Buck up, buttercup!
Berners need to stop freaking out when media spin deliberately tries to discourage us
By Yvonne C. Claes
Psst. Fellow Berner, over here. I just want to give you a hug. I see you’ve been down about the recent media manipulation of a comment Bernie Sanders made on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
I’m here for you, arms wide open. It’ll be all right. Let’s hug it out.
SLAP!!!
?????
There. Now, snap the hell out of it, and let’s get to work. Philadelphia is a month away and the Political Revolution doesn’t need wusses. Buck up, buttercup, or stay home, but don’t expect me to hand you a tissue to wipe your tear-stained face.
Sound harsh? Probably. But it needs to be said. We need to be smarter, Berners, if we plan on taking this movement beyond the Democratic National Convention next month. (BTW: I’m not talking to Hillary supporters since I have no hope for them. I’m a writer, not a cult deprogrammer).
Bernie was asked if he will vote for Hillary Clinton come November. He said “yes,” and then launched right into his usual issue-oriented talking points. He did not concede nor did he endorse The Corrupt One. He did mention trying to make the DNC’s platform as Progressive as possible.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with his answer, and neither should you. Come on, do you really think he could say he’s voting for Trump while he’s still vying to be on the Democratic Party’s ticket as President? He has to play the Establishment’s game to a certain extent.
Why say “yes” at all? Fair question.
Well, it might have something to do with the fact that virtually every interview he does consists of the same insidious questions: When are you dropping out? Why haven’t you dropped out yet? When will you concede? Are you going to endorse her? Will you campaign for her? Will you tell your supporters to vote for her (as if he could control how millions of people vote)? What do you want (i.e. What will it take to get rid of you)?
In late April, Time magazine and other media outlets practically had orgasms over the fact that Bernie said then that if he is not the nominee, he would support Clinton. The headline for the Time story was, “Bernie Sanders Will Support Hillary Clinton But He’s Sticking to Some Key Demands.” Notice it sounds like a done deal. Oh, Bernie is supporting Clinton. Wrong.
Now, take another look at Friday’s Morning Joe segment. The question posed is much longer than his nano-second response, and then in typical Bernie fashion, he moves on. But of course every mainstream press organization has focused on his one-word response and ignored what he said about the issues affecting the lives of so many of our people. Typical media spin, and as a Berner, your bullshit monitors should be a bit more developed by now.
Did amnesia strike, preventing you from recalling the take-no-prisoners, fist-pumping rally Bernie had not 12 hours before this contrived “news” event? You know, the speech during which he told us to never lose our sense of outrage because that will propel us in our fight for social change.
And here you are balled up in a corner with your keyboard tapping out odes to Jill Stein. So much for outrage.
Remember, they call Clinton the nominee, yet she hasn’t garnered the required 2,383 pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination.
This is all common media behavior: Screw the issues; we just want to know when you will go away, so that our hand-picked candidate who much of the American public has issues with can focus on beating the other candidate with whom much of the American public has issues.
The DNC, party elites and the corporate media can barely hide their contempt for Bernie because he has refused to quit the race and further the coronation of Ms. Criminal Investigation.
For further proof, just look at how welcoming the DNC Platform Committee, whose membership includes a majority of Clinton subordinates, are toward the issues Berniecrats hold dear. Yesterday afternoon the committee voted to nix supporting single payer healthcare and voted down an amendment opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Wait, isn’t Hillary against the TPP? I mean, I know she called it the “gold standard” of trade deals and publicly voiced support for it 45 times before coming out against it during her campaign for President after she saw it wasn’t popular among voters. But why would her surrogates on the committee vote against something their boss now wants?
Dah! Because she DOES want the TPP to pass and will do it lickety-split if it doesn’t succeed during Obama’s tenure. Have to keep those corporate donor-bosses happy, after all, and send jobs overseas.
The DNC Platform Committee’s recent actions make clear why it is so important, Berners, that we stick together and not lose faith. I love being a part of this movement because the people in it are smart, employ critical thinking like other people breathe, and are deeply empathetic and compassionate.
So for our collective sanity, quit freaking out over every media-manufactured story and trust in our leader who has a 30-year-plus record of integrity and fighting for the common man.
I hesitated even writing about this absurd media-made moment. It’s a non-story, and I didn’t want to give the other side ammunition to think their psychological warfare is working. But here I am writing a blog post about it because it’s been more than 24 hours, and some of you are still whining.
Sure, some of the posts in pro-Bernie Facebook groups are from trolls. “Hey, guys I’m so heartbroken over this. What do you think?” the typical troll post goes. It’s fairly easy to spot these phony Berners, too. Look at the person’s wall, see how many friends you have in common and see how long the person has been posting about Bernie if at all. Also ask yourself, “Is the person posting this ‘innocent’ comment/question more than five hours after the event?”
If so, you most likely have a troll on your hands. Take the few steps mentioned and don’t respond. The trolls want us to lose heart, and you give them power by engaging them.
I block people like that instantly. Within the last 30 hours I’d estimate I’ve blocked 50 people. I don’t say anything, just poof, you’re gone from my cyber life.
I suggest you do the same. Block out the noise, the spin, the lies. Focus, focus, focus.
Philly is just the start. Major political change takes time, so we have to be patient. In the meantime, let’s keep the enemy in our sights. And the most dangerous of all is the mainstream media.
©Yvonne C. Claes, 2016. I own this content that I created. If you would like to license it, please contact me.
