Bernie is doing exactly what I predicted Trump would do if he lost: He’s holding the party hostage at the mercy of his rabid flock.

Like Trump, Bernie has total sway over his supporters. Everyone has to kiss Bernie’s ass because he can weaponize his movement at will. Everyone knows if you cross him, they are vicious and they hold a grudge.

And just like Trump, Bernie could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and his followers would just defend him harder. Or deny it ever happened.

But unlike Trump supporters, Bernie’s band of young progressives are not the base of our party. We aren’t beholden to them. The base of the Democratic party is multi-cultural and female-centered. We don’t need to win over Bernie’s holdouts to win.

The demands of Bernie’s supporters go far beyond a desire to be heard, and appeasing them means giving them more than just a seat at the table. They demand we acquiesce in the face their renowned “enthusiasm” and defer to them on both policy and doctrine. They don’t just want input, they want the determining vote. Anything less is invalidating, and therefore unacceptable.

Appealing to Bernie’s followers on the issues didn’t work last year during the election, and it isn’t going to work now.

What Bernie wants is what they want. What Bernie doesn’t care about is negotiable. Bernie’s enemies are their enemies. It’s all about Bernie. This is the only internal consistency to the entire movement.

To them, unity is solely a means to avenge Bernie’s defeat and erase his failures. They demand vindication. Full confession that the primary was rigged, and unilateral concession that Bernie coulda/shoulda/woulda won if only [insert Berner conspiracy theory here].

They want to be proven right, so it will have all been worth it and they’ll never have to admit how wrong they are. Obviously this isn’t going to happen. Perez has yet to realize you can’t give them an inch, but even he wouldn’t dare take it that far.

Better to stay true to our Democratic values, fight for voting rights and continue efforts to resist Trump. Bernie only has as much power over us as we give him. We need to stop currying favor and get on with the real fight.

Bernie is already overplaying his hand. He reveals more of what he’s really about every day. At some point, the fever will break and his disillusioned followers will come to us on their own. Even if we have to wait awhile.

Bernie isn’t leading us toward the “unity” we profess to seek but neither side really wants. It’s time to end the pointless quest for a reconciliation. It’s time to unfollow.

More:

The Right Takeaway from 2016

Voter Suppression Works

Not Choosing is Still a Decision

Democrats: Know Which Side You’re On

The Question of Unity

These Walls Between Us