Despite a decisive defeat at the hand of Democratic presidential rival (and now presumptive nominee) Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders refused to concede during a Tuesday night rally in Los Angeles. Yes, he acknowledged Clinton’s many victories briefly in a short speech, but most of his words were dedicated to repeating his insistence that the campaign would go all the way to Philadelphia’s Democratic Convention in late July. That said convention would be contested, no matter what the latest batch of delegate math says about his chances of clinching the nomination.
Political science minutiae aside, the realities of this fifth and final Super Tuesday dawned on many of Sanders’ most ardent supporters. Hence why so many of them took to Twitter with the hashtag #ThankYouBernie to express gratitude for the Independent Vermont senator’s spectacular presidential campaign — especially his efforts to put important, but maligned progressive issues on the table.
According to Business Insider, many of the most popular tweets were very positive:
https://twitter.com/Montel_Williams/status/740421306789863424
https://twitter.com/mattymonsterz/status/740366306181021696
https://twitter.com/KatBrezler/status/740376326847234048
#ThankYouBernie for making me believe if we all stick together we really can make an impact and create the biggest movement ever.
— kevin (@demixready) June 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/oneshot_wonder/status/740377668370223105
#thankyoubernie for being a warrior against the establishment machine, and fighting for change your entire career. pic.twitter.com/SqNu0r4Sfk
— Maryah (@Marmalady86) June 8, 2016
#ThankYouBernie for planting millions of seeds. pic.twitter.com/YQw5T57TkC
— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) June 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/StephhhGuerra/status/740398820715057153
#ThankYouBernie for 51 years of being the voice for the voiceless. #ImWithBernie pic.twitter.com/FQw30siYuY
— 🅿️rince The Conqueror (@the_cult0fdamon) June 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/seangrandillo/status/740497685145214976
Hell, even Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein offered Sanders her thanks:
#ThankYouBernie for proving that a true progressive agenda just needs to get a bit of media coverage to catch on like wildfire.
— Dr. Jill Stein🌻 (@DrJillStein) June 8, 2016
Unfortunately, the so-called “Bernie bros” contingent of Sanders’ fanbase — whom the candidate himself condemned as “disgusting” — and others already using the #BernieOrBust and #IWillNeverStandWithHer hashtags found the new trend and tried turning it on its head:
#ThankYouBernie, you're our hero. pic.twitter.com/X45GURbU8F
— Tommie Sunshine ✊ (@tommiesunshine) June 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/zachhaller/status/740433737863815168
Not a fan of Hillary & her views. I stand behind what makes REAL sense so I've made the decision not to vote for anyone. #ThankYouBernie
— Rob Aurelio (@RobAurelius) June 7, 2016
#ThankYouBernie for being the only honest and likeable politician I've seen in a very long time. #BernieOrBust
— Kev (elsewhere for the Pricefield) (@breakingdead1) June 8, 2016
https://twitter.com/nascarnouis/status/740395729835970560
https://twitter.com/lizzyisinfinite/status/740396545078628352
https://twitter.com/Honest_Hillary/status/740411971586166784
(Via Business Insider)