#MakePoliticsNotCorruptAgain: Bernie’s Sabotaged Campaign

Chances are, if you have a Twitter, or any type of social media platform, you have seen #DNCLeaks, or the DNC trending worldwide.

WikiLeaks leaked emails from the DNC (Democratic National Committee) all about how they had sabotaged Bernie Sanders’s campaign, pushing the democratic nomination in Hillary Clinton’s favor. The leaking of these emails lead to the fate of DNC chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s step-down from her position. WikiLeaks has so far released 20,000 emails, however, many media outlets are predicting thousands more are to come, that could potentially lead to more damage. But how, exactly, did the DNC undermine Sanders’s campaign?

1. In May, DNC officials tried to press upon voters to make Sanders appear as an atheist, in hopes of pushing religious voters in Kentucky and West Virginia away from Sanders. This was a tactic used after Sanders stated he wasn’t religious, however, he is Jewish. Chief financial officer, Brad Marshall, wrote: “It might may no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief. Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps. My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist.”  
2.  Washerman Schultz questioned Sanders’s understanding and connection to the party in an email in mid-April: “Spoken like someone who has never been a member of the Democratic Party and has no understanding of what we do.”  
3.  National Press Secretary, Mark Pautenbach, wrote a narrative about how the DNC could take down Sanders’s campaign, attempting to drive voters away from voting for him, and turning them to Hillary’s side. He suggested publishing a story saying, “Sanders never had his act together, and his campaign was always a mess.” 
4. The DNC constantly attempted to paint a picture of Bernie supporters in the media. The DNC would refer to them as “Bernie Bros,” and would cut these supporters out to be violent and closed-minded in an attempt to show that Bernie had no control over his supporters and Hillary and her supporters were more civilized.

So, what is in the future for the democratic party and Hillary’s chances of being the first woman president? Many fear that the divide of the Democratic Party will lead to a Trump presidency. Recent national polls have shown this may be true. With Clinton having 43% and Trump having 42% and a margin of error of 4%, a Trump presidency is looking more and more likely.