Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
Joe BidenCongratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
 

Gothmog

(182,124 posts)
9. No one took sanders seriously in 2016 and so sanders was not vetted
Tue Apr 16, 2019, 06:57 PM
Apr 2019

No one took sanders seriously and so he was not vetted. Vetting is important I amso glad that sanders is being vetted this cycle https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/28/why-bernie-sanders-has-an-uphill-climb-ahead/?utm_term=.1b4f90c2a717

Finally, what happens when the oppo dump on Sanders comes? We have no idea, because it never happened in 2016. Clinton was so terrified of alienating his supporters and seeing them vote for Jill Stein in the general election (or not vote at all) that she tiptoed around him for pretty much the entirety of the primary campaign. That doesn’t mean that he’ll be destroyed when stories about the more colorful aspects of his history start cropping up, but there’s just no way to know.

Which is what we could say about the Sanders candidacy as a whole: There’s no way to know how it’s going to go. But he’s got his work cut out for him.

See also https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/19/politics/bernie-sanders-2020-campaign-donald-trump/index.html?utm_source=twCNNp&utm_content=2019-02-20T14%3A52%3A07&utm_term=image&utm_medium=social%C2%A0

2. How will he withstand more scrutiny and more attacks?
One of the secrets to Sanders' success in 2016 was that no one -- most especially Clinton -- thought he had any chance of going anywhere in the race. Clinton largely ignored him for the better part of 2015, allowing some problematic parts of Sanders' record for Democrats -- most notably his voting record on guns -- to go unnoticed. (When the race began to tighten, Clinton gently prodded Sanders on guns and health care.) Sanders, too, largely flew under the radar of investigative reporters for major news outlets who were busy looking into Clinton, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and others seen as more viable candidates. (That reality clearly benefited Donald Trump in the early days of the campaign, as well.)

Sanders will get no pass -- from either the media or his fellow candidates -- this time around. He is among the frontrunners -- and will be treated as such. His wife's time as president of Burlington College could well come up. And his opponents will do a deep dive into his nearly 30 years of votes as a member of the House and Senate. This is all very normal stuff in a campaign. But not for Sanders.

Now we can see how sanders reacts to being vetted



Among some Democrats, there was a sense of bewilderment that the Sanders campaign had gone—as one operative put it—”nuclear” over a mere web video. One Democratic consultant sympathetic to Sanders described the video as being “like a gnat buzzing around your ear,” one which should not have distracted from the candidate’s Midwest tour.

It also raised questions as to whether the senator was ready for the scrutiny that would come from being a frontrunning candidate, after having run as an insurgent against an ideal foil, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.

“When you’re leading in the polls of president of your party you should expect investigative stories to hit at least once a week and to be attacked by your opponents every day,” said Ben Labolt, who served as press secretary to Barack Obama during the 2012 campaign. “An attack on something like ThinkProgress is the sign of a super-narrow-minded campaign that isn’t actually thinking of how the election will be won... They have chosen an establishment force that no one outside of the Starbucks at 16th and K would recognize.”

I am glad that sanders is being vetted
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

"This week, an organization that is the epitome of the political establishment.." Cha Apr 2019 #1
Messy pol'tics empedocles Apr 2019 #2
.. cwydro Apr 2019 #15
Thanks, cwydro! Cha Apr 2019 #18
I guess back last May CAP didn't have any rich donors Cha Apr 2019 #3
"unleashed and promoted an online attack video against Bernie" Tom Rinaldo Apr 2019 #4
A legitimate critique is not an "attack". Name-calling is. N/T lapucelle Apr 2019 #6
Here. You be the judge. Hassin Bin Sober Apr 2019 #16
He was with them before he was against them BlueFlorida Apr 2019 #5
He was with them before they* were against him. Tiggeroshii Apr 2019 #28
CAP made a political ad? BlueFlorida Apr 2019 #29
He doesn't seem to take criticism well mcar Apr 2019 #7
This is just more proof that he needs a prop to continue the R B Garr Apr 2019 #8
No one took sanders seriously in 2016 and so sanders was not vetted Gothmog Apr 2019 #9
But, oh yes they are, Sam Stein.. Cha Apr 2019 #13
The vetting is long overdue. comradebillyboy Apr 2019 #14
Hey Sam Stein.. instead of "showing they're not Cha Apr 2019 #24
I stopped visiting their website at ThinkProgress some time ago as much too centrist for my tastes pecosbob Apr 2019 #10
My take as well. shanny Apr 2019 #26
+++ vsrazdem Apr 2019 #27
I imagine Bernie gazing at a photo of Hillary while humming "Memories." betsuni Apr 2019 #11
lol.. or not.. Cha Apr 2019 #12
When the "lesser of two evils" is the most popular one at the party. betsuni Apr 2019 #22
And, the most Beloved! Cha Apr 2019 #23
.. Cha Apr 2019 #21
I agree with Krugman, some people in both media and politics have learned nothing. betsuni Apr 2019 #25
And yet he was happy to give a speech for them in May 2018. n/t pnwmom Apr 2019 #17
Paul Krugman gets it exactly right.. Cha Apr 2019 #20
The smearing of CAP and @neeratanden is really something to behold, because it suggests that some.. Cha Apr 2019 #19
It would be stupidly funny if Bern's campaign staff Blue_Tires Apr 2019 #30
Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»Democratic Primaries»BS campaign claims that C...»Reply #9