http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

09/12/2016

 

Bring Back Bernie Sanders. Clinton Might Actually Lose To Trump.

 

During my writing this election, I’ve warned Democrats and voters afraid of Donald Trump that Bernie Sanders was the only way to defeat the GOP nominee. My advocacy for Bernie in over 200 articles in The Hill, Salon, and The Huffington Post was fueled in large part by my admiration for his honesty and message. As a result of being an inspiration to millions, polls showed Vermont’s Senator consistently beating Trump by over 10 points.

In contrast, Hillary Clinton was only up by 2.7 points over Trump the other day. Furthermore, time is no longer on Clinton’s side. She’ll need to actively campaign to win, yet just canceled a trip to California. Not long ago, a Trump presidency was viewed as an impossibility. Now, both candidates are battling for swing states and national polls show a virtual tie. How did this become possible?

After 5 DNC officials were forced to resign for cheating Bernie Sanders, and Vermont’s Senator endorsed Clinton, the oxygen was removed from a growing political revolution. Hillary Clinton became a political Ms. Pac Man, devouring Elizabeth Warren and then Bernie Sanders. The establishment claimed that unity was needed in order to defeat a dangerous Trump, but after months of being labeled Bernie Bros and worse, many progressives moved to Jill Stein. If Bernie doesn’t return, I’ll be voting for Dr. Stein in 2016.

Today, however, I was on Tim Black’s show regarding Clinton’s health scare in New York and did a follow up segment on my channel as well. Hillary Clinton is now battling pneumonia and I wish only the best for the former Secretary of State. I’m not a Hillary supporter, but I don’t want anyone to suffer health issues and hope for a speedy recovery. The uproar throughout the country regarding this topic, on the other hand, is a serious concern for Democrats.

If Clinton ever needed to leave the race, only one person would be able to defeat Trump. With WikiLeaks releasing emails this week and further questions regarding the Clinton Foundation, Democrats need Bernie Sanders now more than ever. It’s time for anyone who truly fears the dangers of a Trump presidency to admit the DNC’s decision to undermine Sanders was a colossal mistake. It’s also time for people to realize that Clinton’s current polling lead won’t hold up with further controversy.

 

According to Heavy.com, there’s still a chance for Bernie Sanders to become nominee if Clinton drops out:

So who would her replacement be? Even though Bernie Sanders did not assign his delegates to Clinton at the Democratic National Convention and he had the second-highest number of delegates in the Democratic party, the nomination would not automatically pass over to him if she dropped out. The nomination also wouldn’t automatically pass to the vice presidential running mate either.

According to the DNC’s bylaws and charter, the DNC would have the responsibility of picking a replacement. Exactly how this would be done is not spelled out, except that the members of the national committee would choose who fills the vacancy. The rules do not require that any kind of special consideration be given to Tim Kaine or Bernie Sanders. However, if someone besides Kaine were picked to replace Clinton, Kaine would remain in the VP spot.

…By doing this, Sanders did not give his delegates to Clinton by acclamation, like Clinton did for Obama. He kept his delegates, and this would likely give him a stronger argument for being given the nomination if Clinton were to drop out.

So, it’s possible for Bernie to still become Democratic nominee if Clinton drops out of the race. The same DNC that undermined Bernie’s campaign would ensure a Democrat in the White House if Bernie becomes nominee. If Hillary ever decides to drop out, Sanders would easily defeat Trump; the polls already show a landslide for Vermont’s Senator.

 

Furthermore, Bernie Sanders would rejuvenate an election cycle that has disgusted Americans of all political affiliations. Bernie’s ability to energize millions of voters is highlighted in a Time article titled Bernie Sanders Just Broke His Latest Fundraising Record:

He raised more than $44 million in March

Bernie Sanders just broke his monthly fundraising record, raking in more than $44 million in donations in March.

According to a press release from the campaign, the new March total breaks Sanders’ previous record total in February, which was $43.5 million. The Vermont Senator’s total for the first quarter of 2016 is now $109 million. His campaign has received 6.5 million contributions from 2 million donors.

Sanders out-raised rival and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in both January and February. She has not yet made her March fundraising totals public.

 

While Trump and Clinton compete for historic lows in favorability ratings, Bernie Sanders could once again break fundraising records. With less than two months before Election Day, can you imagine the passion and energy of progressive voters (and independents) if Bernie entered the race?

Bernie Sanders actually raised more money (for a certain time period) than Clinton. The renewed energy that Bernie would bring to the race is a prime reason for Democrats to consider a change. Before it’s too late, and before Donald Trump wins the election, Clinton could decide to hand the nomination to her runner-up.

Momentum is now on Trump’s side, and WikiLeaks hasn’t even released its latest batch of emails. Democratic Red Scare tactics aren’t working and blaming Russia for every Clinton controversy can’t overshadow corruption. What makes Donald Trump truly dangerous is the high voter turnout from his voters and the lack of desire among progressives to champion Clinton.

Also, the Clinton scandals will never end. Republicans have already subpoenaed three tech workers (involved in deleting Clinton’s emails) and will continue their own email investigation. Clinton’s FBI report showed that she blamed her concussion for not remembering briefings. As stated by Reuters, “Hillary Clinton, under questioning by federal investigators over whether she had been briefed on how to preserve government records as she was about to leave the State Department, said she had suffered a concussion, was working part-time and could not recall every briefing she received.”

Then of course, there’s the Clinton Foundation and the AP’s report stating 85 donors gave $156 million for access to Clinton. The report states “At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press.” There’s plenty of smoke (and perhaps a raging inferno) there to give the election to Trump. Speaking of the Clinton Foundation, if you find Hillary Clinton’s laptop in the mail, contact the authorities.

If Trump eventually wins the White House, it will be the fault of “progressive” writers and media. The people who defended Clinton at all costs, regardless of the latest controversy, have done this country a disservice. The journalists who focused on removing Bernie Sanders from the race, while at the same time spreading the notion that Trump must be stopped (even if Bernie was cheated), helped create the “Never Hillary” hashtag. When voters are deceived and then told to accept the deception, a Trump presidency is the natural consequence.

Today, however, it’s not too late for Bernie to save the Democratic Party. If Democrats truly want to win, they’ll rally around Bernie Sanders before Election Day. If Hillary Clinton cares about the future of this country, she’ll hand the nomination to Vermont’s Senator.