Serious question. Why is an 83 year old doing more than anyone else to fight Trump and Musk?

[Doodley]

Yes, I'm talking about Bernie Sanders.

?si=MwdcPUneRCBYCHBo

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Why? He's speaking his world view to all who will listen.

Now's the time.

[allegorical oracle]

3. Wish he was younger. When djt ran the first time, several MAGAts told me they would

like to be able to vote for him.

[Avalon Sparks]

11. Around a third of Zerohedge posters I saw

Indicated they would vote for him in 2016. I was on that maga site every day reading the comments.and ways shocked by that at the time.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

124. I always thought that

if Bernie Sanders’s platform was presented to voters without his name attached to it he would draw a lot of voters from both parties. Sanders has stayed true to his message through the years and he truly cares about people.

[Avalon Sparks]

125. Yes

But his sincerity and ethics shine through when he talks.

[wryter2000]

2. Because the entire Democratic party is sitting back watching TV and drinking beer

This is getting mighty old. Mighty, mighty old.

[BlueMTexpat]

75. This is simply NOT true.

My senior Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has been very active and has been communicating exactly what is happening in the Senate and the courts to his consitutents. He is not alone.

I've also been receiving daily updates from Democrat Monica Tranel, who ran (ans lost, unfortunately) for Montana's second Congressional seat. She is fighting on a daily basis in spite of her loss.

I'm sure that others are hearing directly from their Dem representatives as well.

Just because something isn't in the headlines doesn't mean that it isn't happening.

[wryter2000]

97. That was my point

I am so sick of the Dem bashing here.

[BlueMTexpat]

132. Sorry if I misunderstood!

[wryter2000]

133. We're good

[FirstLight]

4. Because he gets it... always has.

It pisses me off so much that people here have and everywhere have said that he's been crying wolf all these years. That he somehow anti-capitalism etc etc. But Bernie saw this kind of control and manipulation coming down the pike for years. It's pathetic that an 83-year-old man should be doing this much work and everybody else is standing around with their thumb in their ear. And especially I'm very very disappointed in the attitude of people like Hakeem Jeffries and Schumer like "oh well" and "you guys protesting is bad...mkay"

[alarimer]

9. He's been a rabble-rouser forever.

Being in Congress hasn't changed that.

I think we need more rabble-rousers or at least those willing to hand Republicans their ass (AOC, Crockett, Raskin, Warren and few others I can't remember) but the rest are too cowed? complacent? or are clinging to some old norm that no longer exists.

[LiberalArkie]

74. The others worry too much about their portfolios.

[Magoo48]

79. As a card-carrying member of our nations rabble, I approve Bernie's rousing.

[returnee]

116. He doesn't have to adjust.

He’s just saying what he has always said. It was always correct and always simple. He couldn’t get the rest of the Democratic party hierarchy to get on the same page. In my view, most of them are still not getting it.

[jalan48]

5. No expensive wine lunches with K Street Lobbyists for Bernie.

[sheshe2]

12. ....

Bernie Sanders complained on the campaign trail Friday that dialing for dollars “affects your entire being.”

What he didn’t mention: The Vermont senator and presidential candidate is a prolific fundraiser himself and has regularly benefited from the Democratic Party apparatus.


In recent years, Sanders has been billed as one of the hosts for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s retreats for the “Majority Trust” – an elite group of top donors who give more than $30,000 per year – at Martha’s Vineyard in the summer and Palm Beach, Florida, in the winter. CNN has obtained invitations that listed Sanders as a host for at least one Majority Trust event in each year since 2011.

https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/05/politics/sanders-democratic-fundraisers/index.html

[hueymahl]

16. Nice little drive-by there

[sheshe2]

22. You are welcome.

Facts matter.

[BannonsLiver]

48. Apparently not.

I’ve just been informed down thread that Obama, Clinton and Harris aren’t “REAL DEMOCRATS”

🙄🙄🙄🙄

[sheshe2]

50. Oh boy...

*takes deep breath*

[jg10003]

18. you have to play according to the rules that exist...

Not the rules that you wished were in effect.

[sheshe2]

24. Ah, I see.

[questionseverything]

121. Loads of democratic politicians have said money in politics is a huge problem

Yet they raise money to run for office….. are they all evil? Or just Bernie?

[sheshe2]

123. I didn't say that.

Please do not put words in my mouth.

[questionseverything]

126. Then explain your post

Every politician has to raise tons of money to run for office but you seem to be saying it’s wrong for Bernie to raise money and to say, money in politics is a huge problem

Hillary raised many millions of dollars over her career but still went to court against money in politics, how is that different than what you said Bernie did???????

[sheshe2]

127. As you know...

I responded to jalan who said:

jalan48 (14,691 posts)
5. No expensive wine lunches with K Street Lobbyists for Bernie.
Reply to Doodley (Original post)
Wed Feb 26, 2025, 07:10 PM

When in fact he does. I have no issues with the fact he does, I have an issue when people say he does not. Sadly there is way too much money in politics. Right now that is the least of our problems, TSF is.

Honestly, I have no clue how we will survive this. I have no idea the world we will leave behind for our children and our children's children. I am scared.

[questionseverything]

128. So it's du member jalen that you have the problem with?

Because Bernie was helping democratic committee raise money, he hosted at their invitation and yet I thought you acted like that was a bad thing….

We are all scared but holding on to an argument from nearly a decade ago helps no one but the evil one and his anti christ henchmen

[sheshe2]

129. I am done.

[kacekwl]

43. Isn't that a good thing

Especially since he's not a Democrat. You can do more than one thing at a time. Really tired of the Bernie bashing.

[sheshe2]

51. Well...

I am tired of Democrat bashing.

[Magoo48]

80. Is stating our bewilderment at some Dems inaction considered "bashing"?

[GiqueCee]

77. I think it would be better...

... to criticize the grossly corrupt campaign finance system that forces politicians to fund their campaigns in such a manner, rather than to single out any one of them for working within a system tailored to benefit the wealthy donors shopping for influence.
Bernie is one of my senators, and I know from personal experience that he's there to help his constituents, not to help himself. Ain't nobody perfect, but he tries harder than most, and he outclasses ANY Republican by several orders of magnitude.
But that's just me.

[90-percent]

99. BINGO!

Citizens United vs. Hillary Clinton forced all candidates to devote their efforts to beg to raise the millions needed to be competitive. It's an anti-democracy system that bakes morbidly wealthy billionaires into the entire fabric of our government. Also grows massive corruption in to our entire MSM. Fortunately alt media is sprouting outlets like meidastouch, which is typically the number one or two podcasts on the internet . We the people are fighting back. Olbermanns podcasts are also excellent.


-90% jimmy

[Littlered]

78. I agree

Bernie is responsible for where we find ourselves right now. He is more a lightening rod for disarray than anything else.

[GiqueCee]

86. wrong...

... see above.

[MadameButterfly]

98. Good grief. He is the opposite of that

He was the solution all along if we hadn't been so afraid of being labelled extreme. See where "moderation" has gotten us.
He also spoke to the disenchanted who ultimately went for Trump in a way no other Democrat knew how to do. We assumed that further left was dangerous, but it turns out not doing enough for the working people and people on the edge was dangerous.

[questionseverything]

120. I don't understand what point you're trying to make

The problem with the entire country is money in politics but you are attacking Bernie for pointing that out?

Or you are attacking him for raising money at all?

[Littlered]

81. Don't look at #3 on this list.

Or you might have to reconsider your support. Personally, I believe we lost our country the day citizens united became the law of the land.

https://www.opensecrets.org/2020-presidential-race/bernie-sanders/contributors?id=N00000528

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

91. Final bail in the coffin was the Immunity Decision

handed down by the Extreme Court. I guess I could have gone alone, but I tried to find a protest to join but nothing seemed to have been happening. The streets should have been packed that day or the next.

[Cirsium]

109. How silly

Oh, look there it is, Amazon on that list! That means Bernie isn't pure and perfect, so I will no longer support him!



The link you provided is misleading. The money listed may come from "the organizations' individual members, employees or owners; and those individuals' immediate families."

Come on, we can do better than this, can't we? There is a difference of opinions among Democrats here ("Democrats" being defined as those who consistently vote Democratic) about how best to counter the Republicans. Why don't we argue the merits of our respective positions rather than sniping at each other?

Senator Schumer believes that “for every blue-collar Democrat we lose" in the swing states "we will pick up two moderate Republicans in the suburbs."

I believe that for every moderate, every swinging white upper middle class vote we lose, we will pick up three or four blue collar voters.

That suburban swing voter is the demographic the leadership has been chasing, and it is reflected in recent elections by the shift of college educated voters from Republican to Democratic, and the by the shift of blue collar voters from Democratic to Republican.

[Cirsium]

115. Um...

You really do need to read the post you are responding to.

I am not sure what you think I wrote. You say "you and Schumer can believe that all you want." Believe what? I am disagreeing with Schumer.

What is wrong with boycotting Amazon? We are. Nothing to do with Sanders.

[Nanjeanne]

118. Did you forget to add: The organizations themselves cannot donate. The money came from individuals or PACs affiliated

with the organization.

Such a silly misdirection.

As Open Secrets explains and I would expect back in 2020 when he was running he received a lot of individual contributions from workers from Amazon.

For example - it's easy to find out what your numbers actually mean:

Compared with the other candidates in the race, Sanders drew significantly more support from Amazon’s warehouse and fulfillment center workers and drivers. He also received hundreds of donations from the company’s software engineers. His support from Apple was similarly divided between employees in the retail arm of the company and white-collar engineers and designers.

https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2020-02-13/sanders-fundraising-big-tech-amazon-google]

But hey . . . Sanders . . . so . . .

[MadameButterfly]

131. Do you think we have a problem that he was attractive to some of the

disenchanted who ultimately voted for Trump? Do you think Bernie supporters didn't know that? I too was repeatedly shocked that my Republican friends were against every Democrat except Bernie. He struck a chord with them. Spoke their language.

And do you think we are upset but the financial records you show? Like, people who work at Walmart or the Dept. of Defense actually donated to Bernie?

Agree with you about Citizens United though. Bernie would agree too, except he wouldn't give up so easily.

[Cherokee100]

107. The Wolves of K Street.

I read the book. Very scary. Complete corruption of our government.

[TrunKated]

6. guilt

Rump is partly Bernies fault for his attacks on Hillary.

[Autumn]

7. You are so wrong, Hillary lost that on her own. He had nothing to do with her loss.

He inspired the poeople to support him and he supported her after she became the nominee

[Doodley]

10. And what has Hillary got to say about what's going on?

[Autumn]

13. I don't know what she has to say about it.

Bernie and AOC and a couple others are all over it.

[Doodley]

17. That's my point. I have not heard Hillary speak out. Bernie has proven he deserved

to run for the nomination. He is a conviction politician. He has the passion to keep fighting for what is right and just.

[sheshe2]

27. What elected office does she hold?

[kacekwl]

44. None. Keeps her from

speaking out. As a former SOS you'd think she has an opinion about the latest cozying up to Putin.

[betsuni]

66. She was sounding the alarm bells, calling Trump a Putin puppet from the beginning, unlike the ones

who brushed it off as a hoax for years and thought Hillary was a greater threat than Trump, the tweet right before the election saying that it doesn't matter who you voted for. Way too late to come around and see the threat now.

[JI7]

71. I thought it was hilarious

how someone recently posted Sanders making some comment about Trump aligning with Russia and acted like nobody had ever said anything like that before.

[betsuni]

72. It's very often like that! For some reason.

[MrChuck]

38. Crickets

[betsuni]

67. Oh, now the beholden-to-Wall-Street coastal elite ESTABLISHMENT (among all the crap insults hurled at Hillary)

will be carefully listened to? Hilarious!

[Skittles]

25. only after the damage was done

UGH

[MadameButterfly]

52. Do you trash every Democrat who runs in a primary

against your favorite candidate? Do you think the DNC should just pick the nominee?

[PunkinPi]

82. I know you aren't directing your questions to me, but

the only time Bernie is a "Democrat" is when he's running for potus. (Yes, I know he caucuses with Dems in the Senate and before that in the House.) Why should the DNC fund someone who is only a Dem when he runs for potus?

[MadameButterfly]

101. Because they know and he knows that if he runs as an Independent

for POTUS he would get a Republican elected. He was doing the responsible thing.
No one was expecting DNC to fund him unless he was the nominee chosen by Democrats.

He has reliably voted Democratic in Congress. Unlike some people who call themselves Democrats. The Democratic voters can decide whether that Independent label is important.

[Tribetime]

15. Comey is the guilty one

[Skittles]

26. no, Comey is just ANOTHER guilty one

they all played a part and they ALL make me sick

[Skittles]

21. there is NOTHING he can do to make up for it

he very much helped bring about the crisis we are in today, UGH

[kacekwl]

45. Nonsense. I supported

Bernie and when Hillary won the nomination I voted for her.

[Raven123]

36. Nonsense.

Bernie has been actively campaigning against the billionaire class for YEARS. His position has been vindicated by what we see thanks to MAGA. As one who supported Hillary, I do not hold anything against someone who ran against her in the primary. The primary was close for a reason. His positions are popular with many, especially juxtaposed against Trump, I wish others would learn something from him.

[MrChuck]

37. BS

We're not supposed to relitigate past elections in this group but I'll reply to your assertion.

Trump was scared shirtless of Bernie Sanders and he ate Hilary Clinton alive. The DNC cheated to get her nominated and lost the election as a result of THAT, not because Sanders was out there telling the truth.

Go back under your rock and worship the party apparatus that's handed your ass to you twice in the last three elections.

It's called Democratic UNDERGROUND, not Democratic Sycophants.

[betsuni]

68. This isn't the first time the "underground" in DU's name has been misunderstood. The enemy isn't Democrats.

This is a forum for supporters of the Democratic Party. DU was created after G.W. Bush was elected and Democrats felt they almost had to go underground.

[synni]

42. It was Hillary's fault for being a terrible campaigner

How she learned nothing from being married to Bill for all these years is beyond me.

[FoxNewsSucks]

49. Bullshit. That's a brazen republican lie.

[berksdem]

88. ridiculous...

[alarimer]

8. There should be a traveling road show of whoever is willing

To gl to all these places (especially purple districts) whose reps won't do town halls anymore.

I get that there isn't a lot of time for this, but this is an emergency.

Where are all the ex-presidents? Why the hell are they silent? What kind of stupid fucking norm are they following that doesn't apply anymore?

[BannonsLiver]

19. She shouldn't have accepted the award?

[markodochartaigh]

20. Were they there when America needed them most?

In 2015 the Republican party was going to have a brokered convention to choose another candidate but they realized that they could not win without Trump because he was so wildly popular among their authoritarian base. So they put party before country and chose an authoritarian Strong Leader who was not committed to democracy. Even then, some Republican party leaders refused to support Trump, an unheard of act. Instead of simply getting out of the way, the Bushes, Cheneys, Romneys, etc. should have taken their party back from the authoritarians. Now it is like putting glue back into the tube, everything winds up sticky and disgusting and the tube is ruined.

[mdbl]

83. It's a nice sentiment but,,

the Bushes, Cheneys, Romneys were also authoritarians. They would have done what Dump did if they could have gotten away with it at the time. It took some time to water down our democracy to get to this point and they all had a hand in it.

[JI7]

23. He isn't. Josh Shapiro got billions in funds released to his state

that Trump was tryng to steal.

[ShazzieB]

62. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois is also raising holy hell about funds still not released to his state.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10497960

Absolutist comments like "No Democrats are doing anything" are just silly, imo. It makes no sense to lump hundreds of Democrats in Congress (which Is what I assume is what is meant) together like that.

I can't speak to what Schumer and Jeffries are doing or not doing, but i know that lots of Democrats are fighting the TrumpMusk insanity like wildcats. A couple that come to mind are Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse in the Senate, and I know there are lots more, even though I can't think of all of their names.

I think what Bernie is doing is great, but anyone who thinks that all the Democrats are rolling over for this crap is not paying attention!

[MadameButterfly]

102. We should be cheering on what Bernie is doing AND what the other Dems

are doing in Congress, Governors, Lawyers, the press.

I'm discouraged with the bashing both ways. What our Reps are trying to do is hard. It isn't going to look like a John Wayne movie. Some important actions might not get press. It's easy to act fast (and get publicity) if you are Elon Musk and you are running ripshod and not being responsible for the results. Democrats are having to find ways to have real targeted impact in a minority under a lawless president.

[ShazzieB]

110. Yes, yes, yes!

I agree with all of this 100,000%!

I'm sick of the bashing, too. I know it's happening because people are frustrated and scared, but there are much better ways to handle our frustration and fear than fighting about things that happened in an election that was almost a decade ago.

I know people have feels about what happened in 2016. I do myself. But what's done is done. Arguing about the past is not going to change what's happening now or in the future. It's a distraction and a waste of time and energy.

[Alice B.]

87. I can't help but wonder if PA going for TSF helped (and I'm a Pennsylvanian)

I’m wondering if we were CA, if it still would’ve gone that smoothly.

[Omnipresent]

29. How terribly strange to hear Bernie's 83.

I’m glad he’s still fighting for us!

[WarGamer]

30. Bernie has been soundly and unfairly disrespected.

He's been "right" for 20+ years.

He also explained WHY Trump was elected TWICE...

Status Quo politicians and neocons hate him...

I hope Sanders and Warren team up to support a REAL DEMOCRAT in 28.

[BannonsLiver]

46. So Harris isn't a "REAL DEMOCRAT"?

What about Clinton and Obama? They are t real Democrats either? 🤔

[WarGamer]

58. Clinton and Obama were both excellent...

Excellent communicators... Clinton had a populist streak and Obama is one of the most gifted natural politicians of our time.

Modern politicians could learn from both.

[BannonsLiver]

59. I don't disagree.

But since you omitted Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, would it be correct to assume you don’t consider them real democrats?

[WarGamer]

60. Yearning for a "real Democrat" means looking to 2028.

That means someone who respects the core Democratic principles like supporting the 1A, even the parts we don't like.

We need to break from the neocons who have been invited/infiltrated the Party.

When the blue collar vote swings back to 60% Democratic... you'll know we're doing something right.

You know the expression, "Read the Room"?

"Reading the room" is an idiom that means to be aware of the mood or atmosphere of a group of people and to adjust your behavior accordingly. It's a key component of emotional intelligence.

The Room is the state of the 2016-2024 American electorate.

Wake up and learn the lesson.

[WarGamer]

63. Off topic... let me share something I think they should do.

DEMS should release this statement NOW:

We, the Democratic Party of the US are pleased to see the new interest by the GOP in reducing waste and overspending in the Federal Gov't. After decades of illegal wars, billion dollar navy ships that can't sail, billion dollar planes that can't fly and bloated Federal Law Enforcement the GOP has apparently realized their mistakes.

We would like to recognize the target of 2 Trillion Dollars in Budget cuts which can be re-directed to

1) Raising the basic benefit of Social Security by 50%
2) Expanding ObamaCare to more Americans
3) Double the standard deduction to reduce American taxpayers debt...
4) Expand First Time Home Buyer grants for a million families.





stuff like that... be smart.

[berksdem]

89. Isn't that

really what Harris campaigned on?

[WarGamer]

92. Campaigned on cutting $2T out of the budget, slashing the Dep't of War?

I must have missed that.

[berksdem]

94. you also missed

expanding Obamacare and 1st time home buyers which is exactly what Harris ran on... not sure what point you are trying to make. You wrote what the Dems should be saying and a lot of it has been said.

[WarGamer]

96. my point is...

It would be strategically smart to take what DOGE is doing and spin it into a way to fund OUR priorities.

This is simple PR... and when the GOP wastes the money on stupid things, you run on saying the savings from the Gov't budget reductions were wasted.

It's Jiu Jitsu... instead of simply blocking a move, redirect the energy of the move to strike the opponent.

[questionseverything]

130. About that down payment idea

60% of the country does not have a thousand dollars they could access in an emergency , do y’all really think not having the down payment is their problem?

Their problem is it takes two weeks for them to earn one months rent

I wish she would of pounded on grocery prices and said “I want to give every American family making under $250,000. A year food stamps “

And then explained food stamps create more gdp and continued gdp growth which jump starts the economy

Continuing to explain, we would use this legislation to expand our support for family farms

[betsuni]

93. Yes. Their populist leader says both sides are corrupt and the same, Dems ignore working/middle classes,

so they can't accept as reality classic liberal Democratic policies *poof! disappears!* -- only the populist savior has progressive ideas. It's nutty.

[BannonsLiver]

64. I'm not really the forgiving kind.

[betsuni]

69. Their leader tells them Democrats are "ideologically bankrupt," corrupt, immoral, ignore the working class, evil,

neoliberals the same as Republicans except for a few identity politics and must be destroyed and replaced by True Democrats who are "democratic socialist" populist grassroots revolutionaries. Clinton and Obama cannot be real Democrats, of course, because the leader says the imaginary corruption began with Clinton.

Why followers hate a fictional Democratic Party that don't exist. It only helps Republicans, I guess they don't care because they feel so righteous and inspired or whatever.

[wryter2000]

100. Preach!

I am so sick of the holier-than-thou attitude of some Bernie supporters (not Bernie himself). Purity tests do not help us win elections.

[Drum]

31. Because his messaging is consistent and patriotic, and he doesn't have special-interests yanking his leash.

Waaaay too many Dems are spending all day looking around and testing the wind. Disappointing!

[bee_peaceful]

32. He always has had serious street cred. NT

[NoMoreRepugs]

33. Why are DUer's rehashing past elections and grievances? Our Democracy is

crumbling, Bernie, bless his heart is working his ass off. Our “leadership” is sitting on their asses. I’m 75 and have resigned myself to probably never seeing the country I grew up in again.

[ReRe]

34. Because

He knows mankind is knock-knock-knocking on heaven's door.

[BasicallyComplicated]

39. Sorry, he's always been correct!

What angers me is how we are all acting like this wasn’t the right message we as a party should have been supporting ten years ago. When my post got banned and removed for supporting his message during his presidential runs. Now that the establishment “corporate lite” democrats are just circling the drain waiting to fall in line with wherever the money goes Dems are starting to get it! They are starting to say hey what if we support what the people want we get elected ?! People don’t want a”public opinion” they want healthcare from the government and private “opinion”. They want working courts. Fair laws etc. Not fights with the dumb fucks on the other side. Sorry it time to pull this damn boat to the left or die trying. Republican lite has failed.

[elleng]

47. Dunno, but I'm sure glad he does what he does.

We MAY be related, 2 Jewish people from Brooklyn.

[AmericaUnderSiege]

53. Spectatorism is the problem.

Bernie is different both generationally and being from a small state where the individual still matters. The states with "Roman mob" politics have long since decided that society exists only for entertainment rather than civic engagement. Instead of speaking up for real, just wait for some showboat to create a distracting game.

I sure do love the baffled silence and clueless muttering when someone takes an actually relevant stand: "Who are these "pee-puhl" that you speak of, hyoo-monn? Are you not satisfied with the botox-infused smiles of the donor base? They already applauded, so why are you continuing to poke at things best left unsaid?"

[Sogo]

54. Is what he's doing the only thing that qualifies as doing something, in your estimation?

nt

[soldierant]

55. I'm going to say because he is the only one in a position to

who is also old enough to feel a personal involvement in the Holocaust of World War II. If it's still possible to bring up the episode of "Finding Your Roots he was on, and you look it up, you'll learn a sad story about a family member of his. Very moving.

[FlyingPiggy]

56. The rest of the democrats are too busy worrying about keeping their congressional seat to actually DO something

[Linda ladeewolf]

57. His Grandchildren.

He doesn’t want to leave them to fight this regime alone. There future is at stake, as well as all the rest of our futures.

[betsuni]

65. What's he doing? Politicians give speeches. How is this message fighting Trump?:

"It's not just Republican billionaires. It is Democratic billionaires. It is the corruption of the two-party system."

The Democratic Party is not corrupt or anything like Republicans.

[Blasphemer]

73. Exactly. He's part of the reason we are in this mess. nt

[Cirsium]

113. Communication

Politics is communication. If you disagree with what he is communicating, then why not address that? How do you think we should fight Trump?

He said the system is corrupt. Do you dispute that? He did not say that the Democratic Party is corrupt, nor that the Democratic Party is anything like the Republican party.

[Tree Lady]

70. Because the rest of them want the cuts

because they are millionaires.

[Snoopy 7]

76. Think about it

Since the days of regan the soured republicans have come to the Democratic Party. The repeated moving of republicans to the Democratic Party has slanted our party farther right and that is why we have so many corporate democrats. Now what was once called the "Democratic Party" is now called the Progressive Party. That is why Bernie has been speaking up because, he is a true member of the Democratic Party.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

84. Because he's got ideas and is willing to express them despite

whatever the diktats of the DNC are. Bernie is technically an "independent who caucuses with Democrats." That gives him a "freedom of speech;" while party stalwarts either don't have that or won't rock the boat. He's also one of a handful of Democrats and Democrat-allied legislators with IDEAS. The party elite is clearly devoid of ideas, and doesn't really want to propose anything that will piss off the donor class. They spent over $1 billion of their donor's free speech losing the last Presidential election. Who knows how much they'll need to lose the next one. Meanwhile, if the "moderates" who are the establishment had any ideas they were willing to share, they might tour a country hungry for someone with some sort of plans on how to make people's lives better, and perhaps even defeat Trumpism once and for all. But that's not who the "moderate" Party establishment wants to be, apparently, and they look increasingly out-of-touch and obsolete because of it.

In a normal, multi-party country, this divergence of direction would provoke a split into two parties. But because of the duopolistic deal struck long ago between our two right-wing parties forbidding another party from automatic ballot status, it's unlikely. That' probably going to mean further stagnation. I'm confident that the DNC will decide that the way forward is to work with their donors (like AIPAC) to further primary-out the ranks of their progressives, leaving nothing but bland suits who want to appeal to the better angels of their friends across the aisle - as if the MAGAts had any,.

Other progressives may wish to do as Bernie does and strike their independence from the party while caucusing with it. That has risks, like a withdrawal of Party funding (and probably petty stuff like a worse office), and the moderate on DU will probably erupt, but the reward seems to be much more freedom of action.

[oldmanlynn]

85. Send that over to Ken Martin

He is supposed to be the new leader and so far I haven’t heard anything from him

[Cirsium]

112. The last few days

DNC Chair Ken Martin Knocks Doors in WI with Grassroots Dems Ahead of Supreme Court, Superintendent Elections

On Saturday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin hosted a Grassroots Canvass Kickoff and door knocking event featuring new DNC Chair Ken Martin in support of the Wisconsin Democratic coordinated campaign ahead of April’s crucial elections. The event was held to energize and mobilize volunteers across Milwaukee in support of Judge Susan Crawford, Dr. Jill Underly, and other local candidates who will move Wisconsin forward.

In these crucial elections, the DNC is leaving nothing to chance and are all hands on deck to turbocharge the Wisconsin Democratic coordinated campaign.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said: “Everywhere I go, people are fired up. They are ready to get back in the fight. They understand the stakes. Let’s go out and win these elections — this is critical for Wisconsin and our party.”

https://democrats.org/news/dnc-chair-ken-martin-knocks-doors-in-wi-with-grassroots-dems-ahead-of-supreme-court-superintendent-elections/

Ken Martin, the newly installed chair of the Democratic National Committee, is kicking off his first major trip as party leader in an effort for the organization to “get out of D.C.”

Martin’s trip, which begins Monday, will bring him to key swing states including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the blue state of Illinois and two red states, Texas and Missouri, according to details of the trip shared with NBC News. The stops on the trip will include a meeting with the United Steelworkers in Pittsburgh, meetings with the state Democratic Party chairs in Illinois and Missouri, and door-knocking for Democratic state House candidate Dan Goughnour ahead of his March special election outside of Pittsburgh.

“It’s time for the DNC to get out of D.C. — that means getting out of our comfort zone, having tough but honest conversations with voters, and showing that we’re willing to fight for people. Democrats will win by organizing everywhere, competing across the ballot in every community, and uniting working families from all backgrounds,” Martin told NBC News in a statement.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/new-dnc-chair-kicks-multistate-tour-takes-party-rcna192231

ABC13 has 1-on-1 with Democratic Party's new leader Ken Martin

During his stop in Houston this week, the new chair of the Democratic National Committee sat down with ABC13 to talk about his approach to the new job.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/abc13-1-1-democratic-partys-234419108.html

National Democratic party chairman says Missouri Democrats still matter

When Ken Martin announced his first national tour since becoming Democratic National Committee chairman, it may have come as a surprise to some that he included Missouri as one of the stops.

After all, Missouri hasn’t been a competitive presidential state since 2008. And Democrats have struggled mightily in both statewide elections and gaining ground in the legislature.

But in an interview on The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Martin said his party needs to stop ignoring red states like Missouri if they’re going to get out of their electoral funk. And he said that Missouri Democrats should expect tangible help from the national party in the coming months.

https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2025-02-24/national-democratic-party-chairman-says-missouri-democrats-still-matter

[Martin68]

90. There are many Democrats all over the country, elected officials and representatives who are fighting Trump and Musk.

Just because you don't see it prominently in the news (although a great deal of activity has been reported in the Washington Post, for example) doesn't mean they aren't working hard to fight this administration in courts all over the country. I get tired of the defeatism.

[Cirsium]

111. Of course

There are many Democrats all over the country, elected officials and representatives who are fighting Trump and Musk, as well there should be. Those of us here are pretty well informed as to what Democrats are or are not doing. You suggest otherwise when you say "just because you don't see it prominently in the news." I think everyone here is well aware of the fact that Democrats do not get adequate coverage from the MSM. With the right wingers dominating new media, it is getting old to blame the MSM for Dem failures in any case.

While there are some Democrats fighting back, there are many who are not, or whose idea of "fight" is pretty weak.

[Farmer-Rick]

95. Just imagine the huge crowds there would be if.......

The Obama's joined him, or Harris or Walz.......

If Dem would join forces and start doing rallies, we might get be able to get "We the people" to do a citizens' arrest of Musk and Trump.

Don't know why the other big name Dems are keeping their powder dry?

[LiberalArkie]

103. Probably no kompromat on him.

[malaise]

104. He always walks thecwalk

That is all

[malaise]

105. He always walks thecwalk

That is all

[relogic]

106. Impact for sure.

It is unfortunate that former presidents, secretaries of state, senators, and all other prominent high-profile creatures associated with the Democratic Party, cannot spread their glory around, congregating on a stadium stage to speak out forcefully with what is happening to our democracy. It would definitely raise the message to a high pitch to say -

“People of America. We are at a crisis point. When the people now fear their government, rather than authoritarians beholding to directions from legitimate elections-we are cooked.”

Again, this timidness from high profile political leaders (of all stripes) must stop now. I’d be in the front row with thousands in standing ovation to hear them say wealthy, lawless infiltrators, domestic and abroad have taken over our country. THIS NORMALIZATION OF TREASON MUST STOP.

Join together with Bernie among others in mass, on stage- you all have and know what true patriotism means.

[Torchlight]

108. I think we often seek out and prefer information

that supports our preexisting beliefs, and tend to dismiss those examples which don't, and from that, ask for measurements without providing a standard of measure.

[lees1975]

117. Bernie is a politician who cares about the values of the country, its democracy and its people more than he cares about

protecting his own political career. We should have nominated and elected him President in 2016.

[Dem4life1234]

119. Jasmine and AOC are young

And they are blasting these grifters.

[crimycarny]

122. Bernie Sanders has the "it" factor

Bernie has always had that "it" factor that seems to attract people from all aspects of the political spectrum including MAGA and far left. How MAGA and the far-left can support the same candidate is due to that elusive "it" that Bernie has. (And, obviously, mainstream voters too--but the "it" is being able to get the extremes from both sides as well as mainstream.)

I think perhaps it's due to Bernie not giving a d*mm about what's politically expedient for him and has kept true to his values even when it's not popular. Bernie unapologetically sticks with his progressive beliefs even in front of a MAGA-type crowd, but he's able to do so without coming off as condescending. He can do the same for the far left. Those in the middle recognize someone who will do what they say they will do.

I don't know what "it" is and why some politicians have it and some don't, but Bernie has it.