The garbage is coming from the top ...

[salinsky]

Totally deligitimazed. His legacy is in ashes ....

For months I'd thought and written that Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver was the key driver of toxicity in the the Democratic primary race. Weaver has been highly visible on television, far more than campaign managers tend to be. He's also been the one constantly upping the tension, pressing the acrimony and unrealism of the campaign as Sanders actual chances of winning dwindled.

But now I realize I had that wrong.

Actually, I didn't realize it. People who know told me.

Over the last several weeks I've had a series of conversations with multiple highly knowledgable, highly placed people. Perhaps it's coming from Weaver too. The two guys have been together for decades. But the 'burn it down' attitude, the upping the ante, everything we saw in that statement released today by the campaign seems to be coming from Sanders himself. Right from the top.

This should have been obvious to me. The tone and tenor of a campaign always come from the top. It wasn't obvious to me until now.

This might be because he's temperamentally like that. There's some evidence for that. It may also be that, like many other presidential contenders, once you get close it is simply impossible to let go. I don't know which it is. That would only be my speculation. But this is coming from Bernie Sanders. It's not Weaver. It's not driven by people around him. It's right from him. And what I understand from knowledgable sources is that in the last few weeks anyone who was trying to rein it in has basically stopped trying and just decided to let Bernie be Bernie.

Sanders speech tonight was right in line with his statement out this afternoon. He identified the Democratic party as an essentially corrupt, moribund institution which is now on notice that it must let 'the people' in. What about the coalitions Barack Obama built in 2008 and 2012, the biggest and most diverse presidential coalitions ever constructed?

Sanders narrative today has essentially been that he is political legitimacy. The Democratic party needs to realize that. This, as I said earlier, is the problem with lying to your supporters. Sanders is telling his supporters that he can still win, which he can't. He's suggesting that the win is being stolen by a corrupt establishment, an impression which will be validated when his phony prediction turns out not to be true. Lying like this sets you up for stuff like happened over the weekend in Nevada.

As I said, it all comes from the very top.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/it-comes-from-the-very-top

[firebrand80]

1. I'm becoming less certian that he will endorse Hillary

I still think he will, but I'm not 100% sure anymore

[boston bean]

2. Yep. Sanders has an ego that is never satisfied.

He needs to get a grip.

[kayakjohnny]

3. I've never read a bigger load of crap in my life.

You should be embarrassed for posting it.

[Tavarious Jackson]

5. Why? Everyone is talking about it all over

social media...

[salinsky]

7. It's becoming common knowledge ...

... you were hoodwinked by a self serving charlatan.

[kayakjohnny]

10. Then I'm in great company.

Btw, you don't have a son or daughter old enough to be drafted. Your queen will need them for the next string of wars.

[timmymoff]

11. That's an odd term for the hillary camp, but fitting.

[uponit7771]

18. What's embarrassing is privileged people throwing good money after a losing cause

[Octafish]

24. +1

Seems the "national" scribes -- TPM, Mother Jones, The Atlantic -- have received marching orders.

[Tavarious Jackson]

4. He won't endorse.

He said today that he will do everything in his power to stop the "status quo" from continuing...

[StayFrosty]

6. A fish rots from the head down

The sooner this egomaniac drops out the better

[timmymoff]

12. it will be soon.. after june 7..like stated countless times

Enjoy .

[sadoldgirl]

20. I agree, if you are talking about HRC.

[YouDig]

8. He's off the rails. I misread him the same as Josh Marshall did, I bought into the whole

Bernie isn't as bad as his supporters line. But it looks like he actually is as bad. And now more news is coming out about how the chaos in Nevada was actually orchestrated, it wasn't some spontaneous mob.

In effect, Bernie is now campaigning for Trump.

[salinsky]

9. Me too ...

... the curtain has been pulled back.

[uponit7771]

19. I knew there was something wrong with Sanders after Cornell West and very few if any dem endorsement

... which doesn't sway me usually but .... not one!?

They knew and said nothing

[Trust Buster]

13. The guy promised his followers $18 trillion in new entitlements that he knew he couldn't deliver.

It's always been about Sanders' inflated ego. He snookered millions.

[reformist2]

14. Setting the stage for disqualifying Bernie and his delegates from the convention...

[farleftlib]

22. Word

The only garbage is the entire OP. Bernie's entire career in the Senate has been one
of reaching consensus with people who are completely ideologically opposed to him
and doing it without rancor of any sort.

The smell of garbage and shit emanating from the OP is fouling the air in GD-P.

[workinclasszero]

15. "What about the coalitions Barack Obama built in 2008 and 2012, the biggest and most diverse

presidential coalitions ever constructed?"

Sanders wants to destroy it of course.

His democratic candidacy was a con from day one. This man has always hated the democratic party. Its common knowledge. Some people wanted to believe otherwise though and now the party is paying the price for that wishful thinking.

Any actual democratic running against Hillary would have long ago folded the tent and started working for a democratic victory in the fall. Sanders will never do that. He hates the dem party as much as the republican party, maybe more.

The only "victory" he is ever gonna get out of these primaries now, is a Nader victory and he is pursuing it with gusto to the bitter end. I don't see him ever endorsing Hillary either.

90% of his backers would consider that treason and obviously Sanders is no leader, he hasn't got the backbone to stand up to the mob he created.

[Armstead]

17. Hillary stayed in until June and campaigned hard in 2008

Does that make her a power hungry charlatan and egomaniac too?

er, wait...nevermind

[Zynx]

21. She didn't implicitly (and borderline explicitly) threaten to burn the whole damn thing down if

she didn't get her way.

[Armstead]

23. She came close....

And the system does need change.

[peace13]

28. Aaaaa...she drug the winner into the toilet and swirled around with him until she finally let go...

....it was an awful campaign that ended with a slow and agonizing death.

[LexVegas]

16. Of course it is. A sore loser of epic proportions, watching the spotlight fading away. nt

[Alfresco]

25. Bernie has lost all perspective.

Sanders is telling his supporters that he can still win, which he can't. He's suggesting that the win is being stolen by a corrupt establishment, an impression which will be validated when his phony prediction turns out not to be true. Lying like this sets you up for stuff like happened over the weekend in Nevada.

[apcalc]

26. Don't forget

The part about the super delegates of the corrupt establishment
are going to flip over to him ..

[randome]

27. When you've lost Josh Marshall, you've lost me.

I always thought the attempt to paint Sanders as 'damaged goods' was more a reflection to the insane insults aimed at Clinton. And that's still the case to a large extent. But I'm starting to understand now why Sanders has fewer Congressional endorsements than Ted Cruz.

His message is great but he is a poor messenger.

It takes a certain amount of ego to run for President. Or to be a stand-up comedian. Or to be a doctor. Both Clinton and Sanders have egos. But Clinton's ego still allows her to get things done. Sanders, not so much.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Progressive dog]

29. Bernie is like a fire and brimstone preacher

with Hillary starring as the devil and the establishment as the demons. He is a demagogue. Whether he is enough of a pragmatist to endorse Hillary remains to be seen.

[Voltaire]

30. Always the pragmatism....

Yawn. You idiot Hillary fans had better start realizing that your house is ablaze instead of hurling insults. She's a bad candidate. She sucked in 2008 and she sucks now. For all the same reasons. But I don't expect your crowd to even try to see that.

[Progressive dog]

31. You must have forgotten your matches

because you are in a small minority. Count me pleased to be called an idiot by the likes of you.

[joshcryer]

32. He's 100% wrong.

Weaver has used it throughout the campaign, Sanders is only channeling it now (well, since really the unqualified remark) because he needs the DNC to think he's going to take his ball and go home. He can't risk being weak, so he's not having to embrace the ugliness. There will be careful walkbacks but it will be calculated.

[NCTraveler]

33. I still think it's Weaver.

Sanders has done little leading throughout his political career. He is now a follower of Weaver. Weaver pulls the strings in their operation. Thats not to say Sanders isn't the voice. He is Weavers front and yes man.

[NurseJackie]

34. It would appear that you're not alone in that assessment ...

... and based on Bernie's (lack of ) votes and his (lack of) endorsements, it's clear to me that most people and major media outlets do not see him as being presidential or as being a capable leader. He'd absolutely freeze for the first international crisis that came long, or he'd lose his cool (as we've seen so often) and blunder full speed ahead into making diplomatic mistake after mistake.

(Alerter: These are my personal opinions based on my personal observations.)

[aikoaiko]

35. Apparently, TPM's John Marshall was unaware of Sanders' perspective on the Democratic Party.

What a political idiot.