Bridging the Divide

by Deacon Blues

After seeing the first two days of the convention, I believe that Bernie Sanders has done whatever is necessary to get his supporters behind the Clinton campaign effort. I applaud him, his wife, and the senior campaign team for doing this, and for their success in getting the Democratic Party refocused on the right issues. As I’ve said previously, I fully support Sanders’ efforts to reenergize the progressive base of the party, including direct support for progressive candidates at the local and state level.

After watching the debacle of the Debbie Wasserman Schultz flameout and what the DNC was doing internally against Sanders during the campaign, I would support Jeff Weaver and the Sanders team taking over the DNC and having someone like Howard Dean as a senior consultant to help out. I also think Team Clinton should make it known that a Clinton White House expects to work closely with a Sanders/Warren/Brown triad in the Senate. There is no harm in telling the party faithful that the progressive leadership in the Senate will have a seat at the table inside the White House. It will be a clear, contrasting image to that of the Koch Brothers running the Oval Office in a Trump administration, which is now a certainty with the elevation of Mike Pence as the GOP vice presidential nominee. The TV commercials write themselves.

Lastly, the best visual that Hillary can create tomorrow night at the end of the convention would be for she and Tim Kaine to be holding hands, with Elizabeth Warren on one side, and Bernie on the other side.