It's because of "us" that Bernie keeps fighting. He gets booed by his own peers when he speaks of "the battle of ideas".

And, he is accused of a "total display of self-obsession." It is quite the opposite. The very reason that Bernie continues to fight for "us" is at the very core of his message all along: it's about the people, not the 'game' of winning and losing.

He could have easily abandoned us and said, "Okay, I tried. They won. Let's all get behind the nominee." It would have made his life easier. He would have been a hero to his peers. But to Bernie, it was never about being a 'hero'; instead, it's been about those of us at the bottom who need a voice. Every time they ridicule him, they are stating flat out to us: "Hey, 99%, you don't matter to us." And, it only makes him fight harder for us.

What the democratic party doesn't get is that this is not a game. In pro sports, the big money goes to both teams. Advertising, liquor sales, souvenirs, t-shirts: big money being spent all around and the 'winning' and 'losing' is strictly about which side can yell the loudest, which team is having a good day or bad day, who can cheat the best without getting caught, and how the referees call the plays. While this might be how the 2 party system works, in the 2016 democratic primary there has been a new twist: principles rather than the 'win'. Many of us are now trying to veer away from the 'trophy' mentality where the 'winner' can demand higher pay-to-play windfalls.

In this primary, we have been talking about (partial list):

whether or not we can save the planet from climate change: will the planet live or die?

will the economy continue to hemorrhage jobs: will the lower/middle class live or die?

can we fix the healthcare system: will people live or die?

what wars are we willing to wage: will innocents live or die?

what should we do about our energy needs: will the sources help us to live or cause us to die?

should we invest more in education: will the empire live or die?

This primary has been about life and death on massive scales. And yet, Berners are called "sore losers" as if we just all came home from a football game and our team lost -- so just get over it and let's just assimilate into the 'winning' team so that we can all be 'winners'. It is that exact attitude that makes us fight harder: life and death is not a f#cking game!

Look at every stadium photo that was packed with Bernie supporters. Do the dems think that because Bernie was speaking in a sports stadium that it is no different from a game? Do the dems think that these people were no different than fans at a concert listening to songs that they could forget about later? The people in those photos were not attending a game or a concert -- they were heeding a call to a progressive world.

Look at every march, every post, every movement that arose from his campaign. Do the dems think that it's some kind of childish fad -- like a pet rock or a mood ring -- that will just be replaced by a new fad in a few weeks? Can we negate the philosophies of the ages to merely 'fads' (yeah--that's sooooo 1776).

The reason that Bernie got so far in this 'race' (again a sports term) is that millions of people were willing to eat peanut butter sandwiches instead of hamburgers -- just to donate to the progress of the 'ideas' that he represents. And there are democrats who scoff at that? Really? Is the democratic party so out of touch with the people who USED TO BE their base that they can now ridicule them -- and then with a straight face, ask for their vote?

It isn't Bernie that they are dismissing -- it is all of US:

who still believe in progress for a better country

that believe $27 donations matter

who really feel that this is a life and death struggle

who can't stomach the superbowl mentality being brought into matters that affect our very existence

Bernie can't give up any more than we can. It's in our souls. It's in our survival reflexes. It's in our hearts. It's in our compassion for our fellow travelers on this planet. The political revolution continues -- no matter what the democratic party chooses. We still choose Bernie.

crossposted at TOP