Ground rules were clear; withdraw, Bernie

It’s time for Democratic unity between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, and among their supporters, if we are to defeat Donald Trump.

While I have been a supporter of Clinton largely because she is the best qualified person to be president in generations, Sanders has made major contributions to the campaign process. His calls for economic justice struck a chord with many Americans, those of us tired of the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson making decisions on who should be president based on how much money they can contribute. Similarly, his calls to reign in Wall Street spending and for the top 1 percent to pay their share of taxes ring true.

Through Bernie’s messaging, he has become something of a cult hero to millions of millennials and others who feel left out of the system. We need those voters to cast ballots for Hillary in November. Since Bernie cannot overcome Hillary in the delegate count, it is time for him to endorse her and move on to a Democratic victory. His supporters need to have a hand in crafting the Democratic platform, but since he did not receive the largest number of delegates, he cannot dictate the terms of the convention.

Now, one of his chief complaints is that the Democratic Party system was always rigged against him. The superdelegate issue was known to all from the start as a way to include past and present office holders as a reward for their service. Caucuses and open and closed primaries are diverse vehicles in selecting our nominee.

To me, primaries are a more democratic way to express a voter’s preference for a candidate, and closed primaries are designed to ensure that only Democrats vote for whom the Democratic nominee will be. If an independent wants to vote in a Democratic primary, then register as a Democrat; you can always change your registration later. South Carolina has an open primary system where voters can cast a ballot in the primary of their choice since we do not have registration by party.

In the final analysis, however, it is up to the individual states to determine which system best suits their electorate. My own question is why should non-Democrats have a say in determining who the Democratic nominee for president should be? If you do not like the two-party system that has been operative in the U.S. for centuries, then nominate an independent or start a third party. Candidates and voters must know and understand the rules before the race begins. Even Donald Trump’s family members, registered Democrats, did not realize that they could not vote for him in the closed New York primary.

The recent Nevada Democratic Convention is an example of what not to do. In the context of frustration and concern that the rules unfairly impacted them, Bernie supporters threw chairs, drowned out Hillary speakers, and even recorded voice mail death threats to the Nevada state Democratic chair.

In contrast, our Beaufort County and S.C. State Democratic Conventions were models of partisan enthusiasm and good-natured conviviality. I heard not a single harsh word spoken among Bernie and Hillary supporters. Rather, our energy was devoted to defeating Trump.

I was moved to see Bernie-supporter friends at the State Convention declare for Hillary so that they would be able to vote for me as a pledged Hillary delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. That is an example of like-minded friends coming together.

Withdraw, Bernie, and help us defeat Trump and elect Hillary.

Blaine Lotz of Hilton Head Island may be reached at gblotz@yahoo.com.

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 12:19 AM with the headline "Ground rules were clear; withdraw, Bernie."