Never Trump... but Bernie?

     Let me start with a given:  Donald Trump must be defeated.  His presidency is an embarrassment to the American people; a betrayal of our values and beliefs.  The Donald has ushered in a culture of corruption unparalleled in our history.  Furthermore, where the United States was once admired—if not revered—by many around the globe, we have now become a laughing stock. And, quite frankly, though Trump claims to be a “stable genius”, all available evidence points to him being a vain and stupid little man…

     My question now is whether or not the best hope of defeating Trump lies in nominating a 78 year old self-described Socialist who is apparently unable to control the outrageous behavior of his own so-called “Bernie Bros”?  Thus far, these Sanders flying monkey types have been using social media to attack rival candidates, their families, surrogates, journalists, and even celebrities who may have strayed from the Bernie message.  In Nevada, they bullied members of the Culinary Union and harassed the State Democratic Chair late at night outside his home (bullhorns).  One aide in particular, Ben Mora, has demonstrated an appalling lack of character and judgment—making disparaging (to put it mildly) comments concerning the physical appearance, gender, and sexuality of rival candidates.  In light of this—and other—instances of bad behavior, Bernie has postulated that perhaps these aren’t his supporters acting out, but rather Russian operatives looking to embarrass him.  Seriously?

     Look, if Sanders 2016 campaign operatives and associates hadn’t actively encouraged people to vote for third parties, or not at all, and if the 12% of Sanders supporters who actually cast their votes for Trump could have behaved responsibly (i.e. in the best interest of the country), then it’s likely Donald Trump would have never desecrated the White House. So, although Bernie himself did campaign for Hillary (39 rallies over the course of 3 months), far too many in his “movement” were intent on keeping their noses out of joint and refused to play nice.  Look at where it got us!  If Bernie can’t hold sway over his own supporters, it’s hard to see him as an effective nominee-- unifying the many factions of the Democratic Party, while simultaneously advocating for an agenda that promises (or threatens) revolution.