Man, I was writing a response to a troll-y response I got to this comment, and the comment was deleted. Oh well, I'm posting it anyway.
Response to my comment above:
....I understand and sympathize with what you are saying. Now re-read what you wrote and tell me which part of that wasn't patronizing? These aren't children in need of a spanking or whining about a candy bar. These are adults worried about their democratic freedom. They feel jaded and abused and we shouldn't be calling them liars; we should be trying to help them feel accounted for.
My response is: Adults who want to be respected as adults should should behave like adults. None of their actions during or surrounding the Nevada convention reflect how grown adults should behave in the face of disappointment. Adults do not get to throw tantrums and demand that we give them what they want because we're being SO UNFAIRRRRR! And when they're caught out, responsible adults don't get to excuse their actions by saying they're frustrated, angry, and no one gave them snacks. All of that is incredibly juvenile behavior, and deserves to be called out as such. They've been given all sorts of opportunities to feel heard and valued, and it hasn't worked. You can try to soothe and reason against bratty behavior only so much; after a while, rewarding juvenile behavior only gets you more [and more destructive] juvenile behavior. Sometimes you just have to put your foot down.
This week, that's just what many in Democratic leadership have done. They've put their foot down and said, "Enough is enough. Go to your room, and think carefully about the consequences of your actions." I believe the firm stances taken this week by Clinton, Lange, Boxer, and most of the Dem leadership are the only reasons Bernie is personally calling Dem leaders trying to reassure them that he's not burning the party down. I think they've also served as a wake up call to those Bernie supporters who see that things have gotten waaay out of hand, and that it's making the grownups in the room look really bad. Call me patronizing all you like, and feel free to be patronizing while you do it (which...perhaps you might consider taking your own advice and re-reading what you wrote with that same eye towards patronizing speech). At the end of the day, I'm standing by my words, and I'm comfortable with them. You see it differently, and that's fine; I'm an adult and I can handle it when people disagree with me.
Realize I'm really just preaching to myself here, but I guess I am an adult, but a sometimes venal one who's still going to post after the other side has left the building. Kinda humbling I guess, but here we are.