Stop demonizing Hillary Clinton

With all the outrage, especially from Bernie Sander supporters,  about how the DNC "rigged" the election for Hillary Clinton, let's remember something: This is how politics works.

Bernie is a great progressive voice. He is also not a Democrat. This is important as we look at what happened. The DNC did not have to say yes to Bernie when he asked if he could run as a Democrat, but they did, recognizing that an independent run would pull away enough Democratic votes to have the same effect as Ralph Nader's run in 2000. Let's also remember that Ralph Nader ran, not to become president, but to disrupt the system. He gave us George W. Bush. Also remember that Bernie asked to run as a Democrat because he knew that he would be given a place on the national stage in a way that an independent run would not, and to return a more progressive tone to a party that had become too centrist, especially with a president since 2008 who was a centrist and gradually moved left, effectively minimizing the influence of liberals and progressives.

I suspect that the DNC said yes to Bernie reluctantly, because influential progressives put on some pressure. It was a smart move, and Bernie succeeded in moving the discussion back to left of center. The result was the most liberal platform ever presented by the DNC. This was great news for the country, good news for Hillary Clinton, who is a liberal, and for the party. A significant number of voters supported a more progressive conversation.

But the voters are not the DNC, and Bernie's second goal, of reforming the party, was not going to be as easily done. Institutional change is slow, and anyone who has tried to change corporate culture can understand that. And, like Hillary Clinton in 2008, the power in the party didn't want Bernie to be the nominee.

Yes, let's set that wayback machine to 2008, because I saw so many parallels between Hillary's campaign then, and Bernie's in 2016. Despite what many Bernie supporters think, Hillary Clinton hasn't exactly been the darling of the party. Oh, they loved her as a campaigner, and as a First Lady but there were a lot of people unhappy with her run for Senate, and with her decision to not divorce Bill because of his peccadillos. When the 2008 election came along, it seemed a great time for Hillary to run for president. She was still a popular former First Lady, and she had shown herself to be a hardworking, effective senator. However, the party power at the time, the Kennedys (especially Ted) did not want her to be president. Ted hand-picked Barack Obama to support, and worked to undermine the other most successful candidates, including Hillary and the other should-have-been-president, Joe Biden. It was apparent, and discussed at the time, but also framed as democracy and how party politics work.

In spite of that, Hillary came very close (closer than Bernie) to securing the nomination. When it came time for the convention, the Obama campaign and the DNC did not want to allow Hillary to speak except for a quick endorsement speech, in spite of the millions of voters who supported her in the campaign, and were not excited about Barack Obama. It was only after the news leaked out that they altered the plan, and Hillary was offered a chance to speak. She refused the stage, opting, instead, to speak from the floor of the convention, from among the New York delegation, to thank her supporters and throw her support behind Obama.

In 2016, Bernie was given a keynote timeslot to speak, and was invited to help form the party platform that Hillary would run on. I have no doubt that it was because Hillary still remember how she was treated in 2008.

But let's get back to the bargains and deals that were made that made it more difficult for Bernie to secure the nomination. First, there is no guarantee that if that had not taken place that he would have won the nomination. Second, there is no guarantee that, if he had won the nomination, that he would have won the general election. I can guarantee, though, that she would have campaigned hard for Bernie, and would have put all her effort behind getting him elected. If you think that the GOP was tough on Hillary, imagine how the 3rd party PACS would have attacked a Jew. The dog whistles abound. And, third, that is how party politics work!

If you want to set the wayback machine even farther, the party nominees were only selected by the party members, with no primaries, and there really were smoke-filled backrooms where deals were made.

The present-day Republican and Democratic parties have their roots in those smoke-filled back rooms. Institutional change is difficult, and slow. If Hillary Clinton is guilty of anything, it is of understanding the system, and finding a way to effectively navigate through it.

So, don't demonize Hillary Clinton. She isn't personally responsible for the the dysfunction in the party. Do you want to see the party reformed? Of course. But stop blaming Hillary for Bernie's inability to win the party nomination, and stop complaining about the party not being a progressive party. And don't focus on removing every Democrat who isn't Elizabeth Warren from office. Concentrate, instead, on changing your local and state parties. Volunteer, and show up at every meeting. That is where the institutionalism is the most mired - and I can promise you that the reason the same people are in charge is because the same people show up.

Because I can tell you what will happen - the Democrats will split, and the GOP will rally behind Trump, who will help them dismantle the New Deal and the Great Society, and guarantee that the U.S. is an oligarchy.