It is clear that Roberta Lange played highhanded in a manner not suitable to a democratic process. Ms. Lange's behavior is consistent with shutting down discussion and imposing her predetermined rules, not deciding what the rules should be and then going forward after debate and deliberation..

To me, that sounds less like incompetence and more like willful tyranny.

The party establishment doesn't want to split the Democratic Party, but what they want is entirely unreasonable. They want us Sandernistas to lay down and take it and vote for Mrs. Clinton in November and give her carte blanche for whatever she plans to do. That's out of the question. No citizen owes the president that kind of loyalty, whether the citizen voted for that president or any one else. Several weeks ago, I came across a post by a Camp Weathervane dweller claiming that any good Democrat always supports a Democratic president. Really? He must be awfully young and naive. I'd like to talk to that greenhorn and tell him how we Democrats supported Lyndon Johnson and his dirty little war in Vietnam back in '68. It really was one of our prouder moments.

I would suggest to my fellow Sandernistas that we keep our council for now. I'm tired of being told our opinions count for nothing, that in spite of mounting an impressive insurgency against the party establishment that we should have no place at the table and stilll ought to work without question for the election of a president who will let crooked bankers off the hook, puts combat troops in the Middle East and pursue more trade deals and more trickle-down economics, all policies that have been disastrous for the overwhelming majority of the American people of both parties. If the party grandees want our support, they will have to talk to us as equals. Otherwise, it is Roberta Lange, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Hillary Clinton who have excluded us from the party. The onus is on them get us back if they want our help.

I expect Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump in November. Whether she does or doesn't, we will see if the party leaders wish to reconcile with us. If not, we may have to make a decision how to move forward without the support of the party establishment. the divide will simply continue at least through 2018.