OVER. NOT OVER.

[Don1]

Dear All,

The primary is OVER. Vice President Joe Biden won the primary.

Also, everything about the convention is NOT OVER. As I have explained in a few threads, Bernie was looking for assurances that progressives have due influence in the Party. In fact, I will go further--these last few weeks it was already over and Bernie was looking for that assurance. Joe Biden has made overtures and both are on good terms.

This isn't about anyone leaving the Democratic Party. It's an internal struggle for...very specific items in the PARTY PLATFORM.

What you will see next from some people will be the circular left firing squad while many others call for it to stop. You will see continued bashing by both sides and from Trump. BUT you will also see many calls for people to be nice to each other.

Why will there be continued bashing? and who is doing this bashing?

I believe there are 4 categories of person doing this:
1. Individual Moderates with an ideological axe to grind who want progressives to have no say at all--this may be because they believe progressive ideas are unpopular and unelectable. Most moderates don't do this but some do.
2. The opposite: individual far lefties with an ideological axe to grind who want the party to adopt specific items. Most progressives don't do this, but some do.
3. Russianpublican trolls who want to create division so Trump can win. They will play on the division and make it worse through exaggeration and the giant Republican Spin Machine and corporate media.
4. Innocent bystanders who fall prey to all these categories of person believing disinformation campaigns.

Simply put, even though the primary is OVER, there remain challenges both inside the Democratic Party and outside that will hinder cooperation.

What can we individual bystanders actually do to help Joe Biden win and Trump lose.

My opinion:
1. Hold the line. Stay a Democrat no matter what you hear.
2. Stand up for what you believe in a professional way. Be respectful and argue using reason, not bashing.
3. If you see bashing, be first and foremost skeptical of its accuracy. Examine primary sources. Examine context of quotes. Think critically about what bashing you hear.
4. Don't accept hasty generalizations about groups of people, like "Moderates want people to die" or "Bernie supporters are a cult."
5. Ask people to be nice and respectful to each other.

That's all I have for now.

Go Unity!

[Ztolkins]

1. How bout we just not...and focus fire on Trump?

(not directed at you, OP)

[Thekaspervote]

8. This! Biden already indicated in the past 2 days that he wants sanders platform to play a role

[ShazzieB]

2. Excellent summation!

[ancianita]

4. Works for me, Don 1. Go, Unity!

Thanks for your post.

[Don1]

10. You are very welcome.

[RobertDevereaux]

5. Thanks, Don1. Well stated!

[Don1]

9. Thank you, too.

[Indykatie]

6. I'd Add a 6th Item to What We Can Do to Support Biden

6. Question whether some of the most vicious and ridiculous attacks may be coming from trolls in Russia or elsewhere who are engaged solely for the purpose of creating chaos and mistrust among Dems.

I have already told Cenk to f**k off today so I won't add that here.

[Hortensis]

7. :) Go, unity! And we have been and ARE strongly united.

[MrsCoffee]

11. It's over. The Fat Lady will not be singing an encore.

Let the grownups take it from here.

Time for Bernie to go home and spend some quality time with family. I'm sure his heart would thank him.

He can go back to running as an Independent for 2024....

Oh, he already has.

[Don1]

12. seriously?

There is zero need for negative attacks at this point. Bernie remains because this has been and continues to be about the party platform. We should welcome progressives to the extent of their subpopulation within the Party. They should have representation and due influence and that is how the party rules work. Negative campaigning at this point is ridiculously irrational.

We need to unite behind Biden and follow his lead. The specific platform issues we want to speak out on we can. Because that is democracy that the Democratic Party wants us to have.

[NurseJackie]

13. We must remember that LOSER doesn't get to make demands. It's the WINNER who guides the platform...

Bernie was looking for assurances that progressives have due influence in the Party. In fact, I will go further--these last few weeks it was already over and Bernie was looking for that assurance.

We must remember that LOSER doesn't get to make demands. His ideas were rejected. Simple as that. It's the WINNER who guides the platform... and as a "courtesy" the winner can make a conciliatory gesture to the loser... but that's it. The losing candidate needs to keep things in perspective. His "revolution" never materialized and he's in a position of weakness at this point.

[Don1]

15. The winner guides

The delegates influence.

Democracy.

Not totalitarianism.

We are DEMOCRATS not REPUBLICANS.

[NurseJackie]

16. The loser is in no position to make demands.

Ask nicely.

[LizBeth]

14. The same thing we did in 2016, put up a platform that HRC already holds to and pat Sanders on the

head with a job well done like one would do with a toddler.