I hope my #BernieOrBust friends tuned into the Republican convention last week and are comparing it to the Democratic convention this week. There are 4 roads into the future of America from here. One is to continue to insist that Bernie is the only candidate that deserves your vote. This is a dead end, because such idealism, while feeling good personally, is not based in the real world.
Another is to vote for a fringe candidate like Jill Stein. Another dead end because it has no hope of success. I voted for John Anderson in 1980 because I felt Jimmy Carter let us down. Anderson got 7% of the vote and Ronald Reagan became President. I learned my lesson then.
A third road is to vote for con-man, charlatan Donald Trump. If you supported Bernie for his policies, then voting for Trump is equivalent to deliberately driving off a cliff!
The fourth and best road is to elect Hillary Clinton President because she will fight for the same goals as Bernie. She is our only hope of accomplishing what Bernie fought for - a living wage, a fair tax system that requires the wealthiest people to pay their fair share, a health care system that is a human right, a program to effectively address climate change, respect for all people regardless of color, gender, sexual orientation, religion or heritage, protecting Social Security, access to higher education without overwhelming debt, reversing the Citizens United decision, reasonable gun safety regulations, and security without forfeiting our constitutional rights.
Bernie paid a "yuge" role in making sure these issues will be priorities in a Clinton administration. His unprecedented success in mobilizing popular support for the issues focused all Democrats on what is immensely important in this year's election. We owe him an enormous debt and our thanks for all of his past service, a great campaign, and the work he will continue to do for us in the Senate.
