Earlier this week, Bernie Sanders sent shockwaves across the political universe by officially endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
The endorsement, which took place at a rally in New Hampshire, was met with fire-spewing vitriol. However, the groans of disapproval and resentment didn't come from Republicans, as one would expect. Instead, it came from Sanders's own followers.
As soon as Sanders announced his support for Clinton, the hashtag "#SelloutSanders" began trending on Twitter. All across social media, supporters hurled vicious insults at Sanders, disparaging him for "abandoning the cause" and switching to the dark side. Some even posted pictures of themselves throwing Bernie t-shirts in the trash and setting fire to his campaign signs. In their eyes, he was no longer a progressive hero worthy of their admiration, but instead a traitor to the Political Revolution he championed.
As a die-hard Sanders fan, I found the reaction by fellow supporters to be not only shortsighted and vengeful, but childish and incredibly disrespectful.
Sanders is a man of incredible honor and integrity. He has fought his entire life for the working class, the downtrodden and the forgotten. He may have lost the primary battle, but he won the war. His campaign brought the progressive cause back to life. He gave us hope. He spoke to us directly. He brought all of the issues we care about so deeply back to the forefront. After all he's done for us, and for America, this is how we repay him?
Listen, I can't stand Hillary Clinton. She is everything I despise about politics. She is untrustworthy, inauthentic, lacks core convictions and plays both sides of every issue. She is a war-loving corporatist and Wall Street shill. I do not believe a single word that comes out of her mouth. She represents the establishment. She is a defender of the status quo.
For months, I've told myself that I can't possibly vote for Hillary. The idea of helping send her to the White House disgusted me. How can I betray everything I stand for? How can I vote for someone who can't be trusted, someone who is so fake and rehearsed? How can I cast my ballot for someone who voted for the Iraq War and takes millions of dollars from Goldman Sachs? How can I throw my support behind someone who loves fracking and defends the crooks on Wall Street who crashed our economy?
However, after thinking long and hard for many months, I realized that it's not about voting for Hillary. It's about defeating Donald Trump.
As progressive Democrats and die-hard Sanders supporters, we must unite and vote for Hillary, not because we like or believe in her, but because the alternative (Trump becoming POTUS) would destroy our country and the world.
This is what fire-breathing Sanders supporters do not understand.
It's no longer about personal pride anymore. It's not about what we, as Sanders die-hards, can or cannot bring ourselves to do. It's bigger than our personal feelings. It's about what's best for the country.
I will always love Bernie Sanders. I will always Feel the Bern. For the rest of my life, I will fight to defend the progressive vision of America that Bernie has championed.
However, I am not #BernieOrBust. I will not throw my vote away on Jill Stein, either. Yes, it might make me feel good on the inside because I'm standing up to the dark side and holding true to my core convictions, but in the end it's a pointless thing to do.
The stakes are too high to forfeit your vote or mine on someone who can't win, simply because it makes us feel like we're doing something noble. Bernie is my hero and I love what Jill Stein stands for, but a vote for either candidate only does one thing: brings Trump one step closer to the Oval Office. That is something we absolutely cannot allow to happen.
This upcoming election is the most important of our lifetime. Whoever wins will appoint at least two justices to the Supreme Court. The next president will either continue this country on a liberal course, building upon the success of Barack Obama, or they will drag us back into disruption and despair, erasing all the progress we've made since 2008.
It may sound dramatic, but the fate of our country depends on who wins in November.
Bernie knows this, which is why he swallowed his pride and endorsed Hillary. He didn't do it because he likes or believes in her. He did it because it's what's best for the country. That doesn't make him a sellout or a traitor. It makes him a patriot and a great American.
To my fellow Sanders die-hards: don't cut off your nose to spite your face. I can't stand Hillary, but she is the only option we have left. She is the only thing standing between Trump and the White House.
I gives me no joy to do so, but I will be voting for Hillary in November.
I urge you all to do the same.
