Dear Super Delegates: Want party unity? Endorse Bernie Sanders

May 10, 2016 by Barbara With

Dear 2016 Super Delegates,

Tonight, Bernie Sanders won another primary, this time in West Virginia. As momentum continues to build for his campaign, so, too, grow the ranks of the disaffected who vow not to vote for Hillary Clinton.

It should be clear to you and the Democratic National Committee that Hillary Clinton is quickly becoming your biggest liability. She has barely enough support to beat presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump. She strays so far from the Democratic platform that Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush’s donors are now throwing millions her way, to no avail. If things keep going as they are, by the time the convention rolls around, the anti-Hillary numbers will have swelled to hundreds of thousands, if not millions more pledged not to vote for her. By November, you can kiss the White House goodbye.

Believe us when we say, that is not our hope. Our motive is to make sure you do not underestimate the true threat our movement has on your intention to elect Clinton at all costs. That would be a dangerous miscalculation on your part.

Despite your chaos, those of us who have vowed never to vote for Hillary would like to offer Super Delegates a simple and elegant solution to unite your divided party.

Endorse Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders rally, Madison, WI April 2, 2016.

Democrats are worrying about how to grow the party, and quickly, in order to defeat Trump—one of the most terrifying presidential candidates in the history of American politics. Even Sanders says so—a true progressive is the only one who can stop this US tyrant. Unfortunately, as of today, you lack the power to unite the party under Clinton to accomplish that.

Our suggestion will not only unite the party, it will dramatically increase the ranks of card-carrying Democrats and improve retention rates of current members. Not only for this presidential election, but throughout legislatures, into governors’ offices, all the way down-ballot to county board and city council races across America. This could be the United States’ Justin Trudeau moment.

Bernie Sanders, Portland, Oregon. Photo: Steve Dykes/AP

By endorsing Sanders, you will also move the party—overnight—one step closer to getting corporate money out of politics and securing truly progressive Supreme Court nominees. Every Super Delegate becomes a hero, thereby expanding grass-roots financing of your campaigns and bringing back the voice of the people, which is so sorrowfully absent from the Democratic National Committee.

As an added benefit, this solution would actually be the just and fair action for the good of the whole party. No dark money, no propaganda, no false advertising, no having to bring down the competition’s online presence. No one—not Sanders’ supporters or Hillary fans—will be forced to support a candidate that does not align to the progressive platform.

Who are we to demand such a thing?

We are the people who have been thrown off the voter rolls, are being forced to vote on hackable voting machines, and have evidence of the manipulation of caucuses to favor Clinton. We feel that because of this ample evidence, Clinton has not really “won” all those states. And with the current disrepair of US election systems, it is impossible to prove she did. Endorsing Sanders will rectify all that and move the party forward to address an all-important, non-negotiable issue of the progressive platform: “the right to vote and to having every vote counted.”

Bernie Sanders rally, Sacramento, CA, 21,000 in attendance. Photo: @fastlife3o5, Twitter

We are the ones who have had to endure a corporate press that all but leaves our candidate out of the news. How do we know? Because we have not been blinded by the media spin of Clinton’s inevitability. We see past the hype because there are over 1.2 million in our Facebook family, many more of us stick together on Twitter and other social media. Because of this, we know when Clinton has a crowd of 50 but the corporate cameras are fudging the angle; we know when 21,000 show up in Sacramento to cheer Bernie on, even if national news barely speaks of it. Endorsing Bernie will force the media to align with the truth.

We have done the math. When Super Delegates endorse Sanders, his and your support soar; when Super Delegates endorse Clinton, more people pledge to leave the party.

We are the ones whose candidate has come from far behind in the polls. On June 1, 2014, Sanders polled at 0.8% compared to Clinton’s 64.4%. In July 2015, Clinton led Sanders by 34 percentage points, (59%/25%). Today, Sanders is neck and neck with Clinton, but much more importantly, Sanders leads Donald Trump in the polls by double digits. By July, Clinton will have dropped even further. We are so sure that Sanders will easily best Trump that we promise to phone bank disgruntled Trump supporters and deliver the landslide in November.

We are the voters who have been minimized by Clinton and attacked by her supporters and trolls hired by her Super Pacs. On April 25, the night before five primary elections, multiple Bernie Sanders Facebook pages were attacked by self-professed Clinton supporter Casey Champagne and his hackers, who posted child porn on the Sanders’ sites. Clinton super pac, Correct the Record, has pledged $1 million to defeat the army of Sanders supporters who work together on social media. Super Delegates! Is this what the Democratic Party wants to stand for? Sanders has already gotten dark money out of politics. He did not wait for the law to change. He will lead with this example.

We are the environmentalists who know there is no such thing as “responsible fracking” and will not stand for the destruction of our water.  Clinton’s energy policy includes the use of fracking, which Sanders has promised to ban. Clinton’s record of pushing fracking, coal, iron ore and other mining in other countries and in our oceans is not acceptable. We feel that the US must respect the rest of the world’s right to clean water as much as we protect our own. Clinton’s policies go against two more non-negotiable issues of the progressive platform: climate change and clean water. By endorsing Sanders, the party moves energy policy forward in the right direction without delay.

We are the ones who want money out of politics. We feel that by taking all that corporate dark money, Clinton is undermining our efforts and the party platform for campaign finance reform. The more she takes, the harder it will be to overthrow Citizen’s United and prove we don’t want it or need it.

But perhaps our greatest fear, one that we share with you, is that she will lose to Donald Trump.

Even though 99% of Wisconsin went to Sanders, Wisconsin Super Delegate Sen. Tammy Baldwin and others have pledged to vote for Clinton.

Because of the reasons listed above, we are not willing to support Clinton. But we are willing to put our power into a true democratic process that will benefit everyone in the party. We are even willing to negotiate as per the Super Delegate rules. In Wisconsin, even though 99% went to Sanders, Wisconsin Super Delegate Sen. Tammy Baldwin and others have pledged to vote for Clinton. Since you pledged your vote to Clinton even where Sanders has won overwhelmingly, then you can certainly change your pledge to Sanders in order to unite the party and beat Trump. And according to maps like the one at the right, it would be the only fair thing to do for your constituents.

So that’s our deal. We think it’s fair and a win/win for all. But it’s up to you. Do you really want to unite the party, or will you be beholden to Clinton and her corporate cabal at all costs?

Makes no never mind to us. We know what we want: a party that will truly represent us. If you pick Clinton, who we feel does not, what other choice will we have but to leave and start a party of our own? No hard feelings though.

Either way, we are prepared to do the right thing and stay true to our progressive values and dreams.

Are you?

Sincerely,

The 99%