Is Bernie Sanders fighting for the Democratic Party?

[WomenRising2017]

I have to ask, because there are a lot of off shoot groups out there, i.e. Justice Democrats, Draft Bernie, Our Revolution, etc., who seem to be asking Bernie Sanders to run as a separate, third party in 2020.

These groups also seem to be attempting to primary Democrats in 2018.

These groups refer to themselves as "The People's Party" or "Berniecrats".

I would sincerely hope that he would denounce such groups.

They are of course, welcome to start their own party, but it's asinine and destructive to believe they should do it on the backs of the Democratic Party.

[JoeOtterbein]

1. No, he is fighting for the USA!

[WomenRising2017]

2. How is keeping Republicans in office good for the USA?

[wasupaloopa]

13. I think he is keeping the issues we care

about in the news. Without a campaign
he has to have rallies to get attention.

[ismnotwasm]

17. That's an interesting user name you have there

I'm curious, how did you pick it?

[wasupaloopa]

23. I was upaloopa before the site shut down.

I could not use the email address I joined with because it was my work email address and I am now retired and the address no longer exists.

I had to open a new account. This my 4th account. My first account was opened after they gave the 2000 election to Bush.

[ismnotwasm]

36. That explains it!

[Warpy]

37. How is speaking with Democrats and backing them for office

keeping Republicans in office? I don't understand that sort of convoluted reasoning, at all.

Now if he started standing on stages with Republicans and endorsing them for office, you might have a point. However he has never done that.

So you don't.

[WomenRising2017]

44. I think he's made it quite clear that he wants a "third" party.

He has a backing for such as well and he has not denounced them.

If he wants a third party, all the power to him, but he should not be using the Democratic Party to propel himself there.

[Warpy]

46. People who confine their reading to anti Sanders sites

usually think that.

He's made it quite clear that he doesn't.

He also campaigns with and for Democrats. Period.

You don't have a factual or rhetorical leg to stand on here.

[WomenRising2017]

52. Nice dig.

I'm an avid political reader and am very involved.

Do you have anything to contribute to the conversation aside from insults?

[Warpy]

56. Post falsehoods, you will be answered.

and you were and not only by me.

[WomenRising2017]

63. What falsehoods have I posted?

[Eliot Rosewater]

151. It is very clear now that Bernie is working to divide the democratic party

and effect a 3rd party debacle that will guarantee the GOP in charge for decades.

I voted for him in the primary, sadly, but my eyes are VERY Wide open now.

Whether or not it is his intention to give more seats to the GOP, I am still working on that, I have my theory, but either way, that is the result of this.

[Omaha Steve]

208. Sanders discourages third-party votes: 'Not the time for a protest vote'

OOPS!!!

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/297675-sanders-discourages-voting-third-party-not-the-time-for-a#.V-vgv9i-Qr0.facebook

BY JESSIE HELLMANN - 09/25/16 11:14 AM EDT

Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Sunday discouraged voters from picking a third-party nominee, saying the issues facing the U.S. are too dire for a "protest vote."

"This moment in history for a presidential election is not the time for a protest vote," the Vermont senator said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
"It's time to look at which candidate will work best for the middle class and working families."

He said he didn't want to disparage third-party candidates, but he encouraged voters to pick Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson has hoped to benefit from record low favorability numbers for Clinton and Trump. But a RealClearPolitics polling average only gives him 8.9 percent support nationally.

[BainsBane]

242. He did last year

that is true. Interesting that you can't find anything more recent.

[Omaha Steve]

244. You got credible stuff he is for it?

[BainsBane]

245. I made no claims

I simply noted that your article is from September of last year, whereas the movement to create a third party around him is current. It wouldn't exactly be hard for him to say he wasn't interested.

[Omaha Steve]

247. He ain't part of it

How can there be a movement when he already said NO?

[Eliot Rosewater]

292. Sadly, Bernie and Thom dont work for who they say they do.

I was taken in also for a long time, but I know better now.

[riderinthestorm]

221. Please post a link where Bernie Sanders "clearly" wants a third party

And is actively working for one.

[R B Garr]

257. Draft Bernie clearly uses his name to advocate

3rd party. Their site is just a Google away. Has Bernie denounced them using his name? Links?

[Gothmog]

61. The idiots on the JPR site want a third party

[oasis]

79. I suspect many Jackpine Deplorables never voted for a Democrat.

With the exception of those who voted for Bernie( who ran as a Democrat) in the primaries.

[Gothmog]

184. I would not take that bet

I believe that you are correct. Many on the JPR idiots were never democrats and never supported the Democratic party

[Omaha Steve]

202. I've voted D since Jimmy Carter a year after I graduated from High School

Need I say more?

Maybe you would like to talk about the group of Hillary DUers that jump started the opening of JPR? It has the same exact behavior problems you find so abhorrent at JPR? Many used their DU names until they got called on it. It went private after the uprise here. Perhaps you remember DUers at that site making fun of my dementia? There are screen shots galore on DU if you want to dig that up. Or do you have a double standard?

I grew up in a D house. FDR, Truman, JFK, etc had the admiration of my extended family. I went door to door for Bobby in 1968 at age 11 just before he was assassinated!.

I've attended D and Labor conventions galore.

I have an autographed copy of Ted Sorensen's book. He was in the room for the first discussion of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

We took our kids to see Jesse Jackson. Two of our daughters are in the photo on the OWH front page May 1988 below.


Here I am with John Edwards in the Fall of 07 wearing AFSCME gear. I made it into his video AND the MSM.



I voted for Hillary


I first donated to Ds at Act Blue on 2008-03-25. This does not include Marta's Act Blue account, checks at fund raisers, D PACs, union PACs etc. That is an average of about $480 a year for me just on Act Blue.



OS

[Gothmog]

229. My first vote for POTUS was also Jimmy Carter

Last edited Sat Apr 15, 2017, 04:14 PM - Edit history (1)

My issue with the JPR site is the content of many if not most of the threads. The support of Russia and Putin is sad as is the delight on that thread that Trump is POTUS. There are posters on JPR who are proud of being russian trolls and who are happy that trump is POTUS. The number of Stein supporters is really sad and disappointing.

I have been a delegate to many state conventions and to the National Convention where I got to witness the some really sad and disgusting behavior by Sanders delegates. Calling my youngest child obscene names because these idiots claimed that she betrayed her generation and watching the BOBs booed John Lewis were just the tip of the iceberg. I remember the JPR threads who were proud of the disruptive behavior by the Sanders delegates including threads about the booing of John Lewis at the National Convention.

Again, one of my main issues with JPR is the content of the posts on that site. If you approve of the content on the JPR site, that is your business. Do not expect others to share your approval of such content. I do not support Russia, Putin or Trump. I also do NOT support people who attack Congressman John Lewis.

As for autographs, I have signed copies of John Lewis' March books and have met and shook his hand more than once. I have heard Congressman Lewis' preaching to chickens story six times now and it never gets old. I have also met Keith Ellison on several occasions and have some great pictures of Lewis, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Ellison at an event (Lewis and Ellison are approximately the same height and so these pictures are really funny). I also met John Edwards back in 2008 when I was part of the Kerry Edwards voter protection team in Florida. Edwards, DWS and other came through the Broward county headquarters where I and many out of state of attorneys were working to protect voting rights. We had 800 out of state attorneys just in Broward County and 3000 out of state attorneys in Florida in 2004.

Again, do not expect me to approve of a large number of the posters on the JPR site or the content on that site. I do not support Russia, Putin, Stein, Trump or people who think that destroying the Democratic Party would be a good thing.

[Omaha Steve]

230. Again if Hillary DUers had not had the nasty behavior at their site JPR would not even exist

I never tried to hide my identity there. Here is my room. See anything pro tRump or Russia?

https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/forum/jackpineradical-rooms/the-wizard-room/

OS

[Gothmog]

235. Have you read the other posts on that site?

I strongly disagree with your claims that about the reasons for the formation of the JPR site. I could go into numerous incidents which occurred during the primary process but will not do so on this board. I am trying to put the primary process behind me and I will not violate the TOS by re-litigating the primary process.

Do you approve of the fact that the JPR site republished lies from Russian fake news sources including the Pizzagate story (I was amused to see that there were so many pizzagate thread on JPP that the admins had to ban these threads), the numerous threads about Clinton being too sick to serve and my favorite the Clinton body double threads? There are threads on JPR every week either attacking good Democrats or defending Russia, Putin and Trump. Russian botts and hackers used JPR and other sites to spread false news and affect the election. Again, do not expect me or other good democrats to support the hate on the JPR site.

Unlike many of the posters on the JPR site, I do not support Russia, Putin, Trump or the people who helped to elect trump. Russia and Putin are not our friends and the denial of the JPR Trump russia investigation threads are really sad. If you are comfortable with the hate on the JPR site, that is fine but I do not share and strongly disagree your views. Do NOT expect me or other good democrats to support the hate on the JPR site.

[BainsBane]

238. They only post Kremlin propaganda

because some Hillary supporters on another site were mean to them. If were are to take Steve's word for it, they don't actually have any ideological reason for promoting Trump's fascism. They do it because someone on the internet said something they didn't like over a year ago.

[Gothmog]

239. The explanation for the existence of the JPR website does not make sense to me either

Last edited Sat Apr 15, 2017, 07:53 PM - Edit history (1)

That website exists to push russian fake news.

[BainsBane]

241. It's purpose was to defeat Hillary

and Russian propaganda was useful to that goal. Because they have decided that Hillary and the Democratic Party are the enemy, many decided to vote for or otherwise defend Trump. Since the election, they seem to have troubling coming to terms with a world without Hillary as the focus for their hate. Some feel compelled to defend Trump no matter what, I suppose because they can't face how badly they fucked up. Or perhaps it's because they truly to support his fascist agenda.

Not that any point of view, from white supremacist to anarchist is permitted, except for loyal Democrats. Those they hate with a passion.

[Omaha Steve]

248. What pro-Trump Putin Russia stuff?

I don't see any pro-Trump or Russia stuff at JPR. Since you know it so well help me out here with some links PLEASE!

I see a lot of Trump is nuts.

I'm comfortable with my room there.

JPR was started after after a certain support group site had get togethers to play nasty tricks on Bernie DUers like hiding posts. There are several screen shots on the DU about it. Owned by a DUer btw. Had to take the site private after they got caught. Several used their DU names and were proud to do it BTW.

Nasty things said there aimed at DUers was as bad as anything you say you see at JPR.

JPR doesn't allow nasty posts about DUers btw.

OS

[Gothmog]

256. You may want to read the greatest page occassionally

Your fellow JPR posters believe that there is no link between Trump and Putin and push the lies of that idiot Greenwald

Since you evidently do not read the JPR site here is a sample. There are more if you need them

https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/still-a-proud-bernie-or-buster-still-glad-hillary-lost/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/william-rivers-pitt-has-a-good-point/#post-542257

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/a-different-take-on-the-banning-the-press-story/#top

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/obama-administration-rushed-to-preserve-intelligence-of-russian-election-hacking/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/putin-is-not-americas-enemy-hes-the-american-establishments-competition/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/kim-dotcom-wl-drop-shows-cia-used-tricks-to-appear-like-they-were-russian/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/hillbots-give-up-on-your-russia-conspiracy-theories-now/

[BainsBane]

237. are you saying there is no political purpose for the site?

No ideological reason for it, that it was formed because they thought Hillary supporters on another site were being mean to them? All the posts arguing for the election of Donald Trump and continuing to defend him were all generated because some random people on the internet didn't like other random people on the internet? They chose to promote fascism and work to destroy the Democratic Party, not because they believe in that vision of America but out of petty resentment toward complete strangers?

[Gothmog]

259. Here are some additional pro russian JPR threads

JPR is the site for russian lovers and people who deny the Trump Russia connection.

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/russians-used-cut-out-in-leak-to-wikileaks/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/when-the-establishment-cant-prove-trump-russia-collusion-progressives-win/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/the-missing-logic-of-russia-gate/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/if-russia-did-meddle-in-the-election-did-it-matter/

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/russia-vs-usa-who-is-the-threat-who-is-the-aggressor-12/

[still_one]

271. JPR was the sanctuary for the vast majority over there who refused to vote for Hillary in the

general election. They left or were tomb stoned from DU because they declared they "would never vote for Hillary in the general election"

The issue isn't you Steve, but the majority over at JPR, who called Hillary and President Obama every vile name in the book, and refused to vote for Hillary in the GE.

[Omaha Steve]

251. OS on John Lewis Tue Sep 18, 2012, 10:50 AM

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10021369196

[Gothmog]

255. And yet there has been numerous threads on JPR thrashing Congressman Lewis

Did you stand up for Congressman Lewis on JPR? I remember these threads and there was no one on JPR who did not hate or trash Congressman Lewis

[Omaha Steve]

262. Do you see me posting much outside LBN or my room on JPR?

I don't post much on the DU anymore for that matter. As you know I'm not doing well health wise.

[Gothmog]

268. No one really cares about your posts on JPR

I am amused that you think that you represent JPR when you repeatedly claim that you disagree with the vast majority of the posters. JPR is a cesspool and the vast majority of the posters there are russian trolls, BOB, Stein supporters, Trump supporters and their ilk. You can voluntarily want to be associated with that cite and then any claims that you are different from the other posters on that site is not an effective defense of that site. That logic does not work. Steve-you may not be a typical JPR poster but that does not mean that many if not most of the other JPR posters are not jerks.

I am sorry for your health problems but your logic on this thread is not holding up. I have never looked at your room on JPR and have little interest in it. The only posts on DU from you that I click on are the occasional political cartoons.

Your attempts at defending the JPR website on this thread are not working. The facts simply do not back you up and you are mistaken if you think that anyone really cares about your JPR posts

[pnwmom]

240. No, Hillary supporters didn't jump start JPR. Some supporters formed a pro-Hillary site

because they were tired of being harassed by people who turned out not to be Democrats -- and who eventually formed their own site at JPR.

[Gothmog]

269. I visited the other boards just to be among posters who were not attacking Hillary Clinton

These other boards had nothing to do with the formation of JPR

[sheshe2]

270. Thanks for setting the record straight pnwmom

My understanding one owner/ admin was banned on DU as a troll. The other up and left and was a dem and Hill hater. Not sure where it went from there.

[Gothmog]

272. Someone's feelings were hurt

https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/getting-of-lying-third-way-douchebags-smearing-jpr-with-impunity/

[oasis]

273. Owning up to the minor role they played in putting Trump in power

will be the beginning of THEIR healing process. Meanwhile, the rest of the planet has to deal with the consequences of their stubbornness during the 2016 elections.

[Warpy]

201. I've wondered how many over there are Russian trolls.

Jackpine Radical would be appalled.

[Gothmog]

236. There are clearly a number of russian trolls on that site

There are threads attacking the Trump/Russian investigation every week and threads attacking the Democratic party and good members of the Democratic Party. The JPR site republished a ton of Russian fake news including numerous pizzagate stories (there were so many pizzagate threads that the admins eventually blocked these threads). _I love reading about all of the illnesses and diseases that Hillary Clinton was suffering on the JPR site.

[tavalon]

62. There is a group that wants to radically change the Democratic Party

from within. The feeling is that the Democratic Party has become beholden to large money donors and lost it's way as the liberal party. Bernie Sanders is keeping mum about that aspect and leaving it to the members who see the Democratic Party this way to change it as the members that they are.

Whether this should be done on the backs of the Democratic Party is certainly worth discussing. However, Bernie himself is doing nothing but going to the heartland to have substantive discussions directly with folks who voted for Trump. I can't speak directly to what Cenk Ungyer of TYT is doing. And I won't speak to what I am doing, at least not at this venue.

This is a safe haven for all Democrats or it should be and I won't change that. I've been here a long time and I want this place to stay a safe haven, hence why I keep my mouth shut on just this sort of discussion.

But, as an aside, 2018 is really close. I think that is where we, the activists, should be concentrating. If we can discuss that without a devolve into 3rd party discussions that would be a very useful discussion. Primarying Blue Dogs is, while an interesting topic, so fraught with ways to end up getting the thread locked, it's probably not a useful discussion. Here.

[Cary]

140. You know what?

All I have ever advocated was voting for Democrats so that we can enact our agenda and not theirs. My Senators are Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and my Representative is Jan Schakowsky. I adore them. They speak for me brilliantly. I don't care so much where they get their money from as long as they continue to represent me as brilliantly as they have.

So I come to this place and others and I say I have nothing against Sanders, which is true. I am called "third way" and "neoliberal" and any other epithet that the purveyors of such nonsense feel clever about concocting. I get third party this and Joe Manchin that. Why am I responsible for Joe Manchin? Is he representing his constituents? Why do I have advocate burning down a party that serves me well?

I am fairly certain that I am in line with a solid majority of Democrats and a solid plurality of Americans. The 35% or so on the rabid right extreme are not in and of themselves a threat to me. We simply have to vote for Democrats.

I just wonder why I'm supposed to tolerate the people who claim to be liberal who show me nothing but abuse and who stab me in the back without remorse. And then they blame me. It's somehow my fault that they are disaffected.

Vote Democratic. Just do it. Cut the crap. Work for what you believe in, by all means. If we have a corrupt Democrat you don't have to support that person, but dial back the smears and nonsense.

[LisaM]

153. Well stated.

I got tired of being treated like some kind of right-wing shill, too, when nothing could be further from the truth. I think we've become guilty about worrying too much about injecting personality into politics. We need to dig a lot deeper than that.

[Cary]

161. I think we have had paid Russian trolls whipping up the less intelligent amongst us

[stevenleser]

156. Very well said. nt

[NurseJackie]

159. Thank you, Cary!

[mcar]

163. +1000!

[synergie]

171. +1,000,000

[SunSeeker]

177. Thank you!

[trueblue2007]

188. RIGHT ON. I don't care where they get their $$ from as long as they continue to represent me

you said .... I don't care so much where they get their money from as long as they continue to represent me as brilliantly as they have. I feel the same way. Earl Blumenaur and senator ron wyden are my politicians.

i feel bernie doesn't want our politicians to accept big donations. THAT IS WRONG. if i was rich, i'd donate lots of money for democratic causes. what is the big deal?

[Cary]

190. Oh, I don't like it

But it is reality right now. Running a party takes a lot of money.

A law partner of mine was a U.S. Senator. He had the money and didn't need his party. They hated him. He lasted one term and was unable to do much.

Campaign donations are bribery. Money is not speech and corporations are not people. I favor 100% public funding of elections but unless and until that is the law, here we are.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

90. Bernie wants Democrats to start acting like Democrats.

[BlueCaliDem]

112. That's a specious statement. How would Bernie know how Democrats should act?

HE'S NEVER BEEN ONE!

[trueblue2007]

189. he has never been one. he needs to stop telling us how to act unless he wants to

change parties to BE A DEMOCRAT !!!!!

WHY ISN'T HE. IT is about time he stopped using Dems and become one.

[JudyM]

178. Precisely. Democratic values means working for the benefit of the people, period.

[JoeOtterbein]

50. How is Bernie keeping Republicans in office?

[Eliot Rosewater]

152. By creating 3rd party votes and in some cases by

primarying righty dems but given their demographics a liberal dem can NEVER win there so when you get rid of the asshole dem who is too far to the right, you end up with a con.

At least the asshole voted with your party sometimes, the con never.

[trueblue2007]

187. It isn't good for our country. we need to REMOVE REPUBLICANS --- not allow them to win elections.

[Cary]

191. Vote Democratic!

[WomenRising2017]

4. And I take it from you answer that he and some of his supporters

are not fighting for the Democrats.

[kacekwl]

136. Aggreed , It would be great if the

Democratic party got on board and participate in the effort.

[Luciferous]

3. Another Bernie basher, how original

[WomenRising2017]

6. It's a question, not a bash.

Do you care to answer?

[randome]

7. Some fashions are worthwhile.

[Cha]

89. BS called the Democratic Party "feeble" and "can't fight back" on RMS..

when they are out there on the front lines Fighting for our Very Lives.

http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/rachel-maddow-show/2017-03-23

BS isn't above being questioned.

[DesertRat]

100. Thanks for the link, Cha

And well said!

[Cha]

108. Mahalo, DesertRat!

And, you're Welcome!

[LexVegas]

5. No. nt

[Kentonio]

8. He didn't run indy last time, and he won't next time.

He's not an idiot, he knows it would split the vote.

[WomenRising2017]

9. Will he now finally denounce the groups out to split the vote?

Because they are out there. And they are using his name to do so.

[Kentonio]

12. This is ridiculous

How can they split the vote if he doesn't run indy? People can ask for what they want, and later on if he even runs at all, he can explain to them why its on the Dem ticket. In the meantime, no he's not going to 'denounce' hardworking progressive groups for hurting your feelings.

[WomenRising2017]

22. You think this is ridiculous?

Some of his supporters sat out the 2016 election or voted for Stein.

"Hardworking progressive groups that hurt my feelings?"

Are you serious with this?

They are actively campaigning against the Democratic Party.

[tavalon]

69. I think Senator Sanders will do what is politically the best thing for liberals

and he will make that decision without this input. Mine or yours.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

92. Bernie always does the right thing... count on it!

[Kentonio]

147. Absolutely

But the right thing is to not lose to the Republicans, and I don't see anything that has changed in terms of this being a two party race.

[MADem]

210. There won't be a next time for a Democratic POTUS run.

I doubt he'll be accommodated again, even if his age doesn't slow or stop him.

He reiterated his "I" status the second he terminated his campaign.

He caucuses with us because it's a marriage of convenience. He gets committee seats and we get his rather weak outreach to a section of voters that claim to be "progressive" (whatever that means, these days).

I think his brand will sour eventually.

[Kentonio]

226. Of course you do.

[MADem]

233. I know, too, that I'm not alone in that assessment.

There's an arc to these things.

[JCanete]

10. primarying democrats within the party is a party oriented goal. They can't really get very far

unless they put up candidates that are going to resonate with Democrats. I don't see a problem here.

[WomenRising2017]

11. I see a huge problem with the "Draft Bernie" for a "Peoples Party" group.

They are disruptive, and they are only helping Republicans.

[JCanete]

31. I don't see a problem with that. Politics is complicated. I don't want to blanketly say there aren't

negatives here, but these people are engaged, and seem to be so on idealogical grounds. that's a good thing. This people's party isn't likely to get a competitive level of support, and I don't think, though how would I know, Sander's is going to sign onto it, but if they can garner membership and reflect a portion of the American base, then if nothing else, it will remind politicians that there are people who want to hear a certain kind of messaging from their potential leadership.

As much of a Sanders fan as I am, I think it would be a bad idea for him to run in the future, even if he were physically up to it. For good or bad reasons, there is a rift that he represents that isn't going to go away in 4 years time. Some people are convinced(and I think this was both a failure of Sander's campaign, and a concerted effort by certain establishment centric, and Clinton backing media sources) that Sanders is not the right choice for people of color. Even if in part, this was not his fault, and even if his record, compared to most other politicians, is almost always ahead of the times when it comes to civil rights issues, the damage is done.

Very much the way the damage has been done to Clinton for decades with total right-wing bullshit. I admit I thought she was a shoe-in. I knew the Repubs had nobody to field against her, and then they proved it, and yet that baggage was just insurmountable. People thought she literally ate babies and had horns. In retrospect, any candidate could have won against that fucktard(or rather that fucktard would have lost against any other candidate) except for Clinton*, by no fault of her own.

*actually a caveat. Had a democratic socialist run for president, I think we would have seen a consolidation of opinion from our media like we have never seen, doing everything in its power to destroy him and the next 50 generations of socialists in the process. That doesn't mean it would have worked, but I have little enough faith in the american public, and a whole lot of faith in the media's ability to sell whatever bullshit it wants to.

[WomenRising2017]

49. There was no concerted effort, Sanders made some dumb and tone deaf comments.

Hillary Clinton has done so as well.

Hell, most white people have.

The failure of the Democratic Party is to stop being tone deaf on racial and civil rights issues. Too many Democrats also fail to understand or admit the blatant misogyny.

The solution is not to reach out to more white bigoted voters. We will make no progress with that agenda.

[JCanete]

133. The solution is not to become bigoted ourselves, or to pander to the socially regressive instincts

of these red states and communities. I disagree that we shouldn't be trying to reach them on grounds that they might understand. We need to lay bare for them the lies they are being fed, and why. The most expedient way to do that is to show them how we are going to fight for their actual interests, against those who don't have their interests at heart...to give them big, but deliverable promises about how we can make their lives better. And in the process, we are eroding their fucked up narrative. We're showing them that no, it's not the immigrants who are making your life harder, no it's not people on welfare(in fact you're on it buddy), it is the rich who keep getting richer by peddling that bigotry and distrust that you are buying into. Why are you working for the people who are screwing you?

But that can't happen without the dangling of riches. Something to wake people up...to stir the imagination. We have the resources in this nation to make people's lives better. We should be doing so. This isn't pandering or offering free stuff. it's offering a better world, and saying come on board and help us make it.

I recognize this post is all in the area of vague platitude. I'm too zonked to be less broad. I don't think its an easy road either. I just think we should give these people a new boogie man already. We need to throw the rich power-brokers to the wolves...not be middling about them. We need to make them the enemy of the working class, white/brown/female/male...etc. We need to stop saying we're going to get to Washington and work with them to do the right thing. We can't work with them, and nobody should trust that kind of language. We need to go full populist on class lines, galvanizing lines across sexuality and color and poor and middle class. etc. I need to sleep, and may try to make this clearer later.

[LovingA2andMI]

209. What?

"Hell, most white people have."......Umm Really? Going there.....

Welcome to DU. Enjoy the Stay.....

[murielm99]

118. They can split the party and weaken incumbents.

It has been done before. If there was any "justice" to the Justice Democrats, they would concentrate on running against republicans.

[JCanete]

127. you mean in a republican primary? I kind of think the primary is where to start, and their

ideals align more closely to democrats, or in some cases, like my own, pretty closely in-line. I believe in having a choice in my own party. I want to feel like I'm a part of the decision. If I don't like a candidate, whether it be a justice democrat or one promoted by the DNC, I want to have an alternative. I hate feeling like I'm voting for the only choice that was provided for me. That's not a choice. So, lets just not let the primaries divide us. That divisiveness is live on both sides of the whole.

[murielm99]

205. Don't put words in my mouth.

And don't try to say the only choices are between justice democrats and people promoted by the DNC. Often, Democrats come up through the ranks in their own states. Good incumbents should be supported, not primaried.

And both sides do NOT do it. Those of us who have worked as party activists and local leaders for years are trying to work with the new grassroots organizations. They need to return the courtesy.

[beam me up scottie]

14. I want Bernie to denounce people who hate turtles.

I like turtles.

I would sincerely hope Bernie would denounce anti-chelonian groups.

Won't someone think of the turtles?:




WHERE IS BERNIE SANDERS ON THIS???

[Hassin Bin Sober]

18. I want him to denounce my neighbor who parks right on the yellow line.

Sure, he's technically still in his own spot. But that's not how the spots are designed to work.

[beam me up scottie]

20. That is INEXCUSABLE!

We need to petition Bernie to DENOUNCE these anti-American traitors!

[The Big Ragu]

154. DENOUNCE DENOUNCE DENOUNCE

SERIES!!!!!!!11111111111111

[beam me up scottie]

250. THIS IS TOTES SERIES!!!

We should not be MOCKING this! Bernie needs to denounce all of these things RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!*









*disclaimer: this is Long timers will remember an op ordering DUers to CALL CONGRESS RIGHT FUCKING NOW! Much hilarity ensued. We here at DU live to mock.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

96. As long as he tilts left, I say givim a pass.

[QC]

19. Then he needs to denounce people who put sugar in the cornbread.

Decent people don't do that.

[beam me up scottie]

21. NO TRUE DEMOCRAT PUTS SUGAR ON THEIR CORNBREAD!

How many times do we have to go over this, people?

[WomenRising2017]

24. How cute.

So do you support Democrats and the Democratic Party or are you one of the who are pushing Bernie to go third party?

[beam me up scottie]

27. Cute? They're bloody adorable!

ANYONE WHO WON'T CALL ON BERNIE TO DENOUNCE ANTI-CHELONIANS IS A WITCH!

[LovingA2andMI]

211. We Like Turtles....

They Are Cute, Hard Shelled Little Creatures.

[beam me up scottie]

249. Turtles rock!

On behalf of turtles everywhere I am begging people to stop smearing chelonians by associating them with Mitch McConnell. It is unfair to compare members of the GOP to any animal species - all of which are essential to healthy ecosystems.

So stop slandering turtles, people!

[Donkees]

41. :)

[beam me up scottie]

45. LOLOLOL!

THANK YOU, SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS!! I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T LET THE TURTLES DOWN!

[Amimnoch]

131. Once again you are trying to help BS help Republicans??

If you support turtles you support Republicans!!

(disclaimer: this is totally tongue in cheek and not intended to be serious in any way)

[Tom Rinaldo]

15. DNC Chair Tom Perez & Sanders are now touring the country together for Democrats

If he's not concerned (to the point where he's teaming up with Bernie on the road) I doubt that you need to be.

[WomenRising2017]

25. Except that Tom Perez's statement was

"Bernie and I are hitting the road."

Bernie's was,

"I am hitting the road."

[beam me up scottie]

39. Actually Bernie's exact words were: "We'll be traveling..."

"We" as in not just Bernie.

You're welcome again!

[LovingA2andMI]

213. "We" Usually Reads Are Two or More People.....

Yet, certain folks read what THEY WANT to read in anything......

[Cha]

116. Yesterday Bernie sent backers a long letter about his upcoming nat'l tour, which is w Tom Perez

Link to tweet

Exactly, WR..

Viva Tom Perez!!!

[riderinthestorm]

222. From Bernie Sanders own website:

https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-perez-announce-come-together-fight-back-tour/

Senator Bernie Sanders, DNC Chair Tom Perez and other Democratic Party leaders will be traveling to nine “red” and “purple” states starting on April 17th. Along with local activists they are tentatively scheduled to hold rallies in Maine, Kentucky, Florida, Nebraska, Utah, Montana, Arizona and Nevada. More information will be released in the coming days. The purpose of their trip is to begin the process of creating a Democratic Party which is strong and active in all 50 states, and a party which focuses on grassroots activism and the needs of working families.

Sanders and Perez stated: “At a time of massive income and wealth inequality and a shrinking middle class, we need a government which represents all Americans, not just Wall Street, multi-national corporations and the top 1 percent. Regardless of where they live or their political affiliations, most people understand that it is absurd for Republicans in Congress to support huge tax breaks for billionaires while pushing for cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They understand that the recent Republican health care proposal which would have thrown 24 million Americans off of their health insurance, substantially raised premiums for older workers and defunded Planned Parenthood while, at the same time, providing almost $300 billion in tax breaks to the top 2 percent is a disgraceful idea.”

Sanders and Perez will speak out for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, pay equity for women, rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, combatting climate change, making public colleges and universities tuition-free, criminal justice reform, comprehensive immigration reform and tax reform which demands that the wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.

But yeah, no mention of the DNC so there's that...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

93. Precisely!

[Hassin Bin Sober]

16. You should take it up with The Senate Democratic Leadership

The Honorable Senator Bernard Sanders is The Democratic Party Chairman of Outreach

[WomenRising2017]

26. This is exactly why I'm bringing it up.

Is his outreach for the Democratic Party, or is his outreach for "Draft Bernie" bullshit.

[beam me up scottie]

32. Well it does say 'Democratic Party Outreach' not 'Draft Bernie Outreach' so there you go.

You're welcome.

[WomenRising2017]

34. Your reply doesn't clarify much.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

87. It's as clear as day. What more do you want?

The guy is LITERALLY part of the Senate Democratic Leadership. In charge of Outreach for DEMOCRATS.

It's a shame I have to defend DEMOCRATIC SENATE LEADERS on a Democratic website.

SMDH

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

94. Seems pretty obvious to me.

[LovingA2andMI]

214. It Obvious....

Bernie is a part of the Democratic Leadership in the Area of Outreach. That's clear as a bell to folks who care to read it for what it is.

Unless they choose to read something else to fit into a preconceived agenda.....

[R B Garr]

101. Did you even read the OP? It's asking about the offshoot

groups running in his name.... read what you are responding to. BTW, one of those groups just lost in Los Angeles.

[beam me up scottie]

246. Actually it does.

It's fairly simple, you asked:

Is his outreach for the Democratic Party, or is his outreach for "Draft Bernie" bullshit.

I clarified it for you. So again: Bernie is chair of DEMOCRATIC outreach - a leadership position he was given by the Senate minority leader who is a DEMOCRAT. In addition he's also on a barnstorming tour to reach voters in red states with Tom Perez who is the head of the DEMOCRATIC National Committee.

Washington (CNN)Sen. Bernie Sanders will join new Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez this month on a multi-state tour aimed at mending a party fractured by 2016's primary battle, people familiar with the plans tell CNN.

The tour will begin April 17 and last roughly one week. The exact locations are still being nailed down, but the tour is expected to begin in Maine and is also likely to include stops in Florida, Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, Nebraska and Utah.

The two will cast the tour as a unity effort aimed at turning Democratic efforts away from intra-party squabbles and toward resisting President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/06/politics/bernie-sanders-tom-perez-joint-tour/

So it should be fairly obvious by now that yes, Bernie is indeed fighting for the Democratic party.

You've been asked repeatedly to provide evidence of your allegation that Senator Sanders wants to start a third party. Here's what you claimed up-thread:

I think he's made it quite clear that he wants a "third" party.

And we still haven't seen any proof of this.

Why is that?

[R B Garr]

253. Maybe you should have stuck with posting turtle pictures,

because this still doesn't answer the question about the offshoot groups in his name.

Draft Bernie advocates a third party in his name. Has he denounced it? You posted a bunch of mocking posts aimed at the OP, so you obviously know what was
meant by the OP asking if Bernie has denounced their efforts to use his name.

Has Bernie said anything about those groups? Posting turtles and cornbread vignettes didn't answer the question.

[beam me up scottie]

258. WHY WON'T BERNIE DENOUNCE TURDUCKENS???

Have you SEEN these things?



They're OBSCENE!!!



WHERE IS BERNIE SANDERS ON THIS???

Oh sure, he PRETENDS to care about preserving our American traditions but until Bernie denounces these monstrosities I will continue to suspect he's allied with Big Turducken™.

I DEMAND BERNIE ADDRESS MY CONCERNS RIGHT NOW!!!

[R B Garr]

260. So that's a no? No, Bernie has not denounced 3rd

party groups using his name. That doesn't sound like a solid commitment to Democrats. Hmm.

[beam me up scottie]

261. So that's a no? No, Bernie has not denounced Turduckens?

That doesn't sound like a solid commitment to America. Hmm.

WHAT ARE BERNIE'S REAL MOTIVES???

[R B Garr]

274. No answer again, but at least no silly pictures.

Thanks, I guess.

[George II]

194. .

"The Chairman of Committee Outreach is a Democratic United States Senator and member of the party leadership of the United States Senate responsible for representing the views of Senate committee chairs to the chamber's Democratic leadership"

[lapucelle]

33. That's why he's appearing at so many Democratic party sponsored events.

Carving out that position was a smart move on Schumer's part. And the role can be given to Franken or folded back into Klobuchar's committee when Sanders retires.

[George II]

143. You should take a look at the function of that job:

"The Chairman of Committee Outreach is a Democratic United States Senator and member of the party leadership of the United States Senate responsible for representing the views of Senate committee chairs to the chamber's Democratic leadership"

[hrmjustin]

28. Sanders is not going third party.

I think the man made that clear.

[WomenRising2017]

35. I think so too.

It's quite obvious now.

[hrmjustin]

51. I did not support him in the primary and I have my residual issues from the election with him BUT...

... I think he is a good man and I think we need to move beyond the primary and just celebrate Hillary and Bernie.

[FDRsGhost]

29. "Justice Democrats" are Democrats

whose aim is to return the party to a progressive populist ideology.

[WomenRising2017]

38. No.

Justice Democrats are disrupters, led by the Republican and Russian sympathizer Cenk Uygur.

He is not a progressive, he is not a liberal, he is not left, and he is not a Democrat.

[FDRsGhost]

64. lol you go with that

[Cha]

73. Exactly, WR.. "justice democrats" was started by cenk and

cenk got.. what was it $4 million from a repub to start shite with the Democratic party.

cenk was always hatin' on President Obama. cenk is an asshole.

[murielm99]

77. Thank you for saying this.

You are brave to do so. Many of us dislike the Justice Democrats, who seem to want to primary about 111 good Congressional Democrats. I regard then as divisive. So do many others long-time Democrats.

If the Justice Democrats want to help, they can work with the party rather than threatening to primary anyone who is not pure enough for them.

[Cha]

117. the "justice democrats" were started by cenk..

he does nothing but hate on Dems.

From President Obama on down..

on down.

And, the republican gave him $4 million bucks to continue his hatefest on our Strong Fighting Dems.

Cenk Uygur Just Took $4-Million from a Conservative Source (but He's Still a Better Liberal Than You)

A group headed by former Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer just inked a deal to provide $4-million in seed money to The Young Turks. Roemer is anti-choice, anti-gay marriage, anti-Obamacare and pro-torture, but hey, at least he wants to get money out of politics, which is enough for Cenk to think he's a-okay.

One of the pitfalls of running a for-profit media company that traffics almost entirely in one specific brand of political opinion is that your funding, and where it comes from, becomes especially relevant. If you spend all day espousing what you claim are strongly liberal views, then turn around and take a giant bag of money from, say, a former Republican candidate for president and governor of Louisiana who has worked against a woman's right to choose and in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, people might accuse you of being a bit hypocritical.

http://thedailybanter.com/2014/04/cenk-uygur-just-took-4-million-from-a-conservative-source-but-hes-still-a-better-liberal-than-you/

Yeah, they can start with overturning Citizens United which is what Hillary wanted to get rid of.. while cenk bashed her.. .. and get the money out of the damn repubs coffers.

[The Big Ragu]

155. You sure are a busy one

I admire your ability to stick to the script.

[LovingA2andMI]

215. Last Time We Checked....

Cenk Uygur does not run anything in the Democratic Party....So, and, that is plain as a nose on a face.

So why is his name being linked to the Justice Democrats? Seems like someones preconceived agenda at work here.

[still_one]

48. They are Democrats if they support whoever wins the Democratic primary, otherwise

saying they are Democrats is bullshit

[Chevy]

58. Now that is funny lol

GOP funded organization straight out of TYT.

[FDRsGhost]

65. Yes because TYT is a GOP plant lol

[Chevy]

68. 4 million dollar funding from GOP oligarch says it is N/T

[tavalon]

70. Always, always believe the GOP Oligarchs

Really? Really?

How about you get information directly from the source. Barring that, ask a Wolf Pac member. Or a member of TYT.

I'm both, and your information is well, the stuff that comes out of the backsides of cows.

[FDRsGhost]

72. thank you

[Chevy]

80. You mean Cenk the consevative

who is only playing the populist to get in on the gravy train.
Apparently your not paying attention to where the funding is coming from.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/the-young-turks-network-raises-4-million-from-former-republican-presidential-candidate/

Nice cow there....

[murielm99]

81. Funny article.

Cent wants to get the money out of politics, so he accepts four million dollars from a repubbie. LOL

[Chevy]

84. And here is the standard response from TYT fan club. Bad comedy indeed.

Roemer and company do not have a stake in TYT. TYT is in the process of building a new studio that was financed by $404 thousand from an Indiegogo campaign.

https://www.indiegogo.com/p...

They don't need Roemer's money. The Roemer group was only one of many possible investors that were considered by Cenk -- not because The Young Turks needed money but because:

1. Roemer and co. were looking for an investment opportunity in new media and they pursued a deal with the largest one in the world - The Young Turks

2. Both TYT and Roemer share the goal to get money out of politics and enact campaign reform

http://www.buddyroemer.com/...

Saving America from the billionaire oligarchs and multinational corporations is what Cenk Uygur and TYT are all about. That is why Cenk started Wolf PAC:
http://www.wolf-pac.com
In my opinion you're simply misinformed. Go to their Youtube channel and find out what they're all about.

[murielm99]

88. I've been to his channel.

One of his big goals seems to be trashing Democrats. Another seems to be enriching himself.

[Chevy]

91. Now that WIKI leaks has been declared by the CIA an Russian

platform will TYT be held accountable for openly using the emails against HRC campaign??

[tavalon]

83. I've been with his organization for a long time.

I know his backstory. Better than you do. TYT has recently raised 4 million so you got that part right, but you've just gotten dinged by false news. A real backbone with a lie attached. Whoops. Don't worry, you'll live to fight another day. You just won't be fighting this fight, not with me.

[Chevy]

86. False NEWS FALSE NEWS!!!!!! lol N/T

[George II]

148. Directly from the source? Okay, read this:

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/the-young-turks-network-raises-4-million-from-former-republican-presidential-candidate/

The Young Turks Network Raises $4 Million From Former Republican Presidential Candidate
by Matt Wilstein | 1:16 pm, April 16th, 2014

The Young Turks Network has just announced $4 million in new funding from an unlikely source: former Louisiana Governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer. The seed money, which includes an option to go up to $8 million, came from the politician’s private equity fund Roemer, Robinson, Melville & Co., LLC.

[Cha]

85. cenk got $4 million bucks from a repubican..

The Young Turks Network Raises $4 Million From Former Republican Presidential Candidate

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/the-young-turks-network-raises-4-million-from-former-republican-presidential-candidate/

[FDRsGhost]

102. On a common interest, getting the money out of politics

Democrats and Republicans working together! What is the world coming to? lol

[R B Garr]

105. How naive. How about the Republican wants to fund

Cenk because he badmouths Democrats. The joke is on you if you think that Republicans want to get money out of politics.

[FDRsGhost]

106. Yes it's completely naive to think that

in today's political atmosphere that Dems and Republicans can work together. Horrible.
The joke's on you for probably never seeing Roemer interviewed on MSNBC when Dylan Rattigan was around.

[R B Garr]

107. Republicans really like working with "Dems" who

badmouth Democrats. Hmm, this might explain other fundraising blueprints....

[FDRsGhost]

124. You go with that

"Thou shall not bad mouth!". Give me a break.

[R B Garr]

149. RT is a proven propaganda tool of Putin's Russia.

That means they are fake news and anyone associated with them serves their interests. Wikileaks openly collaborates with Russia. That's reality in the real world. You should try watching news that is not fake.

[FDRsGhost]

166. Who mentioned RT and Wikileaks? lol

You should read again what we were talking about.

[R B Garr]

179. Fake. This was about Cenk, an ex-Republican who badmouths Democrats and

who takes money from other Republicans. There is plenty of recent literature about his badmouthing Democrats and the Russian leaks. He says plenty of RT talking points, which is apparently all the rage with the fringey, divisive RT and so-called "progressive" crowd. No thanks to the fringies who just want to play devil's advocate, and no thanks to their TV shows. I couldn't sit through a whole Thom Hartmann without rolling my eyeballs so much it wasn't worth it. Fake.

[FDRsGhost]

196. Uhhh, nobody here mentioned RT or anything of that nature

We're talking about TYT and how the goal of Justice Democrats who are Democrats by the way, is to return the party to its progressive roots. "So called progressive crowd"? They advocate for progressive ideals, things which are cornerstones. I would invite you to read what their platform is.

[R B Garr]

228. Uhh, there are these things called subthreads,

and that's what you are in and we were talking about Cenk and the fact that he took money from Republicans and you think that's just dandy because he is so pure with pure intentions. I said he's not pure. Look up his whining about Democrats trying to cut off funding from "alternative" news sources such as Russian TV.

Remember, this started with "how naive". He is quite the chamelion changing colors as long as he panders to the perpetually outraged crowd.

In this subthread about Cenk, we didnt mention Democrats, but if you want to now, one of the Senator's groups just lost in Los Angeles, and it looks to be because they tried to claim another candidate was Establishment simply because he had the mayor's endorsement. Looks like those groups think his progressive ideals mean insulting people even at the grassroots level. I would not be interested in their "ideals" based on that alone.

[FDRsGhost]

232. "Pure"

Funny that word. I hear that illustrated a lot from people who dislike Bernie and say he isn't a Democrat. Anyways....

I like what Justice Democrats are doing and yes they are Democrats and I like fighting to get big money out of politics. Haven't you ever heard the line "politics makes for strange bedfellows"? This is an example of it. They have a common goal and are working towards that. Also keep in mind that "funding" is NOT the same as say donating. Funding usually has to do with things like over head cost, payroll, that sort of thing. It's tied directly into expansion and TYT is expanding. I see no issue with that in the end. It's how businesses operate each and every day. Look at kickstarter and Go Fund Me as example of "croed source funding".

Now you mention California and Bernie and how one of his groups lost n Los Angeles. How about we take a look at the bigger overall picture in which Sanders supporters just took over the party delegates

[R B Garr]

234. Okay, this is old. It's from January and has been posted before.

Note the wording here:

"Still, others warned not to make too much of the slates’ victories.

Tweeted RL Miller, chair of the Environmental Caucus: “Please remember that (the California Democratic Party) is already progressive...”"

From that wording, it's clear that some are taking credit for an already progressive state all to boost up one politician and it is not going unnoticed that there is an unnecessary division being created. Divisiveness.

The local election just happened. And by all accounts, trying to call someone "establishment" at that level just highlighted the phoniness of the name calling.

And I thought delegates weren't important since they supported Clinton. If they support Sanders, it's okay.

[Cha]

139. Yeah, lets give this giant bad mouther of Dems $4 million

bucks and see how he can start some shit and fuck 'em up.

They better not fuck up any Dem races against repubs.. I saw one of those assholes bad mouthing Joe Ossoff on twitter. Seems they didn't like it that he had staffed for John Lewis.. among other atrocities..

This is how brilliant he is..

Joe Ossoff..

Who Is Jon Ossoff? 10 Things You Need to Know About the Georgia Congressional Candidate.

He’s a 30-year-old Democrat with strong chances in a GOP-centric district.

1. He grew up in the district he wants to represent.

2. But he doesn’t live in the district now.

Ossoff and his longtime girlfriend live just 10 minutes outside the 6th District so she can “walk to class at Emory University’s medical school,” the New Yorker reports. The two have been together for 12 years.

3. He has some political experience under his belt.

He was a staffer for John Lewis!

4. His film company is responsible for uncovering international corruption.

5. Now he’s looking to turn a red district blue.

6. He’s running a campaign focused against Trump but it’s not all about the president.

7. He is leading a crowded field but may face a runoff.

8. He has raised more than $8 million so far.

9. His win would be a major victory for Democrats.

10. Because of that, the attack ads against him are intense

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a9267174/jon-ossoff-facts-georgia-special-election/

Other Dems who have already won..

Democrats In Illinois Just Unseated A Whole Bunch Of Republicans

snip//

WASHINGTON ― In a spate of local elections last week in Illinois, Democrats picked up seats in places they’ve never won before.

The city of Kankakee elected its first African-American, Democratic mayor. West Deerfield Township will be led entirely by Democrats for the first time. Elgin Township voted for “a complete changeover,” flipping to an all-Democratic board. Normal Township elected Democratic supervisors and trustees to run its board ― the first time in more than 100 years that a single Democrat has held a seat.

“We had a pretty good day,” said Dan Kovats, executive director of the Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association. “We won in areas we normally would win, but we also won in areas Republicans never expected us to be competitive in. They were caught flat-footed.”

More..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-grassroots-trump-elections_us_58efd21de4b0bb9638e270c1?sec3kkytkfz4lhaor&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

[Cha]

114. Exactly, R B.. cenk badmouths Democrats.. from President Obama

on down.

And, the republican gave him $4 million bucks to continue his hatefest on our Strong Fighting Dems.

Cenk Uygur Just Took $4-Million from a Conservative Source (but He's Still a Better Liberal Than You)

A group headed by former Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer just inked a deal to provide $4-million in seed money to The Young Turks. Roemer is anti-choice, anti-gay marriage, anti-Obamacare and pro-torture, but hey, at least he wants to get money out of politics, which is enough for Cenk to think he's a-okay.

One of the pitfalls of running a for-profit media company that traffics almost entirely in one specific brand of political opinion is that your funding, and where it comes from, becomes especially relevant. If you spend all day espousing what you claim are strongly liberal views, then turn around and take a giant bag of money from, say, a former Republican candidate for president and governor of Louisiana who has worked against a woman's right to choose and in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, people might accuse you of being a bit hypocritical.

http://thedailybanter.com/2014/04/cenk-uygur-just-took-4-million-from-a-conservative-source-but-hes-still-a-better-liberal-than-you/

Yeah, they can start with overturning Citizens United which is what Hillary wanted to get rid of.. while cenk bashed her.. .. and get the money out of the damn repubs coffers.

[FDRsGhost]

125. And? The party isn't above criticism

"Strong fighting Dems" like Joe Manchin?

Take a look at The Reform Project please.

That being said, nobody is arguing that Roemer's views aren't ancient however on getting the money out of politics, yeah that's a common interest. Sort of like how Ted Cruz sided with Dems when Bernie's lower prescription drug legislation was introduced.

Broken clock scenario, it's right twice a day.

Hillary? Lots have bashed Hillary. And?

[Cha]

138. purist cenk is a fucking stupid profiteering hypocrite..

taking money from a "anti-choice, anti-gay marriage, anti-Obamacare and pro-torture.." and is "has worked against a woman's right to choose and in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act,"

http://thedailybanter.com/2014/04/cenk-uygur-just-took-4-million-from-a-conservative-source-but-hes-still-a-better-liberal-than-you/

[FDRsGhost]

144. lol sure

"Purist"? Is that what it is to stand by progressive ideals now? Being a purist? You point that out but at the same time how many take big corporate cash? Hm? Nobody is perfect, sorry. And I could list a massive trove of donations to our reps from companies you wouldn't agree with.

[Cha]

111. Nah.. I don't trust ol cenk as far as I could throw that hater

on President Obama.

[George II]

162. No, it's a republican trying to drive a wedge between Democrats.

[FDRsGhost]

167. Disagree. It's a common interest.

[George II]

169. How do you come to that conclusion, since republicans are funding a group of "progressives"...

...who are at odds with the Democratic Party. What "common interest" are we talking about here? The common interest of defeating Democrats?

[FDRsGhost]

170. Common interests exist

Look at how Ted Cruz sided with Dems over Bernie's re-importation bill of prescription drugs.
Look at how GOP didn't have the votes to kill ACA.
Look at how both Bernie & McCain worked to get a vet bill done.


Bipartisan issues.

[George II]

172. So what are the common interests of the TYT and their benefactors? I can think of some...

....and they're not progressive issues.

[FDRsGhost]

173. Getting the money out of politics

That's why he threw support behind them. It's a core value of Justice Democrats.

[George II]

174. Seems odd that someone who presumably wants money out of politics will throw...

...$4 million INTO a political organization.

Makes a lot of sense to me......

[bettyellen]

180. ... by throwing lots of money into politics- LOL- and you don't see the conflict?

It doesn't compute at all. Sorry but I don't buy this bullshit. It's literally more of the "its okay when a Republican does it" crap.

[FDRsGhost]

197. No I actually don't

Not in the way you see it. 4 million dollars is pennies in today's political climate. You need to see the difference between "funding" and "campaign contributions", they are not the same.

“RRM has been looking for two years to find the best platform in New Media in which to invest,” Roemer said of the investment. “We believe TYT will be one of the critical players moving forward in a new media world – edgy, unfiltered news commentary at its best. They are a lot like me, sometimes wrong but never in doubt. We expect their news to continue to push the envelope and their business to grow exponentially.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/the-young-turks-network-raises-4-million-from-former-republican-presidential-candidate/

Think of it this way. Bills have to be paid, correct? This is what this about. Funding. I imagine at some point Bernie will have to seek funding too if his Bernie Sanders TV continuous on the path it's currently on.

Make sense?

[bettyellen]

199. no it doesn't . But a lot of people didn't realize that "corporate donations" were actually made by

Thousands of workers and not the ceos. Most people I spoke to who bitched about "corporate money" were shocked to hear that when you look up my theee small donations - they show up as an employee of theee doffeeent huge corporations... even though I'm a freelancer.

[BainsBane]

243. There is a reason they don't know

They've been deliberately misled.

[democratisphere]

30. Gag order.

[WomenRising2017]

40. keep your insults to yourself.

[democratisphere]

115. Ahhhh. That's what I thought I was doing.

Make peace, not war!

[Champion Jack]

42. he's fighting for the American people

[WomenRising2017]

53. Someone else beat you to that answer.

Are the American people Democrats, Republicans, or Berniecrats, or whatever they call themselves.

[tavalon]

75. They are Americans, all Americans.

There was a hint at the beginning of your sentence.I would encourage you to back off of this. It's not going anywhere you really want to go. Whether you are new here or new to your handle, this isn't the way to a higher post count, it's actually the way to get led off the stage.

Please don't see this as a threat. I don't have that clout and would never use it if I had it. You've kicked an anthill and this doesn't end up anywhere but locked and you have an exposed backside.

You aren't going to get the answers you are looking for by doing this. I don't talk about Senator Sanders or the Revolution or the Resistance on this venue. I was a flaming Liberal Democrat before I was a "Berniecrat" and I remain devoted to my fellow liberal Democrats on this venue which is Democratic Underground. There is a hint in that name that I get and you would do well too, as well.

[aikoaiko]

43. I'm not worried. If someone left of Democratic party is in office, they will vote with Democrats

Coalition building is fun.

[WomenRising2017]

54. The problem is, he has a group of supporters who are

attempting to form their own party. That's fine and all, but it does nothing to help Democrats and does everything to help Republicans.

[R B Garr]

59. One of his groups lost in Los Angeles. They accused

a candidate of being "Establishment" simply because he knew people (like the mayor). Their empty insults made them irrelevant.

[Cha]

71. All they do is Insult.. good to know, R B Garr

[R B Garr]

97. Yes, I thought so too, Cha.

Glad to see the empty insults failed.

[Cha]

98. Really! Empty, Tired, and Cliche'.

[aikoaiko]

76. So you're saying that people who make empty insults are irrelevant.

Good to know, RB.

[R B Garr]

95. What's good to know is that trying to insult people

with empty, meaningless labels like "Establishment" didn't work.

[JI7]

82. the candidate with most votes is a liberal

[tavalon]

67. In the short term, you are completely correct

But, in the long term, when your party has left you behind, you need another party (there are many ways to try to achieve that. One of them screws the Dems in the short term). Ask the Republicans dealing with Tea Partiers. Both parties are dealing with the same situation.

[aikoaiko]

74. That may not be a problem. It worked well in Vermont.

[ornotna]

57. It never ends

I would sincerely hope that you would cop a clue and realize that Bernie is on our side. This is getting ridiculous.

[Gothmog]

60. I also wonder about this

[jalan48]

66. The only people Bernie isn't fighting for are the millionaires and billionaires.

He's made that very clear and in so doing has made lots of enemies in that camp. I'm sure they are doing their best to undermine his message to the American people behind the scenes.

[MADem]

212. Not counting the stockholders at McDonnell-Douglas, of course. nt

[stillcool]

78. Bernie is Bernie

Being an Independent Senator from Vermont, he understands why politicians from different states vote the way they do...like his stance on gun control, and his party affiliation. It's okay for him, but not for others. i don't know why he finds it necessary to split the Democratic party. He's like Ralph Nader. Very self important. Good ideas, but no way to actually legislate.

[dlk]

99. Bernie Wants It Both Ways

Bernie likes using Democratic Party resources to promote himself but doesn't care to join the party, and he doesn't hesitate to criticize the Democratic Party whenever he feels like it. Some people like having their cake and eating it too.

[FDRsGhost]

103. Bernie was elected by his constituents in VT as an INDY

Should he go against their wishes?

[sheshe2]

110. As Senator...I guess not...

However Senators like Warren speak for all the people not just her constituents.

As an outreach spokesperson, yes. He should be reaching out for all Democrat's.

[FDRsGhost]

126. Warren & Bernie work together often

However, Bernie was elected by people in his state as an indy, if anything it speaks of integrity. What's the big deal anyways? He caucuses with Dems, is in a leadership roll, votes with Dems....let's be honest here, can you tell me one thing Bernie DOES NOT DO that Dems do?

[sheshe2]

141. Yes, I could.

[FDRsGhost]

142. Have at it

[sheshe2]

145. Thanks for your permission...

I will leave what I said to stand. Have a great day~

[FDRsGhost]

168. So in other words, nothing. Roger that.

Take care

[sheshe2]

193. I have plenty.

[SunSeeker]

182. He "went against their wishes" when it served his purposes, didn't he?

He indisputably joined the Democratic Party to run in our primary. Then he went back to being an Independent.

[FDRsGhost]

195. Wrong.

Actually he was backed in his decision in what he did and you should come full circle and admit this was a very wise choice on his choice that he didn't run as an indy.

[SunSeeker]

219. LOL So, his constituents don't want him to be a Dem...except when he does?!

It is you who has "come full circle."

[FDRsGhost]

224. Negative

Go back and read what I said. Let's be honest here, Bernie basically is a Dem, we all know this. Obviously you don't care for him, that too is a given but until you can show me what he can't do that Dem senators can, I'll stick by my position.

[SunSeeker]

227. If Bernie "basically is a Dem" why the fuck won't he join our party?

Other than to run in our primary, he was never a Dem.

[jackssonjack]

200. Vermonters elected Bernie due to the label he used?

You've all been declaring him a Democrat because of his beliefs and say the party affiliation doesn't matter but now he must use the 'Independent" label or risk losing the election?
That is one heck of a display of circular logic. Do you realize how condescending that is to Vermonters? Do you think they are ignorant people?

[FDRsGhost]

225. Try again

In the end, I stand by what I said. Bernie was elected as an indy by the people of VT. He ran as a Dem and he was wise in doing so. He brought the most young people into the political process through the primaries than anybody else is history. You know what? That's the largest voting block too. Now go and think about that. That's how we go forward as a party.

[jackssonjack]

254. I don't need to try again.

Either a label counts or it does not. Switching when it's convenient to your current argument shows the double standard routinely given to Sen Sanders.

He ran as a Dem and he was wise in doing so.

He used the Democratic platform and then went out and promoted the falsehood that he had built a grass roots campaign from the ground up using only 27 dollar donations. He did not the Democratic Party platform was not built with $27 donations . His career has been built on the backs of the Democrats he now bashes.

He brought the most young people into the political process through the primaries than anybody else is history.

Holding rallies didn't bring voters. It was just a fun time to watch a celebrity in a party atmosphere for many of those young people or Sen Sanders would have won the Democratic nomination with that " largest voting block".

[FDRsGhost]

267. Bernie is given a double standard?

Really? I'm not buying into that one bit.

Would you rather have Bernie run as an indy and split the vote? Because I don't know of any of us who would have wanted that to happen. And your assertion above is insane. Bernie got $27 dollars from many a people. That is an insane statement.

You go with that, and now ask why they didn't vote. I'm sure you know why. It has nothing to do with someone being a celebrity.

[Go Vols]

104. No?

Bernie is not this.

Third Way is following the New Democrats’ unbroken tradition of servitude to the most despicable corporate patrons eager to see Republican anti-public policies triumph. Virtually every American is disgusted by the New Democrat’s embrace of the “Vampire Squid” (Goldman Sachs) exemplified by the Clintons’ mercenary speeches and Trump’s appointment of four senior officials with strong ties to Goldman Sachs.

What people need to know is that the New Democrats’ historic business patrons are more despicable that Goldman Sachs. The New Democrats’ first formal organization, created in 1984, was the Democratic Leadership Coalition (DLC). The DLC was funded overwhelmingly by huge corporations, but two of its donors are worthy of special note – the Koch Brothers and the Bradley Foundation. Tom Frank made this point forcefully in in 1984 in What’s the Matter with Kansas. The DLC spawned another Wall Street front group with an even more dishonest name – the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI).

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2017/01/not-4-sale-principle-slogan-real-democrats.html

Author: William K. Black
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_K._Black

[radius777]

291. "Vampire Squid"? that term sounds very alt-right

especially as it's being used to describe a company like Goldman-Sachs with a Jewish sounding name.

The Dem party has always been a center-left type party, FDR only moved further left temporarily due to the great depression and the fact that social safety nets and worker protections didn't exist back then and were desperately needed. But on foreign policy he was center-right, as was Truman. JFK was a centrist who cut taxes, and the DLC'er Bill Clinton modeled himself after his hero JFK, shifting the party back to the center after being in the wilderness during the 70's and 80's. Clintonism led to the election of the first black president in Obama, and nearly the first female president in Hillary.

The alt-left emoprogs (who are mostly white) don't represent the mainstream/typical Dem voter base, that is more diverse, center-left and pragmatic, wanting a balance between business and gov't solutions to help the middle/working classes and historically (poc, women, gays, etc) groups.

[BlueCaliDem]

113. No. Bernie is fighting to CHANGE the Democratic Party in his image.

They've asked him to break away from Democrats and start a new Party but he's refused. He said he wanted to focus on changing a Party he's never been inclined to join. Hubris extraordinaire.

[murielm99]

120. In his image...

like God in the book of Genesis?

[FDRsGhost]

128. Like the Bull Moose Party

[murielm99]

220. No, more cult-like

than anything else.

[FDRsGhost]

223. Nawww

They care about the issues deeply, not only the person

[sheshe2]

203. Hmmm

Hosanna hey sanna?

[RandiFan1290]

119. Welcome back to DU! nt

[Tom Rinaldo]

121. If I had sock puppet friends, or trustworthy colborators, I could fill up threads like this one

ME: "You know, I looked it up. Bernie Sanders is from one of the smallest states in the nation".

Not ME#1: "I'm glad you pointed that out, I had forgotten how marginal a state Vermont is."

Not ME #2: "I'm not sure if "marginal" is the right word. But it is unusually White."

Not Me #1: "Wow. I just looked at the census data and you're right!"

ME: "Do you think that has anything to do with why Bernie gets high approval ratings there?

Not ME#2: "It's possible. There's also a lot of rural gun owners in Vermont, that could explain it"

Not ME#1: "Wow, I hadn't thought of that. Usually people like that support Republicans"

Not ME#2: "I don't think it's fair to suggest that Bernie is a Republican. But it does suggest that he
must hold some views they agree with strongly.

ME: "Well if Bernie was only willing to run there as a proud Democrat instead that would clarify whose
side he is really on".

Not ME#2 "Bernie isn't a Republican plant, but sometimes the way he keeps attacking Democrats makes him just as good as one".

Not ME#1 "It's terrible how Bernie always seems so eager to attack a Democrat, but he only calls Trump a pathological liar who is endangering the lives of millions to give tax breaks to the oligarchy."

Me: "Yes, when what we really need now is unity to stop Trump from endangering the lives of millions to give tax breaks to the oligarchy. Bernie has to stop obsessing about his own petty ego and do something to actually help people instead"

Not ME#2: "I think Bernie Sanders takes votes away from the Democratic Party by making Democrats vote for him as an Independent instead of as a Democrat."

Not ME#1: "Exactly. We don't need Democratic voters with so little loyalty to our Party. They should just register as Republicans and stop all the pretending."

Me: "Good point. Then we could finally unify the Democratic Party so that we can beat the Republicans."

[Warren DeMontague]

123. ...

[Tom Rinaldo]

132. ---

[opiate69]

198. Seconded.

[beam me up scottie]

129. !

[FDRsGhost]

130. It's always the same old tired talking points

yet he's the most popular politician in America. Go figure lol

[Nevernose]

146. Nailed it (n/t)

[bekkilyn]

164. Splendid! (nt)

[ms liberty]

122. Your concern is noted. n/t

[sharedvalues]

134. Need a big tent. We should be embracing ALL those groups

[alarimer]

135. Oh, FFS!

This fucking shit again.

Ignore groups you don't like.

This Bernie hatred is over the fucking top now.

[Historic NY]

137. Russian trolls still at work.....

[LovingA2andMI]

216. Yep....Pretty Much....

This.....

[ananda]

150. One thing I know for sure.

Sanders is fighting my fight .. for me and all people
who want a fair and just society!

[PatrickforO]

157. This seems very divisive. Unnecessarily so.

Rather, isn't it great that so many people have become galvanized and are coalescing around resistance to the fact that Russia, a hostile foreign power, has messed with our election and put in power a puppet government which is fascist, incompetent and ignorant? I've never see Americans so engaged as they are now.

So, don't be divisive and use the 'well, I'm concerned...' meme. Because, you know, not accusing you of anything, surely, but that is a well-known disruptive technique.

Right now, we need to focus with single minded intensity of getting Trump impeached, Pence out of there and so on, right down the line, until sane people are once again in power here. THEN we can sit around the table and carp on divisive issues, after we've gotten the orange elephant out of the room.

[SMC22307]

158. Yes. What an ignorant question.

Follow him on Twitter or Facebook to see what he's fighting for.

Why fret over "such groups"? Sanders didn't run third party in 2016 and he won't in 2020 either.

Why not focus on the fact that Democrats fully control only six states, rather than obsess over one Bernard Sanders? 2018 is right around the corner. What are you doing to remedy that dismal situation, besides trash Bernie supporters?

"I have to ask."

[R B Garr]

181. Oops. Article title: "Sanders wing dealt setback in Calif. special election"

Apparently you didn't even read the OP.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/jimmy-gomez-california-june-runoff-236902

[sheshe2]

204. Good catch.

[SMC22307]

280. Not really. Crowded field of 24 candidates which...

diluted the progressive vote. The "name" candidate won, the "Establishment" guy who stated: "We can’t take this country back unless we present a new, progressive agenda for the country.” Sounds very Sandersesque, which isn't surprising since Sanders beat Hillary in that district.

#detailsmatter

[SMC22307]

276. Sanders beat Hillary in that district?

I don't keep up with LA politics, and found that interesting, so thanks for sharing! What's wrong with Los Angeleans and the bit about traditionally low turn-out? Complaceny? "Near-vacant conditions at polling places"? That's unfortunate.

So a City Councilman praised Sanders for inspiring folks to run, but noted the "newness," the lack of organization and vetting, and the progressive vote diluted in a crowded field. People getting involved in the political process is something to cheer, but we need to be smart about it. Hell, even the "establishment" winner, Gomez, sounded like Sanders: “We can’t take this country back unless we present a new, progressive agenda for the country.” Ha!

It's cute that you think you "won" something by tossing out a Politico link, but you get up off the floor now, your nasty little post backfired. Or stay down there if it suits you.

[R B Garr]

277. LOL, how irrelevant. Who cares who won it almost a year ago.

Looks like you deliberately didn't quote the salient points, either. That being the Berniecrats were attacking other candidates as "Establishment" just because he was endorsed by the mayor. So it looks like the nasty attacks against perfectly good Democrats didn't work. At that grassroots level, calling an opponent Establishment shows how empty and meaningless that rhetoric is. What else are people supposed to do? Not know anyone? Sell themselves as too detached to get anything done? LOL, at that level, you see how useless those attacks are.

It's also laughable you insinuate some meaningful relevance to a low turnout, as if we're all supposed to glean something magical besides what the actual results were.

Reality. That's what those results are called. There are other links, btw.

[SMC22307]

278. LOL! How utterly predictable...

poo-pooing the loss.

You sound a little, uh, "delicate" if you think referring to someone as "Establishment" is a "nasty attack." Politics is a rough game -- you sure you're up for it?

No answer as to why Los Angeleans don't turn out to vote? Maybe Sixth District Georgians will do better on Tuesday. Vote your Ossoff!

[R B Garr]

279. Yes, how predictable that you would poo-poo REALITY. The reality that smearing a

perfectly good candidate with inane nonsense doesn't work. And are you too delicate for reality? Reality.

And, LOL, at your concern for Los Angeleans, as if some magic thoughts mean the Berniecrats won when reality is they lost. Reality.

[SMC22307]

281. "Nasty attacks," "smearing"... now you're making stuff up.

The REALITY is that the field was crowded with 24 candidates and the progressive vote was diluted. The name recognition candidate won, the "Establishment" guy who stated “We can’t take this country back unless we present a new, progressive agenda for the country.” That is a very Sandersesque message, which isn't surprising since Sanders beat Hillary in that district.

It's clear you posted that Politico piece as some sort of gotcha, but you failed miserably. Let's move on, shall we? Tuesday, ba-by, Sixth District Georgia.

[R B Garr]

282. How phony. First you say you never followed Los Angeles politics, now

you're an expert. Laughable. Look at the convoluted, byzantine path you have to take to try and change REALITY. If you even do a simple test of your own claptrap, you can't escape the fact that the Berniecrats smeared the candidate by saying he was an Establishment candidate because he was endorsed by the mayor. Those are also part of Sanders platform. Remember? "The progressive vote was diluted". Laughable. The Berniecrats' smears failed. And it wasn't just the name recognition candidate. Didn't anyone remember Sanders' name??

Now you want to pretend that didn't happen.

In your magic world of unearned credits, any word uttered by any candidate is attributable to Bernie only -- and only -- if that word is a benefit somehow, somewhere, something..

Talk about making stuff up. That does it right there.

[SMC22307]

283. You oh-so-helpfully shared that Politico piece as an attempt to smear Sanders...

I just broke it down, paragraph by paragraph. It's obvious your hide is a bit chapped because the facts (and the words out of the City Councilman's mouth) don't fit your narrative.

God Almighty, I LOVE DU. LOL Keep 'em coming!

[R B Garr]

284. So far your posts always lead with a phony personal slam that obviously

strokes you somehow, lol. What I'm wondering is if your method was used against constituents who voted for the so-called "Establishment" candidate (endorsed by the mayor in a local election, lol). Personal attacks and phony smears don't work in the long run, as we can see by the Berniecrats loss in Los Angeles, a district that once went for him a year ago.

You didn't break anything down, you just added your own contrived spin to it. Just another quick look at how your spin failed --- isn't Bernie the candidate with more name recognition?? What do you think people missed out of the Berniecrat name?

[SMC22307]

285. The *Berniecrats* lost b/c a total of 24 candidates ran and the progressive vote was diluted.

That's what I learned from the Politico piece you shared. The name recognition candidate won -- an established state assemblyman. Bernie wasn't on the ballot. Did you even read it? There seems to be some denial.

You're pushing the "personal attacks and phony smears" narrative although the article makes no mention of any of that (calling someone "Establishment" and a "political insider" hardly qualifies). Pony up with some examples of "personal attacks and phony smears." I'm all ears.

Will be curious as to turnout in June, considering this:

Turnout traditionally runs low in Los Angeles, and voters on Tuesday reported near-vacant conditions at polling places...

and this:

If elected, Ahn would become the only Korean-American in Congress.

#detailsmatter

[R B Garr]

286. LOL, obviously Bernie wasn't on the ballot. How absurd.

But the Berniecrats ran and lost. So what was not recognizeable about Bernie's name in Berniecrats??

[SMC22307]

287. Again per the article you shared, 24 candidates ran, diluting the progressive vote.

That's a wholehelluvalotta people running. Here are the official results:

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/upcoming-elections/congressional-district-34-special-election/election-results/

Take out Gomez with 25.4% and Ahn with 22.2%, that leaves 22 candidates splitting 52.4% of the vote. I have no idea who the actual Berniecrats are, do you? The article stated "several." We do know that two of them pulled in 10.4%, so that leaves 20 candidates splitting 42% of the vote. Perhaps a Berniecrat could have pulled it off; perhaps not. It's wonderful that so many people are inspired by Bernie to get involved, as the Sanders-supporting City Councilman stated, but it really does dilute the vote.

Damn, only 13.88% turned out. Pathetic.

#detailsmatter

[R B Garr]

288. But per your own post here before, that district voted for Bernie a year ago.

So it's obvious they knew his name. Right? And this is a typical deflection and an especially laughable denial of REALITY. Who cares who ran; the Berniecrats ran on his name and lost.

And obviously the winning candidate was good, good enough to attempt to unite people, hence his inclusive statements. Apparently the Berniecrats weren't that smart, since they divided people and smeared them with the phony rhetoric about "establishment" at the grassroots level.

The turnout is REALITY. I guess in your state of denial, every single vote outside those that turned up would have voted for the Berniecrat. LOL.

[SMC22307]

289. Ooh, you've escalated to "smeared them."

Yes, Bernie beat Hillary in that district, a fact that really seems to be sticking in your craw. ONE Bernie -- the vote wasn't diluted. Per Politico, "several" Berniecrats ran in the primary. Several is more than two but fewer than many, which means how many total? We know that two Berniecrats pulled in 10.4%, Ahn 22.2%, and Gomez 25.4%. That left 42% of the vote spread among 20 candidates. TWENTY, hence the diluted vote. Since neither of us seem to know who the "several" Berniecrats were, we can't calculate the total percentage. Did the total surpass Ahn or Gomez? Possibly. Did the total not surpass Ahn or Gomez? Also possible.

You would guess wrong, but no surprise there. Flail away!

[R B Garr]

290. There you go again projecting your emotionalism on to me. Obviously

it doesn't "stick in my craw" that a good Democrat won, lol. What an absurd statement.

Who cares how many people ran. The point is that they could not beat a good Democrat, who obviously was smart enough to be inclusive and not run a divisive smear campaign like the Berniecrats.

Who cares how many people ran. You're obviously the one mad about who won. Why be mad that a good Democrat won. Makes no sense.

[bekkilyn]

160. Bernie is fighting for the 99%

Which includes much of the Democratic party. Currently, he believes the best way to accomplish this goal is through the Democratic party.

Note that Justice Democrats (note the "Democrats" in the name) are also working within the Democratic party and want to encourage more Democratic candidates to run without taking contributions from big money donors. They are not asking Bernie to run 3rd party.

[Orsino]

165. The Democratic Party is a tool we use to get things done.

Sanders isn't quite a Democrat, but the issues he is focused on are mostly concerns we share.

I prefer to think of him as an ally rather than an opponent or heretic.

[SunSeeker]

175. K & R

[TacoD]

176. The idea that *The Party* is what is to be fought for is repulsive to me (nt)

[bekkilyn]

192. Good point

We need to be fighting for *people* not parties. Parties can be good tools we use as voters and citizens to help in that fight, but definitely not the purpose or the final goal. I don't vote to help the Democratic party or even Democrats in general, but I do often vote Democratic because individual candidates who support the policies I also support tend to be Democrats. When people start getting all rah rah about loyalty to the party at all costs and that sort of thing, it gets me thinking of 1984, so it's kind of freaky in that respect.

[sheshe2]

207. Please clarify.

*The Party* The idea that *The Party* is what is to be fought for is repulsive to me (nt)

Please tell me that you do NOT mean our Democratic Party is NOT to be fought for on a DEMOCRATIC BOARD. Please tell me that fighing for our party is not...

repulsive to me

[sheshe2]

218. Oh yeah.

The village is missing it's........oh, never mind.

[kentuck]

183. I assume that he is...

I get hundreds of posts of his on Facebook and they come from the "Democratic Socialists of America". I didn't think there was that much difference between the two? But I could be wrong?

[trueblue2007]

186. I don't think he is fighting for Dems.

[Omaha Steve]

206. Sanders discourages third-party votes: 'Not the time for a protest vote'

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/297675-sanders-discourages-voting-third-party-not-the-time-for-a#.V-vgv9i-Qr0.facebook

BY JESSIE HELLMANN - 09/25/16 11:14 AM EDT

Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Sunday discouraged voters from picking a third-party nominee, saying the issues facing the U.S. are too dire for a "protest vote."

"This moment in history for a presidential election is not the time for a protest vote," the Vermont senator said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
"It's time to look at which candidate will work best for the middle class and working families."

He said he didn't want to disparage third-party candidates, but he encouraged voters to pick Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton over Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson has hoped to benefit from record low favorability numbers for Clinton and Trump. But a RealClearPolitics polling average only gives him 8.9 percent support nationally.

[LWolf]

231. Yes.

He's fighting to make the party relevant to the people. And one of his many strengths is that he gets support from outside the party as well as within. The people wanting a third party run? Those are the legions that establishment Democrats have purged from the party, the people who have simply given up on the party, who don't believe the party will ever represent them. Sanders is working to change that. The Democratic Party will either change, or will hold fast to the neoliberal corporate order. Change will revitalize, re-energize, and grow the party. Holding fast will make the party increasingly irrelevant.

So yes, Sanders is fighting for the party. AND he's fighting for people. It's not always the same thing.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

252. This Really Obscuriates Longitudinal Linguini.

[beam me up scottie]

263. Blasphemy!!

?1250290756

[A-Schwarzenegger]

264. Please be serious.

Bad Bernie, Bad!

[beam me up scottie]

265. 20 lashes with a piece of damp linguine! Arrrrr!

[R B Garr]

275. LOL, if only every Democrat was treated with such joviality, mirth and

downright giddy goosies! For realZ! Lots of emoticons!

[fleabiscuit]

266. First one may want to contemplate what the Democratic Part(y) is.

This isn't an easy or short essay, but it may give substantive food for thought.

An excerpt from
The Constitution of Liberty
The Definitive Edition
F. A. Hayek
Why I am Not a Conservative

http://press.uchicago.edu/books/excerpt/2011/hayek_constitution.html

“…This already existing confusion was made worse by the recent attempt to transplant to America the European type of conservatism, which, being alien to the American tradition, has acquired a somewhat odd character. And some time before this, American radicals and socialists began calling themselves “liberals….”

“…There has never been a time when liberal ideals were fully realized and when liberalism did not look forward to further improvement of institutions. Liberalism is not averse to evolution and change; and where spontaneous change has been smothered by government control, it wants a great deal of change of policy. So far as much of current governmental action is concerned, there is in the present world very little reason for the liberal to wish to preserve things as they are. It would seem to the liberal, indeed, that what is most urgently needed in most parts of the world is a thorough sweeping-away of the obstacles to free growth. This difference between liberalism and conservatism must not be obscured by the fact that in the United States it is still possible to defend individual liberty by defending long-established institutions. To the liberal they are valuable not mainly because they are long established or because they are American but because they correspond to the ideals which he cherishes….”

“…The conservative feels safe and content only if he is assured that some higher wisdom watches and supervises change, only if he knows that some authority is charged with keeping the change “orderly….”

“…When I say that the conservative lacks principles, I do not mean to suggest that he lacks moral conviction. The typical conservative is indeed usually a man of very strong moral convictions. What I mean is that he has no political principles which enable him to work with people whose moral values differ from his own for a political order in which both can obey their convictions….”

“…In the last resort, the conservative position rests on the belief that in any society there are recognizably superior persons whose inherited standards and values and position ought to be protected and who should have a greater influence on public affairs than others. The liberal, of course, does not deny that there are some superior people—he is not an egalitarian—but he denies that anyone has authority to decide who these superior people are.….”