NO SURRENDER: Sanders Vows to Continue Campaign, Will Not Drop Out, Won't Concede Nomination

Update, 10:45 p.m. PST: Sen. Sanders took the podium in Barker Hanger in front of a crowd of cheering supporters. He refused to concede, and said he would take the fight to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. This surprised analysts, who noted that Clinton now has the majority of delegates, both pledged and "super-delegates."

He smiled as he stood with his wife and family. He thanked supporters for their hard work "for being part of the political revolution," and said:

"I want to thank the people of California for their incredible hospitality. Seeing thousands and thousands of people coming out, people who are prepared to stand up and fight for real change in this country. All of you know that when I began this campaign a little more than a year ago, we were considered to be a fringe campaign. But over the last year that has changed just a little bit. By the end of tonight we will have won 22 state primaries and caucuses, won over 10 million votes, and what is most extraordinary is that in virtually every state, we have won by big numbers, the votes of young people.

Young people understand that they are the future of America, and they intend to help shape that future. They understand that our vision of social justice, racial justice, economic justice, environmental justice, must be the future of America.

Our campaign has understood from the beginning that we will not allow right wing Republicans, to control our government. And that is especially true of Donald Trump, the Republican candidate.

The American people in my view will never support a candidate whose major theme is bigotry. Who insults Mexicans, who insults Muslims and women. And African Americans.

We will not allow Donald Trump to be President of the United States

But we understand that our mission is more than just defeating Donald Trump, it is transforming our country.

The American People know that it is not acceptable that the top 1 % own 90% of the country's wealth. When Americans are working so hard, this is just not acceptable.

And we will end a corrupt campaign finance system. Democracy is not about billionaires buying elections.

And we will end a broken criminal justice system. And we will break up the major banks on Wall Street. And we will follow the rest of the industrialized world and guarantee health care to all people. And will bring about real immigration reform, and a path towards citizenship

Real change never occurs from the top on down, always from the bottom up. That is the history of America, through the creation of the free slavery movement, the civil rights movement, the women's movement, the civil rights movement. And that is what our movement is about.

But you all know it is more than Bernie. It is about all of us together. It is millions of people from coast to coast looking around and knowing that we can do much better as a nation.

That whether Wall Street likes it, whether corporate America likes it, whether the mainstream media likes it, we together know what our job is. And that is to bring the American people together to create a government that works for us, not just for the rich.

Next Tuesday we continue the fight to the last primary in Washington DC. And we will take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to the convention. I had a very good call with Secretary Clinton, and I congratulated her on her victory tonight.

Our fight is to transform this nation, and to show that what we believe is what a majority of the American people believe.

Thank you all, the struggle continues."

Update 12:27: Both Pres. Obama and Hillary Clinton called Sanders tonight. Not the other way around. Is this significant? Perhaps both Obama and Clinton politely asked Sanders what he wants, for him to drop out of the race. The vice presidency? A cabinet position? Perhaps he merely wants to be there if the party needs an alternative to an indicted nominee.

Update, 11:24 PM: Analysts say that Pres. Obama must have obtained Bernie's word that he would drop out, but then Sanders changed his mind. Otherwise, why would the two men (Obama and Sanders) agree to meet on Thursday? Also, obviously, Sanders is conscious of the FBI investigation, which he has consistently refused to comment on or discuss. He must now believe that Hillary will be indicted, and that the super delegates will flock to his campaign before the democratic national convention.

Mar Eliason said: Bernie Sanders is as unpopular in the Democratic party, as Donald Trump is in the Republican. This is why! It appeared as if he walked out on stage in Santa Monica, and changed his mind about conceding.

Update 6/7, 10:00 PM In California, with 44% of the vote counted, Clinton 60.2%, Sanders 38.7%. Hillary Clinton declaring victory the night before the election, clearly hurt Sanders at the polls. New Jersey and New Mexico, the night's other big prizes, are also going to the former Secretary of State, with Sen. Sanders winning a squeaker in Montana, and North Dakota

In an ending right out of Hollywood, Hillary Clinton appears to have won California's popular vote after all. It had been said that California could not even be called tonight. Hillary has done something no woman has done before, something she has spent ten years at: She has wrapped up a major party's nomination.

President Obama has called both campaigns, anxious to endorse the victor and campaign actively for Hillary. He and Donald Trump have no love lost between them. And besides, the President is genuinely popular with voters and wants to extend his legacy. Not since Ronald Reagan in 1988, has a president been popular enough to campaign for a candidate.

At his Santa Monica headquarters, Sanders supporters gathered and watched the results with some disbelief and chagrin. The campaign will provide a live stream of the Bernie Sanders election night rally at the Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica. Sanders will take the podium at 11 PM. It appears that Hillary Clinton will win a majority of the pledged delegates going into the DNC.

Sanders supporters chanted "Bullshit!" at the board displaying the election results, reluctant to accept that their candidate has gone down in defeat. The big question is whether Hillary can motivate Sanders' young supporters, to come to the polls for him.

The New York Times is reporting that Sander's campaign workers nationwide, have received an e mail saying they will be laid off tomorrow. The Sanders Campaign says half their paid workers, will be laid off.

Though publicly Bernie Sanders remains defiant until today, behind the scenes the campaign has become gloomy, leading to speculation that Sanders will use the Santa Monica election night rally to at last quit contest for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Presumably, he will throw his support behind Hillary Clinton in her campaign to defeat Republican Donald Trump and become the first woman in the 240-year history of the United States to become president.

On Saturday at a rally in Los Angeles, Sanders said that he planned to take what he called his "enormous momentum" all the way to the convention in Philadelphia on July 25.

"If we can win, and win big here in California and in the other states, and in Washington D.C., we are going to go into the Democratic convention."

See also:

Republican Ballots apparently not counted in Santa Monica, http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/06/08/news/become-a-republican-in-santa-monica-and-have-your-vote-demoted/1377.html