Sanders says he will work with Clinton to transform party - Polidicks

[quote]Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said Thursday in an address to his supporters that he will work with Hillary Clinton to transform the Democratic Party, adding that his "political revolution" must continue and ensure the defeat of Republican Donald Trump. Sanders said in a capstone livestream address to his political followers that the major task they face is to "make certain" Trump is defeated. The Vermont senator said he plans to begin his role in that process "in a very short period of time."[/quote] [url]http://elections.ap.org/content/sanders-says-he-will-work-clinton-transform-party[/url]

What is he going to work with? You can't work with the very thing you strive to change.

Exactly. What motivation does she have to change the Democratic party? She's going to be handed votes on a silver platter just because "she's not trump lol".

He's welcome to try by going this route, and such efforts are encouraged, but success is doubtful. The establishment is not just going to roll over so abruptly and completely reform itself in ways that are entirely against its own interests. The Democratic Party will not do this, the Republican Party definitely won't do it. I appreciate his convictions, and this definitely proves that Sanders has them and sticks by them, but nobody should get their hopes up here. The odds of it leading anywhere beneficial for us ordinary folks might as well be non-existent. Now his statements about having supporters run for office... that's not a bad idea. Infiltrate the system from within. Occupy positions. Doubtful that will work either, but it's worth attempting at least.

The Democratic Party as a whole would welcome this as a way to futureproof themselves. By expanding the ideology to be closer in line with Sanders it will prevent the alienation that so many young voters have this year, thus making a Clinton reelection easier as well as ensuring the party will win the election afterwards. It's been clear this time around that many young voters are looking for alternatives, so why keep them out of the party when you can just change policy to appeal to them?

[QUOTE=piddlezmcfuz;50536732] It's been clear this time around that many young voters are looking for alternatives, so why keep them out of the party when you can just change policy to appeal to them?[/QUOTE] Because their only appeal in the end of the day is helping out the "top one percent"

Because of the way American government is structured, we are always going to have a two party system (this is true of most presidential systems). Each of the two parties, however, is a coalition of groups that would be their own parties in parliamentary systems. While we've had the same parties for years, they make remarkable changes and transformations from the inside. So Sanders could easily strengthen and expand the party by simply adding "young social democrats" to the Democrat coalition.

Good. Cooperation and compromise is how government works. Being angry at Sanders for trying to achieve his goals through cooperation and compromise is idiotic, polarizing bullshit. If you're mad at the Republican House for blocking a bunch of shit and refusing to compromise, you shouldn't want Sanders to refuse to compromise and cooperate with the people most likely to enact the reforms he's seeking. Stop polarizing the political process and realize that many of Sanders' goals can be rolled into the Democratic Party platform, which will be beneficial for the Democratic Party and for US politics as a whole.

Bernie was great in the beginning, but now I just don't know anymore. It has to do with values and his seem compromised - even by his most recent speech to his supporters.

[QUOTE=BioWaster;50538468]Bernie was great in the beginning, but now I just don't know anymore. It has to do with values and his seem compromised - even by his most recent speech to his supporters.[/QUOTE] you cant butt heads forever, eventually you need to compromise the slave abolition movement didnt overthrow the government either... they fought it, the government lost, they talked and then the government became abolitionist... thats how shit works... thats why occupy failed... they chose to keep butting heads further and further until the media could marginalize them out of existence. also bernie lost, his movement didnt perhaps but he lost the bid for the POTUS candidacy... his strongest chip is if he will run independent, he forgoes that as soon as he does... so its in his and his movements best interests to just spearhead for change now... hillary could very well be completely on his side now, since her candidacy is assured for her, plus she can get the bernie bros on her side if she helps bring meaningful change to her party... EVEN IF she does it for nothing but personal gain... she still did it, and the change still happened... that means that next presidential candidacy a more fair and balanced democratic candidate will rise to the top... perhaps another socialist.

The entire reason Hillary is winning the DNC is because how hilariously corrupt it is-- noone is going to go for this.

[QUOTE=Blizzerd;50538572]you cant butt heads forever, eventually you need to compromise the slave abolition movement didnt overthrow the government either... they fought it, the government lost, they talked and then the government became abolitionist... thats how shit works... thats why occupy failed... they chose to keep butting heads further and further until the media could marginalize them out of existence. also bernie lost, his movement didnt perhaps but he lost the bid for the POTUS candidacy... his strongest chip is if he will run independent, he forgoes that as soon as he does... so its in his and his movements best interests to just spearhead for change now... hillary could very well be completely on his side now, since her candidacy is assured for her, plus she can get the bernie bros on her side if she helps bring meaningful change to her party... EVEN IF she does it for nothing but personal gain... she still did it, and the change still happened... that means that next presidential candidacy a more fair and balanced democratic candidate will rise to the top... perhaps another socialist.[/QUOTE] I agree completely, but from the money he raised and the weak campaign he ran I can't help but feel let down that he would side with Hillary based on the Demparty and not what he and his followers supposedly believed in. Also I'm not a bernout or whatever they're called nowadays. This is my outsider opinion.

[QUOTE=Map in a box;50539243]The entire reason Hillary is winning the DNC is because how hilariously corrupt it is-- noone is going to go for this.[/QUOTE] Which IMO gives them more incentive now. They have Clinton locked in. Why not now change it after it matters and force the Republicans hand to do the same. It makes them look good and progressive.

[QUOTE=Levelog;50539689]Which IMO gives them more incentive now. They have Clinton locked in. Why not now change it after it matters and force the Republicans hand to do the same. It makes them look good and progressive.[/QUOTE] That's exactly what will happen and has already happen. Hillary bumped up to $15/hr minimum wage and hasn't backed out of that yet - even though she's locked in. If she was trying to steal votes from Sanders, why stick with that position? His influence has pushed the DNC left because he got 45% of their voter base. The DNC is not as wildly corrupt as people think. Yes, there was suspect shit this election. But it's not Russia. Bernie will stick with the DNC and push the party towards more progressive policies, in much the same way that Trump sticking with the GOP will push their stances on LGBT rights in a more liberal direction to compete with the rapidly changing opinion of LGBT peoples in the USA. Parties adjust. Sanders has a lot of weight to make them adjust, and he will use that to make some excellent changes - especially through down-ballot endorsements, where he's already killing it.

[QUOTE=.Isak.;50539839]That's exactly what will happen and has already happen. Hillary bumped up to $15/hr minimum wage and hasn't backed out of that yet - even though she's locked in. If she was trying to steal votes from Sanders, why stick with that position? His influence has pushed the DNC left because he got 45% of their voter base.[/QUOTE] That's something I've been saying for a while. Hillary is a politician through-and-through. That's both a bad thing, and in some ways a good thing. If the Democratic Party collectively decides to believe in certain things, she'll believe them. She'll support what the party says to support, fight what the party says to fight. Anything the party doesn't care about is a potential bargaining chip for negotiating with the Republicans. We saw this with LGBT rights. Ten, twenty years ago, the gay vote went to nobody. The Republicans were against them but the Democrats didn't care either way. DOMA came up for vote, and Hillary "supported" it in exchange for some concessions on things the Democrats actually cared for. Fast-forward to now, and the LGBT community is pretty strongly Democrat, and gay rights are a platform of the party. So now she's campaigning as a supporter of gay rights, and pretends that she always was. The latter is a lie, but I don't think the former is. She's not an idiot - she knows that if she abandons the things her party wants, she won't get re-elected and will have a harder time getting things through Congress. She's caved on the minimum wage thing? That's probably going to stick, especially if Sanders can get it formally adopted as a position during the convention. Same for whatever other policies of his he can get made an official platform of the party.

I said months ago that it's the best possible endgame for the Democrats: Have Clinton mollify a bit, lean farther to the left, actually try to court Sanders supporters (the ones who can be reasoned with), maybe even go so far as to pick Sanders for VP. Use the popular wave of progressivism that enthusiasm for social democrat policies, take the presidency, and secure both houses of congress. Sanders is already laying the groundwork for this by encouraging his supporters to not only stay interested in politics by voting these people, but also getting into positions of authority themselves. Democrats could stand to gain a lot this election of they sway even a little bit away from their "third way" policies.