We relay what we have learned from Thom, Amy Goodman, and other progressives, alive and those who have come before, weekly on Boston Common. I have some of the names of those on rules committee and platform people but more info needed. If Puerto Ricans really knew about how devastating managers can be, as in Flint, and the Detroit public schools, they may not have gone for her. Thanks for all the info over the years.

Sincerely, Jan Rowe

If we examine Bernies' words carefully, he has been careful not to say that he approves of her - but that he will do anyhing he can to stop Trump. Bernie has repeatedly stated that it will be encumbent upon HRC to put forth her reasons to the voters, as to why she should get our vote.

Like most here - I would listen to whatever reasons Bernie himself stated as to why any of us should vote for her. It would be one tough of a hard sell.... but I'd still hear him out.

Bernie should stay in in order to use his great influence to help shape a truely Progressive platform platform that Hillary will be afixed to in a truely irrevicable way. She must be influenced to pick a truely Progressive V.P. such as Tulsi Gabbard or Zephyr Teachout.

I believe that Bernie is far more popular in the general American public than the extremely rigged Democratic primaries suggest. What the rigged primaries and bought-off media has obscured, is that Bernie is far more popular than either Hillary or Trump, and could win over either or both of them. So I definitely believe Bernie should not hesitate for a second if the Dem Party does not embrace him and his platform, to run as either an Independent or on the Green Party with Jill Stein as his VP running mate.

Bernie's Primary momentum gives him a huge platform to publicly advocate important progressive causes. In my opinion, the most important cause is our democracy itself.

The new Voter ID laws created huge problems for a large portion of the electorate as Republican statehouses have been systematically taking away people's right to vote. While that frustration is still fresh in voters minds, this would be a great time to promote a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote and fix some of the ills of our voting process.

There's a proposed amendment by Congressmen Pocan and Ellison that starts off well but I'd argue should be expanded to cover more of the ills of our current system.

SECTION 1: Every citizen of the United States, who is of legal voting age, shall have the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides.

SECTION 2: Congress shall have the power to enforce and implement this article by appropriate legislation.

I would insert several new sections between Section 1 and Section 2. These include elimination of the electoral college, reducing gerrymandering, adding instant-runoff voting, and making our voting system verifiable. Of course, the language could be improved.

SECTION 2: Elections for President are won by popular vote;

SECTION 3: Congressional districts in each state shall be drawn compactly and without bias.

SECTION 4: Voters shall rank Presidential candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, an instant runoff vote count is performed.

SECTION 5: Voting shall be performed using independently verifiable voting apparatus.

What do y'all think?

If Bernie Sanders does not get the democratic nomination at the convention, then he should run as an independent. I think he would win. There are lots of discruntial republicans and democrats that I think would vote for Bernie Sanders as an independent. MAKE THIS A POLL QUESTION. That question should be IF BERNIE DOES NOT BECOME THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE AT THE CONVENTION, THEN SHOULD HE RUN AS AN INDEPENDENT?

So you are giving your vote to tRump.

Generally speaking, an independent presidential candidate must petition for placement on the general election ballot in all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C. A handful of states may allow an independent candidate to pay a filing fee in lieu of submitting a petition.

The methods for calculating how many signatures are required vary considerably from state to state, as do the actual signature requirements. For instance, some states establish a flat signature requirement. Other states calculate signature requirements as percentages of voter registration or votes cast for a given office.

In order to access the ballot nationwide, it is estimated that an independent presidential candidate in 2016 would need to collect more than 880,000 signatures. California is expected to require independent candidates to collect 178,039 signatures, more than any other state. Tennessee is expected to require 275 signatures, fewer than any other state.

An individual can run as a write-in candidate. In 35 states, a write-in candidate must file some paperwork in advance of the election. In seven states, write-in voting for presidential candidates is not permitted. The remaining states do not require write-in candidates to file paperwork in advance of the election.

Bernie should start a 3rd party to represent all of us who NO ONE now to represent us!

Well said. It is evident to me that Bernie is not only immensely popular but the only candidate trusted. If he does not get the nomination at the convention he should run on a new progressive Green party ticket with Jill Stein as his VP.

We should run third-party announcing after the DNC convention. The DNC and corporate media played every dirty trick they could think of on us. We will pull votes from tRump and Hillary making it a true three-way race.

"I do know the mechanisations of the Democratic election process are corrupt, but they were that way long before Hilary..what was done to Bernie was done to Hilary and she had to suck it up and leave the stage or risk destroying her party as encouraged by the self immolators in both parties."

EXACTLY!

The GOP destroyed Jimmy Carter. They impeached Bill Clinton. They tried to destroy Hillary Clinton as FLOTUS, they threw everything they had at Obama. HILLARY AND BILL CLINTON HAD OBAMA'S BACK.

I love Bernie Sanders, but the GOP would destroy him - he has no army of DC insiders behind him, and in the real world and present situation in our government, that's a losing situation. The GOP would eviscerate POTUS Sanders. That's why I'm with her.

Bernie always said he wanted to draw focus to the real issues. He's done that, but now he's becoming a distraction. We need him to fight for us and that meand fight for Hillary, not against her.

I agree. I am very much afraid of a Clinton presidency, probably just as much as I am a Trump presidency. If HC does get the nomination from the DNC, we will have to wait another 4 years for an opportunity for another Sanders-type candidate to run. This opinion is shared by Thomas Frank of the book "Listen, Liberal."

CA Rep. Barbara Lee has proven that the establishment democrats DO NOT want to make the Sanders-esque changes to the Dem. Party. She fought very hard to keep the president of the nurses union from having a voice at the DNC platform convention. She's not the only one I'm having a hard time trusting. Far from it.

We are in desparate need of a revolution, including a revolt against the down-party candidates who have given voice to our needs but failed to give action. They have literally voted against our best interests. They have taken to behaving no differently than the republicans by failing to give us any kind of gun protection laws. Four were presented, two by the dems. and two by the repubs. I know (I think we all know) that the republicans would never join the proposals made by the democrats. But the democrats surely could have joined the republicans in their proposals. At least we would have had something as a basis for a start towards gun controls. Instead we got nothing.

This can only change if Sanders stays in the race, no matter how.