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Calvin Wolf is a novelist and editorialist living in west Texas, where he daylights a... See Profile
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) may sweep the three Democratic caucuses being held today in Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington. After this sweep, which will finally force the mainstream media to provide Sanders some respectable coverage, the Democratic primaries go into a state of hibernation until the big contest in New York. Though former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton still has a big delegate lead, the rest of the news cycle is working against her: She has record net negative favorability ratings, her e-mail server and speech transcript scandals aren't going away, and she has suffered through a spate of high-profile gaffes that make her appear tone-deaf and opportunistic. She is even losing in national polls to Bernie Sanders.
This is all very bad news for Hillary Clinton's campaign. Though she is still doing well in the primaries due to low-information voters, who vote for Clinton by default since they know little or nothing about her progressive rival, she cannot achieve victory in the general election without winning over Sanders' supporters after snaring the Democratic nomination. Though Clinton supporters, who tend to be less idealistic and politically engaged than Sanders supporters, are likely to accept any Democratic nominee in November, the reverse is not true. Bernie Sanders' supporters are idealistic, involved...and tend to actively dislike his frontrunner foe.
If it appears that Hillary Clinton cannot win over Sanders' supporters in the aftermath of the Democratic National Convention, voters may defect to Bernie Sanders en masse in later primary states and give the victory to the populist from Vermont. The Democratic Party and Democratic voters must protect their best interests, which involves having a nominee who can win in November. Bernie Sanders fares far better in head-to-head matchups with Republicans, including probable GOP nominee Donald Trump, than Hillary Clinton...and he's the Democrat who is winning both swing votersand swing states.
When it comes to the electoral college, the Democrats need Bernie Sanders.
Unwilling to accept this fact, pro-Clinton forces have unleashed barrages of Clinton apologists to argue why criticisms of her are unwarranted. Almost always beginning with "I really like Bernie Sanders," these apologists are trying to flip Sanders supporters by making sympathetic inroads and planting the seeds of doubt: Are Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton really that different? Is Hillary maybe close enough to Bernie for it to be okay? Won't they get the same things done, anyway?
By putting on a front of false empathy, these apologists try to play the "sensible grandparent" role and convince allegedly-naive Millenials that Hillary Clinton is almost as progressive as Bernie Sanders and can actually get things done in Washington.
Sorry, apologists, but we Berners will remain unconvinced. I would like to point out the weaknesses of the apologist arguments in favor of Hillary Clinton:
First, the argument of "only Clinton can actually get things done with a Republican-controlled Congress." This argument has been made since day one, with Clinton supporters giving condescending smiles and declaring that Sanders talks a good game...but Republicans would never, ever, ever pass any reforms proposed by a "socialist." Ignoring Republicans' love for socialist institutions like public school, law enforcement, and full-time, active-duty military forces, Clinton supporters insist that the GOP will only see hammers-and-sickles when Bernie Sanders speaks.
They ignore Republicans' respect for Bernie Sanders' integrity, his noteworthy bipartisan efforts, and never explain why Republicans would have any desire to work with Hillary Clinton instead of Sanders. They also ignore Clinton's damaging gaffe in October where she declared Republicans to be the enemy she was "most proud" of making. In fact, Clinton's intense focus on attacking the GOP rather than Bernie Sanders may prove to be a liability in the general election, with the Republican nominee easily able to portray the former Secretary of State as a spiteful partisan.
Another thing Clinton apologists never explain is why Republicans would work with Clinton if, as the apologists claim, all of Clinton's scandals are right-wing conspiracies against her. If Republicans are truly "out to get" Hillary, why would they suddenly want to work with her if she was in the Oval Office? If anything, Republicans would redouble their efforts to thwart her at every turn. The apologists waffle strangely between condemning Republican hated of Hillary Clinton and insisting that those same Republicans will welcome her with open arms if she becomes president.
In sum, the apologists' argument that Hillary Clinton could get more done with a Republican Congress is deeply flawed. If anything, it is Bernie Sanders who could accomplish more, even with his more progressive proposals.
Second, the tired argument that "realistic" and "incremental" change gets stuff done is not supported by history...and is also runs counter to our American legacy. The apologists constantly belittle Bernie Sanders' call for political revolution, insisting that his progressive reforms are too radical to ever see the light of day. Instead, they argue that Hillary Clinton's incremental proposals, which leave the pro-corporate power structure firmly in charge, are the only ones that can accomplish things. "You must work within the system," the apologists insist. "You cannot change politics."
Apparently, Clinton's apologists missed U.S. history class on the days when they covered the American Revolution, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Common School Movement, the Suffrage Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Women's Rights Movement. With so many days missed, perhaps we should demand their transcripts to see if they actually earned credit for U.S. history. They should know that revolution, notincrementalism, is responsible for America's greatest accomplishments in terms of social policy.
America's most beloved socialist institutions, public school and our professional military, were born of revolution. The Common School Movement gave us public school, and World War II gave us our professional, full-time military.
Today, our students are taught that America rose to the challenges of oppression and inequality by reacting with revolutionary change, not incremental change. Our students are socialized to praise this revolutionary streak. Is it any surprise that today's Millenials believe what we struggled so hard to teach them? It is ironic that Baby Boomer teachers worked so hard to teach Millenials the merits of political revolution in America...but now expect students to cling to a theory of incrementalism that has never worked.
In sum, political incrementalism doesn't work...and it was Baby Boomer teachers who taught Millenials that truth.
Third, you don't compromise on integrity when it comes to genuine leadership. You just don't. George Washington. Honest Abe. Get the picture? Again, Clinton apologists seem to have skipped a lot of school (ironically, public school) and missed all the lessons about George Washington, "Honest Abe" Lincoln, and the damaging scandals of Richard Nixon's Watergate and Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky. All the junior high lessons about good citizenship? The part about honesty, integrity, and courage? The apologists skipped those, too.
Apologists excuse Hillary Clinton's flip-flops on universal health care, tough-on-crime legislation, same-sex marriage, welfare reform, the Iraq War, and Wall Street as necessary evils of politics. They praise Clinton's "evolution" as a plus, not a minus. They argue that you have to make deals, roll with the punches, and give a little to get a little.
Compromising, rolling with the punches, and evolving one's views is commonplace when you're the average citizen and have to keep your bosses happy. These compromises are not acceptable when you are the boss. The president of the United States is a nationalmoral leader as well as policy leader, and integrity is of the utmost importance. Bernie Sanders has displayed this necessary integrity, but Hillary Clinton has not. She is a smart, hardworking woman...but she is not a leader of the caliber we need in the White House.
Baby Boomer teachers and parents fought hard to instill the values of integrity and courage in us Millenials, but now they want us to accept a presidential candidate who has displayed neither. Hillary Clinton has engaged in dishonest flip-flopping and has lacked the courage to stand up to wealthy donors and the profiteering establishment. Rather than resist them, she has joined them.
Until Hillary Clinton apologists understand these three vital issues, they will not understand why we Bernie Sanders supporters will never vote for Clinton. Since we won't flip, the apologists might as well join us. Trust us - it feels so much better to be on the side of right and good. Come on in: The integrity's nice.
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