Goldberg: The Bernie juggernaut

[EveHammond13]

https://www.denverpost.com/2020/01/28/the-bernie-juggernaut/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=tw-denverpost

Goldberg: The Bernie juggernaut

By MICHELLE GOLDBERG | c. The New York Times Company
PUBLISHED: January 28, 2020 at 3:55 pm | UPDATED: January 28, 2020 at 4:07 pm

There are no moral or intellectual comparisons between Sanders and Trump, but there are structural similarities between the Sanders campaign and the one Trump ran in 2016. Trump thrilled conservatives with his unembarrassed embrace of far-right figures disdained by mainstream Republicans. He inspired alienated men on the internet to mobilize behind him. Party elites wanted to stop him, but his solid core of support allowed him to romp through a fractured field.

The parallels with Sanders are obvious. He’s running a campaign steeped in the ethos of an anti-establishment left, and benefiting from elite Democrats’ failure to coalesce around someone else. He has an enormous online following, with legions of trolls intimidating Democrats who seem to stand in their way. An outsider who long refused to join the party whose nomination he’s seeking, he appeals to people who distrust most political institutions, the mainstream media very much included.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

1. .

[R B Garr]

2. "structural similarities"

Yup! Quite the understatement, though. Undeniable similarities indeed.

[PatSeg]

3. Oh, ouch!

I think Bernie is getting far more scrutiny this time than he did in 2016.

[Tiggeroshii]

4. Only because he had a much better chance of winning than 2016

[PatSeg]

7. Okay

I remember 2016 and Bernie did quite well. He has far better competition this time. I don't see a better chance of winning than in 2016, but I do see more vetting.

[Tiggeroshii]

11. 538 disagrees

FWIW

I think it was around a 80% or 90% chance Hillary would win at this point in 2016 vs a 46% for Biden now.

[PatSeg]

18. There are more candidates this time

[Tiggeroshii]

19. This is a fact.

Of course the margins are different, and the number of candidates isnt likely to effect margins. A +90% margin is far better than a +15% margin.

[DanTex]

5. The Bernie Bro stuff is same old same old, but there are some good points in there.

“We keep hearing this argument about electability, or nominating safe candidates, and we keep losing,” said Derek Eadon, a 36-year-old former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party who endorsed Sanders this month.

Eadon, who was previously with Julián Castro’s campaign, didn’t take Sanders seriously in 2016. Two things changed since then. A painful nerve disease forced Eadon to become intimate with the absurdist horror of America’s health care system. And he said he saw Sanders expanding the electorate. “His ability to keep bringing in new people, and people that have not been involved before, is just such a strength electorally,” said Eadon.

[LanternWaste]

10. You're the only one mentioning the "The Bernie Bro stuff"

I get it... sometimes the only effective arguments we can make are designed to counter something no one is saying.

[DanTex]

15. You're right, I should have said the "legions of trolls intimidating Democrats" stuff...

It still boils down to...

[calguy]

16. Dan, how many times are going to spam us with that parady article?

It was interesting the first dozen times you posted it, but do we really need to see it anymore?
Is this the only piece you have?

[DanTex]

17. The real question is how many times we are going to get spammed with articles complaining

about the Bernie Bros/"ardent supporters"/"legions of trolls".

And "first dozen"? Seems like a stretch...

[calguy]

21. No Dan. The real question is the question I asked you.

You never answer, only deflect. I'm sure you're a nice guy and all that, but at times you display troll like tendencies.

[DanTex]

22. Well, that's your question. My question is when is the media going to drop the Bernie Bro thing.

I think my question is the one that matters. Obviously, if media pundits keep pushing the Bernie Bro narrative, people like me are going to keep responding to it.

[calguy]

26. Do you always answer a question by asking another question?

That's a common tactic used on Fox News. So I'll just assume that I've called you on your bullshit and move on. I'm sure you'll reply with another smart assed answer, or should I say, question, for my part this exchange is over.

[DanTex]

27. You mean, like you just did. And then accused me of using a Fox News tactic.

Let's keep it civil.

The answer (which was clear) is that I'll stop pushing back against the Bernie Bro stories when the Bernie Bro stories stop.

[R B Garr]

28. What's weird is that Trump accuses others of

what he is actually doing. He does that all the time, but he’s definitely trolling. That’s kind of what makes this article relevant.

[TwilightZone]

24. A word of advice:

Your continued posting of a parody article as if it means something is making you look ridiculous.

In fact, I'm starting to think you're a parody of a Sanders supporter and not the real thing. You certainly aren't helping Sanders. Quite the opposite. You're undermining him more than any parody article ever has.

[emmaverybo]

23. Brilliant.

[ritapria]

6. From The LA Times

Article entitled :" Be nice to Hillary Clinton or risk a confrontation with her Super Pac " .. May 9, 2016.. Remember David Brock ?

[EveHammond13]

9. I don't remember her sending goons to terrorize office staff

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. Lol terrorize.

Some kids with man buns are hardly terrorists. But do go on...

[LanternWaste]

12. Thank goodness Clinton never said, "be nice so you don't get shot in the head..."

[LanternWaste]

8. I've noticed the spamming of Bernie positive stories.

And when called on it, each reponse is a variation of the "it's called vetting when it's a positive story about Bernie."

Yet do the precise same thing with a negative story and it magically morphs into "it's an attack on Bernie from all sides!!!"

Taken together and viewed as an aggregate, I'd call that an accurate indicator of some good, old-fashioned trolling.




Don't get me wrong. I like Bernie. A lot. He's a great politician, and offers a lot to the senate and his constituents. But some of the more... vociferous and ardent of his supporters really do reflect very poorly on the guy.

[calguy]

14. I think we have to wait until after Super Tuesday to see if there is really a "juggernaut"

I find it amazing how many people are calling Sanders "unstoppable" when there isn't even one vote cast yet. I remember Howard Dean also being called unstoppable before the first votes were cast. How'd that work out?
I plan on waiting to see actual results before I get worried or exited about anyone.

[wyldwolf]

20. "trolls intimidating Democrats" found my Facebook page

It didn't end well for them.

[Cha]

25. KICK!