It is fitting that a well-known reality television show host is running for president because the 2016 presidential elections better resemble a popular sitcom than any legitimate political campaign for office. With all of the schemes, speeches, and shade thrown from one candidate to the other, it can hardly be denied that the past six months of the campaign year have been a playground for potential future presidents of the United States to mess around on.
As Hillary Clinton has officially won the Democratic Party’s nomination for their presidential candidate, it is clear that the ultimate face-off between her and Donald Trump will finally be resolved come November, and only one can win. But wait—we’re still forgetting about one person. What about Bernie Sanders?
From the beginning of the presidential race, Sanders sparked a political revolution in millennials and young adults throughout the nation. Gaining widespread support in a country that condemns democratic socialism, Sanders openly and vocally expressed dissent for the policies of not only Trump but of Clinton as well. The hatchet, however, seems to be buried. On July 12, Sanders expressed his support for Clinton, thus declaring an end to their political rivalry by stating, “I intend to do everything I can to make certain she will be the next president of the United States.”
While his endorsement for the Clinton administration is only to be expected after failing to receive the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, Sanders supporters are still upset over his decision to “sell out” and side with the woman he has been rivals with for the past year. Adopting the new slogan “Bernie or Bust” to replace the old “#FeelTheBern” hashtag, many Sanders fans are making it clear that they will not vote for anybody else to be the next President of the United States other than the 74-year-old senator. Many of his supporters are even encouraging others to write in Sanders’ name on the ballot for the 2016 presidential election, instead of voting for Clinton (or Trump, for that matter.)
This encouragement to further split the vote between Clinton and Sanders is leading the entire Democratic Party into dangerous territory. Despite the well-meaning intent behind writing in Sanders’ name, vote splitting will most likely end in negative results (e.g., Trump becoming president). Because of the dominant two-party system of the United States of America, third party or independent candidates have virtually no chance of winning the general presidential election. Remember the 2000 presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore?
Being only four years old at the time, I do not. But I have read enough to know about the effect of splitting the vote between two candidates. During the 2000 election, Bush beat Gore by 537 votes, votes that Gore’s supporters argued he could have easily had if the Green Party candidate Ralph Nader did not take them from him. While there are certainly other factors that resulted in Bush’s presidency, is it possible that such a similarly significant vote-splitting incident could influence the election again in 2016? Evidently, the chances are high.
As much as I wanted Sanders to be the Democratic Party’s nominee (and as much as I did not want Clinton to be it), even I can admit that he is out of the running. Through endorsing Clinton, Sanders is not selling out or giving in to the Clinton administration. He is not taking back every speech he made against Clinton and for the policies and values that he truly believes in. Sanders’ endorsement of Clinton is a message to his supporters to have a united front and to vote against the Republican Party. Sanders is attempting to tell his millennial and teenage supporters to vote for Clinton and for the Democratic Party. Sanders is not supporting or making a statement on Clinton’s administration or her policies but is making a statement against Trump.
While I certainly wish we could reshuffle the deck and get some more luck, Clinton and Trump are our presidential candidates for the 2016 election. I would rather be on the right side of history, with Sanders (and Clinton), than on the side that sets us back at least 50 years. And if you want to support Sanders, then you should probably support Clinton, too.
