(Raw Story/Newsweek) Bernie Sanders endorsement labeled colossal mistake

[lapucelle]

109. The fact that the Democratic Party is a big tent is not a problem,

so I'm not sure why you're framing it as one; nor is it helpful to deny the fact that politicians (like voters) prioritize issues. Only an ideologue is willing to die on every hill.

Senator Sanders is very selective about who he will support and even more selective about who he will endorse. He made that very clear in his tepid initial response when he was asked about Ossoff. For him (like for most of us), some issues are primary and others are secondary. Sanders knew that the candidate for an open congressional seat is a Democrat, but he wasn't sure that he was progressive enough to actively support.

There was no such problem with Mello; Sanders went out of his way not only to support and endorse him, but also to make special arrangements to appear with him at a rally, not because he is a Democrat, but because he meets the Senator's "sufficiently progressive" standard. The fact that Mello has an anti-choice record did enter into the equation.