Its been over for months, and this past week has finally started showing the financial and campaign staff abandonment part of a campaign winding down, but its happening with a month to go with a candidate who really has no reason to care about party unity (which is the opposite issue that Hilary had in 2008, she was THE life long democratic candidate being forced to step down for the new during a tense primary season). I hope to be proven wrong, but I expect sanders to continue to be stalwart till the bitter end before conceding, how he concedes is anyone's guess at this point but my hunch is it won't be a unity speech among democratic supporters, but a unity speech among progressive ideals and to keep the good fight going forward, he exits the stage and doesn't campaign for anyone during the GE and goes back to being the independent socialist senator from Vermont, the exact opposite reaction that Hilary got praised for during the DNC nominating convention in 2008.
I would love to be proven wrong as a good concession speech would at least return some integrity to Sanders that I used to have. I actually liked him as a senator before he even announced his campaign and wanted him in the race because I found him to be a positive influence, but he hasn't been the messenger I was expecting/hoping him to be.
Yeah. I supported Sanders because I genuinely believed him to be an honest guy thanks to (what I perceived as) his status as a small state senator insulating him from most political concerns. He was allowed to speak his mind and vote his heart, even when that didn't always line up with my own political beliefs, and I respected that. I don't hold anything against Hillary for being a politician and doing politician things, just because I know you need to play the game, but it was nice to have a candidate who
seemed like he was above most of it.
Up until probably the March 15 primaries I would have said his candidacy was an indisputable good for the race and the party, even if I never thought he could win. After that though he just jumped the shark and revealed much of himself to be the kind of politician he railed against - petty, opportunistic.
I think I still like him somewhat, but only as an ideal. Like it really sucks that he (or someone like him) can't realistically be expected to get elected anytime soon, but if Hillary is the worst we can do we're in pretty good shape. I actually quite like her! I think it's more the base that I've grown to despise - this absolutist, extremist, constant purity test bullshit is a cancer on the party and the process. And ultimately, when a candidate has won by over 3 million votes, it's time to fold. Instead people are acting like Hillary is the one who needs to bargain.