Bernie Sanders urged to stay in Democratic race
Opinion

With Democratic Convention Looming, Bernie Sanders Must Stay In The Race

With the Democratic National Convention less than three weeks away now, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders must stay in the race.

Bernie Sanders supporters have been vocal about the perceived media and establishment bias that he has had to endure over the course of the primary season, with allegations that the top brass at the Democratic Party willfully “sabotaged” his campaign. DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been accused of creating coordinated campaigns to undermine Sanders’ popularity, while other establishment Democrats have been accused of not doing enough to give Sanders a fair shot at winning the Democratic nomination.

Recent documents leaked by the Romania-based hacker, Guccifer 2.0, allegedly accessed from the DNC server, which showed that the DNC actually prepared a string of defenses to help Hillary Clinton get through the primary season, while the same top brass did not as much as acknowledge the presence of another rival candidate on the field even a month after Bernie Sanders had announced his campaign, has given further weight to the above mentioned accusations, leading many Democrats to wonder if the party has been neutral in its selection of the presumptive Democratic nominee.

And now, with speculations mounting that Bernie Sanders could endorse Hillary Clinton before the Democratic National Convention, many have called on Sanders not to give up on the race, and instead take the fight to Philadelphia.

Apart from the obvious fact that many Sanders supporters, including a large faction who have pledged their allegiance to the “Bernie or Bust” movement, are refusing to be streamlined into supporting Clinton, there are other indicators which show that Bernie Sanders would be a much better candidate than Hillary Clinton to take on Donald Trump in the general election.

While the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s alleged mishandling of sensitive information on her private server officially drew to a close this past week, FBI director James Comey’s clear insinuation that Hillary Clinton had “lied” time and again over the course of the last many months raises fresh doubts about her ability to be an accountable, and wholly transparent, president. Although the FBI stopped short of recommending indictment for the former Secretary of State, Comey’s scathing rebuke, in which he called Clinton and her former top aides “extremely careless,” amounts to a political indictment, which, in any other election, would perhaps have been enough to send a presidential candidate hurling out of the race.

Moreover, the conclusion of the FBI investigation does not mean that Hillary Clinton’s email troubles are over. Days after James Comey said that no “reasonable prosecutor” would bring criminal charges against the former Secretary of State, the State Department announced that it had resumed its own internal investigation into Clinton’s email server. According to reports, if Clinton or her aides are found guilty of having violated federal procedures, they could lose their security licenses, which could spell the end of their political ambitions.

In face of the repercussions that could still plague Hillary Clinton even after she manages to win the nomination, wouldn’t Democrats be better suited to choosing a candidate who does not only have a clear track record, but has never been accused of lying — Bernie Sanders?

Furthermore, FBI is still conducting another investigation into the Clinton Foundation, which, according to whistleblower Charles Ortel, is the “largest unprosecuted charity fraud ever attempted” on American soil. Clinton has not only been accused of using unfair means to fund her campaign, she has been accused of virtually buying the Democratic nomination. What’s worse is that when doubts are raised about Clinton’s accountability, media pundits (many of whom work for Clinton-funded organizations) and the Democratic establishment attempt to malign those who are asking the questions, rather than seriously inquire into the nature of the accusations.

If Donald Trump is considered a fraudster for repeatedly lying and using underhanded ways to become the real estate mogul he is, isn’t it time that Hillary Clinton be judged with the same parameter?

Even more alarmingly, according to the Hill, Americans are screaming for a candidate other than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. With both their unfavorable ratings skyrocketing, most voters will be voting to stop the other candidate from entering the White House come November, rather than voting for their preferred candidate.

However, Bernie Sanders has been performing exceptionally well against Donald Trump in polls, beating him by a handsome 10 percent margin as recently as this week, according to the Huffington Post. Shouldn’t the Democrats choose a candidate who has a way better chance of beating Trump in the general election?

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton
Americans want a presidential candidate other than Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, according to a latest Reuters poll. [Photo by Scott Olson, Adam Bettcher/Getty Images]
Although other candidates, like the Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, or Green Party’s probable nominee Jill Stein, may also be in the presidential race come autumn, the fact is that the American people are not aware of who these candidates are. Not only does that make it almost impossible for either Johnson or Stein to reach out to a major section of voters, the limited resources at their disposal would mean that they would stand no chance against either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.

But Bernie Sanders, already buoyed by a historical campaign, would have the political momentum that would easily carry him to the Oval Office against Trump.

As H.A. Goodman makes the case, Bernie Sanders needs to stay in the race for the future of American politics.

“Vermont’s Senator should continue to ignore the bullying and condescension from media pundits and establishment Democrats who never believed in him. Bernie should remain steadfast and force Democratic super-delegates to make a choice during the Democratic Convention. It’s still several weeks away, and there’s time to argue the case that Bernie Sanders defeats Trump by a wider margin, without scandals on the horizon, and without horribly low favorability ratings. On November 8, 2016, Americans might decide they’ve had enough with either defending Clinton, or hearing her excuses for endless controversy.

“Our nation continues to struggle with the issue of race, a Democratic primary that left millions jaded, and a nation divided by a number of contentious issues. A true leader is needed at this point in U.S. history, and even though House Democrats might throw a tantrum, and progressive media might continue to bully Sanders supporters, Vermont’s Senator must remain in the race. He can easily defeat Trump, and since fear of a Republican is what drives establishment Democrats, Bernie Sanders is the only hope in 2016.”

Yes, Bernie Sanders is still the only hope.

[Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

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