Bernie's Endgame Failure

As the 2016 Democratic Primary season winds down, it's obvious that Bernie Sanders has lost his once rather noble narrative.

His surrogates have been a hot mess - Obama critics such as Cornel West and Cenk Uygur - Naderites such as Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and Michael Moore - and befuddled pundits who have garbled the message such as Nina Turner and Shaun King. There have been several disastrous demonstrations of Bernie-Bro chaos, such as the protest at a Clinton rally in California during which children were screamed and cursed at and signs were destroyed, along with the latest debacle at the Nevada State Democratic Convention which ended in police action.

Bernie doesn't seem concerned with uniting the Democratic Party. Instead he is vowing to plow ahead to California, win by miracle or (more likely) lose to Hillary, then somehow persuade the super delegates to flip to him at the Philadelphia convention this summer (and please send money!). He's just doubling down on his campaign spin, and seems to believe every pipe-dream his followers espouse:

Update: Bernie doubled down on Sunday Talk Shows:

Interview with Jake Tapper 5-22-2016 on CNN

Jake Tapper: Now you were making a point about the superdelegates, but what you left out of that data is that while it’s true – you have roughly 46 percent of the pledged delegates, Secretary Clinton has roughly 54 percent of them. It seems unlikely that you’ll actually achieve the majority of the pledged delegates.

Sanders: I assume that most of the people who come to my rallies can do arithmetic!
The point that I was making is there’s something absurd when I get 46 percent of the delegates that come from real contests — real elections, and 7 percent of the superdelegates. I am the stronger candidate because we appeal to independents, people who are not in love with either the Democratic or the Republican Party,”

From This Week with George Stephanopoulos: Will he be Hillary's running mate? Um...

STEPHANOPOULOS: If you don't, sir, and this is my final question.
Are you hoping to be considered if Secretary Clinton's running mate?

SANDERS: It's a little bit early to talk about that. Right now, our function is to do everything I can, George. And you're going to see me running all over California; we're in New Mexico now. We're going to do everything that we can to get every vote and every delegate that we can and go into that convention with as much momentum as is possible.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Didn't hear a no. Senator, we'll be talking to you soon. Take care.

On Hillary as the "lesser of two evils" compared with Trump:

We need a campaign, an election, coming up which does not have two candidates who are really very, very strongly disliked. I don’t want to see the American people voting for the lesser of two evils. I want the American people to be voting for a vision of economic justice, of social justice, of environmental justice, of racial justice. That is the campaign we are running, and that’s why we are getting the support we are.

A screencap of Bernie's expression as he's talking abt Hillary being the lesser of two evils. Telling body language. pic.twitter.com/8m3OlTIIEp

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 21, 2016

From Yahoo News

Sanders insisted there is a “possibility” he could pull ahead of Clinton. He acknowledged this would be improbable and would take multiple major victories among the six states that will vote on June 7. Nevertheless, Sanders vowed to take his “fight” to the party’s nominating convention, which will take place in Philadelphia in late July.
“We have the possibility. It will be a steep climb, I recognize that, but we have the possibility of going to Philadelphia with a majority of the pledged delegates,” Sanders said. “Some people say that we’ve got a steep hill to climb to do that. And you know what? That is absolutely true. But you know what? Together we have been climbing that steep hill from day one in this campaign.”

Yeah, okay - a steep hill to nowhere because Hillary Clinton will win California, and also New Jersey and Washington D.C.

And along comes Campaign Manager Jeff Weaver to refute the Math, which "media narrative" instead of reality:

From NPR Interview

AUDIE CORNISH: But if he has to win 68 percent of all the delegates going forward, in all the races, and he falls short of that — you know, do you have an obligation to be honest about what his path is?
JEFF WEAVER: Well, no, but see, but that’s a media narrative from people who think that politics is just standing at a board, doing mathematics. But it’s much more than that.

And about that Convention:

CORNISH: So for the record, you are planning to contest the convention?

WEAVER: Well, I think what is going to happen is at the end of the District of Columbia, which is the last jurisdiction to vote in this process - and once that happens, if the senator has substantial momentum, if he has substantially closed the gap in terms of pledged delegates, if the public polling continues to show that he's a much stronger candidate, I think there's a strong argument to be made to superdelegates that they should take another look.
I mean, there are hundreds of superdelegates who support Hillary Clinton who announced their endorsement for her before the race even started, before they even knew Bernie Sanders was in the race. So...

CORNISH: Right, that's why I'm asking. So essentially, you're saying, yeah, if all of these things line up the way you're describing, you want - you're saying that your campaign will - you guys will raise your hand and say, yes, we want to contest this. This is not over.

WEAVER: Right, we'll go there. And, you know, superdelegates don't vote until they actually go to the convention. So let's see where the race stands at the end of the voting process. And then let's see what happens when the superdelegates actually vote in Philadelphia.

But slowly some past Bernie supporters are coming to their senses and realizing Bernie's day is done and we should be focused on Trump.

This week the Twitter hashtag #BernieLostMe trended for several days. And while the faithful keep their spirits up by vowing #BernieOrBust, signs are that the "revolution" may be coming apart at the seams.

#BernieLostMe when his supporters threatened to "burn Philly to the ground" if they don't get their way.

— Girls Really Rule. (@girlsreallyrule) May 19, 2016

#BernieLostMe when he's been giving the same speech for 43 yrs & has never offered any solutions for his whining. pic.twitter.com/8cG4qnUZ3H

— Terri McGovern (@TnGovern) May 19, 2016

#BernieLostMe with all his Vile Trolls attacking & spewing Conspiracy Theories everytime it doesn't go his way!
. pic.twitter.com/vAaH2Zmuj2

— WayneEdH (@WayneEdH) May 19, 2016

#BernieLostMe because he used my party. He's a fraud. pic.twitter.com/Yn9WfS1BsA

— Terra Firma (@SDzzz) May 19, 2016

#BernieLostMe when he turned a blind eye as his supporters set up a "hit list" to harass super delegates with threats.

— missLtoe (@missLtoe) May 19, 2016

When your whole campaign is about economics but you "can't find" your own tax returns. #BernieLostMe pic.twitter.com/3sx8EyE9hU

— The Baxter Bean (@TheBaxterBean) May 19, 2016

#BernieLostMe when I realized his entire platform was a bait&switch hoax to enrage followers & stage an old man's long dreamed coup attempt

— McWomanCard (@McSnewsie) May 20, 2016

Democrats be like "We don't know them" #ImWithHer #BernieLostMe #FeelTheBern #FeelTheMath #ShesWithUs #UniteBlue 🇺🇸💙 pic.twitter.com/KslvCle745

— Hillary 2016! (@YaasssHillary) May 20, 2016

Bernie Supporters Trash the Nevada Dem Convention

Previous Related Posts:
Bernie the Sore Loser
Bernie Brats Need to Stop Dissing South
Desperation in Bernie Land
Susan Sarandon Likes Trump Over Hillary
Bernie Camp Blames Hillary for AZ Loss
Bernie Gives Hillary the Hand of Silence

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Hillary Clinton won the Nevada Caucus so the state convention should have been a simple matter of dividing up delegates between herself and Bernie Sanders.

But nothing in the 2016 election is EVER that simple. In fact, the Nevada Democratic Convention turned ugly due to the sore-loser attitude of his followers.

From Washington Post

Prior to the state convention, some Sanders supporters began an effort to shift the convention rules in a way that they viewed as more favorable to their candidate. One of those changes, the Las Vegas Sun reported, was a process for verifying voice votes; another took issue with the state party chairwoman, Roberta Lange, heading up the convention. Supporters at the event circulated petitions to the same end. The scene was set.

The first report from the credentials committee on Saturday morning indicated that Clinton had a slight edge in delegates. Sanders fans voted against that report, per Jon Ralston, and then demanded a recount – but this was simply a preliminary figure…. That was when the vote to approve the rules as written – Roberta’s Rules versus Robert’s Rules, as some Sanders backers dubbed them – was conducted by voice vote. The motion, seconded by a Sanders supporter, passed – which is when the room, in Ralston’s phrasing, “erupts.”

Jon Ralston had it right - the Bernie delegates "erupted" into anger, shouting, name-calling, and even chair-tossing. Eventually the place had to be shut down and the police were called in to make people leave the venue. Video of the melee is below. None of it bodes well for the Philadelphia Democratic Convention later this summer.

One of the problems was that 64 delegates for Bernie showed up, some of them apparently bused in from California. Obviously they couldn't participate in the Nevada Caucus, but that didn't stop them from shouting and raising a ruckus about how unfair the establishment is.

What, Bernie delegates were not registered Dems? Why, that would be as crazy as Bernie not being a registered Dem. pic.twitter.com/D1SxUu0fh5

— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) May 15, 2016

People behaved so badly, even shouting down Senator Barbara Boxer of California, that the police were called in to clear the building. The next day, Nevada Democratic Headquarters had to be closed due to threats.

From Las Vegas Review Journal

The convention is over, but the wider battle for order continues within the Nevada State Democratic Party. It’s playing out not in the shuttered headquarters, but on social media, where some Sanders backers relentlessly criticize and insult state party Chairwoman Roberta Lange. The outcry turned ugly over the weekend, when Lange’s cellphone number was posted online and she received death threats.
A Metropolitan Police Department spokesman confirmed Monday that the agency is investigating the threats. He declined to comment further, as the investigation continues.
Scores of voicemails and texts left on Lange’s cellphone and provided to the Las Vegas Review-Journal show that some came from out-of-state people.
“I’m a Democrat from Ohio,” one texted her. “What you did yesterday was despicable. Please resign and turn yourself over to authorities.”
Another texted: “Are you scared of us? Of Bernie? Are you that big of a coward?” Yet another texted: “You’re a piece of trash. You are embarrassing to this country. You make Americans look bad and make women look worse. Hillary isnt going to win!”

Scroll down this post for more examples of death threats and insults.

Oooh! I think I "feel" it. Nope. Sorry. I absolutely do not feel the BS. pic.twitter.com/wV7bfr196M

— Gregor Samsa (@lucaswoodhead) May 23, 2016

Update: John Oliver on Comedy Central Points Out
That the Whole Caucus System is a Failure



By Monday, outrage from the rest of the Democratic Party reached fever pitch. Everyone has heard enough shouting from the Bernibros, bots, and gals, thank you very much. No one has patience anymore for this crazy-ass takeover of our party by Independent Rand-Paul-Nader Libertarian types, and no one gives a crap about their "Revolution."

The Sanders team put out a statement on Monday, but it was too little, too late:

Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs calls the tension at the @nvdems convention "unfortunate." pic.twitter.com/ovaWYsqwi4

— Megan Messerly (@meganmesserly) May 16, 2016

The Nevada Dems formally lodged a complaint with the DNC:

160516 Letter DNC RBC NVDemsConvention by Jon Ralston

Reid (rightly) criticizes Sanders backers. Sanders campaign opts out of accountability. https://t.co/8NnXxjU9FV pic.twitter.com/EX4xg8IyXj

— Alan Kestrel (@AlanKestrel750) May 16, 2016

Chanting "Recount, Recount"

Note:
This video wrongly states that Bernie won Nevada.
Hillary actually won - this is posted for the background.

Fight just broke out. Someone got their credentials snatched pic.twitter.com/RnDSMxaiI4

— Laura Martin (@LauraKMM) May 14, 2016

Video of Bernie idiots part 1 #nvdems #nvdemconvention #nvconvention pic.twitter.com/gbaEakKP8p

— Christopher Preciado (@CMPreciado) May 14, 2016

Video of the idiots part 2 #nvdemconvention #nvdems #nvconvention pic.twitter.com/9ZWu4qScyH

— Christopher Preciado (@CMPreciado) May 14, 2016

Senator Barbara Boxer begs crowd for civility
"Bernie is my friend. You want to boo me? You're booing Bernie."
"Keep on booing, and boo yourselves right out of this election."



One man in the crowd yelled at Boxer:
"Who gives a sh*t, b*tch?!!"
Charming.

The clowns are out look how they're treating @BarbaraBoxer !! #nvdemconvention #nvdems pic.twitter.com/ZiAiG82UZY

— Christopher Preciado (@CMPreciado) May 14, 2016

Police Action and Shut Down




Berners began to use social media to threaten Nevada Democratic Officials as well as Superdelegates.

A sample of texts sent to state Dem boss @rlange9 after the convention.https://t.co/YWDH4vFbCj pic.twitter.com/AxxC8zHaz4

— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) May 17, 2016

Updated post with transcripts of voicemails left for state Dem Chair @rlange9, copies of texts. NSFW. Scary stuff. https://t.co/YWDH4vFbCj

— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) May 17, 2016

#LindaDupree Look at what this Bernbot is threatening. Let's make her famous. Make this hashtag trend. pic.twitter.com/d5tQcN9AJu

— CodeSwitch (@Code_switcher) May 16, 2016

Trump, Alias John Somebody

Previous Related Posts
The Trump Taco Bowl
Trump Looms Over GOP Convention
 Nazi Trump Demands Sieg Heil from Crowd - But Not Racist Of Course
Chris Christie as Trump's Toadie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It's been brought to light that in the past, specifically during the 1990s after his break-up with wife Ivana, Donald Trump liked to play phone games with reporters, pretending to be his own publicist. He used the aliases John Miller and John Barron. When asked about it in the past, Trump admitted that he pranked the reporter, but now he denies it ever happened.

TRUMP: "No, I don't know anything about it - you're telling me about it for the first time and it doesn't sound like my voice at all. I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice - you can imagine that. And this sounds like one of the scams. One of the many scams. This doesn't sound like me.

Is "John Miller" actually @realdonaldtrump? A forensic audio expert and the journalist with the tapes offer analysis https://t.co/uXELLUFDCH

— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) May 13, 2016

From the Washington Post:

A recording obtained by The Washington Post captures what New York reporters and editors who covered Trump’s early career experienced in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s: calls from Trump’s Manhattan office that resulted in conversations with “John Miller” or “John Barron” — public-relations men who sound precisely like Trump himself — who indeed are Trump, masquerading as an unusually helpful and boastful advocate for himself, according to the journalists and several of Trump’s top aides.

In 1991, Sue Carswell, a reporter at People magazine, called Trump’s office seeking an interview with the developer. She had just been assigned to cover the soap opera surrounding the end of Trump’s 12-year marriage to Ivana, his budding relationship with the model Marla Maples and his rumored affairs with any number of celebrities who regularly appeared on the gossip pages of the New York newspapers.

Within five minutes, Carswell got a return call from Trump’s publicist, a man named John Miller, who immediately jumped into a startlingly frank and detailed explanation of why Trump dumped Maples for the Italian model Carla Bruni. “He really didn’t want to make a commitment,” Miller said. “He’s coming out of a marriage, and he’s starting to do tremendously well financially.”

From NorthJersey.com by writer Abbott Koloff

As a sportswriter more than 30 years ago, I called Donald Trump’s office in New York and was put on the phone with a man who said he was John Barron, a spokesman for Trump who sounded so much like his boss and used many of the same phrases that I kept interrupting him.
“Wait, is this Donald?” I asked at least three times during the interview.
“Oh, no” the man calling himself John Barron said, adding something along the lines that it was an interesting thought.

On Friday, the Washington Post reported what sports writers covering the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League discovered in 1985 — that Trump, who owned the Generals at the time, often posed as someone else in order to praise himself or to say something he could later deny.
Trump’s apparent ghost spokesman sometimes spelled his name “Barron” — Trump named his youngest son Barron and reportedly admired hotel magnate Barron Hilton — and sometimes Baron. He also used the name John Miller, according to the Washington Post.
After that phone call from 1985, I called Trump’s secretary and was told that John Barron was not on any of the company’s organizational charts but was Trump’s right-hand man. You could almost hear the wink in her voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Transcript of "John Miller" call with WaPo ~ Read it Here

Interviewer: What is your position there?

John Miller: Well, I’m sort of handling PR because he gets so much of it. And frankly, I mean, I could tell you off the record. Until I get to know you, off the record, I can tell you that he didn’t care if he got bad PR until he got his divorce finished.

So when he got a lot of bad financial stuff, he liked it because, you know, it was good because he could get a divorce finished. And once his divorce is finished, if you noticed since then he’s doing well financially and he’s doing well in every other way. The licensing was five to nothing. And people are saying how come all of a sudden he’s doing so well? And then I guess Newsday about two weeks ago did a story on that. So I’ve sort of been put in here to handle because I’ve never seen anybody get so many calls from the press.

Interviewer: Where did you come from?

John Miller: I basically worked for different firms. I worked for a couple of different firms, and I’m somebody that he knows and I think somebody that he trusts and likes. So I’m going to do this a little part time, and then, yeah, go on with my life, too.

Interviewer: Is he trying to -- I mean, is Marla trying to reconcile all this or is this --

John Miller: Marla wants to be back with him and he wants to be with her, but he just, he just feels it’s too soon.

~~~~~~~~~

We're the Millers #weakdonald #JohnMiller @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/9zYrbApYIp

— Uncle John (@azmoderate) May 14, 2016

left to right: John Miller, Donald Trump, John Barron pic.twitter.com/u1Hc67xU8G

— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) May 13, 2016

Interviewer: What about this Ivana thing? It says in the Newsday Trump also told friends that when he and Ivana met last week, she indicated that she would be interested in reconciliation?

John Miller: Ivana wants to get back with Donald, but she --

Interviewer: Really? After saying on Barbara Walters that she never would?

John Miller: What is she going to say? What is she going to say? She’s going to say when he’s with somebody else and had other people lined up, is she going to say, “Yes, I want to get back. I want to get back.” You know, she’s a pretty savvy woman and she’s not going to say -- I mean, he’s living with Marla and he’s got three other girlfriends, and then, and she’s not going to say, I really want to get back, you know? She wants to get back, she’s told it to a lot of her friends and she’s told it to him, but it’s so highly unlikely. That’s off the record. He left. I mean, it was his choice to leave and he left.

Interviewer: He left for Marla.

John Miller: No, he didn’t leave, no. See, that’s the biggest misconception of this whole thing. The second question I asked about after the ring was the biggest misconception is he left. He didn’t leave for Marla. He really left for himself. He didn’t leave for Marla. He never left for Marla. He was going to leave anyway. Marla was there, but he was going to leave anyway. Whether there was a Marla or not he was going to leave anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~

One of Trump's aliases was "John Barron." He's named his youngest son "Barron Trump."

— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) May 13, 2016

Wow, John Barron was Trump's publicist from all the way back to his USFL days! https://t.co/awGT8FkPVo pic.twitter.com/LymfqfSMO6

— Dean Barker (@deanbarker) May 15, 2016

#Trump talking 44 mins w @washingtonpost abt finance.

Did u ever employ some #JohnMiller?

Phone silent, then dead. pic.twitter.com/JhCBPBylA6

— Samy Nemir Olivares (@Samynemir) May 14, 2016

John Miller? John Barron? How many Trumps are there? Trevor went straight to the source. https://t.co/hH6DgCb2PUhttps://t.co/E1E2HyHGt2

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) May 14, 2016

BREAKING: #JohnMiller denies he is Trump pic.twitter.com/whaMr3N71E

— Brendan McInnis (@BrendanMcInnis) May 14, 2016

Trump bragged that he lived with one mistress while dating 3 others. Wonderful husband says #JohnMiller

— John Hergt (@natureofthings7) May 16, 2016

Just remember all con artists appear "authentic" #JohnMiller #JohnBarron #Trump

— Passionate4 Hillary (@puppymnkey) May 14, 2016

Months ago I joked Trump would run with one his alter egos. Looks like I may be proved right.#Trump2016 #JohnMiller

— Culture of Truth (@Bobblespeak) May 13, 2016

Tell #Trump they've traced the call and it's coming from inside the house! #JohnMiller pic.twitter.com/uPD33YmWdA

— Jeanne K. (@SnarkAmendment) May 14, 2016

@Deanofcomedy #trump #johnmiller #johnbarron pic.twitter.com/3Ys2y0qbLy

— Church Lady (@QuiteDirect) May 13, 2016

#Trump has a racist butler, KKK delegate and an imaginary friend - #JohnMiller pic.twitter.com/X0BsraFciJ

— David (@MMASOCCERFAN) May 13, 2016

The #TrumpTacoBowl for Cinco De Mayo

Trump tweeted a picture of himself eating a "taco bowl" on the fifth of May, otherwise known as the Mexican (and American) holiday Cinco de Mayo. Yes, the King of All Hypocrites thought it would be appropriate to revel in Hispanic culture even though he has accused all Mexican immigrants of being killers and rapists, and he wants to build his giant wall on the border.

Hypocrisy never bothers a man like Donald Trump. But this time the internet had a good time calling him out on it.

Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics! https://t.co/ufoTeQd8yA pic.twitter.com/k01Mc6CuDI

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2016

Just got off phone with Trump Grill, says they don't serve taco bowls. It's not on the menu online.

— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) May 5, 2016

The #TrumpTacoBowl is from the Trump Cafe, not the Trump Grill, and it costs $13.50. THIRTEEN FIFTY! #journalism https://t.co/ATfkXeGJiE

— Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylor) May 5, 2016

@maria_lupinacci I apologize that Trump got the name of the establishment wrong in his own building.

— andrew kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) May 5, 2016

@BuzzFeedAndrew I refuse to believe that any of this is real.

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) May 5, 2016

I mean if you are #NeverTrump he is nacho candidate

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 5, 2016

GOP chair on Trump’s #TacoBowl https://t.co/J74CK4Efvu

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) May 6, 2016

Greatest moments in the WH press briefing room: pic.twitter.com/46fu6TLIp0

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 6, 2016

Obama on taco bowl: "I have no thoughts on Mr. Trump's tweets. As a general rule, I don’t pay attention to Mr. Trump’s tweets"

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) May 6, 2016

"Eating a taco is probably not going to fix the problems we have with Hispanics." -- Lindsey Graham

— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) May 6, 2016

Trevor imagines what Trump was thinking when he posted his Taco Bowl tweet... https://t.co/4oQ3W6OP2dhttps://t.co/ebeczH0jTJ

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) May 6, 2016

When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and eating from a crispy taco bowl. #TacoBowlGate

— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) May 7, 2016

People are obsessed with this woman’s response to Donald Trump’s taco bowl pic https://t.co/aJqNNCaJuf pic.twitter.com/0ztSMeuRst

— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) May 6, 2016

The tacos at Trump Tower were previously described as "devoid of flavor." https://t.co/rlHzLTS5yj pic.twitter.com/i1gZ8PXdem

— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) May 5, 2016

Of course Donald Trump eats taco bowls, the only Mexican food that comes with a wall built around it.

— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) May 5, 2016

Never ending #TrumpTacoBowl pic.twitter.com/ijndnNeamY

— Fred (@freeloosedirt) May 6, 2016

#TrumpTacoBowl overt racism; same as posting pic of fried chicken on MLK day and saying "I love African Americans" pic.twitter.com/QIYSCd85nY

— Robert Topping (@spitemissile) May 6, 2016

Let me tell you folks, no one has better fried chicken & watermelons than Trump Tower! I LOVE the Blacks! #Trump2016 pic.twitter.com/G1GhhTQHQU

— DonaId J. Trump (@realDenaldTrump) May 6, 2016

Donald Trump is eating a taco salad on top of a bikini-clad photo of his ex-wife, Marla Maples. pic.twitter.com/sW2itGBAOK

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) May 5, 2016

Who did this? @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/VsPSkfa1sz

— Aura Bogado (@aurabogado) May 5, 2016

@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/Cpl4JObqWj

— Antonio Sandoval (@sand8918) May 6, 2016

@realDonaldTrump this should be your new slogan, since you talk so much about the "good ol days" #CincoDeMayo pic.twitter.com/Dpe9SPj2B1

— Oscar (@oscargt) May 6, 2016

Hillary Running Against Bernie and Trump

In spite of not winning the Indiana Primary, Hillary Clinton had a strong week as a candidate.

After Donald Trump accused her of playing the Woman Card, Hillary raised 2.4 million dollars by offering supporters a literal Woman Card for a donation.

The #WomanCard?

Fighting for women's rights is a card we'd play any day.https://t.co/HWPpXei0xs

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 30, 2016

Get your own #WomanCard*: https://t.co/3DgpQSy3qb

*does not include a 21% discount on your purchases. pic.twitter.com/2xiRyOws5F

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 29, 2016

Clinton Campaign Says It Raised $2.4 Million From #DonaldTrump's '#WomanCard' Comment https://t.co/PDdGCcyjk3 pic.twitter.com/9zNXdsNJE9

— ElishaRoss (@DotMLDomains) May 3, 2016

She began the vetting process for Vice President, and of course Twitter had a few suggestions.

Hillary Clinton Reportedly Quietly Weighing Vice President Options | TODAY https://t.co/qaMa1IL5Ny via @YouTube

— Cindy Leinwand (@CindyLeinwand12) April 25, 2016

Some possible choices for Hillary Clinton's veep: https://t.co/tBCsoqewTj pic.twitter.com/6kXQi2QqWB

— American Prospect (@theprospect) April 29, 2016

The Case for Vice President Al Franken
"Hillary needs someone like Franken if she's going to beat Trump." https://t.co/jgj721tGnL

— Nina L. Diamond (@ninatypewriter) May 4, 2016

Deval Patrick is reportedly on the Hillary Clinton campaign’s short list for vice presidenthttps://t.co/raABpYiSDF pic.twitter.com/fLIudArMej

— Boston Today (@TodayBostonMA) April 25, 2016

Picking Elizabeth Warren for Vice-President Would Solve a Lot of Hillary’s Problems https://t.co/agpUoqbV3a via @intelligencer

— Ava Armstrong (@MsAvaArmstrong) April 24, 2016

And she turned towards the general election in a big way with two ads targeting Trump:

The GOP literally made Hillary's anti-Trump ad for her https://t.co/H0fAEABY8W

— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) May 4, 2016

Hillary's new anti-trump ad edited for twitter. #DumpTrump #BumpBernie She's fighting the real threat - #ImWithHer pic.twitter.com/uC2UnHZdRN

— Terra Firma (@SDzzz) May 4, 2016

Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders is still a major stumbling block for Hillary. He won Indiana possibly due to Independent and GOP cross-over votes. Even though the state was a virtual tie in delegates and Bernie's lead was slim, his followers once again saw it as "momentum" leading to the big prize of California at the end of the primary season.

And Bernie came out swinging at Hillary, telling her he wasn't going anywhere.

Bernie Sanders is the projected winner of the Democratic #INPrimary https://t.co/biR85ab0n9 https://t.co/aLXaleZH2Y

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 4, 2016

Bernie Sanders wins Indiana, rages against the dying of the electoral light: https://t.co/zROHWKmAoD pic.twitter.com/FRhokQzKVk

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) May 5, 2016

WATCH: @BernieSanders: If Clinton thinks primary race is over, "I've got some bad news for her." https://t.co/o5ZqjXgHpm

— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 4, 2016

However, those able to #FeelTheMath and accept reality are realizing that the numbers are not in Bernie's favor, and he probably won't catch Hillary on delegates.

Hillary is 181 delegates away from securing the nomination.

— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) May 4, 2016

The reality, for those who still value reality, is Hillary Clinton is simply beating Bernie Sanders-in popular vote, states won & delegates.

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) May 3, 2016

Hillary Clinton is beating Bernie by 3.2 million votes:

😍️🇺🇸#ImWithHer #HillYes #Florida #INPrimary #UniteBlue pic.twitter.com/iaDCHzWiuC

— Hillary for Florida (@Hillary4Florida) May 3, 2016

MUST SEE. ICYMI, Rachel #Maddow explains who Bernie Sanders can’t win, contested convention or not.https://t.co/qoh4iRiKcy

— Expatablishment (@expatina) May 4, 2016

Delegate math for Bernie Sanders is now Mission: Impossible. https://t.co/8mZSwN1CVA

— Randy Yeip (@randyyeipWSJ) April 21, 2016

However, the Berniebot Believers are never going to give up, and most of them are never going to vote Hillary in the general election. And Bernie's surrogates are still calling for increased donations to keep them going, while building up hopes for a longshot win. It's a con game, and it isn't helping the Democratic Party.

The main lessons from this election year are clear: the Democratic Party needs to fix several things before next time. No more support for Independents pretending to be Democrats. No more open primaries allowing Republicans to tamper with our primaries, and hopefully no more unfair caucuses keeping turnout low.

As it stands now, Hillary and her supporters are having to turn toward the general election and Donald Trump while dealing with rabid Berniebots who basically regurgitate far-right memes about Hillary.

Indiana: Cruz, You Lose And Trump Wins

Donald Trump won the Indiana Primary and within a few hours his only real competition, Senator Ted Cruz, made a concession speech and announced he was dropping out. The next day, John Kasich of Ohio became the last competitor to give up and let Donald become the anointed one of the GOP.

So Trump is what they've got and they are stuck with him.

The GOP awakens to a Trump nightmare come true - The Washington Post https://t.co/HA59bBIu0J

— Alan Abramowitz (@AlanIAbramowitz) May 4, 2016

The long, weird Kasich campaign gives in to reality: https://t.co/F6CC5H4qqyhttps://t.co/UHgko3iROW

— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) May 4, 2016

Howard Dean
Ed Muskie
Newt Gingrich
Pat Buchanan
Steve Forbes
all won more states than Kasich https://t.co/JeTINnCksn

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) May 4, 2016

~~~~~~~

Cruz can blame it on Mike Pence, the unpopular governor of Indiana, who gave him a lukewarm endorsement also "commending" Donald Trump.

BREAKING: I want to "commend Donald Trump ... but I will be voting for Ted Cruz," says Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. https://t.co/iObINqjq8k

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 29, 2016

Interesting interpretation of Mike Pence saying he'll vote for Cruz: Trump says Pence really endorsed him. pic.twitter.com/JQsDRnlaKK

— Ali Vitali (@alivitali) May 1, 2016

But voters might point to Cruz himself, who made the unthinkable unforced error in the Hoosier state of calling a basketball hoop a "basketball ring." Did he bother to watch the movie "Hoosiers" before campaigning there? Has he ever heard of "Hoop Dreams?"

Ted Cruz knows a basketball ring when he sees one. Watch full episode >> https://t.co/3nD0hK60Mj https://t.co/xbtSoHRcq7

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) April 28, 2016

Cruz tries to re-create "Hoosiers" scene; calls hoop a "basketball ring": https://t.co/jm68QzTZm6

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) April 27, 2016

Obama pokes fun at Ted Cruz's "basketball ring" comments from earlier this week. What's next? "Baseball sticks?" https://t.co/hkDIF5Gkrl

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 1, 2016

Indiana Hoosiers aren't going to like hearing Ted Cruz call a basketball hoop a basketball ring. Vote Trump! pic.twitter.com/3CLb73hIOC

— USA Hipster (@USAHipster) April 26, 2016

Cruz Ends Campaign

Do you think #TedCruz made the right decision by dropping out of the presidential race? pic.twitter.com/UFtgdPoBNA

— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 4, 2016

Ted also pummeled his wife on stage:

Ted Cruz drops out, then almost knocks out his wife with a jab and elbow to her face: https://t.co/tB3x9ljfA0https://t.co/Gysd6XXWr0

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) May 4, 2016

If you thought you had a rough day, just watch the elbow Ted Cruz gave to his wife's face https://t.co/kZaouOY8it

— Landon Pederson (@Pederlanderson) May 4, 2016

This followed a week in which John Boehner called Ted "Lucifer in the Flesh" and Trump accused his father, Rafael, of somehow being involved in the JFK assassination.

#JohnBoehner torches #TedCruz as "Lucifer in the flesh" and SOB https://t.co/fuL0uUWbtP https://t.co/2aARFwaRo7

— Korina K Kuster (@nenelilly) April 28, 2016

So, so hurtful. #JohnBoehner #TedCruz #LuciferCruz #LuciferOnFox #Lucifer pic.twitter.com/pbj4xoYEUr

— bennydiego (@bennydiego) April 30, 2016

Here's where Trump got Cruz's father linked to JFK assassination. Was on stands a few days ago pic.twitter.com/BrbSjuA4YH

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) May 3, 2016

.@realDonald Trump accuses Cruz's father of helping JFK's assassin pic.twitter.com/qJjz8QyuIf

— POLITICO (@politico) May 3, 2016

RAFAEL CRUZ 2ND SHOOTER Cruz Sr on left, Woman from Jack Ruby club middle and Lee Harvey Oswald on right #Maryland pic.twitter.com/6cFfcsDp3O

— Ted Hooley (@ed_hooley) April 25, 2016

Considering Trump loves to hang out with Roger Stone and Alex Jones, prob a good chance he does believe in a JFK conspiracy.

— Kevin Phelan (@KPhed) May 4, 2016

WATCH: @Tedcruz: "Yes, my dad killed JFK, he is secretly Elvis, and Jimmy Hoffa is buried in his backyard" https://t.co/8u2syfE8CJ

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 3, 2016

WATCH: JFK secret service agent on Trump's charge about Cruz's father https://t.co/gTBepVywDU

— Hardball (@hardball) May 5, 2016

Trump says he never believed JFK-Cruz conspiracy theory, only wanted people to read about it https://t.co/mg7t53Tgyl pic.twitter.com/CA1pKnnUTX

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) May 4, 2016

On @GMA, @realDonaldTrump declines to apologize for claim about Cruz's father: "I don't think anybody denied it" https://t.co/UTU8TkCvSE

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 4, 2016

One of the people dragged down by Ted Cruz in all this was Carly Fiorina, his erstwhile "running-mate" for a week. Her own run for the nomination failed because she is as unlikable as Cruz himself. But becoming Cruz's partner was worse as she embarrassed herself singing a creepy song to the Cruz children, and then ignored by everyone except Heidi Cruz when she suddenly fell from the stage while introducing the family. You really can't make this stuff up.

Will Fiorina be working for Trump soon like everyone else in the GOP? Probably. She is clearly desperate for attention, even negative attention - much like Chris Christie. But her run with Cruz will go down in history as a bizarre footnote to a crazy ill-fated campaign.

.@CarlyFiorina just sang from the stage after accepting offer to be @tedcruz's running mate: https://t.co/5HsAkKaqvp https://t.co/XBhn5IFBfz

— CBSN (@CBSNLive) April 27, 2016

@vladduthiersCBS Carly sang to the tune of Irving Berlin's song "I Hear Singing, but there's no one there" from the musical Call Me Madam.

— Sue Dietterle (@dietzIL) April 27, 2016

Carly Fiorina just sang a variation on Irving Berlin, who is presently clawing his way out of the grave to make them stop using his music.

— Zanti Misfit (@ZantiMisft) April 27, 2016

Carly Fiorina just started singing and I'm pretty sure this is the worst performance of Wicked ever.

— Catherine Q. (@CatherineQ) April 27, 2016

@CatherineQ America when Carly fiorina started singing pic.twitter.com/fbxPMHmM95

— Rstandiego (@Rstandiego) April 28, 2016

Carly Fiorina fell off a stage today. She’s in good company. https://t.co/hCpfRNdQtB pic.twitter.com/ZBAA8Pzkhg

— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) May 2, 2016

Carly Fiorina fell off a stage. Word Is She fell faster than HP Stock when she was CEO.

— Paul Lander (@paul_lander) May 2, 2016

"Even I would have helped her, OK," #DonaldTrump said on Fiorina's fall: https://t.co/05dJccvWCP

— Stephanie Wang (@stephaniewang) May 2, 2016

Maybe #TedCruz & #CarlyFiorina can bring their charisma to bear on another challenge. Or not. pic.twitter.com/ZCVfFuM0T6

— cassandracarolina (@cassandra17lina) May 4, 2016

But he picked his running mate already....#TedCruz #ShakeOnIt pic.twitter.com/nkYEXyZjIE

— KHARY PENEBAKER (@kharyp) May 4, 2016