'Sanders is a response to an uncomfortable rightward Democrat drift crystallized for many in the form of Hillary Clinton. As awful as the notion of President Trump may be (and it is truly horrific), it should not blind us to the fact that progressives in the US deserve viable candidates who, win or lose, will go the distance and challenge political orthodoxy.' (Photo: Phil Roeder / Creative Commons license)
Dear Global Progressives Who Wanted Bernie Sanders to Drop Out and Support Clinton
I'm American. I live outside of the US. Believe me when I say that I feel your pain and fear at the prospect of a Trump presidency. Over the past few weeks, I've seen an increasing groundswell in my social media feeds of non-US progressives calling for Bernie Sanders to do the right thing, drop out of the race, and support Hillary Clinton. Staying in the race until the convention, the conventional wisdom goes, will only split the Democratic party and ultimately benefit Trump. So...Sanders should do his duty to both party and country and capitulate.
I'm American. I live outside of the US. Believe me when I say that I feel your pain and fear at the prospect of a Trump presidency. Over the past few weeks, I've seen an increasing groundswell in my social media feeds of non-US progressives calling for Bernie Sanders to do the right thing, drop out of the race, and support Hillary Clinton. Staying in the race until the convention, the conventional wisdom goes, will only split the Democratic party and ultimately benefit Trump. So...Sanders should do his duty to both party and country and capitulate.
I'll be blunt: that's big talk from those who live in countries where citizens are offered the opportunity to vote for progressive and/or leftist candidates on a regular basis.
Would the same global progressives who critique Sanders be quite so critical if the situation in the US were mirrored in their own countries? If they were, election after election, denied the opportunity to vote for a candidate that came even close to representing their own ideological position? If they were presented with only two (corporately-owned) candidates every four years, both of whom would be considered politically right and center-right in virtually every other democracy in the world? Then, when a candidate finally came along, would they want that candidate to drop out of the race (even before technically eliminated) in order to benefit a competitor they do not favor?
I doubt it.
Sanders can be painted as stubborn and selfish for not formally conceding to Clinton, but it is worth considering the possibility that this stubbornness is an understandable response to political and media machinery in the US that has systematically worked against progressive candidates like Sanders. And, let's not pretend that the Democratic party itself isn't part of that problem. For many US progressives, watching Sanders going all the way to the Democratic convention will be symbolically important. Yes, Obama has now come out and supported Clinton (and Sanders has all but conceded), but the Sanders campaign has at least shaken a Democratic party increasingly disconnected from the progressive worldview it purports to represent.
Sanders is a response to an uncomfortable rightward Democrat drift crystallized for many in the form of Hillary Clinton. As awful as the notion of President Trump may be (and it is truly horrific), it should not blind us to the fact that progressives in the US deserve viable candidates who, win or lose, will go the distance and challenge political orthodoxy.
For those progressives outside the US who are able to vote their conscience on election day, that is a fact worth remembering.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
I'm American. I live outside of the US. Believe me when I say that I feel your pain and fear at the prospect of a Trump presidency. Over the past few weeks, I've seen an increasing groundswell in my social media feeds of non-US progressives calling for Bernie Sanders to do the right thing, drop out of the race, and support Hillary Clinton. Staying in the race until the convention, the conventional wisdom goes, will only split the Democratic party and ultimately benefit Trump. So...Sanders should do his duty to both party and country and capitulate.
I'll be blunt: that's big talk from those who live in countries where citizens are offered the opportunity to vote for progressive and/or leftist candidates on a regular basis.
Would the same global progressives who critique Sanders be quite so critical if the situation in the US were mirrored in their own countries? If they were, election after election, denied the opportunity to vote for a candidate that came even close to representing their own ideological position? If they were presented with only two (corporately-owned) candidates every four years, both of whom would be considered politically right and center-right in virtually every other democracy in the world? Then, when a candidate finally came along, would they want that candidate to drop out of the race (even before technically eliminated) in order to benefit a competitor they do not favor?
I doubt it.
Sanders can be painted as stubborn and selfish for not formally conceding to Clinton, but it is worth considering the possibility that this stubbornness is an understandable response to political and media machinery in the US that has systematically worked against progressive candidates like Sanders. And, let's not pretend that the Democratic party itself isn't part of that problem. For many US progressives, watching Sanders going all the way to the Democratic convention will be symbolically important. Yes, Obama has now come out and supported Clinton (and Sanders has all but conceded), but the Sanders campaign has at least shaken a Democratic party increasingly disconnected from the progressive worldview it purports to represent.
Sanders is a response to an uncomfortable rightward Democrat drift crystallized for many in the form of Hillary Clinton. As awful as the notion of President Trump may be (and it is truly horrific), it should not blind us to the fact that progressives in the US deserve viable candidates who, win or lose, will go the distance and challenge political orthodoxy.
For those progressives outside the US who are able to vote their conscience on election day, that is a fact worth remembering.
I'm American. I live outside of the US. Believe me when I say that I feel your pain and fear at the prospect of a Trump presidency. Over the past few weeks, I've seen an increasing groundswell in my social media feeds of non-US progressives calling for Bernie Sanders to do the right thing, drop out of the race, and support Hillary Clinton. Staying in the race until the convention, the conventional wisdom goes, will only split the Democratic party and ultimately benefit Trump. So...Sanders should do his duty to both party and country and capitulate.
I'll be blunt: that's big talk from those who live in countries where citizens are offered the opportunity to vote for progressive and/or leftist candidates on a regular basis.
Would the same global progressives who critique Sanders be quite so critical if the situation in the US were mirrored in their own countries? If they were, election after election, denied the opportunity to vote for a candidate that came even close to representing their own ideological position? If they were presented with only two (corporately-owned) candidates every four years, both of whom would be considered politically right and center-right in virtually every other democracy in the world? Then, when a candidate finally came along, would they want that candidate to drop out of the race (even before technically eliminated) in order to benefit a competitor they do not favor?
I doubt it.
Sanders can be painted as stubborn and selfish for not formally conceding to Clinton, but it is worth considering the possibility that this stubbornness is an understandable response to political and media machinery in the US that has systematically worked against progressive candidates like Sanders. And, let's not pretend that the Democratic party itself isn't part of that problem. For many US progressives, watching Sanders going all the way to the Democratic convention will be symbolically important. Yes, Obama has now come out and supported Clinton (and Sanders has all but conceded), but the Sanders campaign has at least shaken a Democratic party increasingly disconnected from the progressive worldview it purports to represent.
Sanders is a response to an uncomfortable rightward Democrat drift crystallized for many in the form of Hillary Clinton. As awful as the notion of President Trump may be (and it is truly horrific), it should not blind us to the fact that progressives in the US deserve viable candidates who, win or lose, will go the distance and challenge political orthodoxy.
For those progressives outside the US who are able to vote their conscience on election day, that is a fact worth remembering.