Bernie Sanders On MSNBC: We Have To 'Create A Damn Government That Represents All Of Us'

[portlander23]

Last edited Sun Jan 8, 2017, 09:53 PM - Edit history (4)

Bernie Sanders On MSNBC: We Have To 'Create A Damn Government That Represents All Of Us'
David Colon
Gothamist

Sanders and Sharpton talked plans for fighting against cuts to social programs, specifically Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, since as Sanders pointed out, Trump ran on the idea that he wasn't the kind of Republican who wanted to cut those programs. And if there's one thing we know about Donald Trump, it's that he keeps his promises. One way to fight, according to Sanders are his efforts "to revitalize the Democratic Party, and get this party to be a party that doesn't simply go out to wealthy people's homes and raises money, but becomes a grassroots party."

Sanders also took the opportunity to hype up the series of rallies happening next weekend in which Democratic members of Congress, unions and other left-leaning organizations will gather in cities across the country in support of Medicaid, Planned Parenthood and Social Security. "We're going to stand up and fight back in a way that we have never fought back before against this Trump administration and Republican agenda."

"We need not less diversity, but more diversity," Sanders said. "We gotta bring our people together, all of our people, to say we're going to create a damn government that represents all of us and not just the 1 percent."

Are you going to show up on January 15th to protect healthcare?

[brutus smith]

1. Every Dem should support this.

[elleng]

4. Yes!

Some here are already slamming it. Imagine that!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

13. Unreal!

[pangaia]

14. Easy to imagine.

Some are stuck in "not a real dem" ground Hog Day.

[maddiemom]

18. Three million more votes? nt

[maddiemom]

22. P.S. I voted for Bernie in the primary, However----

Twenty million more is quite the landslide. Two to four times more than what President Obama managed in his elections. You'd really have expected that much more from Hillary----or Bernie?

[LWolf]

5. Yes.

They should, but they won't. Why do you think that is?

[moondust]

7. Want to get rich off their stocks?

Them dang "progressives" like Bernie and Elizabeth might not be so good for the stock market.

Follow the money?

[LWolf]

10. One good reason. nt

[OrwellwasRight]

36. Agree!

Some won't though, because Sanders said it. Some here hate Sanders more than they hate Trump, I think.

[bettyellen]

2. "Simply go out to people's homes and raises money" WOW

[KPN]

6. Ummm -- nice edit. We saw that.

I'm going to be straight here: a big reason that Hillary didn't win the popular vote by 20 million or so is because she and her husband are viewed by many Americans as a couple who enriched themselves beyond reason based on their political power and connections. Thems the plain facts. Get over it.

ps -- I voted for Hillary, but I'm unwilling to stick my head in the sand.

[bettyellen]

12. I'ts not an accurate quote? Pretty much sliming the entire party?

Really bad timing on Sanders part, but I guess flogging the book takes precedence over current events. I'm not as judgemental as you about a person making a buck, but this is really bad timing on his part. He should have delayed publication but I guess he needed the money.

[tecelote]

20. Where did he mention his book?

Hey, talk about timing... where's Hillary? We could use her help... now!

[bettyellen]

23. That quote is the theme of his book .... he's an elected official and it sucks he's gone off

Message st such a critical time.

No one expects Hillary - a private citizen- to do anything about the cabinet appointments or work congress is doing right now. No one except those who still want to stick it to her is asking. What will they do without her to kick around?

[tecelote]

26. Stretching it a bit.

I get it. You hate Bernie.

It's time to come together. We need Democrats and Independents to help... save the world. It's that important.

Inclusive is the theme now.

[bettyellen]

34. Not hate, just don't think he's doing us any good right now...

I was wondering why he seemed all over the place and from what I can tell is that 2/3 of the time he's pretty much flogging the book. Unfortunate that they'll give him more press if he criticizes Dems, but that's how it works.

[tecelote]

35. You see who you want to see.

I see a warrior fighting for all of us.

[George II]

48. How is he "fighting for all of us"? Did he make any concrete proposals with ways to accomplish them?

[tecelote]

57. Are you listening?

Bernie Sanders On MSNBC: We Have To 'Create A Damn Government That Represents All Of Us'

How's that?

With 40% of America being Independent, we need to be inclusive. Hating Bernie doesn't help.

We Have To 'Create A Damn Government That Represents All Of Us'

Bernie Bros are awful because they didn't support Hillary. Well, what do you call Hillary supporters who can't get Behind Bernie now that he is fighting... FOR ALL OF US.

Don't give me the "he ain't a Democrat" shit.

Around 40% of America is Independents. We need to include them if the Democrats are going to gain ground.

[George II]

61. Still haven't told us how he's fighting for all of us.

[tecelote]

63. Are you listening?

[George II]

64. Yep.

[tecelote]

67. How you view his efforts as bad, I'll never know.

But, carry on. At least you are not afraid to voice your opinion. A trait I value in Democrats and Independents.

Republicans are sheep. I think we all agree there. However, that is also their power. They are a force to be reckoned with.

We need Democrats and Independents if we are to regain lost ground.

[Walk away]

88. That might make sense if you believe Bernie's supporters are...

on board with a Liberal Democratic platform. So many I have met seem more like young Republicans with selective special interests. I don't see how they go together.

[arithia]

49. you also saw words that weren't there

in the other person's reply when you accused them of hating Bernie.

It's important when having a discussion that you (generic you) don't resort to assumptive fallacies to dismiss the other person's opinion.

That's Trump's game. We don't need to play it.

[tecelote]

58. I respect your point.

My asserted assumption comes from viewing earlier posts not in this OP.

It is only an assumption. Thanks for pointing that out.

[KPN]

76. Bingo!

[womanofthehills]

50. Actually, when Obama is a private citizen

sounds like he plans to become an activist. I would like to hear something from Hillary.

But perhaps the most intriguing bit was when, in a brief discussion of Obama’s plans for his post-presidency, Obama hinted that he planned to start speaking out more like an activist than a president.

There are “things,” he told Goodwin, “that in some ways I suspect I’m able to do better out of this office.” He elaborated that because of the “institutional constraints” of the presidency, “there are things I cannot say.”

He went on to essentially say he wanted to use his post-presidential bully pulpit more like an activist than a venerable elder statesman. “There are institutional obligations I have to carry out that are important for a president of the United States to carry out, but may not always align with what I think would move the ball down the field on the issues that I care most deeply about,” he said.

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/9/23/13029670/obama-after-presidency

[bettyellen]

55. That's cool. I'd like to see Sanders focused in what's immediately ahead of us -

Hope he's planning some serious opposition to the cabinet appointees due to lack of transparency.

[KPN]

75. Accurate quote? You are really stretching to make a point that

strikes me as clearly personal agenda driven. Timing on Bernie's part? Who are you kidding other than yourself? Bernie is in demand with the media because he is effectively a key leader and voice of progressives and the Democratic Party today. You are cutting off your nose to spite your face on this one in my view.

Don't think you can get away with labeling me as someone who is "judgemental about a person making a buck?" I simply pointed out what is a very common perception among many Democrats, former Democrats and Independents re: the Clintons. Your statement/accusation is telling. You obviously don't get it and are clearly a "member" of the third-way contingent of the Democratic Party -- the same contingent that the common person in America views as elitist on a number of fronts and frankly bad for the country. There's no getting around that perception unless the goal is to keep losing elected offices. So don't label me as judgemental just because I have my eyes and ears open and am not so arrogant to think I know better than the average person.

Whining, accusations, blame and intolerance are getting old here. What I have to say about that is I've been an unerringly faithful member of the Democratic Party since I was first able to vote in 1972 -- 46 years. I am every bit as much a part of the party as you or anyone else, I am engaged in the party locally and intend to be even more so now ... and I'm sure as hell not going away.

[bettyellen]

79. The media loves Bernie when he criticizes Dems, and he gives them what they want.

It's hilarious to hear anyone here claim the media is doing a good job, or has been doing us many favors.

Aside from that, you just hurled a bunch of stupid baseless accusations at me and so I stopped listening. How anyone dares criticize Hillary for making a buck like everyone else and turns around and lauds someone who hid their tax returns is beyond me. It makes no sense at all to keep those sort of double standards regarding transparency- and hurl stones.

[KPN]

83. There you go again ...

reading into others' posts and making false judgements based on what you want to see. I haven't seen any post here by anyone in the past year or so defending the media or claiming they are doing a good job. Nor have I seen any post lauding Trump or anyone else for hiding his/her tax returns.

I am going to "hurl stones" so to speak right back when I see someone else doing it, especially in a way that I view as undermining the strength of progressives and the Democratic Party and/or alienating loyal progressives/Democrats directly. If you are insulted by Bernie's persistence about money corrupting the parties and governance, then that is your personal problem, not mine or anyone else's who happens to agree with him. For those who have been "listening", Bernie has been saying the same things for 35 years.

[bettyellen]

84. Wow, Trump isn't the only one who hid his taxes....

Making that some kind of fucked up "new norm".
And yeah, you just ascribed innocent motives to the media as to why they are giving Sanders a pulpit.
Sorry to say it often looks to me as if they are using him.
If I believed their headlines I'd dislike him a great deal, but they tend to exaggerate what he says so I don't.
I just don't think he's focused the right place right now and timing matters. It's no good always saying the same thing when we are in the midst of historically horrible
Political hostile take over - is it?

[KPN]

85. Oh, so you are attacking Bernie on the taxes thing.

I can accept that. It would have been better if he'd been more forthcoming -- not that there was anything to hide in the return they released.

Ascribed innocent motives to the media? Well, there you go again -- seeing what you want and judging based on mis-assumptions.

So what is the critical timing thing that you keep raising? When is it good timing to raise the issues he does? I'm with him on the Democratic Party ... and on his statements re: Trump. I'm having a very hard time understanding how his timing is bad -- except if the goal is to have everyone fall in line behind the party establishment. Is that the goal? I think the establishment needs to be changed frankly.

[bettyellen]

87. No one knows why he hid his taxes, but there's likely a reason...

why would they lie again and again saying they'd release them if they weren't hiding something?
I bet it wasn't anything horrible but he's a very ambitious man, and sometimes you screw up. But he was part of a media narrative where everyone else was "flawed" or "corrupt" except for himself, so he couldn't risk exposing whatever it was.

I think it's embarrassing for him to flog the book and point fingers at other Dems when they should be unifying around fighting Trumps immediate actions. It's great he's working on the healthcare issue but that seems to not be covered in most of his interviews.

I guess he's in no moral position to demand others be transparently vetted before being considered for the cabinet. It would be great if he released his taxes and apologized for the BS excuses so he could regain the trust lost in him.

[KPN]

89. He did release his taxes.

[bettyellen]

90. Nope only one year's summary- not full- that was from 2014 I think....

I know that in doing so, it confused people that he had followed the standard which was 4/5 years of full tax returns. He did not.
Always made me assume there was something from 2015 he thought would be fodder for the news. Seeing what they did to Hillary I'm not surprised he had concerns.
I am surprised he chose not to release them and got away with it. Opened the door for Trump to do the same.
Sucks.

[KPN]

91. Can't argue with you on that. Touche. I can understand how

you might assume there was something to hide with 2015. ... At the same time, I guess I'm willing to give more benefit of doubt to him than I do to Trump re: his tax returns or, to be fully open and honest, actually did to Hillary re: the Wall Street speech transcripts. Like you with Bernie and his tax returns, I have to assume there was something she thought would be fodder for news in those, not to mention I'm already averse to Wall Street and other big money influence peddlers.

What I am struggling to understand is the animosity toward Bernie and others who feel the Party needs to do a better job of connecting with and actually showing they are fighting hard for average people on economic issues in substantive ways. I'm a voting Dem for 44 years now and I feel they (the Dems) have rather overtly dropped the ball in that regard.

[bettyellen]

94. I agree with a lot of what Sanders believes - but his continuing on to the convention was kind of

Shitty. I also disagree with his current focus on trashing Dems because of the book, as well as lack of rage about what is going on with Trump now. I have some Bernie fan friends and I'll be honest they were really hateful all spring and it wasn't till early summer till I spoke up and told them they were obviously falling for bullshit with the Wikileaks and Guccifer crap. They were so in love with Bernie they were blinded to how manipulated they were.
Could not face he had lost.
I knew the race was too close to be complacent and they really needed to tone down the HRC hatred. It was unwarranted. The sexism I saw in liberal men was astounding- endlessly talking about Bills career and knowing next to nothing about hers except dumbass slogans they couldn't back up w particulars.
And here you hear them talking about Samders leading and Ellison taking over for him and after watching all that foolishness, I'm a hard no to all that.
I hope he has a good lasting influence but he's impossible to work with and his fans have stars in their eyes. To me, as a leader- nope, it's a recipe for disaster. I believe by not staying in the party he used I've seen what he'll do for ambition- and that's not what his own people (who again are blinded) want, let alone what's best for all of us.

Is it true he said good things about Sessions? If so- wtf?!?!

[KPN]

95. Don't have any knowledge of anything he said about Sessions.

What I do know personally about Bernie is I have an 80+year old aunt who lives in Vermont and has known Bernie for the last 35 years. She has a great deal of admiration for what he did as a mayor and what he has done as a Congressman/Senator, and says he has been 100% consistent in his views and actions over those 35 years.

I think Bernie is a leader in the party today regardless. To me, he brings some fresh air that I feel is badly needed. I don't believe Bernie has personal ambitions beyond doing what he can to move politics (and the parties) in America back to representing everyone, not just the 1 or 10 percent. He is all about inspiring others to get engaged and developing new progressive leaders to represent the real people and take on the big money interests. Those are good things in my view. ... Yeah, he's got some idiosyncrasies, but don't we all?

I guess what I'm saying is I don't believe he deserves the animus I see being voiced toward him and his supporters here at DU since November 8. Bernie didn't lose the election for us, we all did ... we need to recognize that and move forward, not stew on and hold fast to the past.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents ... and I'm going to stay engaged and active in the party where I am locally.

[bettyellen]

96. Glad you'll stay active! I like Sanders but he made a huge error running what often appeared to be a

One issue campaign. There was a ton he didn't know (or seem to want to talk about) other than campaign finance and redistribution of wealth. I am pragmatic enough to see how little support he had from his peers and how that would doom him (in my eyes) to one unsuccessful term.

I had a very difficult time with sexist nonsense and the dismissive (at best) treatment of women and POC. Very odd to feel denigrated like that. Weird to see him dismiss social justice issues by citing economics as the only answer or rip on PP. in short I think he was just as ego centric and ambitious as every other politician, that Hillary has equally altruistic aims and held to fucking impossible standards by many who valued slogans or style over substance. And by style I do mean having a penis, unfortunately. Last year opened my eyes to the sexism many "progressives" indulge in unaware.

[maddiemom]

24. See my replies to "post removed" above re: "twenty million more votes"

[LenaBaby61]

25. Yep ...

"I'm going to be straight here: a big reason that Hillary didn't win the popular vote by 20 million or so is because she and her husband are viewed by many Americans as a couple who enriched themselves beyond reason based on their political power and connections. Thems the plain facts. Get over it."


And this guy right here in his GOLDEN penthouse is for working people. Not one greedy bone in HIS body.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

80. Talk about a picture's worth a thousand words!

[elleng]

3. "We're going to stand up and fight back in a way that we have never fought back before

against this Trump administration and Republican agenda."

"We need not less diversity, but more diversity," Sanders said. "We gotta bring our people together, all of our people, to say we're going to create a damn government that represents all of us and not just the 1 percent."

[Igel]

9. "Our people".

"All of us" and not them.

Nice redefining of terms mid-discourse.

[George II]

51. Hey Bernie - "HOW", "HOW", and "HOW"??? We all know what we HAVE to do, so how do you.....

....propose we do it?

[MaeScott]

8. Exactly correct....all hands on board.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

11. A parliamentary system would be a good start, but it won't happen.

Instead we have a system where the vast American public is supposed to compromise on issues instead of a much smaller body of representatives from various parties, where face-to-face compromises are more likely to happen.

[theaocp]

15. What the FUCK do you all care?

The man isn't a democrat, so...

[tecelote]

17. We fucking care about the 40% who are Independents.

We need them to win. Plus, their voice matters too.

[OrwellwasRight]

37. +1

[JI7]

68. most independents lean strongly one way and are very partisan .

[baldguy]

19. Using RW talking points to attack Democrats doesn't help Democrats win elections.

Perhaps Sanders should stop running for President & start there.

[flamingdem]

21. What right wing talking points?

?

[baldguy]

27. Sanders is so busy playing "I'm the other guy you should have voted for"

He keeps bashing Democrats and the Democratic Party.

Bernie Sanders Says Trump Won Because Democrats Are Out Of Touch
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2674604

Bernie: Dems lost because they "took they bait," meaning "Wall Street money."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2674364

The Republicans don't believe this shit. Why does Sanders?

[Historic NY]

30. +1

[BlueMTexpat]

38. +1!

[uponit7771]

53. THANK YOU!! He's a part of the few that are intimating this election was fair

[Cha]

74. Mahalo, baldguy!

[uponit7771]

52. I would like him to stop saying this was a fair election at best... shit... with the intel report I

... don't know any dem who could claim such now

[Initech]

28. So how do we do that?

We have created a government that works for only the interests of upper 1% and have successfully demonized anyone who doesn't agree lock step with the narrative as the enemy. And Trump's cabinet of billionaires are going to usher in an economic apocalypse that will dwarf what happened in 2008. So how do we stop that from happening, Bernie?

[Dustlawyer]

29. Look, I am 100% behind Bernie and what he is trying to do.

I think that anticipating the slam coming from the Hillary supporters here is counter-productive. So is taking the bait, which i am guilty of as recently as last night when I said that I was not throwing stones their way, but would respond in kind to defend the man and what he is doing.

I believe differently after seeing for the thousandth time that it does no good. I propose we ignore their comments as if they didn't exist and encourage everyone to support this effort to rebuild the Party and our government without the influence of the corrupting money. We fight for the right thing and the rest will get on board or not!

I will be marching/protesting with my family in Austin a week from now. I am trying to get more people involved in this. We must get the money out of our politics! In the meantime we must turn out in force to demonstrate why these corrupt politicians better not take away or privatize the social safety net!

[bekkilyn]

45. That's what I've been trying to do

Ignoring the Bernie-haters and not taking the bait even to try to reason with them due to how critical things have become in this country, being that we are truly on the verge of losing even the facade of Democracy. I've been extremely inspired by Bernie and view him as a warrior on our side who fights for us, and never, never, NEVER gives up. It's one of his great strengths and we really need people like him right now. Lots and lots of them. While I don't expect everyone to agree on everything, I do expect everyone to at least agree to fight against our common enemies -- Trump and the extremist GOP. Why we can't seem to even do *that* is baffling to say the least.

Well it wasn't easy for our founders to win our freedom, and I shouldn't expect it to be easy to continue fighting for it. We will always need to be vigilant and fight for it.

I'm definitely committing myself to working closely with my local democratic party this year in order to do what I can to turn the tide of fascism, authoritarianism, and GOP extremism that has been infecting my state and this country. We can't just fight against the evils though...we need to also have some things that we're fighting for or else the apathetic and undecideds and borderlines won't have any reason or motivation to go Dem, so it can't go further in the direction of business-as-usual, Republican-lite compromise. No one is inspired by that.

No "Heil Putin" will be coming from me on January 20th!

[Dustlawyer]

70. Right on!

The Hillary supporters are dealing with a major butt hurt and lashing out. Most of us thought she would win including me, but I knew it would be close. There was a poll on DU right before the election on what Hillary's margin of victory would be. I was thinking 2% but I don't think they had an option that low, could be wrong. Most picked 20% which I knew to be insane, but you couldn't convince them and I didn't even try.

I remembered what I felt when Bernie lost the Primary. It was not quite the shock the way it played out, but I was mad at how he was treated by the media, the DNC, and here on DU. They are feeling the same and it will take time. I was shocked as well but did not have the emotional attachment to her that they have.

Once they start really fighting Trump I hope most of the animus towards Bernie will fade. They may not like him but when it comes to fighting Trump and the Republicans he will become the lesser of two evils.

We are entering dangerous and uncharted territory where the Trump administration will ignore traditions, rules and laws to do whatever they want, just like now with the ethics/conflict of interests certification. They don't plan on doing it at all. I hope we can pressure someone to prosecute them for all that they do! With this crap headed straight at us we will need a united front!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

81. +1,000!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

54. There's a Bernie Sanders group on DU.

This is a group, not a forum. Groups often serve as safe havens for members who share similar interests and viewpoints. Individuals who post messages contrary to a particular group's stated purpose can be excluded from posting in that group. For detailed information about this group and its purpose.

Statement of Purpose: A group for supporters of Bernie Sanders.

A similar thread was posted there, but it has no replies yet.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1280217675

[NCTraveler]

31. Love it when a new congressperson arrives on the scene.

[NWCorona]

78. It's just that he has a louder voice and people are listening

[gulliver]

32. I love the "series of rallies" idea.

Good luck to him. I hope every Dem starts to participate and that we have thousands of rallies between now and 2018.

[MineralMan]

33. One government can't represent both poor people of color and

racist fundamentalist assholes, Bernie. One government can't represent LGBT citizens and those who would like to see them all dead. One government cannot represent both women and misogynistic idiots who would hold them back.

There is no possible government that can represent us all. All of us are far from alike. We are so different that we often do not agree on anything. We are often so estranged that one group wants another jailed or banished from the Earth.

Instead, we need a government that represents the fairness and good will of people who have those attributes. We need a government that protects the oppressed from their oppressors. We all live in one country, Bernie, but we are not one people. Not even close.

[BlueMTexpat]

39. +1! eom

[Buckeye_Democrat]

42. "We need a government that protects the oppressed from their oppressors."

People frequently can't even agree on what that means, unfortunately.

Reparations, for example.
https://today.yougov.com/news/2014/06/02/reparations/

[gulliver]

56. We can do a lot better than we are.

Go into a crowded bar on an average night. In the bar you will have people who hate each other for all sorts of reasons. They are in the same bar even though a few of them wish a few others of them weren't there, even dead. That's just people for you. We aren't ever going to get everyone to hug everyone else. But we can enjoy the same bar regardless of a certain degree of random hatred.

Still, I think you are absolutely right, and Bernie is not showing us how we create that bar. In doing that, he makes it seem like he is pandering to class, identity, and so forth. He's trying to get people to hug. That won't work, and it could discredit and diminish the hope of something that will.

[0rganism]

40. say what you like about Sen. Sanders, at least he's *getting out there*

a LOT of Americans (a majority, I'd wager) are dissatisfied with the result of the general election, and the direction the nation is about to take under complete Republican rule.

they/we are hungry for an alternative: a winning alternative with a simple message of compassion and integrity, brought by a credible messenger who we can trust to fight for us.

right now Sen. Sanders is presenting that alternative, and getting coverage for it. he may not be your favorite politician, but right now he's our strongest ally in fighting back publicly against the darkness that is swiftly descending over our land. and his message resonates -- it didn't work out this time, for various reasons, but in 2018 and 2020 Democrats can win if we follow through with it.

[womanofthehills]

43. At least he has ideas and is fighting for Medicare - speaking out about Standing Rock & Monsanto

Actually - I love Bernie. Great Idea for him to bring poster of Trump's tweet this past week to Senate floor. I've listened to him for years on "Fridays with Bernie"

[0rganism]

60. he's showing us all how to fight back

i still believe that above all else, Americans want a government that's willing to fight for us, whatever it takes. Sen. Sanders is bringing it.

[George II]

46. Yes, he's "getting out there", but he's not presenting any solutions or concrete proposals.....

....they're all just vague "we should" words.

[0rganism]

59. perhaps it's not the right time or place for detailed policy discussions?

context matters!

right now, as far as i can tell, the last thing Democrats need to do is engage publicly in policy wonksmanship. we don't have either house of congress or the presidency, so our role is one of opposition not crafting policy. in a couple weeks, we get served with an anti-government that's preparing to demolish institutions that have been with us for a century. we need to defend existing policies in ways that anyone can understand and generate a sense of urgency for them, not bog down in boring detail. imma resort to a football analogy: it's like you're criticizing the middle linebacker for not presenting to the quarterback a great plan for trap plays to get rushing yards when the other team is about to score from the 5 yard line.

i've listened to some of what Sen. Sanders has to say and read some of what he's written. if you think he doesn't have "solutions or concrete proposals" to present when the circumstances are appropriate, i'll just have to disagree with you and stop right there.

we need to motivate people to vote for congressional Democrats in 2018. this will not be accomplished by presenting detailed proposals, but rather by a strong simple message that includes plenty of, as you put it, 'vague "we should" words'.

[George II]

62. The best way to disagree with me is to give me a few of those "concrete proposals". It's not like..

...he was just elected to the House or Senate. He's been there for more than 25 years. Surely he's done something in all that time, right?

[0rganism]

71. i will disagree with you however i choose to do so, optimally or otherwise

as you say, he's been there a while so if you were interested you could easily find some of the things he's worked on and done in the past. i'm not going to do your homework for you, but that is a secondary issue here.

the main question, as i see it: do you really think this is the time for any Democrat (or Democratic ally) to be pushing "concrete proposals"? the only "concrete proposals" for which the KGOP-dominated congress is likely to even schedule committee hearings would involve tying said concrete to various liberals next to a body of water.

which "concrete proposals" do you think Sen. Sanders should have made during the interview? how far do you think they'd go?

[Maven]

41. That's it Sanders, keep flogging the "Dems are out of touch" narrative

Still running as a spoiler candidate I see.

[George II]

44. More of Sanders' "we have to do this", "we have to do that", etc. Why doesn't he do....

...."this" or "that", or at least tell us how he thinks we should do "this" or "that"?

[SaschaHM]

47. That's my main issue with him.

He and his ilk are always ready to dismiss the Obama/Clinton years as if Dems only started caring about the people in 2016.

[marked50]

65. The only thing we need to remember

when we go about discussing these things is that Bernie Sanders and his supporters are not our enemies. We know them as those who are against any democratic and progressive principles.

[INdemo]

69. What do you mean by that...Democratic and progressive principles?

It was Bernie Sanders that caused Hillary Clinton to take up those progressive issues and discuss them pon the campaign trail.....

[marked50]

72. Those who are against democratic and progressive principles are our Enemies.

Not those who are for them

edited to correct issues vs principles

[INdemo]

73. so then Bernie Sanders is certainly not against our progressive principles....

[INdemo]

66. Bernie Sanders should drop the Independent status and just switch to the Democratic Party

By doing so those jealous Democrats would no longer have anything to bitch about.

In 2 years time Bernie Sanders has done more for the Democratic Party by bringing in new voters than any Democrat in Congress or the DNC.

Bernie Sanders views about the Social programs has been consistent

[NanceGreggs]

77. "I want to revitalize the Democratic Party ... "

... says the man who refuses to be a member of that party - oh, except when it served his own career ambitions.

"Do as I SAY, not as I do.'

Got it, Bernie.

[hughee99]

82. A government that represents "all of us" is going to be

Way more conservative than anyone here likes. Most people only agree with this because they believe that representing "all of us" means doing whatever they, personally, believe is right.

[JHan]

86. I think it's pretty funny actually because:

A Government that represents ALL of us will be a government that engages in the much maligned "triangulation"..

I couldn't make this up if I tried.

[Blue_Tires]

92. "And if there's one thing we know about Donald Trump, it's that he keeps his promises..."

I know he's being facetious, but irony is something Sanders doesn't do well and I cringe when I see those kinds of comments, even in jest

[Blue_Tires]

93. When do we finish the "talk" part and get to the action

Sanders has a hundred thousand opinions on what we as a party should or shouldn't do... It's time to start discussing the nuts and bolts of the plans