by Mike Smith Bernie Sanders was right all along. The Democratic presidential nominating system is rigged. Leaked emails prove the Democratic National Committee headed by their recently ousted chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was putting both feet on the scale to give Hillary Clinton the edge during close Democratic primaries. Of course, the DNC is supposed to be neutral in the Democratic presidential primary process.
Sanders' supporters have every right to be angry with Democratic leaders and are now reluctant to back Clinton because they suspect her campaign was in on the dirty tricks. Many believe the election results would have been different without party interference. While we'll never really know the full extent of the DNC's bias, some Sanders supporters will always believe the election was stolen.
The DNC has since apologized to the Sanders campaign. But why those who were directly involved in trying to smear Sanders are still employed by the DNC is still baffling to most. Sanders has endorsed Clinton for president, with the explanation that she's a far better choice than Republican Donald Trump. But many of his supporters are asking this question: How can Sanders continue to fight for a “revolution,” when the candidate he has teamed up with is the antithesis of everything that “revolution” represents?
Sanders called for fundamental change in the electoral process, attracting a new coalition of supporters eager to break down the nation's political and economic institutions, and along with them — they thought — many barriers for underprivileged Americans. Clinton, on the other hand, benefited from her status as part of a powerful, connected political elite and certainly not eager for the same fundamental change as her primary opponent, but forced to modify her rhetoric to adapt to Sanders' growing momentum.
Sanders also called for breaking up the big Wall Street banks and closing the gap between the rich and the poor. He did so with authenticity because he took no money from Wall Street. For her part, Clinton leveraged her Wall Street connections to help fund her campaign. And she sits comfortably in the 1 percent income bracket that Sanders so effectively railed against.
Supporters of Sanders do not believe Clinton represents the change they desperately sought in this election. His supporters are rightly suspicious of Clinton's recently found commitment to reforming the economic and political system. They wonder if this is simply politics as usual: say or do anything to get elected. Confirmation of the Democratic National Committee's favoritism only deepens their concern and the legitimacy of their claims.
While Clinton supporters argue that all Democrats must fall in line to defeat Donald Trump, that message rings hollow to many Sanders supporters, because they believe that party stalwarts rigged the primary election in favor of Hillary Clinton. And if Sanders' supporters refuse to vote for Clinton, because of how she won and what she represents, resulting in the Democrats losing the presidential election, then the blame, according to Sanders supporters, should be directed solely at party leaders, and not at them.
Bernie Sanders is to be congratulated for the campaign he ran and for the movement he started. However, for many Bernie supporters there's no escaping these two facts: The status quo prevailed and Sanders has capitulated. Few supporters blame him. Instead, they blame a political system that is rigged to overwhelm those who dare to challenge it.
Often at a national party convention there is some phrase or comment that is unscripted or, if scripted, is meant as an aside. When it is said, it generates controversy that may linger for months, even years. Comedian Sarah Silverman made such a comment, urging Bernie supporters to face reality, capitulate and accept the status quo, scolding them for being ridiculous.
Silverman's comment begs this question: Will Bernie supporters capitulate and succumb to the status quo in the same way and for the same reasons as their leader did, or will the movement continue without him? Only time will tell.
Mike Smith was the secretary of administration and secretary of human services under former Gov. Jim Douglas. He is the host of the radio program, “Open Mike with Mike Smith,” on WDEV 550 AM and 96.1, 96.5 and 101.9 FM. He is also a political analyst for WCAX-TV and WVMT radio and is a regular contributor to The Times Argus, Rutland Herald and Vermont Business Magazine.