Why Don't Bernie Voters Matter?

[The Magistrate]

135. There Would Be No Point In Merely Repeating Myself, Sir

I have stated facts. You are free to deny them, and cling to illusions you find comforting. The world can be a harsh and hard place, and it is understandable if you do. People often enjoy feeling themselves part of a crowd, one of many like themselves. They do so especially when it is manifestly obvious that the sort of person they are is not actually very numerous. Most claims to 'stand out against the herd' are at bottom attempts at exaggerating the size of the herd the person making such claims identifies with.

But your right to do this is no reason anyone should take you seriously when you do. You apparently are willing to claim 'DEMOCRACY' is a backroom deal to get by prearrangement a number of delegates whose views you share which is in excess of what can be carried by counting ballots. Indeed, you seem to believe that 'DEMOCRACY' means the minority can dictate terms to the majority. These are not meanings many people would attach to the word. They run quite contrary to the common understanding of the term, and to the normal function of any democratic system.

The fact is that the energy in this election lies with two groups. First, middle of the road types who are disgusted by this cheap thug Trump, and the passion of rank and file Democrats who hate this cheap thug Trump like poison. The 'Bernie' left has made itself expendable. Any great concession given him will repel the middle of the road types, and enrage the rank and file of Democratic voters, who have turned out in great numbers determined to see off 'Bernie' before he can do to their hopes what he did his best to do four years ago. If the left-most tail of the Party continues to proclaim it cannot be relied on to vote for the Party's nominee, and seeks by blackmail rooted in this unreliability to secure representation out of proportion to their number, the Party is left no choice but to try and make up the deficit from voters more towards the center. There just aren't that many dyed in the wool leftists in the electorate which campaigns seeking victory in a nationwide general election must harvest votes from. The course taken by left elements of the Party is worse than futile, it is counterproductive. It all but ensures left views will have no place at the table, and drives the Party not towards the left but to the center.






"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."