No Bernie- The Democratic Party is a Pretty Damn Good Institution

I guess this was inevitable. The "likable" Bernie Sanders that rose the polls and raised a lot of important issues had to eventually go after his opponent, Hillary Clinton. That's just politics. What's happened beyond that though is simply something we all should have seen coming. Bernie Sanders is a United States Senator, a known brand, a person who has stood as a progressive alternative to the Democratic Party for years. Some would call him an allied person, a member of Congress who stands with our party in the caucus and votes for our leaders. Others would say that he is an enemy, someone who's narrative of a weak and feckless Democratic Party reinforces what the American-Right says- that Democrats are morally bankrupt people with no spine, who are ineffective at what they do. I guess that depends on how much you value the institution of the Democratic Party though, and whether or not you really do think it's a worthwhile institution. I happen to think it is.

I guess I happen to think the modern Democratic Party is an institution worth having because of the lives it effects. This President, the one whom Senator Sanders says he wants to move to the left of, has done things that have helped millions of Americans. Just last week, he extended overtime rights to millions of workers who were not eligible before that. He signed the Affordable Care Act, which has extended health care to millions of Americans. He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, extending equal pay to millions of women. I could go on and on, but the point is that the Democratic Party may not be exactly what you individually want it to be, but it is an incredibly effective institution at helping millions who don't have a voice of their own. It also is a clear and contrasting with the Republican Party on issue after issue, even if the positions of the Democratic Party are not as liberal as everyone wants. Getting everything your way at all costs is not superior to improving the lives of millions. The perfect is not the enemy of the good.

This brings me back to Bernie Sanders, and the way this Democratic Primary has gone off the rails a bit. The Vermont Senator is now actively campaigning against the DNC Chairwoman, and accusing her of stacking the deck against him in this process. This twisting of reality is sad, because it suggests to his supporters that they should feel cheated- and honestly, he just lost fair and square. Sure, there are things I agree with him on that are wrong with the process we held- Saturday night debates and the existence of super-delegates come to mind first- but that doesn't change that the voters have chosen her by every metric imaginable to a sane person. Some don't want to accept that. This is why you have things like the near riot in Nevada. That is why Bernie's statement afterwards was so troubling to me- it seemed to reinforce the idea that it's the party, not the results, that are causing him to lose. The truth is, she's just winning this race, under the system that existed before either of them were running.

There is a point where every primary has outlived it's usefulness. The side that is behind tries to extend the race in hopes of a different result, and the fighting becomes more personally negative. Clinton supporters are resorting to calling Sanders a communist, a Republican plant, and attacking his party registration. Sanders supporters are embracing bogus Republican talking points about Hillary being corrupt, Benghazi, her e-mails, and all other sorts of madness. Since we know who will win the most pledged delegates at this point, it's time for the super-delegates to make clear they aren't switching sides, and end this discussion. For the sake of the election, we've reached that point.

For the sake of the party though, I really don't know what the right answer is. Here's the truth- you can't shut up Bernie or his supporters. We have a first amendment here. They can, and seemingly will, attack the Democratic Party in the same fashion the Tea Party destroyed the Republican Party as an institution. I happen to reject their view, that the Democratic Party is corrupted and ruined, and think the party has done mostly admirable things in recent years. It would be nice if more Democratic leaders would stop bunkering down, stop just telling the Sanders people to shut up, and would take on their attacks on the party. Otherwise we may see a damn good institution get burned to the ground.