I got out of hand many times, clearly. I never really had an issue with Bernie's policy positions, although I do recall making some posts critical of single payer. The issue I had was with the so-called "Bernie or Bust", and also what I felt was over-the-top criticism of the Democratic Party, which I thought could come back to hurt us in the general election. A lot of my frustration was motivated by bad memories of 2000, which was my first election as an adult. That experience has left me very little tolerance for the whole "there's no difference between the parties" thing. And, without re-fighting the past, I still feel that Bernie could have done a better job of bringing his wing of the party into the Democratic fold towards the end of the primary.
But, like I said in the OP, Bernie definitely deserves huge credit for bringing to the forefront of the conversation ideas like single payer, financial transaction tax, etc., things that were unspeakable until he showed how popular they are if only politicians had the courage to actually talk about them. I didn't actually think that was possible, and he went and did it, which is awesome. I've actually had the pleasure of having an entire conversation with Bernie (and his wife, who is great), and I have huge respect for him and what he's done throughout his career.
Also, one thing I really like about AOC is that she is doing a great job of both being an unabashed progressive and Democratic Socialist, while still understanding the importance of working within the Democratic Party and winning elections. It's actually a very tricky position she's in. Certainly part of her supporters would like to see her go Green and trash the Democratic Party -- I remember her getting criticism from some on the left (e.g. Jimmy Dore) when she endorsed Cuomo for Governor in New York (in the general election, not the primary). But she's managing to both hold true to her beliefs while also playing the necessary politics. And making right-wingers' heads explode. Go AOC!
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