RIP Democratic Party

Nevada convention marks turning point for democracy, those who previously might have voted for Hillary Clinton

By Yvonne C. Claes
https://medium.com/@yvonneclaes/rip-democratic-party-385b9949178f#.avovk3map 

Saturday, May 14, 2016: a date that will live in infamy.

On this date the Democratic Party as we know it died. It is the day when many previously die-hard Democrats woke up to the realization that democracy no longer exists in the Land of the Free. We are a full-on oligarchy, the likes of which former President Jimmy Carter and intellect Noam Chomsky have been warning us about.

This epiphany came for many Bernie Sanders’ supporters during what was supposed to be a democratic proceeding: the final round of a three-part caucus in Nevada. It’s a complicated process most voters don’t care about, so the Establishment feels emboldened to hijack the entire proceedings and declare its own winner.

Screw democracy! We have to win!

Such was the case when Hillary Clinton was declared the winner over Sanders, giving the former secretary 20 delegates to the Vermont senator’s 15.

But Clinton didn’t earn those delegates.

I watched with disbelief live streams of the event on various social media outlets. I was appalled yet I couldn’t turn away, even when the feed went dark and I only heard muffled audio.

A Bernie supporter holds up a campaign sign after armed security guards were brought in to break up the Nevada Democratic Convention in Las Vegas early Sunday. This is what democracy looks like now in the United States. (Photo: Griffin de Luce)

But what I did see was Roberta Lange, the Nevada State Democratic chair who acted more like a dictator throughout the proceedings, approve last-minute rule changes that favored Clinton and exclude Sanders’ delegates from participating.

The long night ended with Lange striking her gavel and fleeing the podium. Berners were then faced with a line of armed officers.

Cheat, run away, call security, and then threaten people who waited as long as 16 hours to vote with trespassing. It’s the new American way.

What the hell has happened to democracy in America? And worse, why are Clinton supporters so content to settle for it, even going so far as to mock Berners who rightfully point to it as undemocratic?

These are the same people who already are losing their minds over Sanders’ supporters pledging not to vote for Hillary if she is the nominee. I’ve been called “childish,” a “traitor,” and even “sexist” for not supporting the Queen C (“C” being for Clinton).

I’ve been peremptorily blamed for costing Democrats the election against Donald Trump in November. My usual retort is that since Bernie is the stronger candidate, you are indeed the one costing the Dems the election by supporting such an obviously weak candidate. Besides, I cannot get behind someone who is content to suppress my vote now only to ask for it later.

Autocrat Roberta Lange

And what happened in Nevada is another example of how the Democratic Party Establishment is doing everything it can to suppress votes. To add insult to injury, earlier in the evening California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Clinton loyalist whose chief of staff recently joined Hillary’s campaign, taunted disgruntled Berners during the convention.

Boxer told booing Sanders’ supporters, “Let’s hear it for Hillary Clinton! We have the votes, we have the voice, we have victory! …I’m for Hillary Clinton and she’s for all of us. Keep on booing and boo yourselves out of this election.”

Her words reminded me of those uttered last week by former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. Rendell, who is hosting the Democratic National Convention this July in Philadelphia, warned Berniecrats to “behave” and “not cause trouble” during the three-day event.

It’s obvious now that Democratic elites don’t give a fig about uniting the party, and they never have. It’s all about doing whatever it takes to put their hand-picked nominee before voters in the general election.

And what a disaster that will be. Bernie outperforms Hillary in every national poll against Trump, and in some polls, the former secretary actually loses to the obnoxious, race-baiting reality star.

To this reality I shrug and say, “Oh well.” It sure does suck to be a Hillary supporter.

California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is not running for re-election, insults Bernie supporters during the convention.

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Of course, party leaders are not taking any responsibility for what happened Saturday night. According to a Democratic Party spokesman, the national party and its chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, played no part in how the convention was run and the ensuing chaos.

Sure, and I have some swampland in Florida I’d like you to buy. Most Berners don’t believe party apologists, since Wasserman Schultz has proven herself to be a Clinton partisan throughout this primary cycle.

It’s gotten so bad that Wasserman Schultz is facing competition for the first time in her job representing The Sunshine State in the U.S. House. Challenger Tim Canova, a onetime adviser to Sanders, has raised over $1 million in just four months on the campaign trail.

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And what does President Obama, the man I voted for twice, have to say about all this election rigging?

Cat got your tongue, Mr. President? No, it’s more than likely the corporate interests who helped put you into office have your ear. During Obama’s presidential runs in both 2008 and 2012, banks and corporations were among his top donors.

And many of these same donors, Goldman Sachs, for example, are now contributing to Hillary’s presidential campaign.

Or, it could be that you yourself, Mr. President, employed some of these dirty tricks in your 2008 campaign against then-Senator Clinton, so to come out and decry these tactics would seem hypocritical.

Now with Sanders it’s deja vu all over again. However, the extent of fraud committed throughout this primary contest is far more systemic. The corporate media is once again willfully suppressing any coverage of allegations the Clinton campaign — with assists from the Democratic National Committee and party leaders — is committing election fraud.

I have to give it to Clinton. She learned well from Mr. Obama’s instruction. But despite Hillary’s impressive learning curve, I remain unimpressed. In fact, I am angry. I often wish I could get in a time machine and go back to how I used to be — ignorant about how little democracy Americans actually have.

But I can’t. I am fully awake to the political process and all its machinations. Many, mostly Clinton sycophants and party puppets, are still asleep. For example, some still believe Hillary is a feminist when Berners know she is far from one, paying female executives at the Clinton Foundation 38 percent less than male counterparts. But again, you won’t hear this in the media, just like you won’t hear about this disastrous convention.

As of this writing, there have been over 10,000 Tweets about the Nevada convention, yet it’s not trending on Twitter. Facebook is ablaze with videos and reports of what took place, yet it only began trending there Sunday evening.

We’re a regular North Korea when it comes to the media covering stories of substance, like how the ruling class is stealing elections.

But the media blackout won’t change the fact that the Democratic Party is dead to many of us. The cheating, the arrogance, the hard turn to the political right, the use of the media to drown dissenting voices, and the party’s allegiance to the wealthy have alienated many.

I, for one, will not shed a tear at its demise.