1)”It’s hypocritical for Bernie to run as a Democrat. If he wants to run for president, he should run as an independent.”
Funny, nobody has objected to Bernie caucusing with the Democrats in the Senate. Nor has anybody objected to the fact that Bernie has (according to his campaign) “raised more money for the Senate Democrats than almost any other member of the Senate Democratic caucus.” So who’s the hypocrite? But the biggest reason why this is a dumb thing to say is: Ralph Nader. Remember him? Running as an independent would split the Democratic vote and risk handing the election to the Republicans.
2) “Bernie should drop out now. Staying in the race will hurt Hillary’s chances in November. ”
Another terrible idea. Bernie’s campaign has brought a new level of enthusiasm and millions of new, mostly young voters to the Democratic party – voters who are essential to the party’s future. If he drops out of the race now, a lot of those voters will drop out, too.
Hillary’s best hope for a big Democratic victory in November is for Bernie to stay in the race until the convention, even if she has already locked up the nomination before then. And then use the convention to craft a unity platform, and a message that shows Bernie’s supporters that they have a future in the party.
3) “Bernie should raise money for the DNC, just like Hillary has.”
On the face of it, this sounds like a reasonable thing to say. But if you look a little closer, it isn’t. Blogger Kortadler has a pretty complete discussion of the issue over at DailyKos. She points out that, for starters, the DNC hasn’t asked him to participate in joint fundraising efforts. (No surprise, since the DNC is widely seen as tilting towards Hillary.)
Moreover, hardly any elected officials have endorsed Sanders. Can you really expect him to raise money for candidates who have mostly supported his opponent? Especially now? It’s a lot easier for Hillary, who has an “almost insurmountable” lead to fundraise for other candidates. Asking Bernie to divert his fundraising efforts to other candidates at this point in the campaign is basically equivalent to asking him to surrender.
And keep in mind, Bernie has raised lots of money for Democrats in the past – and undoubtedly will do so again in the future.
Author: Jeremy Iggers
Jeremy Iggers is a journalist, university instructor and social entrepreneur with interests that include food, philosophy and global-local connections. Previously, he was a staff writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and publisher of the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Carol and two cats.
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