What did Sanders actually get?

" ... a formal set of principal goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public's support and votes about complicated topics or issues. "Plank" is the term often given to the components of the political platform – the opinions and viewpoints about individual topics, as held by a party, person, or organization. The word "plank" depicts a component of an overall political platform, as a metaphorical reference to a basic stage made out of boards or planks of wood. The metaphor can return to its literal origin when public speaking or debates are actually held upon a physical platform."  wiki on party platforms

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The Sanderian Revolution has acknowledged with what grace it could manage its defeat at the hands of the Clinton machine and the DNC.

This grave disappointment has been accepted with the solace provided by the adoption of several Democratic Party platform planks dear to the hearts of the mutineers;  TPP rejection (maybe), Glass-Stiegel resurrection, etc.

There is only one problem with this.  She doesn't have to do any of this after Inauguration Day.  And, pilgrims, since the GOP is very likely to retain control of the House of Representatives, she would have the built-in excuse of "the Republicans wouldn't let me do it."

So, in effect, the Sanders people got nothing.  pl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_platform

Comments

[AEL]

Well, they did get the DNC to agree to make a number of the super-delegates become pledged delgates.

[Bill H]

A party platform is a figment of imagination, mentioned in passing at the beginning of a convention and then dumped in the basement and rendered nonexistant until the beginning of the next convention. It is worth less than the proverbial, "bucket of warm spit." Your last sentence is precisely correct, but doesn't really need the "in effect" part.

[kooshy]

"So, in effect, the Sanders people got nothing."
Colonel IMO this was obvious from day one, that is, since Sanders was not electable everyone including Sanders supporters should have knew that he had no chance, white American Jew with NY accent from the most liberal NE state.
For DNC and Clinton Machine he was a useful idiot to keep the liberal dissenters ( as many as he could) in and not let them crossover.

[morongobill]

Chris Hedges sure went off on Sanders in an article posted today over at Truthdig.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_1_percents_useful_idiots_20160726

At least the young people got involved in a cause, unfortunately they learned a hard lesson about power.

[ambrit]

I speculated over on another site that the discouragement of the younger cohort of potential voters could be a desired outcome of the Sanders run, and it's very obvious 'fixing' by the DNC. The younger cohort, if Sanders supporters are a representative sample of the population of younger voters, shows signs of being fed up with "politics as usual." What better way to neuter this group than to instill defeatism in them through a nasty and ruthless display of political corruption? A shameless and dismissive repudiation of 'progressive' platform planks in the Thursday speech would seal the deal. That speech will tell almost all about how she intends to go forward.
At the November election, I'd lay odds on both parties watching very closely who the ex-Sanders supporters vote for.

[Matthew]

Col: Bernie should have watched the video from one of the debates in 2008 where both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama promised to renegotiate NAFTA.

[r whitman]

Within the next 15-20 years, 3 main points of Sanders run will actually happen in the US regardless of the party. 1.Single payer national health care insurance. 2.Low cost or no cost tuition at public colleges and universities and 3.The breakup or severe limitation of large financial institutions.

[doug]

It's the mirror image where the social conservatives (Cruz), globalists, neoconservatives, evangelicals etc. were thrown bones in the Republican platform. A significant fraction of these would prefer HRC over DJT. Likely the same is true with the Bernie wing. Had the Republicans nominated Cruz there would be considerably more unity amongst Democrats behind HRC. OTOH, had the Democrats nominated Bernie there would also be much more unity behind DJT.

In both cases, as in all past cases where there was intra-party conflict the platform is simply created by those in party power at the time to soothe feelings and provide the desired "optics" during the coronations.

But the platforms mean nothing.

[michael brenner]

Embargoed until 6 P.M. EDT July 27 2016

Barack Obama Address to the Democratic Convention
Philadelphia July 27, 2016

240 years ago some folks did something that only could happen here, in America. They innovated in creating a new kind of political system. It was built on the liberty principle, and committed to the idea that all of us are created equal. Unity in diversity. That’s what has made the United States great, that's why we're Number 1 !

Now we are engaged in a great political battle, testing whether that nation, or anybody else who follows the path we blazed, can overcome division – of race, of ethnic identity and – especially – of gender. We are gathered here in the cradle of the Constitution preparing for a great contest in that war. We have come to perform two tasks: to memorialize a final resting place for that candidate who died here, that the Democratic Party might live; and to celebrate an historic turning-point in our History. This, in prime time, we do. But, in a larger sense, we can’t dedicate - we can’t sanctify this convention. The brave women and men, politically viable and politically defunct, who struggled to make a difference have done it already, above what my oratorical talent can add or detract. The rest of the world will little note, nor long remember what I say here; although it can never forget the tremendous show of democracy they put on.

So, instead, let us the triumphant survivors move on to the next great task remaining before us -- that, from our honored losers and the wounded winner, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the full measure of ambition, vanity and money -- that this convention make sure that those casualties have not been suffered in vain; that the Democratic Party shall have a new birth of free will, and that government of the folks, by the folks, for the folks, shall not end – going forward.

God bless you all; God bless the Democratic Party

[Larry Kart]

They got the satisfaction of throwing a big scare into the Clinton machine during the primary season and of perhaps laying the groundwork for another more successful attempt next time. American politics is full of examples of movements/candidates who didn't make it the first time and did so later on, e.g. Lincoln in 1856 and then in 1860, Reagan the first time and then the next time. Of course, there are plenty of counter examples, too.

[kao_hsien_chih]

I suspect that most young people, if they stay around to vote, will be voting for Clinton after all. What I'd been fascinated by is a significant minority of the Sanders voters who are neither young nor liberal and what they might do.

[turcopolier]

Larry Kart

"Lincoln in 1856" John C. Fremont, the Pathfinder, was the Republican candidate in 1856. pl

[Peter]

If they have any sense at all they will vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein. They just learned a tough lesson on how the 2 big parties actually work. Then there's the 20,000+ emails proving the DNC colluded against Sanders, leaving the only sensible option of voting third party

[Old Microbiologist]

Sanders should have withdrawn his support for Clinton after the leaks proved the conspiracy was real. Every vote that shifts away from Clinton is effectively a vote for Trump. If enough are angry enough to be motivated to vote this could be a deal changer. However, it is a long way to November yet and a lot is still in play. More popcorn!

[Trey N]

Yep, and Lincoln only won because the Republican opposition was fractured into three parts: the Democrats, who nominated IL Senator Stephen A Douglas; the Southern Democrats, who nominated Vice-President of the US John C Breckinridge; and the remnants of the recently imploded Whig Party which tried to reorganize as the Constitutional Union Party and ran TN Senator John Bell.

Lincoln won with only 40% of the popular vote (and 54% of the electoral college = 18 out of 33 votes).

Interestingly, there are 4 ("viable"??) national political parties running candidates again this election: Republicans, Democrats, Greens and Libertarians. With the nation appearing to be as polarized now as it was in 1860, I'm curious to see how the interplay of the different political factions is going to play out this time around in November....

[HankP]

So, the same way it always works in coalition politics. Which is, as long as Sanders can get votes and support for his positions the party will pay attention to him.

[hans]

At a national level Bernie's folks don't seem to have got anything but at the state and county level there should be some gains for them. Looks as if they might get someone on the county commission, on the district court bench, into the state senate and just maybe grab a long-time GOP congressional seat. I hear some of this is happening state-wide. The Bernie folks claim something around 4,000 of their loyalists are running for various offices across the country; if they can keep up this level of engagement for a few cycles, get another firecracker like Bernie...

Additionally, these Bernie inspired neophytes are young, whereas the core of the GOP around here are out of the Goldwater / Reagan cadres of the 60s~80s.

[Dabbler]

It's unlikely that Bernie would have gotten anything more. They weren't going to let him make the keynote speech; they weren't going to give him a veto over the VP choice. Maybe not endorsing would have been a better move for him than it proved to be for Cruz.

Given "a warm bucket of spit", some of my ancestors would've tried to make a profit on it.

[Peter]

I'm curious what makes you so sure these things will happen. Socializing medicine still does nothing to address why it is so expensive in the first place. That burden will fall on the taxpayers and the problem won't be solved. Free college tuition also does nothing to address why it's so expensive in the first place, putting that burden on the taxpayers as well.

Neither of those 2 issues will be solved whatsoever until the root cause of the high prices (government intervention) is addressed.

[Tyler]

Trump got the resurrection of Glass Steagal, rejection of TPP, and keeping us out of NATO entanglements in the RNC platform.

Come home, western man.

[Seamus Padraig]

Scare? How could Hellary lose? She had the primaries rigged!

[Seamus Padraig]

"So, in effect, the Sanders people got nothing."

Not so. Bernie now gets to use a DNC airplane to campaign for Hellary. That's more than nothing!

[walrus]

it was not enough that Bernie loses. He must be humiliated as a warning to others.

[JohnH]

There is no reason for anyone not in a swing state to vote for either Clinton or Trump. In most states, the outcome is already known. California will go for Clinton, Texas for Trump, etc., etc.

Young people could do the country a great service by voting for third parties not dominated by big money. Sitting at home only conveys apathy. Voting third party voices disapproval of both establishment choices.

[JohnH]

Obama's speech will be the big test for Bernie supporters. Can Obama (and the Democratic Party) leave Philadelphia unscathed by their unrelenting support for TPP? Will Bernie supporters stand for their principles in the face of an unrelenting party?