Democrats discover a new team player: Bernie Sanders

[JoeOtterbein]

Politico

After criticizing his role in 2016, top Democrats are heaping praise on Sanders and his top brass for working overtime to get Joe Biden elected.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN

06/06/2020 07:00 AM EDT

Many Democratic leaders were irate in 2016 over what they saw as Bernie Sanders’ failure to fully get behind Hillary Clinton and work hard to get her elected.

Four years later, they’re heaping praise on the Vermont senator and his top brass for their efforts to put Joe Biden in the White House.

Sanders dropped out of the primary months earlier than he did in 2016, swiftly and wholeheartedly endorsed Biden, and set up policy task forces with him. Despite opposition from fellow progressives, senior Sanders aides have created super PACs to support Biden. And in an effort to avoid a repeat of the unruly Democratic National Convention during the last presidential election, Sanders’ team has told some of the delegates representing him there to sign a pledge swearing off attacks on Biden and other party leaders.

It has not gone unnoticed.

snip

more at link

[Laelth]

1. This makes me happy. k&r n/t

-Laelth

[The Magistrate]

2. We Will See, Sir

I understand the happy talk and coddling, for as Will Rogers noted long ago, "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' while feeling around for a brick.'

Personally I don't trust the man an inch, and trust the sort of hot-heads who can be found among his delegates even less.


"You only get two mistakes, and usually your second is somebody remembers your first one."

[notinkansas]

5. Really?

"Personally I don't trust the man an inch, and trust the sort of hot-heads who can be found among his delegates even less."

It would seem that your judgement is highly suspect. Sir.

[The Magistrate]

10. Past Performance, Sir, Is The Best Predictor Of Future Behavior

The man has form as a disruptor who takes the 'Democratic Establishment' as his chief enemy. Up until quite recently he was declaring intent to make a scene at the convention, over nonesense like platform planks. He gave countenance four years ago to some disgusting displays by his delegates. Some people who had leading roles in his recent campaign continue to agitate against the Democratic nominee, which certainly suggests he cannot lead a good portion of his supporters to alignment with Mr. Biden, whatever he may say himself at present. He has said he may pull credentials of delegates who misbehave. We shall see. It would certainly be better all around if he does.


"Optimists get bitter disappointments. Pessimists get pleasant surprises."

[Skidmore]

11. Yes! At last someone who knows my favorite go to takeaway

from my graduate training in counseling. And the predictive value of observed past behavior is a reliable measure in this instance. I would anticipate the one speech forever and sabotage.

Thank you, Sir.

[PatSeg]

20. I would like to believe the man will be a hands-on

team player, but I still remember his "past performance" and the people he hired for both his campaigns. If he has changed, then that will be great, but if he hasn't, it would be better for him to remain silent in the shadows. lest any of his support does more harm than good.

This is not about Bernie, his ideas, or his ego. This is about the future of our democracy. There's no room for egos in this fight.

Love your quote: "Optimists get bitter disappointments. Pessimists get pleasant surprises." Usually I'm an optimistic, but the past few years have tempered that tendency a bit.

[LongtimeAZDem]

13. Yes, really

His history of attacking the Democratic party and it's candidates give us no reason to trust him now.

Actions speak louder than words; we'll see if he steps up this time and works to bring his supporters on board.

[GeorgiaPeanut]

17. Very well put. Hopefully he has changed.

[George II]

3. Alas, a lot of words. What has Sanders done in the last few months to help Biden?

What about his lawsuit in NYS to force New Yorkers to vote in a meaningless primary in two weeks?
What about his failure to condemn his surrogates for bashing Biden and the Democratic Party (specifically Gray and Sirota)

[katmondoo]

4. I hope it is true. I would like to hear more from Sanders own mouth not from others.

[Squinch]

6. The only action Sanders took that was described in that article

was the watery statement to his acolytes to quit smearing Biden in the public forum.

And then the article proceeds to spew nonsense about how hard it is for Biden to appeal to certain Democratic blocs.

Pure bullshit article attempting to assign influence where none exists.

[LongtimeAZDem]

12. +1

[Tech]

7. I will accept all backing of Joe with much suspicion. The old "fool me once".

[Hortensis]

18. Yes. I'm currently grateful that, for whatever reason,

he's directed those who still follow him to focus on stopping the right. Currently.

It occurs to me that abandoning his aggressive extremist followers and in turn being abandoned leaves them without whatever temporizing effect being part of a supposedly idealistic class-warfare movement might have had. Even if it's an unfortunately inevitable consequence of Sanders' joining Democrats in the battle against fascism, they're freed to continue assisting the right's power grab without it being on Sanders' head.

[JI7]

8. lol

[Wounded Bear]

9. I don't worry about Bernie much, his influence is often over-stated...

I do worry about his followers, who's goal seems to be a hostile takeover of the Democratic Party.

Just my two cents.

[LizBeth]

15. Certainly, but media runs with it and that is the problem. You are absolutely right. It is in the

hands of media that causes the damage, as we saw previously.

[LizBeth]

14. As with others, I am skeptical but thank you for this article cause we are all watching.

Sanders lost our trust and with reason. Something so important that this time I am not going to be lulled but I will say, this sounds promising. I really do not trust him though.

[fishwax]

16. hopefully the whiners on both sides have learned their lesson from the 2016 campaign

and will do what the vast majority of supporters from both sides did during the 2016 campaign: put their heads down and get to work.

[Hortensis]

19. I'm glad that Sanders seems to be fighting the fascistic RW

authoritarian, kleptocratic, religious and white power nationalists -- enemies both foreign and domestic.

But fuck "Holly's" insulting "irate." Sanders may have changed his targeting, but she's not there yet. Like so many Democrats who watched and understood what happened in 2016, I'm not having a bad-temper problem, I'm bitterly angry at all who enabled the right's giant taking of power.

That deep anger is because, far more, I'm terribly afraid that the dreadful victories handed to the treasonous Republicans and the authoritarian kleptocracy they helped create and serve may already have caused the fall of our liberal democracy.

[Staph]

21. I worry about his supporters.

Earlier this week, I saw some CNN reporter doing a stand-up at one of the protests. And directly behind the reporter was a Bernie supporter, proudly showing off his Bernie 2020 poster.

To me, it seemed an incredibly tone-deaf moment.

[Hav]

22. I think he learned the lessons from 2016

and I'm glad he didn't draw it out needlessly this time.
But for any other Dem, uniting behind the nominee and supporting him wouldn't be newsworthy. As the story said, he is described as a "new" team player.

[BlueLucy]

23. I wonder if Joe Biden being a man has anything to do with it?

Hillary is a woman. There may lie Bernie's different approach this time.

[backscatter712]

24. Good on Bernie - he personally is good for doing the right thing.

And the Never-Biden movement is falling apart - for some reason, pandemics and racism and police brutality got some priorities straight for at least some of them.