Yes Chase. From the outside, America is a freak show. Australia has had universal health care since the 70s. I don't notice that we are a socialist country. We have our weathly, we have our poor. The Union fought for basic wage is livable on.
Unemployed get the dole, it's reasonable.
The gap between rich and poor widens as the Liberal party gets back in power, then lessens when the Labour Party gets back in power.

It works. Some aspects of Socialism work. And Capitalism is contained from blowing out, where so few have so much.

Bernie Sanders, I truly believe he is actually the more electable candidate and would do better in a general election than Hillary. Furthermore not all of Bernies supporters will still stand behind Hilary if she gets the nomination. Losing so many votes, I'm not sure if she would be able to beat the republicans. I also support Sanders and his policies more as well, and find him more consistent and likeable.

@2- Why are you repeating the lie that Hillary Clinton has more experience than Bernie Sanders?

Endorse Hillary Clinton

Hills because @70 has it right. People, not devils or angels. Bernie has been fun, he can keep going of course, but he is not going to win in this election cycle. Too old for another for that matter.

I've been pretty annoyed with and sarcastic toward the Bernie folks all along, including many close and respected friends, particularly the cult of celebrity true believer quality to the whole thing. But now that even those with the most rudimentary math skills realize that a magical victory is about as likely as an old stoner walking into Canlis on NYE, dressed in bell-bottoms and a tie-dyed shirt and getting a table, I've become kinder and more understanding, in the parent of a wayward teenager kind of way.

"I know you really like that older guy, Sweetie, and we understand that some of those things he says about parents, and school, and the system are probably true. And of course we respect and admire all of those ideas and ideals about looking after the little guy and fixing the stuff that's wrong in this pretty screwed world. And I agree that it would be great to be like one of those small European countries that are always at the top of the happiness charts, and who just seem cooler and more in touch with life in general.

But we're also your parents and we love you more than anything else in the world. And when it comes to making decisions about what's best for you, our beloved child, we always use every ounce of our knowledge, life experience, brains and gut feeling, trying to figure out what that right thing is, and how to best keep you safe and hopefully pointed in the right direction, wherever that might take you, just as long as it makes you happy and adds to the general good, however small or incrementally that might be. And we believe you that Bernie is a very smart and nice guy, and who are we to say that he won't move to the Left Bank and become a poet, maybe even a good one.

But...based on what we know and don't know about him, and what we've seen of others like him in the past - older white guys preaching the Good Ship Lollipop gospel to the young and/or gullible - and based on some of the exaggerated promises he seems to be making but couldn't possibly keep, and the car that instantly conjures our worst nightmare - the one with the creature that looks like Bigfoot with a huge smear of crushed yellow cotton candy for hair, who uses stupid and fear dust to turn every public servant and medical professional in the country into Rick Santorum or Michele Bachman - and so we simply can't let you see him anymore, or get in his car, for any reason, even if it's a good one.

We know that you're going to be pissed off at us, which always makes us feel terrible and think that we might be bad parents, which you probably don't give a rats ass about, like when you got mad at US because we gave you that all those great presents, not Santa. You're welcome. In any case, the potentially disastrous consequences of you continuing to see him far outweigh any benefits that are likely to come of it. And so we'll do whatever we can to stop you, and hopefully hold him off long enough for you to figure out that the pot of gold at the end of his rainbow is actually a bag of catnip, a gag as old as the Sirens calling to gullible sailors."

Hold your nose and endorse Clinton. Bernie's gone. RIP

Bernie is the best candidate. He is not "too far left", whatever that means. I guess it means he cares about the people more than the corporations and big money. I am voting for Bernie whether he wins the nomination or not. I refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils anymore. I do not trust Hillary, and will never vote for her. This is the problem that Hillary will have in the general election with the voters for Bernie. Very few Bernie supporters will vote for Hillary even if she wins the nomination because of all the BS in this election. Tulsi Gabbard resigned her position at the DNC for a reason. She saw what they were trying to do. There are still many states left in this election, and Bernie leads in most of these. Hillary is the one that has the uphill battle now, not Bernie if you take away the superdelegates (who will be voted out of office if they do not side with the people). Bernie has been shown to beat Trump by a much greater margin than Hillary, and he doesn't have the baggage that she has. Her baggage will be used against her in the general election, even if Bernie has chosen not to do it in the primaries. He is way and far the better person than she is for taking the high rode. The first attack on Bernie made my decision for me. I will not vote for a negative campaigner. They pulled the same stuff when Obama ran. I will not do it again. She has lied, flip flopped, and has made too many bad judgment calls. Nope, Hillary is not for me. I am the wife and mother of veterans. She is a war monger with terrible judgment. If she wants the trust of the Bernie supporters, she better release the original transcripts. Period.

In looking at who to support in the nomination process, there is only one thing that matters. It isn't likeability. It isn't how progressive one candidate or another is. It's not trustworthiness. The only thing that matters is enthusiasm. The candidate that can get the most people excited will win the election.

2014 was considered a Republican landslide victory and supposedly gave them a mandate to push conservative policies. That's not a proper interpretation. 2014 was the lowest voter turnout in a non-presidential election in 70 years. In every presidential election since 1972 (which Nixon won) 40+% of the population *did not vote*. Any candidate, any party, that can reach out and bring in those voters will cause a sea change in the American political landscape making the major corporate parties obsolete.

Bernie Sanders has the ability to garner the enthusiasm needed to donate, vote, and, most importantly, do the dull drudge work of phone calls and canvassing.

Even though coverage of him, especially in the beginning, has been scant by the corporate media, he regularly brings in crowds that dwarf any of the Republican rallies (including Trump's) and even Clinton rallies. That's a mark of garnering enthusiasm for a very very progressive candidate.

Why would you vote for Clinton? Don't get me wrong I would love to see a women president. But don't let that cloud your mind she's the same old shit. It's time for a real change and I'm going for Bernie!

It is indeed remarkable that Sanders beats Trump by wider margins than Clinton: RCP

^^Seriously, what website sent you guys? (Above population is about 90% new people). Don't hit-and-run; stay around and have a conversation.

Bernie beats Trump by greater margins and is better liked than Clinton according to mass polling. Bernie is the one that holds views closest to what not only the Stranger claims to endorse, as well as the vast majority of the younger (future) of the democratic party. The Times has endorsed Sanders. If the Stranger doesn't it's going to make zero sense if you folks present yourselves as the non-corporate alternative to endorse the most corporate candidate in the democratic party. Choose the only progressive in the race.

Bernie has the jump on Trump and is the only Democratic candidate offering to reverse our party's unfortunate trend of corporate favoritism---a trend that's eroding the middle class, disavowing the poor, and making life harder for almost everyone who reads this publication. As a responsible, ah, new organ, you owe it to your readers to endorse Bernie.

Bernie! No question. you must be kidding to even mention Hillary, right? WA, Oregon and CA are Bernie's. And heavily so. We'll push him all the way to the nomination.

Damn it, not enough advance notice! I needed my comment read aloud, which is this: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

The pro Wall Street lying establishment neo-con with bad judgement and flip flopping core values who said Nancy Reagan started the conversation about AIDS of course. Why not join the corporate media bandwagon to support Drumpf and the Democratic crony establishment beholden to corporate interests. Democracy is already going downhill and we are really just another Oligarchy more focused on Guns, Gays, and God then quality of life for all people. What's the point. Join Hillary, Smoke Pot, and tell Democracy and the Poor to go fuck themselves.

Sandai, I think a lot of people in these comments are from the Seattle area and familiar with the Stranger and their SECB. Like me, they have kind of drifted away from it because it's really not the same alternative weekly that it used to be years ago. But if Dan asks for comments about who to endorse, well, that's a good excuse to stop by.

SANDERS please. Nice 4 hour window to vote BTW.

Bernie Sanders.

The fact that this is even a question tells me that the stranger is not the stranger anymore

Sanders. He's been pro civil rights, pro women's right, romaine LGBT right for forever. Clinton has supported for profit prisons, which increased the arrest rate of African Americans. She was late to Civil Rights and she was way late to LGBT Rights.

Face it, she'll play the popular vote while doing things that big corporations want. She won't do anything simply because it's right.

@194: I know, right? I had to get down to your comment before I found a familiar avatar. Perhaps it shows how much Sanders can speak to and mobilize the liberal/democratic base? Unless of course it is four people posting over and over.

Throwaway accounts aside, it appears the people have spoken. SANDERS!

Given Dan Savage's support of neoliberal economic policies in the guise of economic segregation when it comes to housing in the region and Chucky telling all you youngsters that if you want to live in Seattle to move into one of those micro-closets and then Tim "inviting" Goldy to resign after he supported the $15 an hour minimum wage....I'm not sure what the fuck the discussion of endorsement is about.

Can you trust Hillary to stick to this new progressive platform of she gets what she wants? Doubt it.

Bernie Sanders has been the most consistent voice of progressives in the last 30 years. He was against the Iraq War (Hillary voted for it), against the Patriot Act (HRC also voted for it), has been against KXL and TPP from Day One (rather than seeing what is "politically expedient") and has been for equal rights for all while Hillary only has been for marriage equality for just a few years.

Hillary has done some good things but she's got a lot of shady shit going on that the Republicans have been stocking since even before she started running. There's a real trust issue with the American people and that makes her very vulnerable in the General.

The Stranger needs to endorse Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders, without a doubt. It should be a shame to see The Stranger endorse anyone else. As others have stated above, his values are the reason he deserves this endorsement. The biased publications by other media outlets are yet another reason why he deserves this endorsement. Give the people access to media that supports his message.

I would endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders in a heartbeat. Not even including policy positions, which only make me like him more, he is by far the better candidate for the common working American. For decades, the people have lost the trust of the government, and there are many deserved reasons for that, and Bernie Sanders shows none of the qualities that made it so. HRC on the other hand would end up, at best, just being a POTUS that just keeps things the same, where money talks more in politics than actual talking does, among other things.

Sanders still has a decent shot of winning the nomination, regardless of what the mainstream media has to say about it. The math can still work in his favor, there's just a long road ahead of him.

Your endorsement would help battle the Pro-HRC bias that most recently reared its ugly head in a NYTimes article that began as an article that praised the Senator, but was edited to be an attack piece instead. With your endorsement, we as a nation will have a better change to turn it all around; not just this primary race, but the State of the Union as a whole.

Bernie Sanders is the obvious choice!

Bernie Sanders --- there's still no reason not to, we're not going to unite behind Hillary, and he is the knock out punch for Trump (think about it, a depressed democratic base, a fired up republican base --- its going to be a disaster for the democrats no matter how much of a fascist Trump is/looks like, not saying she'll definitely loose, only that Trump really couldn't ask for a better opponent than Hillary).

Bernie Sanders. He's been on the right side of history so many times. Of all the candidates I trust his judgement the most.

In poll after poll, Bernie Sanders has been shown to be more electable than Hillary Clinton due to independent support (& even Republican support). Bernie is the only candidate who does not serve as a Wall Street / billionaire lackey, beholden only to the wealthiest donors. Even with DNC cronyism, the 1%, and mainstream media against him, he is persevering with record donations & crowds. Endorse Bernie & let's see what Progressive West Coast America has to say about it!

So Obama is saying that the voters should support the candidate that he and Debbie Wasserman Schultz picked to be the Democratic nominee 2 years ago. No thanks Barry.

The selection process has never been more corrupt and what Obama is saying is we must support the most corrupt candidate running. No thanks.

In Hillary Clinton's mind, the only problem in America is that she isn't the President. But she never will be. She is hated by liberals and conservatives. No thanks.

By saying she WILL be the nominee, Hillary is basically saying she will, has and is willing to participate in any level of corruption to get the nomination. She doesn't want to win the nomination, she wants to steal it. And that makes her a VERY weak candidate indeed.

^^Seriously, who sent you guys here?^^

(But I know you won't answer me because you're not HERE anymore).

Please be consistent with your positions and endorse Bernie Sanders. Hillary Clinton voted for the Iraq War and works for Wall Street, not the people. She only "evolves" on social issues like gay marriage when it becomes politically advantageous for her to do so. The democratic superdelegates in this state have mostly jumped to Hillary because of her support for the TPP, which would be nice for Boeing and all the other companies outsourcing their labor and increasing gentrification in the area, displacing people who have lived here for decades. Please support the candidate who fights for the people. Endorse Bernie!

Also, I've been taking daily classes at Bellevue College, and all of the momentum there is with Bernie Sanders. The cafeteria building is filled with stacks of The Stranger, and an endorsement from you guys would really help encourage young people to get more involved in the political process. There were Bernie activists on campus today handing out absentee surrogate affidavit forms for people who want to support Bernie but can't make it to the caucus on the 26th, and students were signing them in droves (they are due by 5 PM today by the way, whether you support Bernie or Hillary!).

@237
I came here from the Washington for Bernie Sanders subreddit. There's a post there talking about this thread. I don't know if the influx of new users is all because of that, though.

@237, the internet. The internet sent us.

Who to endorse? The answer is all around you—meaning that the current system of establishment politics ruled by greed and corruption is NOT working. I’ve worked my arse off for decades in the corporate world, and, especially as a woman, I have faced almost every kind of challenge imaginable. In fact, I’m pretty darn tired of working stupid hours for companies short on flexibility while I have to really fight just to make the same salary that I did 20 years ago. I’m also sick of the despicable management, sexism, ageism and racism that goes on in the industry I work in (tech) as well as most industries out there, now. And my political leaders are completely checked out of reality as they continue to tow the corporate-paid-for party line.

And what of the kids in my life who are kind, smart, (and already hard-working) human beings? Our generation should fight so that they have a better chance at not having to live through so much (or even more) struggle. And, in today's world, that starts with a fair shot at a college education. A FREE college education. Tell me, WHO in the middle class can afford to spend one extra dime these days AND keep enough to save to get ahead or plan for retirement? And is it really moral to send kids out into the world with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt strapped to their back? It is time for major change in this country. It’s time to vote for Bernie Sanders.

As for Bernie being “pie in the sky” – if you ask me, it’s time for some damn pie in the sky – heck, it’s time for a slice of pie, period. Because while the wealthy continue to rake it in, the majority of the American people get screwed. Most of us are slogging along, barely making ends meet while there are so many corporations in this country who are ROLLING in the money but then stash it elsewhere so THEY don’t have to pay their fair share of taxes. It’s time they do so – because that is the money that should be going toward funding education and healthcare for our citizens. I truly believe that when these basic needs are met, you will see a remarkable improvement in the quality of our lives and in our country as a whole. So, most of all, we need to vote for candidates who are beholden to the PEOPLE, first – not the interests of corporations who are putting money in their pockets (including military contract and prison profiting – cough – Hillary – cough). Have you heard the one about the 1.5 trillion dollar jet our country paid for that doesn’t work? I just cannot believe that we can’t fund basic healthcare and education for our people, but that kind of military spending is “acceptable.”

As for taxes on the middle class? Last I checked, you’ll pay $500 more but save FIVE THOUSAND in healthcare costs – ie: prescriptions, co-pays, deductibles and so forth. Plus, social security benefits will increase. And how good would that be for small biz to not have to foot the health insurance bill for all of their employees?

With all due respect, I think Americans have had the wool pulled over our eyes for so long that we’ve learned and been conditioned to accept that having basic rights and needs met is impossible … and that living paycheck to paycheck is just the way it is. But the reality is that the United States is quite capable of joining most other industrialized nations in providing healthcare and education for our people along with quality care for our elders and our children. It’s just that greed and corruption have gotten in the way.

As for the "socialist" comment? Bernie is a Democratic Socialist. In other words, you can still make all the money you want – you just have to pay your fair share of taxes – so everyone can have basic needs met. Also something to keep in mind: do you drive on freeways? Do you use the post office? Do you know anyone on Social Security? Those are all Democratic Socialist programs – it's just that, somehow, education and healthcare aren't on that list because greed and corruption (and profit from military contracts - ahem - Hillary) have taken priority.

Most of all, Bernie is authentic and consistent. He doesn’t have to change who he is to make himself more likeable. He was fighting for gay rights in the 80’s before anyone else was. He voted against the Iraq war. Over 200 leading economists have endorsed his policies.
He has the highest approval rating of any senator or member of Congress. He has over 30 years of experience in elected office.

As for the “electable” question? Bernie pulls more new voters than Hillary, including the youth vote and those who have long ago given up on the process. He also pulls the votes of Independents and Moderates which Hillary does not—and which are crucial to winning against Trump or any other Republican (he also repeatedly polls higher than Hilary against the Republicans). Key thing to keep in mind: Liberals/Dems have a major apathy problem. In the second to last primary contest, Donald Trump pulled four times as many voters (when running against several other candidates) as both Hillary and Bernie together.

So we definitely need a candidate who stomps out apathy, getting people fired up to learn about, join and become involved with the political process – all of which will win the election AND unlock Congress, paving the way to achieving plenty. That’s Bernie Sanders. Because with Hillary as the nominee, apathy will reign, and we will be crushed against Trump. She also has too much scandal and baggage hanging around. Fact: Bernie has gone verrrry easy on her. I can only imagine what they’ll drag out. I, personally, also have a problem with someone who, on top of a laundry list of corporate scandals, has bullied women who have tried to stand up against her husband’s harassment and assaults. I’m not talking Ms. Flowers, Ms. Jones or Ms. Lewinsky. There is a list of actual rape and harassment charges against ol’ Bill that Hillary has been a part of covering up.

Bottom line: I urge you to endorse Bernie Sanders. Hillary Clinton (aside from all of her scandal and corruption) may be “the most qualified candidate for the political system we currently have,” but that system is NOT working. Therefore, Bernie Sanders is the most qualified candidate to build the system that we should have. Otherwise, we will continue to fall apart as a nation with politicians whose loyalties are with those who fund their campaigns rather than the people they are supposed to represent. THAT is the issue at the heart of this campaign—not a “single issue” but a foundational issue that is necessary to achieving all other progressive goals, including Hillary Clinton's.

And let’s not forget: In 2008, Obama lost 21 states. Hillary initially had a 3 to 1 super delegate advantage. It was June before she conceded. TRANSLATION: DESPITE WHAT THE MEDIA IS SAYING, IT AIN’T OVER. Geezus, and doesn’t the rest of the country have a right to vote? And YOUNG people have a right to vote – is more apathy and disillusionment what we want to encourage at this point by telling them their voices don't matter? FACT: Primary 2.0 begins now. We are out of Hillary country, and Bernie's chances only go UP from here.

You can not fight against trump, pointing out he is a buffoon doesn't help, the only way to get votes against him is to make yourself look better then he is, not make him look worst then you are.

Sanders can do that, Hillary can not. She will go right to the negative, spew out more platitudes that will only give trump more ammo in his "i'm real and speak my mind" tout and she will cost us the whitehouse.

Fight fire with fire, Fight 'real' with 'real'. Do not send somebody who is faker then tits on a porn star against somebody who's been gaining votes by claiming they are real and speak their mind and don't believe in being politically correct.

Hillary is an incredibly intelligent, capable and dedicated person who has done more good, made more compromises and even mistakes because she's chosen to play the game. Bernie has gotten amazingly far by not playing the game, even representing the most liberal state in the union, but how many people's lives has he actually affected? People who have dedicated their lives to making our institutions better in order to help as many people as possible, like Barney Frank, Ron Sims and Hillary Franz support Hillary because they she is one of them. It is a pleasant luxury to remain above the fray, but the real work is done in the weeds. Bernie will likely win Washington because of our state's small minority population. Does that not say something?

It doesn't matter.

1. Either would be very likely to soundly defeat Trump. There are meltdown scenarios for each, both of which are very unlikely.

2. A Trump candidacy is bad for Republicans, but not so bad as to put the gerrymandered house in play, and at best it'll give us a 2 year rental on the Senate. The next Democratic presidency is going to be an unpopular exercise in defending the accomplishments on previous years, not extending them. (The Supreme court is important, but even if a Sanders appointee would be 'more progressive' in some sense it wouldn't matter; no Clinton appointee is going to be joining with the Republicans in 5-4 decisions on anything salient.) Frankly, the best thing for Sanders nascent movement would probably not be to win, because then all his ideas will be tied in the mind of the public to an unsuccessful, floundering presidency. Letting Clinton be the flounderer, while Sanders' ideas remain largely untainted, makes a lot more sense. (It's pretty clear Sanders himself understands this.)

Sanders' "revolution" silliness is, if it was ever meaningful, 8 years too late to matter. We had a 2 year window of opportunity, Obama/Pelosi/Reid did some stuff, then it closed. Until changing demographics or another disastrous Republican administration change the political dynamic, we're just treading water. The differences between Clinton and Sanders are meaningless in terms of actual outcomes.

I'm for Hillary. Bernie's numbers don't add up and the last thing the Democratic party needs is to be taken over by the kind of magic-asterisk laden, evidence-ignoring, intellectual garbage plans that have already come to define what passes for Republican policy analysis. Pretty much every accusation of wrongdoing against Hillary that's ever been leveled has turned out to be either massively exaggerated or outright false. Hillary may not "come across" as honest, but Obama is correct: affect doesn't matter. If you look at what she actually says, you'll find that she is actually remarkably honest when it comes to policy issues, which is the stuff that actually does matter. She is the one who actually understands the sausage machine and has an actual idea of what's achievable and how to get it.

I am sick and tired of listening to "outsiders" promising to upend Washington. Washington eats idiots like that for breakfast. That theory of change has never, EVER worked. Enough already. Give me an insider who knows what the fuck they're doing!

And another thing: if Bernie is the nominee and Trump wins on the Republican side, Bloomberg or someone else may well launch a third-party candidacy to appeal to the center. This kind of three-way is the only plausible scenario where Trump could actually win. Nominating Hillary would be worth it just to avoid that possibility.

@244 - Polls say you're wrong. Trump's overall favorability ratings are dismal. He's winning the primary with a plurality amplified by winner-take-all delegate allocation, not an actual majority, and in a general election where racists and people who value belligerence over intellect have less voice, he'll be slaughtered like a pig. Most people will in fact vote for a 'fake' career politician over a 'real' racist demagogue.

It doesn't matter who you endorse, Dan. Look at the overwhelming turnout today at the Key despite your creepy neoliberal slant the past several months. The people endorsed Sanders here today like it or not.

We could think about Progressing in time and voting someone into DC other than the usual White WASP Male. Or we could wish Sanders was running against Clinton and have Sanders win just so we can sleep guilt free at night. But Sanders is too much of a third wheel to the tabloid news of Clinton vs Trump. Corporations may be evil, but they're the ones who love those mud fights and report with glee on the two candidates with the most name recognition: Clinton vs Trump.

Stranger Election Board,

Please represent myself and the 30k+ Bernie supporters that sat out in the rain on sunday to catch a glimpse of this charismatic candidate. He wants to take Seattle progressive issues to the nation, 15$/hr wage, legal cannabis, etc.

http://imgur.com/bthTznp

I nervously look foreword to your issue tomorrow.

Salinte,
ScottP

Kshama Sawant and Bernie Sanders, never Hillary Clinton.