This is Hillary's Campaign Now



Ever since the Democratic primary race has been decided, all we’ve heard is:

“What will Hillary Clinton do to appease Bernie Sanders voters?”
“What will the DNC give Sanders to keep him happy?”
“What will it take to woo those Bernie-or-Bust voters?”
“How will Hillary keep Sanders supporters enthused?”

The time for these questions to be the central point of her campaign is now over.  

With her pick of Tim Kaine as her Vice Presidential running mate, Hillary Clinton has begun her fight against Donald Trump and the Republicans. No more reaching out to Bernie Sanders (though she’s done plenty of that already). No more running every decision through the “What Would Bernie Do?” filter. 

When have we ever seen, or expected, a presidential candidate for either party to make so many concessions to the second place finisher? Why is her every decision framed in how Bernie’s supporters will be affected? At what point will we allow Hillary to run the campaign she wants to run, needs to run, in order to beat Donald Trump?  
 
She’s given all she can to the second place finisher of the Democratic primary and now it’s time for her to move on and run her race.
 
Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination for president, not Bernie Sanders. Hillary has to run a campaign against Donald Trump, not Bernie Sanders. Hillary will be the one on stage with Donald Trump during the general election debates, not Bernie Sanders. Hillary will be the person sitting in the White House when she wins, not Bernie Sanders. And she needs to have someone sitting next to her, her Vice President, who SHE feels the most comfortable with. A person who she will be able to fully trust when matters of the state are being decided.  

How much is Hillary supposed to continue to reach out to a group who has consistently maligned and fought against her, and not just in the sense of a “spirited campaign fight”? They've called her crooked, untrustworthy. They’ve accused her of rigging the system and voter fraud. They’ve called for her to be put in jail. (It’s not just the Republicans saying all that)

Some in the Bernie camp have shown little loyalty to the Democratic Party, while demanding her unyielding loyalty back.

Bernie was given a lot of input into the Democratic Party’s platform going into the convention. The DNC chooses 15 members to sit on the party platform drafting committee. Bernie initially requested that seven members be picked by Hillary, seven be picked by Bernie, and the 15th member be picked jointly by both campaigns. In other words, regardless of the fact that Hillary actually won, Bernie wanted to proceed as if they had somehow tied.

Is that typically how winning and losing works?   

(The DNC ultimately decided Hillary got six, Sanders five, and the DNC four.)

The concessions made in the number of members serving on the drafting committee wasn’t just a fruitless olive branch. They actually led to meaningful Sanders backed changes to the platform in many areas. From fighting for a $15/hour minimum wage, to Wall Street and criminal justice reforms, to the eradication of the death penalty, and an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, Hillary and the DNC listened to and acted on the wishes of Bernie's campaign. 

These are all good things. But, at what point is it enough?

One of Bernie’s four choices to help draft the Democratic Party’s platform, professor Cornel West, hasn’t even remained loyal to the Democratic Party. West recently endorsed Green Party candidate Jill Stein. That’s right, one of the Sanders appointed members of the Democratic Party’s national convention drafting committee isn’t even going to vote for the Democratic nominee.

Nina Turner, a staunch Sanders spokesperson, and someone whom I admire very much, was asked by Lawrence O’Donnell on the evening of the Tim Kaine announcement if putting Elizabeth Warren on the ticket would have any transfer-ability of Bernie Sanders’ supporters. She replied, “Maybe, but not 100% because, as you know, some of Sen. Sanders’ supporters were very critical of Sen. Warren for not jumping in this fight with Sen. Sanders, who she’s more aligned with ideologically.”

If putting Warren on the ticket still wouldn’t be enough for some Sanders supporters, again I have to ask… at what point is it enough?  

Eventually, Hillary has to move on from this notion that her each and every move must first be run through the Bernie Sanders qualifier machine. He is not the candidate. She is.

And now, with Tim Kaine as her VP pick, this is finally Hillary’s campaign. 

Win or lose.

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