Bernie Sanders officially endorses Hilary Clinton for president

[PorkChop]

“There is no doubt in my mind that as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is by and far away the best candidate to do that... “Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her today.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -president

Bernie supporters - will you be voting Clinton now?

[Daz]

She's shady as fuck, positively repellant and quite possibly some sort of lizard like alien wearing a human skin costume ... and somehow still a better choice than Trump.

[VaderBomb]

I've supported Bernie for a very long time and this endorsement is heartbreaking. Bernie looked miserable during his speech this morning. I personally will be voting for Jill Stein or writing in Bernie.

I would never vote for the demagogue twat Trump or the criminal cunt Clinton.

[Hanley!]

I'm actually getting worried Trump will win now, because at least the crazy people love him. Whereas not many people love Clinton. The majority of people would prefer Clinton as president, but she's not an exciting candidate by any means and it seems more and more possible that a lot of more progressively minded voters will vote for a third party or fail to turn up to the polls.

Fingers crossed that doesn't happen. It's a bummer to have to say it, but I'd urge people to vote for Clinton even if they're really not keen on her. I know it's hard to get excited about the choice, I wouldn't want to vote for her either. But a dull, self-serving, status quo president would be infinitely preferable to making a racist loon the leader of the most powerful nation on earth.

[DBSoT]

I'm actually getting worried Trump will win now, because at least the crazy people love him. Whereas not many people love Clinton. The majority of people would prefer Clinton as president, but she's not an exciting candidate by any means and it seems more and more possible that a lot of more progressively minded voters will vote for a third party or fail to turn up to the polls.

Fingers crossed that doesn't happen. It's a bummer to have to say it, but I'd urge people to vote for Clinton even if they're really not keen on her. I know it's hard to get excited about the choice, I wouldn't want to vote for her either. But a dull, self-serving, status quo president would be infinitely preferable to making a racist loon the leader of the most powerful nation on earth.

You're missing some information. Trump may have a dedicated base, but he doesn't by any means have the full conservative vote. Hell a lot of people in his own party have tried to devise ways to take his nomination at next week's Republican National Convention. Beyond that, Gary Johnson (the top 3rd party candidate) is now polling at 13%. If he gets to 15%, he would be the first 3rd party candidate to be on the presidential debate stage since 1992 (Ross Perot). The reason this is relevant is because Johnson is economically conservative and socially liberal. He would likely steal a good portion of the younger conservative vote (check out the 18-29 age groun below). Especially considering this would put a face for the people that are on the #NeverTrump movement. Now that Bernie has endorsed Hillary, I expect those Democrats to rally behind anyone that isn't Trump. Whether that is Hillary, Johnson, Stein or write in Bernie, I don't know. People will more than likely cling to Hillary though, knowing that she is the most likely to beat Trump. The one area in the below poll that Trump needs to dominate is the age group of 65+. That is the conservative base and includes the age group with the highest voter turnout (69%, haha). The fact that he is even close to Hillary shows that he not in a good position. Trump is also about to be on a debate stage going 1-1. Something he isn't good at, because his soundbite material doesn't translate. You need facts and detail on a presidential debate stage. Trump hasn't shown a propensity for either.

[Hanley!]

It would be great to see more names on the debate stage, and engaging a larger percentage of the voting public. I really hope that happens. But without that presence, I think realistically it will become very much a two horse race as the election grows nearer. It's unlikely that a large enough percentage of the population are tuned into politics to the extent where they'd educate themselves about the candidates that aren't being covered constantly by the media.

It would have been interesting to see Bernie run as a third party candidate, as he's received enough media already that he might have been a viable threat. But he's been saying since the beginning that defeating the Republicans was the most important thing, and I guess he can't be faulted for remaining true to that.

I don't envy you guys anyway. Our election earlier this year was very much the same - realistically everyone knew that no matter who we voted for, we wouldn't get a government that we really wanted. So you end up voting for the best of a bad lot.

[Everlong]

I will never, ever vote for Hillary Clinton or for Donald Trump. Bernie's endorsement doesn't change that in the slightest. He's doing what he's got to do and I respect that, but I'm done voting for the lesser of two major evils. I'm going to vote for person whose opinions best reflect my own and who is not either an unabashed racist demagogue or an unreliable unrepentant criminal.

[DBSoT]

I will never, ever vote for Hillary Clinton or for Donald Trump. Bernie's endorsement doesn't change that in the slightest. He's doing what he's got to do and I respect that, but I'm done voting for the lesser of two major evils. I'm going to vote for person whose opinions best reflect my own and who is not either an unabashed racist demagogue or an unreliable unrepentant criminal.

There is always room for one more person on the Johnson train (Phrasing!). Though I imagine you might be more of a Jill Stein person, because I believe you have mentioned in the past that the environment is a big issue for you.

For what it's worth, Gary Johnson will have the best weed.

[Hanley!]

Here's something I'm kinda interested in: could Trump or Clinton's running mates have any impact on who people vote for here? If Clinton was to pick a politician you really liked or respected as her potential Vice President, could that tempt anyone to her side? Or is that really not much of a factor in how people vote?

[DBSoT]

Here's something I'm kinda interested in: could Trump or Clinton's running mates have any impact on who people vote for here? If Clinton was to pick a politician you really liked or respected as her potential Vice President, could that tempt anyone to her side? Or is that really not much of a factor in how people vote?

I imagine this question is for Tim, but I will answer anyway. It could possibly change my vote, but considering who the front runners are for the VP nominations, I doubt it. Trump looks likely to take Mike Pence, and seriously fuck that shit right up its own asshole. Pence is the guy who sign into law the Religious Freedom Restoration act. What the act did, was essentially allow businesses to deny service to LGBT people on grounds of religious freedom. His exact quote to congress, “Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexual's as a ‘discreet and insular minority’ entitled to the protection of anti-discrimination laws similar to those extended to women and ethnic minorities.” So Trump would essentially be destroying the hispanic, black and female vote. While Pence would be destroying the LGBT vote. I guess from that angle it is good to watch them crash and burn.

Hillary on the other hand, only has one option that I would even consider and that is Bill Clinton. The only reason I would even accept that is because if she got impeached he could be president again for 2 years. Any one person can be president for up to 10 years, but only 2 consecutive (4 year) terms.

[AkydefGoldberg]

It was inevitable I guess but from what the posts from VaderBomb, I did have a slight thought he might not be too quick to back Hilary due to his own beliefs and viewpoints. You'd imagine he's received some sort of deal that's favourable to pushing his priorities and passions but it's easy to promise that before election day, it's another thing to enact it post an election victory. I hope his belief in Hilary isn't regretted because, he seems to have generated support from younger people and offered an alternative to the strongly supported Hil.

Elections seems to be depressing these days and it's a sad sign of the times that you're voting for the 'lesser of two evils' instead of who you feel is the best candidate. I sympathise with Tim's decision but if I was in his shoes, the way things are progressing every vote will count and in a way, sometimes you have to vote strategically sadly to prevent the 'worse of the two evils' get the top job. But again, that's my personal view.

[War Daddy]

Fuck Mike Pence.

[Everlong]

I will never, ever vote for Hillary Clinton or for Donald Trump. Bernie's endorsement doesn't change that in the slightest. He's doing what he's got to do and I respect that, but I'm done voting for the lesser of two major evils. I'm going to vote for person whose opinions best reflect my own and who is not either an unabashed racist demagogue or an unreliable unrepentant criminal.

There is always room for one more person on the Johnson train (Phrasing!). Though I imagine you might be more of a Jill Stein person, because I believe you have mentioned in the past that the environment is a big issue for you.

For what it's worth, Gary Johnson will have the best weed.

Johnson's like the exact opposite of Sanders' platform, so I wouldn't be interested in voting for him. Jill Stein... meh, she's probably closest left to what I"d want but she has zero relevant experience and her views about vaccines/alternative medicine are frightening to say the least. But even that is minor compared to the reservations I have about either major candidate.

Here's something I'm kinda interested in: could Trump or Clinton's running mates have any impact on who people vote for here? If Clinton was to pick a politician you really liked or respected as her potential Vice President, could that tempt anyone to her side? Or is that really not much of a factor in how people vote?

Eh, running mates are really more of a marketing tool than anything else. Sure, they take over in the event the president dies/resigns/is removed from office, but they've never really been much of a factor in voting, at least for me. Joe Biden hasn't been super visible for the last eight years. I can't imagine a great choice of running mate would sway me HIllary's way.

I sympathise with Tim's decision but if I was in his shoes, the way things are progressing every vote will count and in a way, sometimes you have to vote strategically sadly to prevent the 'worse of the two evils' get the top job. But again, that's my personal view.

\
This kind of thinking is what perpetuates the two party system that virtually everyone agrees is broken. It's such a weird phenomenon here in the States. Everybody wants to get rid of the two-party system, but then once the actual election hits, if you vote third party you're "throwing your vote away." I'm of the opinion that no vote cast is a vote wasted, and that people should absolutely vote for the candidate they like best/align with most, regardless of their chance to win.

[DBSoT]

Johnson's like the exact opposite of Sanders' platform, so I wouldn't be interested in voting for him. Jill Stein... meh, she's probably closest left to what I"d want but she has zero relevant experience and her views about vaccines/alternative medicine are frightening to say the least. But even that is minor compared to the reservations I have about either major candidate.

Fair enough. I don't see Johnson as the polar opposite of Sanders. I do agree they have different ideals on economic policy, but I think they would actually be pretty agreeable on a lot of social issues. Johnson is the closest thing to a liberal as a conservative can get. You really can't be considered conservative with anything close to Bernie's economic policies. Hell, Hillary looks conservative compared to Bernie's economic policies.

[VaderBomb]

Bernie still hasn't conceded, he's taking his campaign to the convention.

[Everlong]

Bernie still hasn't conceded, he's taking his campaign to the convention.

I'd say his endorsement of Hillary is basically an unofficial concession.

[VaderBomb]

Bernie still hasn't conceded, he's taking his campaign to the convention.

I'd say his endorsement of Hillary is basically an unofficial concession.

I saw this earlier on social media and it helped me understand the situation a bit more:

Q. Why did Bernie endorse Hillary now?

A. They threatened to completey shut him out of the convention if he didn't.

Q. Couldn't he have said screw them and go and fight at the convention anyway?

A. No. Hillary has more delegates, Superdelegates, and supporters on the DNC rules committee. They would have voted down every one of our platforms, denied Bernie the opportunity to speak, and basically shut him out of the entire process. All the leverage he has gained up to this point would be gone.

Q. So wait, Bernie DIDN'T quit today?

A. No. He had to say she won the primary, he endorses her and will help the party defeat Trump, yadda yadda but he DID NOT concede. There is a very big and important difference. Had he conceded, all of his delegates would go to Hillary and he would no longer be an option for nominee.

Q. So Bernie can actually still win??

A. YES. And if he wasn't still TRYING to win, he would have conceded. The ONLY option he had to get to the convention with his delegates behind him and have a chance to still win was to do what he did today. He is not a traitor. He didn't sell us out. He did the only possible thing he could have done to keep fighting for the nomination.

Q. So how can Bernie still win if he's losing the delegate count and he just said he will help Hillary win the election?

A. By far the most important thing to the DNC, even more important than making sure Hillary beats Bernie, is making sure the Democratic nominee beats the Republicans in November. They scrutinize every poll, every opinion of the public, every event to judge whether a candidate is strong enough to win in November. There are A LOT of things going on right now that show how weak of a general election candidate Hillary Clinton is:

-66% of the country sees her as untrustworthy

-60% thinks she should have been indicted for the email scandal

-A lot of Bernie supporters won't vote for her

-Congress has requested the Department of Justice investigate her for lying under oath about the email scandal

-There's a possibility more emails will be leaked by wikileaks or hackers further proving her guilt

-Many believe the FBI is secretly investigating the Clinton Foundation

-Her "wins" during the primary havr been tainted with accusations of fraud, suppression, lawsuits, and investigations

And then there's Bernie. An honest candidate people trust and whose approval rating and trustworthy rating crushes Clinton's. This is the argument Bernie will make at the convention. With all his 1,900 delegates inside arguing this case and 100,000 supporters outside arguing this case, we hope the DNC realizes he's the only choice. He CAN win the convention, but he has to get there first. That's why he endorsed her today.

Q. So it's still important that all of his delegates go to the convention and we all still March on it like we planned?

A. It's more important now than it ever was before.

Q. What if the DNC still refuses to nominate him at the convention? Can he still run third party now that he endorsed her?

A. Yes. In fact, running third party has never been an option until AFTER the convention. We need to stick with Bernie and see this through to the convention. He's led us this far. Do not abandon him now.

Q. What if he loses at the convention and doesn't run third party, but instead endorses Hillary 100% and asks us to vote for her?

A. Then our revolution continues without him and we continue to fight against Hillary Clinton and the DNC all the way up to November and beyond by voting for someone like Jill Stein or writing Bernie in. But the time for that is NOT here yet.

Q. So what did Bernie accomplish with this move?

A. Backed into a corner, facing the entire political pressure of the Democratic Party and the DNC, robbed of a right to claim he should be winning if not for a rigged process, and faced with the threat of being shut out of the convention completely Bernie:

1. Managed to stay in the race and secure a prime speaking slot at a contested convention which he can turn into a floor fight

2. Kept all of his delegates to use as leverage in that floor fight

3. Got tens of thousands of people to "Like" and "follow" Green Party candidate Jill Stein on social media

4. Amplified the #NeverHilliary screams of his supporters for all the media and Superdelegates to see 12 days before the convention.

Anyone trashing Bernie today needs to wake up and respect the masterful chess move he just made. #StillSanders

This article is quite telling as to why he made the decision: https://medium.com/@Starkweather/by-end ... .huq4chw2i

[Everlong]

"By Endorsing Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders May Have Positioned Himself to Win The Presidency"

That article has to be satire, right?

That entire Q&A just reeks of a complete disconnect with reality. It's over. It's been over for months. As much as I like Sanders, and as much as I dislike Clinton, it's over. Bernie knows it's over. Most rational people do. There is no "masterful chess move" or hidden motive of pulling out all the stops at the convention. It's done.

[The Legend]

The line of thinking in this thread is terrifying to me. Donald Trump is Satan's Spawn. He cannot possibly be allowed to become president and every vote cast for a candidate that stands no chance of winning is a vote cast to make Trump president.

[DBSoT]

The line of thinking in this thread is terrifying to me. Donald Trump is Satan's Spawn. He cannot possibly be allowed to become president and every vote cast for a candidate that stands no chance of winning is a vote cast to make Trump president.

That is not at all true. Any person who comprises their values to vote for the lesser of two evils is the problem. The only way the two party system will ever end is if people start to see the votes increase for 3rd party candidates. People need to see that 3rd party candidates have a chance or else they will continually vote for shit Dems and shit Rebs. Ultimately leading to constant shit leaders. Also, saying that a vote for Gary Johnson is a vote for Trump is BS. A good portion of the reason Johnson is getting such high polling numbers is because people are truly scared of Trump or Hillary being president. However, Johnson is conservative and comes off as an alternative to Trump, and pulls those voters. Bernie voters could hurt Hillary, but I don't see it. They will do what they can to fight off Trump.

The other issue is we live in a visual world. People vote on what they see on TV, so putting an additional option on the debate stage is huge for the voters to see alternatives.