General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Bernie, There Will Be No Revolution Without Reproductive Rights [View all]ehrnst
(32,640 posts)And Perez is doing his job as DNC Chair to support the Democratic candidate, and would likely not have been doing so for a Mayoral race, but Perez is on this tour with Sanders, and for him to not appear with Bernie and praise this more centrist Democrat would have been damning Mello by omission. Like Bernie did Ossoff.
Bernie defines himself as a progressive, but has shown a lack of progressive support for reproductive rights, considering them "optional" when the candidate adheres to Sanders' specific economic ideas.
This makes Sanders as much a "centrist" on women's health care, as it makes Mello. But Bernie will never just own that - he feels that his views define "progressive."
This is not new with Bernie - in 2013, he said that Democrats need to stop "getting hung up on abortion and gay marriage," in order to help out Southern Democrats running for office who aligned more with him economically.
http://www.rawstory.com/2013/10/bernie-sanders-tells-ed-schultz-southern-democrats-are-tired-of-being-abandoned-by-the-party/