The New York primary was held yesterday for both the Democrats and Republicans, but it is the Democrats who seem poised to finally rally behind one candidate, Hillary Clinton. The Bernie Sanders campaign has not dropped out officially or unofficially, but based on last night’s results…it is the opinion of this blogger that it is time to bid Bernie a fond farewell. Below is a clip of Ann-Margaret singing “Bye Bye Birdie” (From a Madmen episode) just substitute “Bernie” for “birdie” and you have an interesting (but kinda strange) farewell song!
So why do I think it’s time for Bernie to exit stage left? Well, after all of the money and time he spent campaigning in NYC and demanding a debate with Hillary…he got 42 percent of the vote and walked away with 108 pledged delegates. While Sanders was never projected to win New York, the gap between him and Hillary Clinton needed to be much closer than 16 points. Bottom line is that he was not even close enough in the race to make her look back! Also, it is projected that Bernie will not do well in the upcoming states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland…but then there is California. However, he is considerably behind Hillary and the odds on him closing the gap are close to zero.
It is unclear why Bernie would continue to campaign against Hillary much longer. Unlike John Kasich, Sanders has not said that he is holding out for an open Democratic Convention so that delegates can suddenly change their mind about Hillary and vote for him. It is more likely that he may be waiting for the Hillary campaign to offer him a olive branch and embrace some of the issues that he has campaigned on. As I stated in the post titled And Then There Were Two…and Three! Bernie’s presence has indeed made a better Hillary and it would be a win-win situation if her campaign were to unite (hint hint) with his. They are a horrible match when campaigning against each other, but would be a perfect match if they coalesce. She resonates with seniors, minorities, and working families (the largest unions have endorsed her). He is able to capture the hearts of the youth and middle/upper middle class. That’s pretty much all of America right there!
In agreement with the political pundits out there, Bernie Sanders does have amazing stamina at the age of 74! The amount of energy he has put and continues to put into his campaign is admirable. I sometimes teach college-level courses and the next time I hear a millennial complain about being tired because they have to work AND go to class I will tell them, “If Bernie Sanders can go to Rome, meet the Pope, and then come back to the U.S the next day… then you can do this.” In a nutshell, my opinion is that it is time for Bernie Sanders to rest and reserve his stamina to help the Democrats win the national election. What do you think?
Thanks for “listening” to me whine. Hopefully my whining has made you think. If so, tell your friends/family/colleagues that you heard it through the Political Great Whine!
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