Bernie Sanders: Independent Until There's an Election

A lawsuit was filed in Leon County, Florida to prevent Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) from seeking the Democratic nomination for President. The lawsuit contends that Sanders is not officially a Democrat and therefore cannot run as one.

Sanders is registered as a Democrat with the Federal Election Commission. His page on senate.gov identifies him as an Independent.

Sanders' campaign has called the allegations "spurious" and says Sanders will be on the ballot in Florida. Florida's primary is scheduled for March 17.

I have been curious to know how someone can be one party (or none) while serving in office and another while running for office. Joe Lieberman lost a re-election bid in 2006 as a Democrat and ran in the General Election as a third-party candidate. President Donald Trump threatened to run as a third-party candidate in 2016 if he did not secure the Republican Party nomination.

There have been a growing number of unenrolled voters in the United States. Many (myself included) do not belong to a political party. I wonder why Sanders feels he needs the backing of the Democratic Party if he message is resonating with so many people.

As always, it is the electorate and only the electorate who can decide the election. All good people can come to the aid of their party and vote for people who actually belong to the Democratic party instead of those who want to join on an election year. If Democrats decide to support a true Democrat, then Sanders still has the option to run as he truly is: an Independent.

Limbaugh's merits come into question

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh received the Presidential Medal of Freedom last night at the State of the Union Address. "It is awarded by the President... to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security of national interests of America, to world peace. or... other significant... endeavors," according to whitehouse.gov.

Who is deserving of the medal is entirely up to the President of the United States. Recipients of the medal will, in most cases, be debated by people for as long as the medal is awarded. In the case of someone as polarizing as Rush Limbaugh, more people will debate it and the debate will be longer.

Did Limbaugh deserve this honor? No. He has not contributed to the interests of America; Only Conservatism. He has not promoted world peace. He has spent his time extolling the greatness of the Political Right and poling fun at the Left. His gimmicks include giving nicknames to liberal politicians (Shifty Schiff) and TV networks (PMSNBC) and labelling the liberal media as "The Drive-by Media".

Under the medal's description, Limbaugh would fall under the "other significant endeavors" portion. The man has been successful and has been able to capitalize on the feelings and passions of a political base. But to award someone who has made a living by mocking another base and trumpeting his own virtues and "wisdom" leaves a lot of questions. At the same time, it leaves little wonder why we as a nation are so divided and polarized.