Kirsten Gillibrand cites Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as leaders of The Democratic Party.

[Hortensis]

28. They created a separate little position for him that's not in line for real leadership,

Hassan, rather a way of giving him stature he wants and helping him draw people into the party -- if he chooses to honor the deal he made with the party leadership to help build the party. Not that they could really have expected him to, but likely his need to not cut off the budget the party allows him helps keep him from becoming far worse.

You need to understand, Hassan, that he and those followers who are, like him, from the anti-Democratic Party fringe are vastly outnumbered by more mainstream Democrats of all types, all interest groups. They can't win in the party and they can't start their own party because those like them have tried it many times before and always failed -- for the same reasons we see happening now.

Left-wing zealots always develop (usually fatal) disagreements with others of the group they're part of.

Intragroup squabbling is the norm for them, and so now it's entirely normal for them to abandon all America's giant, critical issues to squabble with the greater Democratic Party over the healthcare system we finally proudly developed after over 70 years of struggle. It's not about single payer, it's about who gets to lead and who is required to fall in line behind their leader.

Sigh...