemn the violence he has spawned. This is not leadership it is rabble rising with no plan in mind. He is insulting the very electorate that elected the first African American President twice. He needs to be taken on now and told the facts of life that simply he has lost the nomination badly and is undoing all the positivity his campaign promised.