Hey Democrats, it's okay to vote for Bernie Sanders

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

It can be hard to see this if you watch too much of the hysterically anti-Sanders coverage on supposedly-liberal MSNBC — Chris Matthews recently spoke of his fear that Sanders is a secret communist who might execute him in Central Park — but the fact is most rank-and-file Democrats like Sanders just fine. Indeed, the Morning Consult poll found that his favorability rating among that group is 74 percent — the highest of any of the candidates, even better than Biden.

This isn't hard to understand. While Sanders isn't technically a Democrat, he has been a loyal soldier for all the causes the party supports (rhetorically at least) — universal healthcare, higher wages, more and better jobs, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, and so on — for decades. Neither is he some loopy extremist. While he has always held uncompromising egalitarian views, he is a savvy legislative tactician who has negotiated dozens of compromises through Congress over the years, from community health center funding in ObamaCare to a bipartisan bill to end support for the Saudi war in Yemen. Sanders has been widely covered by the media since 2016, and most Democrats plainly like what he is saying.

The difference is that Sanders insists the Democratic compromises of the 1980s and 1990s are no longer necessary, if they ever were. In his view, the party does not have to bow to either the corporate class or to white reaction (as Bill Clinton did) to win. Instead, following the trail blazed by Jesse Jackson in the '80s, he proposes to assemble a multiracial coalition of working- and middle-class voters, united mainly on economic grounds, to defeat the oligarchs that have a hammerlock on the Republican Party and still cling to influence at the top of the Democratic establishment.

(snip)

America is in a terrible fix, and there is no easy way out. As Alex Pareene writes in The New Republic, the Democratic electorate must "be given license to support what it supports." A Sanders nomination would bring along his increasingly good margins among non-white voters and his zealous base of small donors and activists. And in a crisis, gritty determination and commitment are surely more useful than timid hesitation. Who knows what dirty tricks the Trump campaign might try, or how inscrutable swing voters might react? Best to just go with a clearly good candidate and gear up for an all-out general election effort.

https://theweek.com/articles/895378/hey-democrats-okay-vote-bernie-sanders

[wisteria]

1. Nope

[TrunKated]

26. agreed

[George II]

2. Has anyone said it wasn't? It's also okay to vote for Buttigieg, Biden, Warren, Klobuchar.....

....Bloomberg, or anyone else remaining in the primaries.

If the last 9 days are any indication, a lot more people feel it's "okay" to vote for one of those.

[DDySiegs]

4. Are You Offering Free Barf Bags?

[unitedwethrive]

5. If he's just a "normal Democrat", then why are his supporters so scary?

I am the mother of four kids ages 17 to 25, and everyone they know who supports Bernie is just downright mean about it. They don’t seem to tolerate any other opinions, and it really feels like they are part of a cult. That alone makes me not want to vote for him.

[She_Totally_Gets_It]

10. He's a "normal Democrat"? All he does is bash the Democratic Party, and he only BECOMES

a Democrat when it's time for him to run for president. Other than that, he is an Independent.

I wish he would make up his mind. He's a Democrat when it serves his purposes, but criticizes the party when he's criticized or losing.

The media wants a Bernie Sanders nominee because they know that Trump and the Republicans will win at least 30 states.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

14. Exactly why he is my last choice in the Democratic primary

Of course I'd vote for him if he becomes the Democratic candidate. I just don't think it's good for the Democratic party to have someone who can't even commit to calling themselves a Democrat be the head of the ticket.

[ProfessorPlum]

16. "All he does is bash the Democratic Party"

lol.

is it possible he criticizes the things he doesn't like about the Democratic Party, and also criticizes lots of other things he doesn't like, like the GOP, the wealthy elite, and the way we have set up a system of ever-widening economic inequality?

Are _you_ a billionaire? If not, you might benefit quite a lot from his policies

[She_Totally_Gets_It]

17. Listen, on these things you listed, we agree. Has money corrupted politics? Sure. But, please stop

being disingenuous. You know darn well what I'm referring to.

Bernie Sanders IS the Donald Trump of the Political Left. He is petty, divisive and incorrigible. He doesn't want to work with anyone unless he/she is ideologically pure. If there is criticism, or he doesn't like the brand of moderate policies put forward, he calls people names and accuses them of being wedded to Wall Street. Turns out, he's the millionaire who, like Donald J. Trump, refused to release his tax returns.

Any time Bernie Sanders is challenged, he starts lying about the system being rigged. The guy is disgusting.

You as a Warren supporter are smarter than this. You're not supporting Bernie. Don't behave like his crazy, fanatical supporters. You're better than that.

[ProfessorPlum]

23. "Bernie Sanders IS the Donald Trump of the Political Left"

Sanders is like Trump in that he is a populist, which means he isn't happy about the status quo. Trump of course was a faux populist - he talked a good game about change, but made things even more like they were to begin with.

This is a change election, where the voters are not happy with the status quo, unfortunately for the wealthy and fat elite.

People want a return for their tax dollars, not just to build a war machine or make plutocrats even richer. And so does Sanders.

[She_Totally_Gets_It]

24. Jesus Christ. Really? Trump IS NOT a populist. I had to stop there because that statement made my

brain hurt. Seriously.

[Scotch-Irish]

22. All the kids I know that age that support Bernie are very smart, involved, well-mannered

kids, and they would support another candidate that got the nomination against tRump. All this hearsay AGAINST Bernie supporters has gotten him a bigger following, because everyone else doesn't see what you are describing. We all just see it as a smear that doesn't appear to jibe with what we witness.

[LeftTurn3623]

6. I dont know where I come down on this

I like Bernie and agree more with his polices but I'm also scared he could lose a general election

very difficult for me. Im glad for the first time PA is a later state so I can figure this out better.

[Celerity]

31. this is true nt

[Yavin4]

8. When you are the front runner, you get vetted.

It has happened to Biden, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete, and now it will start to happen with Bernie.

[She_Totally_Gets_It]

15. Bernie and his supporters will start crying and lying when they lose, so get ready.

Any attempt to criticize Bernie Sanders should he become the frontrunner will be met with Trumpian-like claims of DNC rigging the primaries against Bernie, "fake news," one of his rivals being tarred with the "Wall Street" darling moniker that he and his surrogates like to use, just as the Republicans tar Democrats with charges of being a socialist or communist.

[ChubbyStar]

30. Crying and lying?

You sound very jaded, and in need of some rest. I hope it gets better for you.

[ehrnst]

9. There is no "license" whatsoever needed to support Bernie, or any other Dem candidate,

or any Dem policy.

Any voter eligible to vote in a Democratic primary or caucus is perfectly free to vote for Bernie.

The writer of the OP seems to be trying to imply that there is some kind of obstacle to both when there are none.

[She_Totally_Gets_It]

11. The Sanders supporters were absolutely horrid in 2016. I expect that they'll get worse...

especially when Bernie starts losing. Watch this space...they'll start accusing the DNC of cheating again. He'll start lying and misleading his supporters about how the system is rigged against him.

Who does that sound like? If you said Donald J. Trump, you would be correct.

[ehrnst]

12. I believe the groundwork is already being laid.

[She_Totally_Gets_It]

13. Absolutely not Let's get past the Lily White states and give more diverse states a chance to vote.

[we can do it]

18. Nope

[Horizens]

19. Re: "Sanders isn't technically a Democrat"

He's not a Democrat. Period.

[NurseJackie]

21. "He's not a Democrat. Period." -- Yes. This. Thank you. Amen!

He's not a Democrat. Period.

Yes. This. Thank you. Amen!

[blueinredohio]

20. I don't have a problem voting for whoever wins the democratic nomination.

I just think Trump has a lot of things up his sleeve if Bernie gets the nomination.

[Garrett78]

25. Here's an article every Democrat should take to heart:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/9/20750160/liberalism-trump-putin-socialism-reactionary

[Uncle Joe]

29. Thanks for the addition Garrett, a most thought provoking read.

[Bradical79]

27. He's popular among Democrats

Even if he isn't first choice. It's important to remember how unrepresentative this forum and the pundits are of the general electorate. Not that they don't matter. They're atempting to manipulate opinion to such a degree that their fear may turn into self fullfilling prophecy.

[msongs]

28. +/- 75% of voters so far want nothing to do with sanders lol nt