For those who don't understand why Clinton said what she did about Sanders' role in Congress

[highplainsdem]

Last edited Mon Feb 3, 2020, 02:20 AM - Edit history (1)

Let's look at the exact quote again:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/hillary-clinton-full-a-fiery-new-documentary-trump-regrets-harsh-words-bernie-1271551

He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done.

This 2015 Politico article on Sanders helps explain what she was referring to:

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/bernie-sanders-2016-democrats-121181

-snip-

In an op-ed in the New York Times in January 1989, he called the Democratic and Republican parties “tweedle-dee” and “tweedle-dum,” both adhering in his estimation to an “ideology of greed and vulgarity.”

-snip-

He was, when he arrived in Washington, the only one of the 535 members of Congress who didn’t identify as either a Democrat or a Republican.

“I am extremely proud to be an independent,” he told the Associated Press seven months into his congressional career. “The fact that I am not a Democrat gives me the freedom to speak out on the floor of the House, to vote against both the Democratic and Republican proposals.”

The flip side at first was this: “He screams and hollers,” Rep. Joe Moakley (D-Mass.) said to the AP at the time, “but he is all alone.” Rep. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) called Sanders “a homeless waif.” Said Rep. Barney Frank, in ’91: “Bernie alienates his natural allies. His holier-than-thou attitude—saying in a very loud voice he is smarter than everyone else and purer than everyone else—really undercuts his effectiveness.”

-snip-

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, led by New York’s Chuck Schumer, quickly got behind Sanders when he ran, and Nevada’s Harry Reid happily welcomed him to the Senate Democratic Caucus once he won. In December of that year, a month after his election, Ted Kennedy invited Sanders and the rest of the Democrats on the Senate’s Health, Education and Labor and Pensions Committee to an intimate dinner at his Washington home. Also in attendance? Barack Obama. And Hillary Clinton.

-snip-

Emphasis added.

So, Clinton's view that no one in Congress liked Sanders apparently is due to what she'd have heard about him during his early years there, which coincided with the early years of the Clinton adminisration.

In the Senate, Harry Reid welcomed Sanders -- I'm guessing he was the one senator Clinton said supported Sanders. And she and Sanders were both in the Senate in 2007 and 2008. But she was focusing more on her first presidential run then.

So it isn't surprising that her strongest impression of Sanders would be based on what she heard about him in the 1990s.

And, of course, what he said about the Democratic Party, which wouldn't have made him many friends among Democrats.


As for how much work he got done -- Sanders focused on amendments.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/mar/24/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-was-roll-call-amendment-king-1995-2/

Sanders got only three bills passed -- out of more than 300 introduced -- in his 25 years in Congress. Two of those bills named post offices, the third increased veterans' disability income.

OTOH, Clinton also got only 3 bills passed, in 8 years in the Senate, and two of them renamed highways.

But a Politico article in 2015 listed more of Clinton's legislative achievements, among her other achievements, in an article following Carly Fiorina having dared Democrats to name any accomplishment of Clinton's.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/carly-fiorina-debate-hillary-clintons-greatest-accomplishment-213157

‘The SCHIP program … which expanded health coverage to millions of lower-income children’

By Anita Dunn, Democratic political strategist.

After universal health care failed in 1994, the Clinton Administration was reluctant to go anywhere near healthcare again—Democrats lost the Senate and the House in 1994, and losing the house was for the first time in 40 years. Then-First Lady Hilary Clinton ended up being the White House ally and inside player who worked with Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch to create the SCHIP program in Clinton's second term, which expanded health coverage to millions of lower-income children. She has other accomplishments but this one made a huge difference, and came at a time when politically the Administration was cutting deals with Newt Gingrich on the budget and not necessarily all that enthusiastic about revisiting health care.


-snip-

‘The Pediatric Research Equity Act’

By Chris Dodd, former U.S. Senator for Connecticut, Democratic party.

Having worked with her in the Senate and on the HELP Committee, the first thing that came to mind was her authorship of the Pediatric Research Equity Act. This law requires drug companies to study their products in children. The Act is responsible for changing the drug labeling of hundreds of drugs with important information about safety and dosing of drugs for children. It has improved the health of millions of children who take medications to treat diseases ranging from HIV to epilepsy to asthma. Millions of kids are in better shape and alive because of the law Senator Clinton authored.


-snip-


‘I’ve seen, first-hand, her exceptional work at every level’

By Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator for Vermont, Democratic party.

-snip-

In the Senate we worked together on efforts to clean up Lake Champlain and to help Vermont’s and New York’s family farmers. She was at the center of securing help for New York’s 9/11 first responders. We worked together in enacting the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was the first bill signed into law by President Obama. I was chairman of the State Department’s budget committee when she was Secretary of State, and I worked closely with her—week to week, and sometimes day to day—on a wide, wide range of issues and challenges, from human rights to global health. We traveled together to Haiti as we worked to help that country recover from the devastation of the earthquake. She had a leading role in securing tougher sanctions on Iran. We worked together to successfully overcome obstruction by House Republicans of the funding she requested to improve embassy security around the world. Some of her most important achievements were her steady, methodical efforts, with the President, to help reintroduce America to the world after the diplomatic setbacks under the previous administration.


-snip-


‘The Adoption and Safe Families Act’

By Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress.

As First Lady, Hillary was the point person in the Clinton Administration on the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, a bill that refocused adoption policies on the needs of the children, made it easier to remove children from abusive situations, provided support and services to adoptive families, and encouraged adoption of children with special needs. The bill increased foster adoptions by 64 percent by 2002.

-snip-

The rest of the list includes a LOT of her accomplishments as Secretary of State.

Anyway, THIS is what Clinton was evaluating Sanders' career in Congress against.


She had reasons for her comments.

You might argue if they were adequate reasons, or if the timing of the criticism was bad.

But I hope this puts her remarks in perspective.

And again -- as I've said elsewhere -- she wasn't saying that no one anywhere liked Sanders. But he didn't get along with Democrats in Congress, and that's what she was talking about.


______


Editing to recommend that people check reply 20 below to see Bernie's own assessment, in 1990, of his problems getting along with people.

[Kurt V.]

1. Exactly what i said earlier today. what i failed to say is who is *nobody* and who isn't?

[SunSeeker]

29. Hillary was referring to Senators. nt

[Gothmog]

41. Could someone explain to me how sanders' magical voter revolution works in the real world?

I have never taken sanders seriously due to a complete lack of legislative accomplishments of sanders and the fact that I do not understand sanders voter revolution The NYT also did not understand how sanders voter revolution works

Link to tweet

Like the NYT, I have questions about this voter revolution concept. I have asked sanders supporters to explain this concept to me and so far no one seems to know how this voter revolution will work in the real world https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=430371

Gothmog (78,308 posts)
64. Exactly how does sanders voter revolution work in the real world?

It is my understanding that even sanders has acknowledged that he cannot adopt his platform unless he holds rallies and this voter revolution occurs. Is this correct? How does this voter revolution work in the real world? Again as I understand this concept, so many new voters will rise up and force the GOP to be reasonable. Is this correct? How many new voters does it take to accomplish this goal and where are these voters? How will these new voters force the GOP to be reasonable when so many GOP officeholders are in gerrymandered districts? Will these new voters move to these districts in time to vote for sanders’ platform? If these new voters are real, then why are theses new voters not showing up in the polls? New voters in such large numbers so as to cause the GOP to be reasonable should show up in polling. Are these new voters waiting for something? If these new voters really exist in the real world, why has sanders not used these new voters to get some meaningful legislation passed?

I look forward to answers to these questions

sanders interview with the NYT may have gone better if he had explained how this revolution would work in the real world. I am still curious

[Kurt V.]

47. this explains it some even though she singles out sanders. most of the other stuff applies to

him too. his path is a surge from a 18-30 yo. that has already happened i some places, as the link in the piece shows.

https://cnu.edu/wasoncenter/2019/07/01-2020-election-forecast/

[Gothmog]

48. sanders promised sufficient new voters to force the GOP be reasonabl

These numbers are not sufficient in the real world and sanders has not shown the ability to turn these voters out in promised. An increase in voter turnout needs to be far massive than these numbers indicate are available.

This explanation seems more accurate]

Link to tweet

I remain unimpressed with sanders and his magical voter revolution

[Skya Rhen]

2. The truth hurts.

[highplainsdem]

36. Yep.

[Cha]

3. And of course.. some took that right the hell out

of context to suit their agenda.

He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done.

Thank you highplains

[highplainsdem]

46. You're very welcome, Cha!

[George II]

4. Excellent post, thanks very much!

[still_one]

5. Context is everything

[billpolonsky]

6. Ungrateful

Bernie campaigned for Hillary 40 times in the 2016 election

[link:|

[zackymilly]

11. Do you have proof that letter actually came from Hillary?

[SunSeeker]

30. Did he provide his email list? nt

[lapucelle]

32. He showed up 17 days out of the 102 days in the general election campaign. N/T

[oasis]

37. Could it be his backlog of income tax data needed tending to?

[lapucelle]

43. Decorating a new home can be time consuming.

[Buzz cook]

56. More times than

Clinton campaigned for Obama.

[lapucelle]

58. From BBC News July 6, 2016.

The event [President Obama's first appearance for HRC in July 2016] was a role reversal of their first joint appearance on the presidential trail of 2008, in Unity, New Hampshire on 27 June. Days after she had conceded defeat in the Democratic primaries, she hit the trail to campaign hard for her former rival, following a rancorous campaign that had left them and their aides deeply bruised.

snip===================================================================

The contrast with 2016 is telling. While Mrs Clinton became the presumptive democratic nominee on 7 June, her challenger, Senator Bernie Sanders, has yet to endorse her and is being increasingly criticised for being a sore loser.

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36723216

BS finally endorsed HRC on July 16 at a joint appearance.

The next time he showed up to work to help elect Democrats was on September 2. There were other priorities: buying a vacation home and finishing up a book because as we all know,

"If you write a best-selling book, you can be a millionaire, too.”

First things first.

[Gothmog]

50. sanders was mainly talking about himself and selling books

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[betsuni]

54. +1

[ehrnst]

62. And how many of them did he start with a recitation of his pledged delegate count?

then go on about how "we can't have Trump" as praise for her qualifications?

[Atticus]

7. Thanks for the time it took to put that together in an organized way. nt

[empedocles]

8. 'Leopard does not change its spots'

[sheshe2]

9. Facts matter.

Thank you.

[yaesu]

10. So, we have posts of non candidates who are attacking candidates that are actually working to defeat

tRump instead of whining about a past election, hurt feels, woe is me, that is pretty

[aka-chmeee]

12. Was visited this morning by couple of Jehovah's Witnesses

who received a cordial welcome and notice that their visit would not bear any fruit.
A much more civil reception than a pair of Bernie supporters would have experienced.

[Thekaspervote]

22. Ouch!!

[mcar]

13. Thanks for this

In an op-ed in the New York Times in January 1989, he called the Democratic and Republican parties “tweedle-dee” and “tweedle-dum,” both adhering in his estimation to an “ideology of greed and vulgarity.”

[DanTex]

14. A lot of the vitriol at Sanders is because he stands on principle and is so consistent.

It's not that he doesn't get things done -- he's been very effective, amendment king, and it's also, obviously, not that he has no friends.

It's that when everyone gets all swept up in something like the Iraq War, Bernie sticks to his principles and opposes. When austerity-mania strikes, and everyone wants to cut Social Security, Bernie says no. He doesn't float with the political winds. He's not one of the votes that you can strong-arm or threaten. That makes him not one of the "cool kids" in the eyes of some.

But that's also the reason he's so popular with voters.

[highplainsdem]

17. What part of the article on the nasty things Sanders said about Democrats, and how his fellow

lawmakers described how he alienated others, did you miss?

This isn't about Sanders being "principled." This is about him acting like a self-righteous jerk.

“He screams and hollers,” Rep. Joe Moakley (D-Mass.) said to the AP at the time, “but he is all alone.” Rep. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) called Sanders “a homeless waif.” Said Rep. Barney Frank, in ’91: “Bernie alienates his natural allies. His holier-than-thou attitude—saying in a very loud voice he is smarter than everyone else and purer than everyone else—really undercuts his effectiveness.”

[DanTex]

18. Sure, he could have opposed the Iraq War more gently, I guess.

I guess he wants to do the right thing instead of being a "cool kid."

[highplainsdem]

20. According to BuzzFeed, quoting a book written by a former Sanders staffer, this is what he told her

about his problems getting along with people, in 1990.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/you-dont-know-bernie-sanders

He can be harsh with staff — short-tempered and demanding and sometimes rude. “Some people say I am very hard to work with. They say I can be a real son of a bitch. They say I can be nasty, I don't know how to get along with people,” Bernie told his press secretary in 1990, according to a memoir by the former staffer. “Well, maybe there's some truth to it.”

I guess he forgot to say people don't get along with him because he's too principled. LOL.

[DanTex]

24. Right, people who supported the Iraq War probably thought his vote against it was harsh.

Or people who supported that bankruptcy bill. Or DOMA, Patriot Act, NAFTA...

Bernie's so "harsh" that he didn't go along with all that. I guess it's a matter of perspective. Others might call it "principled."

But I can totally understand why some people think that Bernie should have just "played nice" and agreed with the cool kids to launch a pointless and disastrous war.

[lapucelle]

33. Maybe it was the people who supported the Brady Bill. N/T

[Malmsy]

61. People who don't understand Bernie don't like him.

That's for sure.

[JudyM]

65. And it doesn't matter. He's not trying to be popular, he's trying to bring social fairness into

the system, to shift benefits away from hedonistic, socially destructive moneyed interests. He’s focused on the work and not the superficial.

[Tweedy]

68. Nonsense

There were many democrats opposed to all of the things you listed. No democrat accused them of refusing to play nice.

The bankruptcy bill was a GOP baby. Why the conflation? It makes no sense.

The Iraq war was the GOP's baby, too. For goodness sake, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, voted against the Iraq war.
Obviously, nobody in the Democratic Party held a grudge against her for that vote.

NAFTA was opposed by many democrats, including Senator Sherrod Brown. Democrats pushed hard to fix the mess that was the Patriot Act. Indeed, I cannot remember Senator Sanders in that scrum; although I can remember the first fight well (and subsequent fights, too).

Nobody is arguing against Senator Sanders votes here. It is the GOP rule that everybody needs to vote the party line. False equivalency is also GOP bread and butter. These are not traits of today's Democratic Party.

Incidentally, if Karl Rove & company are now the "cool kids", the 🌎 is truly turned upside down. 😆

[Malmsy]

63. He said himself that he "doesn't tolerate bullshit" and that keeps him focused

I'm sure that he gets exhausted, because he is so focused.

[ehrnst]

39. But how many times did he vote for military intervention in Iraq?

In 1998 Sanders voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which said: "It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime."

Later that same year, Sanders also backed a resolution that stated: "Congress reaffirms that it should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime."

Sanders also voted for the 2001 Authorization Unilateral Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF), which pretty much allowed Bush to wage war wherever he wanted.

Authorization for Use of Military Force - Authorizes the President to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations, or persons.
States that this Act is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of the War Powers Resolution.

[Perseus]

21. If anything, Sanders is not an actor, he is very genuine

He is who he is, but he is in the right side of history, and his intentions are progressive and good, he doesn't pretend or dream that he can negotiate with republicans because he understands fully who the republicans are, and we just saw that during the impeachment, they are all lemmings and will follow their leader.

Reagan was an actor, and look at the mess he left behind, the con is a con and an actor, and look at the mess he is making.

I personally don't care about having a beer with my president, I want one that will allow me to work and have money to drink a beer with my family and friends, I don't care for an actor, I want someone who is genuine and is looking to better the country.

"He screams and hollers"....yes, and most politicians do too. For someone like Bill Richardson to say such things about a peer is disgusting, I don't know who he is, but just reading what he says tells me a lot about him. And Barney Frank, when has Sanders said that he is smarter than everyone else, or purer? That is Frank's interpretation, nothing else.

This is all divisive and it will not end well.

[highplainsdem]

28. See reply 20. Sanders admitted to his own press secretary in 1990 that he can be a nasty SOB and

doesn't know how to get along with people.

THAT is what HRC was talking about.

And no, most politicians don't scream and holler. Not the mature ones, anyway. Not the most effective ones.

Bill Richardson didn't comment on Sanders screaming and hollering. Joe Moakley did. Info on Moakley:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Moakley

And since you don't know who Bill Richardson is, which surprises me:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Richardson

It shouldn't surprise ANYONE that Sanders hollers. He still does.

Just google

sanders yells

[Thekaspervote]

23. Lol!!

[KPN]

35. Excellent post.

[JudyM]

64. He calls out corruption instead of getting in line: not a way to make friends with a corrupt system.

[LanternWaste]

66. Again, we'll wait for you to provide objective data to support your allegation.

And again, we'll be waiting a long, long time... because editorials and t-shirts ain't objective.

[NCProgressive]

15. I stand with Hillary Clinton

Bernie is deceiving the Democratic party with unattainable ideas that he never championed in Vermont where he could easily have.

[SunSeeker]

31. +1

[Perseus]

19. Not sure who said it but here it is...

Its not verbatim but the meaning and goal of the message is the same.

"This is an election Democrats should win, will they screw it up as they have done in the past? We will see."

And here we go again, eating our own, and yes many of you will say Bernie is an Independent, he is not one of our own...but today he is, and people do not seem to see the danger in splitting the party, to have what happened in 2016 happen again where Sanders' supporters either sat at home and did not vote, or because of anger ended up voting for the con, and that is exactly what is going to happen again if this crazy campaign against Sanders continues by the same party and people Sanders is representing in this elections.

We make fun of republicans when they eat their own, they do it all the time, and we seem to be doing it during elections. Keep your quarrels for after the election, do not turn away voters that are so much needed for us to defeat the con.

Hillary should have never said that, I understand that the Clinton and the Biden are very good friends, but splitting the party will no no good, very irresponsible, and yes, Bernie did campaign for Hillary in 2016.

There should be one goal at this time in the history of this country, and that is to defeat the con, keep the house and win the senate, but if we continue to fight within people will loose confidence in the Democratic party and the con, the crooks of the GOP will be there four more years, and who knows how much longer.

[northoftheborder]

25. I can't wait to see this documentary, which I had no idea had been made.

Hillary Clinton is still a beautiful woman, inside and out.

[Perseus]

26. Interesting

[link:https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287463559|

[NotHardly]

27. She was not wrong, yeah, and truth does hurt.

[LS_Editor]

34. So tired of these Sanders hit pieces and Hillary apologists in this matter.

Sanders stands for socioeconomic policies the Democratic Party used to champion. And we now have a failed Democratic presidential candidate attacking him even though he campaigned for her after conceding the 2016 Democratic primary.

The Democratic Party will sure count Sanders, since he has been caucusing with the party for decades
- as a Democrat if the math requires it to take the Senate. But the man tries to run as a Democrat and he is villified. Seems to be the go-to strategy...

[highplainsdem]

42. This isn't a Sanders hit piece. This is simply an explanation of why HRC said what she said -- an

attempt to show how Sanders fit (or, rather, didn't fit very well) in Congress, during particular times in HRC's life, which is the best way to understand why she views him the way she does.

A lot of DUers don't have that background information.

[Quixote1818]

38. For those who don't understand how Sanders has lead and Hillary has followed

From the Iraq War, Gay Marriage, Banking, Immigration, War on Drugs, Patriot Act etc. etc. etc. Sanders was right and she was wrong and then eventually had to come around to his position.

[Gothmog]

40. sanders has zero legislative accomplishments in the real world

I agree with Martin O'Malley on sanders

Link to tweet

[Quixote1818]

44. Wrong

He is inline with a lot of senators who sponsor a lot of legislation but only a fraction ever becomes law:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/democratic-senators-pass-bills-rate/

[Gothmog]

45. Thank you for the laughs

Renaming post offices is a major accomplishment

[Quixote1818]

51. 217 co-sponsored bills passed.

Maybe read a bit further next time.

[Gothmog]

49. Socialism polls poorly

Link to tweet

?s=20

[pbmus]

52. Even though the voting public has little knowledge of socialism...

The Con will call every Democrat a socialist...

Would be a very good idea for DCC to run an ad explaining socialism and the countries who are socialist.

What is an example of socialism?
The former Soviet Union is an example of a socialist system. Cuba is an example of a socialist nation. Its economy is state run and it lacks a stock exchange. Healthcare and education are all completely managed and administered by the government.

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/the-characteristics-of-capitalism-and-socialism-393509

[Gothmog]

53. You do know that attack ads work?

[pbmus]

55. To the ignorant voter, yes...

[Gothmog]

59. Denial is not just a river in Africa

sanders is a very weak general election candidate who trump would easily beat

[pbmus]

67. You have me mistakenly advocating for Bernie...

I will vote for whoever is our nominee, however, Bernie is not my choice.

He wears the socialist label and would be defeated by king con...

Whichever candidate we choose must also have a female on the ticket...

[Gothmog]

69. sorry

[Ninsianna]

57. Those were roll call amendments, a ego thing

He made no attempt to work with anyone to produce amendments that would actually pass, as the DEMOCRATIC Senator Patrick Lahey did.

(Guess he has no problem figuring out how to be a Democrat from VT, unlike Bernie and Jane)