Former Sanders supporter no longer feeling the Bern

After endorsing and sending money to Bernie Sanders, I am no longer feeling the Bern for these reasons:

▪  His record on guns is deeply troubling — voting against the Brady bill five times — and his increasingly uncompromising stridency.

▪  The far left would rather endure glorious defeat than compromise their philosophical purity (thus betraying everything they claim to believe).

▪  Lack of substance on core issues — he has no specific plan for implementing Medicare for all, or tuition-free college, raising the danger of unrealistic expectations.

▪  He’s not a committed Democrat — without Congress none of this matters.

▪  Cult of personality — the progressive movement is not about him.

▪  I’m disgusted by the violent tantrums thrown by his supporters and Bernie’s excusing their Donald Trump-like behavior.

▪  He lied about not going negative on Hillary Clinton, raising the terrifying specter of a Trump victory.

▪  And finally, I’m sick of being yelled at. Bernie is the wrong messenger for a good message.

Hillary and Bernie voted the same way most of the time when they both were in the Senate. If she’s not a liberal, neither is he. If Bernie should become the Democratic nominee, I’ll support him. Until then, I’m with Hillary.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 8:29 PM with the headline "Former Sanders supporter no longer feeling the Bern."