Two reasons Sanders might have trolled Dems who want other candidates.

[gulliver]

First, Sanders was just caught red-handed, with his pants down, holding a smoking gun...failing to timely disclose that he knew of Russia's meddling on his behalf. That's a huge blow to his reputation as a straight shooter. He knew Russia was trying to help him, and he said nothing. Now he's blasting the Russians with what he should have said to begin with. Unfortunately, Sanders has left the impression that he was, at least for a month (and as Trump continues to be), willing to take Russian help.

To hide that odor and get upwind of it, Sanders is creating a distraction by "banging on the Twitter," just like Trump does.

Second, Sanders wants to cast criticism of him by anyone as an attack from Republicans or a made-up Dem-side bogeyman he is calling the "Democratic Establishment." He's trying to marginalize critics. That way, if someone asks why he isn't releasing his health records or to explain how he's going to get his MFA plan passed, he can just say the Republicans or Dem Establishment are out to get him instead of answering.

Why doesn't Sanders just call his critics the "Never Bernies" or the "Deep Establishment?" Same idea.

[Progressive2020]

1. Bernie Is Like Trump In Some Ways

Just like Trump high-jacked the Republican Party and beat establishment Repubs like Jeb Bush, so is Bernie trying to take over from the Left and beat the more moderate and centrist Dems in the Party. Trump remade the Republican Party in his image after he won the White House, and I think that Bernie is trying to do something similar from the Left. If Bernie wins, the Party will be taken over by Sanders Progressives, but there will continue to be a fight between these types of Sanders people and the more traditional Democrats, I think.

[gulliver]

2. Policy-wise, he's nothing like Trump

If Sanders were to win the nomination (which he won't) and the GE, then Dems would align behind him. And we would continue to be the good guys. The Constitution would be saved, at least for a while, just as much as it would be if Biden or one of the others on our side won.

The problem with Sanders right now is that his popularity has dropped, and he doesn't have a unifying or fair (to the majority of Dem voters) approach to winning the nomination. But he still wants to win. He probably feels he owes it to his supporters to throw elbows and hit below the belt a few times. Hope he gets past that and they do too.

[Progressive2020]

8. You Are Right

I am not comparing their policies, which are night and day different. What I am saying is that they are both Outsiders to their Parties, and are trying to hijack their respective Parties for their own purposes. Trump beat out establishment Republicans like Jeb Bush and he has remade the Republican Party into the Trump Party. Sanders is trying to do something similar in the Democratic Party. He is trying to do a takeover of the Party.

Sanders is an outsider, not a traditional member of the Democratic Party, and he is trying to enact a popular take over of the Democrat Party, against more traditional Dems like Joe Biden. So Trump took over the Republican Party in 2016 as an outsider, and Bernie is trying to take over the Democratic Party in 2020 as an outsider as well. That is the similarity I am pointing out. Their personalities, character, and policies are otherwise entirely different from each other.

[msongs]

3. his true personality is on display except to cultists who want to bring down

the democratic establishment, ie anybody who gets in his way

[HarlanPepper]

6. +100000

[FarPoint]

7. Exactly....

It is that simple...

[NurseJackie]

4. This was a test of leadership and integrity and Bernie failed it... BIG TIME!

Sanders was just caught red-handed, with his pants down, holding a smoking gun...failing to timely disclose that he knew of Russia's meddling on his behalf. That's a huge blow to his reputation as a straight shooter. He knew Russia was trying to help him, and he said nothing.

This was a test of leadership and integrity and Bernie failed it... BIG TIME! In my mind, he does not deserve to be POTUS. He's disqualified. He should withdraw now. We deserve better.

[NurseJackie]

5. It's only a matter of time. Stand by.

Why doesn't Sanders just call his critics the "Never Bernies" or the "Deep Establishment?" Same idea.

It's only a matter of time. Stand by.