very pro-Clinton nomination argument contains or is built around the viability argument. Expressed by an inner-child, it goes something like this: “Bernie Sanders should stop causing trouble … Hillary Clinton is more electable … If Bernie Sanders doesn’t stop it, he will open the door for the Republican nominee.”
Or, to quote Clinton digital media strategist Peter Daou, “With Bernie Sanders As Their Nominee, Democrats Can Kiss the Presidency Goodbye.”
That is fundamentally dishonest, and patently anti-democratic.
But that’s not the most insidious thing about the viability argument. What really makes the viability argument so toxic is that it undermines the all-important ideological debate.
What the viability promulgators are saying, in essence, is you can’t afford an ideological debate, you have to hide your political perspective away, because if you don’t the Republicans will gain control of the country.