Like most 'establishment' Democrats, I'm glad Sanders endorsed Biden. But some of his supporters are missing the point

Bernie Sanders built a substantial, vociferous, and loyal following during his presidential campaign. Everywhere you turned while he was tell in the race, you’d bump into an admonishment to “Feel the Bern”. Where I grew up, we were taught to give credit where credit is due, and Senator Sanders has undoubtedly contributed to advancing the national dialogue on some important, if not controversial, issues. His contributions will long be felt.

Like many “establishment” Democrats, as the Senator and his supporters so often called us, I welcome his endorsement of Vice President Biden. I, like millions of Biden supporters, quickly welcomed those who had previously “Felt the Bern” with an open heart and open arms. The sentiment in Senator Sander’s endorsement feels different this time from the delayed one of Hillary Clinton in 2016. I welcome that as well. I admire and commend him for putting his country above his ego and political interests.

What I don’t welcome is the sense of entitlement of some of the Senators’ supporters. For many months, too many of them have used social media to bully and bash, attack and alienate, and divide and diminish. Now, I am frequently seeing them threaten to stay home rather than vote, or simply vote for Donald Trump.

Another faction of these supporters has been insisting that the Vice President has “to earn their vote.” They are right; the Biden way is to earn and ask for each vote — not because they are threatening and demanding it of him, but because Joe Biden is a man of character and integrity, who believes profoundly in our democracy. Joe Biden, like the Democratic Party, understands that a vote is a voice in a democracy, and he knows full well that any candidate must show themselves worthy of that trust.

I am confident the Biden campaign will continue fighting for every single vote, and that includes the legion of Sanders supporters. But I caution them to recognize that there will be a percentage of his supporters who will not support his campaign, no matter what he says nor does. I contend that there is a clear path to victory with or without them.

Hillary Clinton won almost 3,000,000 more votes than Donald Trump and she did so without a swath of Sanders’ supporters, who threw a similar tantrum in 2016 (albeit they fell less than 100,000 votes short in three combined swing states.)

It is imperative that the Biden campaign not overcompensate to accommodate the Sanders naysayers. Their resources would be better spent seeking the support of the Independents, and the disenchanted Republican voters. This election is simply about decency, not division. It’s about the values taught to us by our parents ― respect, compassion, honesty, and integrity. Either one possesses them, or they don’t.

But now is the true test for Senator Sanders. Will he wrangle and implore his supporters to follow his lead? Will he admonish those factions of his base who continue to bully, threaten, and demand?

Can Senator Sanders convince his supporters that these values of the Democratic nominee are the same as those of his “revolution”? Are they? I hope so. Will he? Only time will tell.

Moe Vela is an attorney, entrepreneur, consultant, political commentator, opinion maker, author of ‘Little Secret, Big Dreams’ and the first Hispanic American to serve twice in the White House in a senior executive role — CFO and Sr. Advisor to Vice President Al Gore and the Director of Administration and Sr. Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden. He is the Chief Transparency Officer and on the Board of Directors of TransparentBusiness. Follow him on Twitter @moevela