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For a few weeks now I have been edging closer and closer to the idea that the Democratic Party should unite behind a ticket of Clinton & Sanders to preserve party unity and win the November election. Today, we have an excellent column from Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal in which she explores the case for such a ticket. In addition ot the obvious short term advantages, she has some very insightful observations about both parties and their future.
Clinton-Sanders: Maybe That?s the Ticket - WSJ
Should Sanders continue to win, especially if he wins in California, this only becomes more and more the realistic way to go the same way that JFK picked his hated opposite Lyndon Johnson in 1960 and thereby won the election.
Your comments and observations are encouraged.
So I read through this a few days back and I've been rolling it around in my head since then. I think I've figured out where I stand a little better. I would accept this, and Bernie might as well, under certain conditions. Shillary would have to agree to support Bernie in a crusade. Bernie could cave on free college, tax the rich, minimum wage, and UHC. I would accept that if he took VP and used every tool available, including the support of Shillary (part of the bargain), to overhaul campaign finance and money in politics in general. If he could take on corruption in general as well that'd be a bonus, they are pretty closely related. Government waste would fit in nicely as well. But I think that's what America really needs right now, more than anything. We really need to clean our own house, and I could see a particularly active and effective VP running on that theme for 4-8 years, using the high profile office in addition to the base of support he's built up to do just that. It would balance Shillary's negatives in a way that would make many many people far less unhappy to vote for her, without Bernie betraying everything he stands for and becoming part of the machine.
Honestly though, this is probably less likely than him just walking out of the convention as the nominee.