Bernie warns that “protest” votes could contribute to a Trump victory, and asks his supporters to vote for Hillary and notfor Third Party candidates.
A CBS poll shows that 1/3 of voters under 30 plan to vote for a Third Party candidate! That is a big number who could tilt this crazy election.
I am a former “protest voter.” In 1968, I voted for a protest candidate and we helped elect Richard M. Nixon as President. Not a good thing. I am sorry I did not vote for the Democrat, Hubert Humphrey (for reasons you can see below).
Today, Bernie says: “Let us elect Hillary Clinton as president, and the day after, let us mobilize millions of people around the progressive agenda.”
“Look, I was a third-party candidate. I began my career running as a third party, getting 2 percent and then 1 percent,” Sanders said. “I'm the longest serving independent in the history of the U.S. Congress, but I think that before you cast a protest vote, because Clinton or Trump will be president, think hard about it. This is not a governor's race. It's not a state legislative race. This is the presidency of the United States.”
“And I would say to those people out there who are thinking of the protest vote, think about what the country looks like and [think about] whether you're comfortable with four years of a Trump presidency.”
In 1968, I did not vote for the Dems candidate, Hubert Humphrey — who was a strong liberal candidate from Minnesota — because he did not publicly object to Richard Daley’s police assault on protesters at the Chicago convention. I was a convention demonstrator, watching my friends get beaten by Daley police who were out of control.
But really… Humphrey WOULD have been a much better candidate and president than Nixon was.
Nixon’s policies did not lead to “revolution” or “reforms” or “progressive Democratic engagement.” Nixon just made progressives more marginalized and impotent.
Dissenters and Bernie people: Do not repeat our mistake from 1968. Do not waste your vote. Bring Hillary to DC as Pres, and then lobby to get your vision of America (and mine) at the forefront of the President’s agenda.