Imagine a graceful, glorious speech, endorsing the winner of the Democratic Party nomination and due to its graciousness and inclusiveness bringing us to instant unity with the two factions. It would make Bernie into a hero to all Democrats, give us all goosebumps and really help us all to move forward. It would be stunningly big for Bernie to give it. His legacy would instantly become great.
Imagine something like this:
“Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.
To all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding.
You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives. And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.
Thirteen million of you, from all walks of life - women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African American and Caucasian - rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.
And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.
Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, "I'm doing it all to better myself for her."
We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, "What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?" and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.
We fought for the young man who waited months for medical care and said, "Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?"
We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.”
Here comes the incredible part that would give us all goose bumps, in both camps. Unity, folks, unity:
The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Hillary Clinton, the next president of the United States.
Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate her on the victory she has won and the extraordinary race she has run. I endorse her and throw my full support behind her.
And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Hillary Clinton as you have for me.
I have served in the Senate with her for four years. I have been in this campaign with her for almost 14 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with her in debates. I've had a front-row seat to her candidacy, and I have seen her strength and determination, her grace and her grit.
Hillary has dedicated herself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, she has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.
Now, when I started this race, I intended to win the White House and make sure we have a president who combats income inequality and fights for the poor and hopeless. And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Hillary Clinton walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2017.
Now, I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic party is a family. And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.
We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged. And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and defeat Donald Trump, because so much is at stake.
We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.
We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable, so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.
This isn't just an issue for me. It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses. We also must fight for Wall Street reform, and I will work with Hillary on doing just that, She is on board putting much tougher regulations in place.
We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights, from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.
Now, the journey ahead will not be easy. Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, the opposition is too strong, we're just not up to the task. But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.
It is this belief, this optimism, that Hillary Clinton and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard. So today I am standing with Hillary Clinton to say: Let’s together build a future to believe in!
And that together we will work — we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care. But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America. That's why we need to help elect Hillary Clinton our president.
We'll have to work hard to get back to a strong middle class and reduce strongly the current income inequality. But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we must help elect Hillary Clinton our president.
We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future. But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America. And that is why we have to help elect Hillary Clinton our president.
This election is a turning-point election. Donald Trump can not be allowed to win the presidency. And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is. Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backward?
Now, think how much progress we've already made. When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions. Could an African-American really be our President? Well, I think we answered that one.
Could a woman really be our President? And Secretary Clinton has answered that one.
A gracious speech.
To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.
Always aim high, work hard and care deeply about what you believe in. And, when you stumble, keep faith. And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.
Although we weren't able to win, thanks to you, we won 1,900 delegates, 43% of the vote and around 13 Million votes. That fills us with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time for someone like me.
And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day.
So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, If only, or, What if, I say, please, don't go there. Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.
Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Hillary Clinton is our next president.
And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.
To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.
To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.
To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.
To my family, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.
And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters - thank you for working those long, hard hours. Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end. And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too. All of you were there for me every step of the way.
The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals. But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.
That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Hillary Clinton and her campaign. We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story. We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.
And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed. The challenges that I have faced in this campaign are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.
So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going. I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God-given potential.
I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.
This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we elect Hillary Clinton President and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.
Thank you all. And God bless you and God bless America.
For those who don’t realize it, this concession speech was given by Hillary Clinton a few days after the final contest in the Democratic Primaries in 2008. I changed the names around, obviously, and a few references in the original didn’t make sense, so I either left those out or changed some details slightly. But, overall, this is the kind of concession speech Bernie could have given, but decided not to. Hopefully a gracious concession speech that would foster instant unity between the two camps and supporter groups is still coming, still in the cards. I truly hope so. Something BIG along those lines is really needed from Bernie to bring the two factions together and bring us to unity very quickly.
Hillary’s speech:
Transcript of Hillary's concession speech 2008
Video:
x YouTube Video