Bernie Sanders Is a Loud, Stubborn Socialist. Republicans Like Him Anyway.

[merrily]

18. About Sanders' effectiveness, despite the way media covers the "curmudgeon socialist."

Last edited Sat Sep 12, 2015, 06:11 PM - Edit history (1)

:barf:

As candidate for re-election for Mayor, with no money to speak of and no party backing, he got re-elected as many times as he ran. That is a sign that he was effective for his constituents. Republicans and Democrats grew so frustrated that they joined to back one candidate between them. He won anyway.

He also won when he ran for the House, despite no money to speak of and no party backing.

During his very first year in the House, he founded the Progressive Caucus and chaired it for 8 years. It is the largest Caucus in either house of Congress, including the New Democrat Coalition, except for the general Republican Caucus and Democratic Caucus. (The New Democrat Coalition was formed well after the Progressive Caucus. He is still a member, though he has not been chair since his election to the Senate.

How creative! And how better for an indie to be effective in the massive House? (At its largest, the Caucus had 100 members.)

In the House, he got amendments passed. That is more than some Democrats and Republicans do and the best way to impact legislation as an Indie.

As a Senator, he continued to influence the House by continuing his participation in the Progressive Caucus--its only Senate member. (The Senate has no progressive caucus, only New Democrat). Additionally as the above article indicates, he has built relationship in both the Democratic Caucus, with which he caucuses, and the Republican Caucus. The DSCC will not support any Democrat who runs against him. Schumer, slated to be Democratic Leader has praised him, calling him an asset, as did Howard Dean, when Dean headed the DNC. Even though he did not join the Vermont Democratic Party, it gave him its nomination, which he declined. With relation to his run for POTUS, it has recognized him as a member, as has the DNC.

A deal he negotiated with John McCain about care of veterans is one of the case studies in effective negotiation taught at the Brookings Institute. John McCain praised his ability to get things done on Morning Joe within the last couple of weeks.

Don't be fooled by sucky media coverage. He is no lightweight curmudgeon with his glory days long behind him.