Write Your Superdelegates!

Bernie's path to the White House relies on winning as many delegates and superdelegates as possible. For the delegates, we keep doing what we've been doing: canvas, phone bank, and volunteer. For superdelegates, we need to write to them and let them know why they should support Bernie over Hillary.

There's been some really bad communication between Superdelegates and Bernie supporters. We cannot argue our point with threats, name calling, or angry messages. This only serves to hurt our cause. If you feel you cannot be civil, leave the communicating for someone else. Otherwise, you can find a list of delegates and their contact information here. Below is a sample letter you can use:

Dear [superdelegate name],

I am a citizen of (your state), and I am writing to urge you to consider supporting Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Nomination.

It may be that you personally prefer Hillary Clinton's policies over Bernie Sanders's. It may also be that you are drawn to the idea of a woman president. I ask instead that you consider the general election in November and which candidate would perform best for the Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton mainly appeals to loyal Democrats. Bernie Sanders, however, appeals to Democrats, Independents, Republicans, young voters, and voters who have long abstained from participating in our political process. Bernie appeals to a much wider base of voters, a third of which will not back Hillary but would be a huge advantage to the Democratic Party during the general election.

Bernie Sanders is more well liked than Hillary Clinton. A mid-April Gallup poll found Bernie had a net favorable rating of +52 among Democrats. While Bernie's favorable rating has climbed since last July, Hillary's has dropped to +36. Her rating could continue to fall and prove to be a detriment in the general election, where voters who dislike both Hillary and the Republican candidate could choose to stay home.

Bernie Sanders also polls better than Hillary against Trump and Cruz. Against Trump, Real Clear Politics has Hillary winning by a polling average of 8.5 points, whereas Bernie wins by 15.2 points. With Cruz, Hillary wins by 3 points and Bernie wins by 12. Bernie Sanders is clearly the better candidate of choice to propel the Democratic Party to victory.

Bernie Sanders has faced tremendous odds during the primaries. The major media networks will not cover him. Issues of voter suppression across the primaries have cost him in delegates. Yet, he has come impressively far and has proven himself to be a real contender against Hillary Clinton. If this is what he can do with forces acting against him, think of how much farther he could go with the Democratic Party's backing.

For the good of the Party, I urge you to consider voting for Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Nomination.

Sincerely,

[your first and last name]

Bernie Supporters, Now is Not Time to Jump Ship

Bernie's defeat during last night's Super Tuesday was disheartening to say the least. But just because the majority is paying attention to the sharks and ship captain, doesn't mean you give up on the guy pointing out the disaster we're heading into.

Months ago, before any #StillSanders hashtag appeared, I was asked in an anonymous Tumblr message if I would change my blog name and start following another presidential candidate if Bernie didn't win the nomination.

The question seemed absurd to me then. I didn't start a blog and several social media channels so I could flip flop between lackluster political candidates. I don't spend hours of my day every day reading Bernie, sharing Bernie, discussing Bernie just to give up once he secured the white house. Win or lose, Bernie champions a message I care about, and as long as that message is carried, I will kept fighting for it.

I thought others who proclaimed they "feel the bern" were the same as I, that they too had latched on to the message and were in it for the long haul. Now, with Bernie's chances for the nomination growing slimmer, I was disappointed to see messages of those I once trusted urging others to vote for Hillary to save the country from the impending Trump nomination.

And if you're one of those people who championed Bernie but are now limping away and suggesting we all do the same, then I have to ask you, what were you fighting for in the first place? Because the issues haven't changed, and if you ever really cared about them, Bernie is still the best choice for president. Do you not owe it to yourself and this country to continue fighting for Bernie?

Running scared to vote for the lesser evil is what establishment politics wants you to do. How many presidential elections have you heard the saying "But I can't vote for him because he can't win?" We, a country built by revolutionists, have let ourselves believe we have no power. Many of us are sick and tired of our political system, but we've bought into the fallacy of the throwaway vote. The reality is if we only had the courage to band together, we could truly change something.

There is, even now a path to the white house. Bernie does extremely well with Independents and young people, two groups that have felt excluded by and haven't participated in our political process. Bernie is the only candidate with a net favorability rating among voters and polls better than Hillary against the Republican candidates. While Hillary gains support mostly among democrats, Bernie appeals to a wide group voters, Democrats and Republicans alike. Bernie's support can be expected to grow after the primary as he gains more exposure among the American people. Hillary's support may not as her numbers have stayed around the same since the primary started. 

Bernie plans to fight all the way to the convention where it all comes down to super delegates. If Bernie can pull off an impressive delegate count to rival Clinton, and the delegates recognize Bernie has the support and the momentum to win the general election in a way that surpasses Clinton's chances, they should vote for him.

Of course, there's always the chance Bernie doesn't win. But what really changes then? Do you honestly believe our country is best served by voting for another candidate? We backed Bernie because we believed in what he represented. None of that changes if he doesn't win the nomination.

What about the fossil fuels destroying our planet? What about people who still can't afford life saving healthcare? What about preventing Wall Street from crashing our economy again? Our crumbling education system? The disappearing middle class? Our bought politicians? Our obsession with continuous warfare? Our terrible mass incarceration and criminal justice issues? No one said the political revolution was going to be easy. And I for one fail to see how turning in my values and beliefs for an establishment candidate is going to be helpful.

Our country cannot continue to survive like this, and Hillary is not going to fix it. Yes, Trump is scary, but that's no reason to buy into the establishment ploy and drag our country though 8 more years of income inequality, corrupt politics, and no change. Hillary is just as likely to destroy the country as Trump, she'll just do it quietly and behind closed doors.

Hillary has to earn our vote and has already demonstrated how little she cares about it. So what do we do? We get back to what we've been doing. We phone bank, canvas, and volunteer our heart out. We show up and vote and drag our friends and family out with us. We make Hillary fight for every last delegate until the convention.

And what if Bernie doesn't get the Democratic nomination? Then we see if a third party candidacy is an option, and if it is we fight our heart out for that. And if not, we continue to fight for Bernie and his beliefs and vote berniecrats into office one county, city, state at a time. We change Congress. We get involved in our political process, attend protests, and demand that our representatives work for us. We do not give up! And we do not give in!

Bernie has been fighting for us for over 40 years, even when no one was around to take him seriously. Now is not the time to jump ship, or perhaps the perfect time if you were never serious to be begin with. We are the political revolution, and it can only go as far as you decide to carry it. Sign the Bernie or Bust pledge to write in Bernie's name or vote Green in the general election. Tell the establish we're not playing their game anymore.

8 Times Bernie Supporters Revolted on Twitter

The primary election has garnered a slew of hashtags with which Bernie Supporters have spurred the revolution, crying out against corruption and media bias. Some have been quite comical, others far more serious. The following list will be updated with additional tags as the primary continues. Hashtags are in order of date of appearance.

#HillarySoProgressive

During the fifth democratic debate, Hillary was asked whether she considered herself a moderate or a progressive after previously laying claim to both labels. Hillary insisted she was a "progressive who gets things done." But her words didn't seem to convince Twitter users, who tweeted the hashtag #HillarySoProgressive to point out her more moderate record.

#WhichHillary

Ashley Williams, a Black Lives Matter activist, protested at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser holding a sign with the hashtag #WhichHillary and a quote from Clinton referring to black youth as "superpredators" from a 1996 speech in support of the Violent Crime Control Act. Hillary has said that she stands with the BLM movement, but she had no comment for Williams on her concerns and had the girl escorted out. Once the video of Ashley's protest was posted, Twitter users tweeted the hashtag to call out Clinton on her history of shifting viewpoints and to question which of those views points she actually holds.

#MoveBillGetOutTheWay

During the Massachusetts primary, Bill Clinton campaigned for his wife outside of a polling station, blocking voters from getting to the polls, prompting the hashtag #MoveBillGetOutTheWay. He also went inside of the polling location and shook hands with poll workers and voters. There's some dispute on whether or not Clinton was in violation of campaign law, which states there can be no voting solicitation with 150ft of a polling place. However, a petition was started for his arrest and a law suit filed against his actions. There's allegations that Bill Clinton continues to break campaign law at other polling places across the country.

#BernieMadeMeWhite

Throughout the primary, the media has reported that Bernie only does well with white youth voters. When Bernie swept the caucuses in Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska, three of the most diverse states in the US, the media continued their rhetoric. Twitter shot back with #BernieMadeMeWhite where people of color voiced their support for Bernie and their frustration at the media's refusal to acknowledge their existence.

#ToneDownForWhat

Bernie Sanders challenged Hillary Clinton to a debate in NY before the April primary, but an aid for the Clinton campaign said the debate wouldn't happen until Sanders changed his tone, alleging that Sanders had broken his pledge not to run negative attacks. Twitter responded with #ToneDownForWhat, asking if pointing out the truth of Hillary's record and campaign donations could be considered negative and whether or not Hillary could handle Trump if the pressure from Bernie was too much. The Clinton campaign later agreed to a debate.

  #ImSoSick

A Greenpeace activist asked Hillary Clinton at a rally if she would pledge to refuse campaign donations from big oil. Hillary's response was heated, saying "I'm sick of the Sanders campaign spreading lies! I'm sick of it!" But Hillary's connections to the fossil fuel industry aren't lies, and Twitter users tweeted #ImSoSick with their own frustrations, calling out Hillary for her establishment ties and the media for their bias toward Hillary's campaign.

#ApologizeForWhat

Still following the events after the Greenpeace activist, Hillary Clinton made a statement that she felt sorry for people who believed the lies perpetuated by the Sanders campaign about her receiving fossil fuel donations. After such remarks, Bernie asked Hillary to apologize for lying about his campaign. Hillary supporters took to Tumblr with the hashtag #ApologizeForWhat, accusing Bernie's campaign for lies and smears against Hillary. But the hashtag was quickly taken over by Bernie Supports who tweeted various downfalls of Hillary's political career that they felt she needed to apologize for.

#HillarySoQualified

After Bernie stated that Hillary was not qualified to be president, Hillary supporters went to Twitter with the hashtag #HillarySoQualified to tout her qualifications. But Bernie supporters hijacked the hashtag and tweeted all the ways they felt Hillary wasn't qualified.