I noticed that Sanders flip-flopped on Obama.

[Scootaloo]

83. Here ya go

Asked in March 2011 by WNYC host Brian Lehrer, “Are you considering — or do you think any progressive Democrat should consider — a primary challenge to (Obama) for 2012?” Sanders immediately responded: “Well, I’m not a Democrat. I am the longest serving independent."
“I think, you know, if a progressive Democrat wants to run, it would enliven the debate, raise some issues. And people have the right to do that,” he added.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/sanders-obama-supporters-214636#ixzz3pZ7hbKA9

When directly asked about a democratic primary against obama, sanders basically says "if htey want to do it, they can, it would liven the debate, not my department though."

Your quote that you're flogging around comes from Thom Hartman's show (Jul 22, 2011), when Sanders is responding to a caller (also named Brian, how many of these guys are there?) who asks:

"Hi guys, uhm, thank you for taking my call, and just got to say thank you, I'm a much better Americna because of both of you (Sanders and Hartman), and I'm very grateful for that. Bernie, if you won't run for president, and I really wish you would consider it, how - how can we get this country back on track? How can we get a government that (something, I can't make it out) and quits running this country like a for-profit machine? How do we do it?"

Actually, it only sort of comes from Hartman's show. because this part:

So I would say to Ryan discouragement is not an option. I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition.

Is never spoken by Sanders. What comes after your bolded line is the following:

But I know people are demoralized. But we don't have, as Thom and I often say, is this, despair is not an option. 'Cause it's not just for us, it's for our kids and our grandchildren.

Your quote is wrong and misleading due to that. It's selective, ignoring context of questions posed to the Senator. And also? it was 2011, not 2012. Seriously if we can keep the year of Clinton's "Bedrock Principle" being that marriage is between a man and a woman straight (2013, and no pun intended) then c'mon, you guys can at least get the year of a hartman episode right.

Granted, your candidate did her speech in front of the United States Congress, and did so in an effort to deny civil rights to millions of Americans and so is a little more memorable than our guy rolling some go-nowhere ideas around on an internet radio show two years before. But you know... still, if you're gonna make an issue, get the date right.