“VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO is not welcome in this group. This is for hardcore Bernie Sanders supporters, this is for people who want an economic and political revolution,” states the public Facebook group Bernie or Bust, run by Dennis Brady. From the entrance of Bernie Sanders into the 2016 political campaign to his exit earlier this year, the fiery spirit of his supporters has seemed to only slightly dwindle. With the considerable differences in the platforms of the two democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, many Sanders supporters are finding it impossible to rally behind the woman they have been discrediting for the past year.
The public Facebook group, however, focuses mainly on targeting Hillary Clinton as opposed to the other candidates, as there are practically no posts concerning Donald Trump. The trending hashtags on the page include, #NeverHillary, #DropOutHillary, #CorruptHillary and #BernieOrJillButNeverHill. In this way, the page does not seem to be publicly endorsing Trump, but instead believing their fervor will bring Sanders back into the race.
According to The Atlantic, half of Sander’s supporters plan to vote for Clinton, twenty-two percent say they will vote for Trump, and eighteen percent say that they will vote for Gary Johnson.
The controversy here that concerns Clinton as well as her followers is why are Sanders supporters, registered democrats, choosing a Republican candidate whose views, many would say, stray farther away from Sanders’ than Clinton’s?
Many “Bernie or Bust” supporters have argued that Clinton seems to be a war-hawk and establishment-friendly. Citing her approval on the Iraq war, outspoken “Bernie or Bust” advocates claim that Clinton would put the United States in another overseas conflict, “She doesn’t ever find a war that she does not like.” said Allison Hall, a Bernie or Bust supporter at the Democratic National Convention, “It’s just, it’s sickening…but she is the worst candidate possible because of her history.”
Hall was not the only outspoken “Bernie or Bust” supporter at the DNC as there were many audible “boos” throughout the conference. This was primarily due to the leaked emails prior to the conference that revealed Democratic National Convention chairman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, supported Clinton before Sanders dropped out the race. According to Rolling Stone, many Sanders supporters are now believing that the election was rigged.
However, many would believe this is counterproductive, Sanders has endorsed Clinton since his exit from the presidential race and his now urging that Democrats do all they can to prevent a win for Donald Trump. “It’s easy to boo.” Sanders said, “But it is harder to look your kids in the face who will be living under a Donald Trump presidency.”
Though Clinton seems to be slightly more conservative than Sanders on many domestic and individual issues, the two, in reality, are not too different. Both take equal stands on abortion rights, same-sex marriages, immigration rights, gun control and taxing the top one percent. However, Clinton seems to emphasize economic issues, while Sanders emphasizes defense issues.
In the end, it all comes down to election day in November. It comes down to who is eligible to vote and if the fire behind the “Bernie or Bust” campaign has not dwindled. It comes down to what scandals are released between now and then. It comes down to who is eventually elected President of the United States.