Did you catch all that yelling and chanting during some of the important speakers at the Democratic National Convention? Including the acceptance speech of Hillary Clinton? Did you wonder if Donald Trump supporters had sneaked their way in to disrupt things and attempt to make the convention look ridiculous?
Actually, those were Democratic delegates. The ranting and raving was friendly fire. Whether they were slipped some cash by the Trump campaign is just speculation.
How did this happen?
Sen. Bernie Sanders during the campaign promised the world to his supporters. Lots and lots of free stuff. Free college tuition. Free student loan debt. Free health care. Free Medicare. Free Family Leave. Free jobs. Free pensions. Free, free, free. You have a request, no problem, it’s free.
All to paid for magically, he said, by a super duper tax on the rich. Like Robin Hood, Bernie wanted to raid Wall Street and throw cash in the air for all the common folk to catch. Except his plan never came close to paying for the already hugeeeee debt and his trillion dollar promises.
Despite his very attractive platform, especially to enthusiastic young people, more responsible Democrats — three million more in fact — decided to back Hillary Clinton. The woman who had a resume which included eight years in the White House as first lady, eight years in the U.S. Senate and four years, at the side of Barack Obama, as Secretary of State.
And, oh yeah, she was a lifelong Democrat, unlike Bernie who had spent 99 percent of his career as an independent socialist, not involved in the party he now suddenly wanted to represent.
Clinton unsurprisingly captured the nomination, but the Bernie bros and the Bernie kids and Bernie groupies wouldn’t give up. Even when Bernie realized it was over, and endorsed Clinton, they just booed him too.
Like children who had been promised the world but woke up one day to realize they weren’t getting their free stuff, the Bernie delegates decided to disrupt various speakers at the convention. Now, if the speaker was Scott Baio you could probably understand. But when former CIA chief Leon Panetta is explaining Clinton’s foreign policy proposals, or Retired General John Allen is talking about the military, or Clinton is accepting the nomination, or even as a Reverend is delivering a prayer, booing and chanting is just unacceptable behavior.
America learned this week that for many Bernie Sanders supporters it’s never been about “team” it’s only about “me.”
Lots and lots of candidates lose. Learning from defeat, and rebuilding from it, is what tests a political movement. But judging by their behavior, who would want to join that disrespectful Bernie gang in the future?