Bloomberg: Sanders, Defiant on the Stump, Quietly Reassures Democrats on Unity

[Rose Siding]

After all the public belligerence, it's encouraging to see this, especially the call to Sen Boxer. After NV, party leaders agreed to let Reid, who is the only Senator close to Sanders (according to reports on the meeting) handle the issue with Bernie. Maybe he's ready to admit the problem?

As tensions were escalating between Bernie Sanders and Democratic Party leaders over the chaos caused by his supporters at a Nevada convention, Dick Durbin got an unexpected call from the Vermont senator.
Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, came away from the conversation on Wednesday convinced that Sanders, who has all but lost the presidential nomination battle to Hillary Clinton, understands the need for party unity and will do his part to defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
"We talked about the demonstrations and such," Durbin said Thursday in an interview. "I am convinced, as Bernie has said repeatedly, he is going to be on the team to defeat Donald Trump. I don't have any question in my mind."
...
Sanders has reached out to multiple Senate colleagues in an attempt to assuage them. Among them is Senator Barbara Boxer of California, whose keynote speech at the Nevada state Democratic convention last weekend was disrupted by rowdy Sanders supporters in a situation she described as frightening and out of control.
Boxer said she conveyed her concerns to Sanders in "a really nice talk" with him Tuesday. "I told him how bad it was in Nevada. He said he was distressed about it, and he expressed chagrin about it. I told him 'Bernie, you need to get a hold of it,' and he said he would.''
"He said, 'I can't believe my people would do this,'" said Boxer, who is stepping down from the Senate in January. "He got the point."

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-05-20/sanders-defiant-on-the-stump-quietly-reassures-democrats-on-unity

[kstewart33]

1. Rose, thanks for posting.

Good to know.

Though I am reminded of the futility of scrubbing those stripes off a zebra.

[Rose Siding]

3. He's talking out of both sides of his mouth now, but he

knows Dems hold power over his future. He is, after all, a pol.

I like seeing signs of the shift that is coming.

[still_one]

21. Yes he is talking out of two sides of his mouth, and that concerns me

[Thinkingabout]

2. I really hope this comes in a statement from Sanders and soon. Probably through the advice of his

advisors in his statement but it is time for a Sanders statement without the words of advisors.

[Rose Siding]

4. I bet not for a week or so, but change is coming.

Beyond his fondness of rallies, his CA operation is virtually shuttered.

[stopbush]

5. Now that Sanders realizes that "my people would do this"

he needs to wrap his head around the fact that his people also have no trouble denying facts when it suits their zealotry - like denying there was any violence in NV.

He might want to think who is setting that example for them.

[Rose Siding]

6. He's still setting the example for that, publicly

He's lying to them when he tells them he can win. No question.

Still, it's a relief to me to see he's still interested in talking to colleagues at this point. It shows, I think, that he's not going to get any freakier. I really thought he might.

[stopbush]

10. He may not be pivoting yet toward supporting Hill in the GE

but he's definitely pivoting to mend the bridges he's berned with his colleagues in Congress. At least he realizes that he may have caused damage to his position in the Senate, where he is entirely dependent on Ds to lift him out of the back-bencher status to which he will soon return.

[Rose Siding]

13. If it shows he wants a future, that's good for us.

I have seen that when a negotiator finds out the perp wants to live, you are half way home.

My source for that would have to be Law and Order, I guess.

[Koinos]

11. Sanders has missed the point.

He has missed the point that he himself is inciting the crowd to violence with his inflammatory remarks. He needs to do some self-examination about his role in this debacle. He seems to have little or no self-awareness about the impact of his words on crowds.

[stopbush]

16. He's not at all self aware, you're right.

He imagines that his ideas and words about his policies have an impact on people while not imagining that his inflammatory rhetoric has an impact.

[wryter2000]

7. Good to hear

We all need to be behind the Dem nominee, whoever it is.

[Cha]

8. Oh, I don't believe it.

[misterhighwasted]

15. I'm betting that Sen Boxer & Durbin aren't buying it either. But they

are indeed & politely giving him an ultimatum.
They know Sanders better than anyone.

Sen Boxer & Durbin are the last people Sanders wants to piss off. They hold the keys to his Senate future, cuz right now he's got nothing else.
He blew it, in other words.

The difficulty for boxed-in-a-corner Bernie is ending the addiction of those ego feeding crowds & the lies & slander against Hillary & the Dem Party he has to repeat just to keep the frenzy going.
Quite the viscious circle he's got there.
Good luck with that bern.

Bet he crapped his pants when he heard Sen Boxer's voice on the phone. She made him own the ugly he created.
"wimmin!"

[Surya Gayatri]

30. They're purposely going public with these tête à tête phone calls to rub Bern's nose in his mess.

I'm betting that Sen Boxer & Durbin aren't buying it either. But they are indeed & politely giving him an ultimatum.
They know Sanders better than anyone.

They're putting him on subtle, but very public notice. Either get your "movement" under control, or you are finished in the Senate.

Does he care about his post-primary Senate career?

Or does he want to go out in a blaze of misguided hubris, dragging the whole Dem ESTABLISHMENT down with him?

This is the "berning" question.

[still_one]

22. I don't either Cha.

[misterhighwasted]

9. Not buying it. He's been passive agressive throughout his campaign.

His passivity when speaking with Senate Dems who hold power over his own Senate future conflicts with his aggressiveness, to say whatever he needs to when feeding his ego off the frenzied fans.

His problem lies within his own internal makeup.

[Koinos]

12. Nail, meet head of hammer.

You said it exactly: "His problem lies within his own internal makeup."

[skylucy]

19. You are so right on! If you look up "passive aggressive" in the dictionary there is a

picture of Bernie.

[otohara]

25. For Months "His People" Been Threatening

Supers, online supporters of Hillary and anyone else who dares to say nice things about HRC.

He's lying based on past his past statements about protests.

I hope his colleagues shun him like Ted Cruz after his hateful campaign against Democrats.

[Koinos]

32. Ted and Bernie can have lunch together in the Senate cafeteria.

[Surya Gayatri]

29. "His problem lies within his own internal makeup."

Like I said elsewhere: "He's had 74 years to develop those character flaws. He didn't suddenly become erascible, stubborn and self-righteous over night."

[Koinos]

14. Sanders speaks and behaves one way toward senators and another way toward everyone else.

Why am I reminded of the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Why do his fellow senators trust him? Wishful thinking on their part? Who is the real Bernie? Is there a real Bernie any more?

Every time he promises Reid to behave and take control of his followers, he does something else to raise the anger level and cause violence. Sanders appears to be manipulating his fellow senators, so he can get away with even more.

I will believe the kind and gentle Bernie, when I see and hear him in his public statements. Until then, I remain skeptical.

[johnp3907]

17. Why should we care?

We're Democrats--he's not.

[ismnotwasm]

18. He is a politician

He knows what he has stirred up--he knows how to calm it down to the degree possible at this point, without losing his base by "selling out"

[SaschaHM]

20. I'm ready for Schumer to weigh in on this mess.

Since he's likely to be the Majority/Minority leader in the senate, he has all the cards when it comes to Sanders.

[Koinos]

24. Meant to post my comment as a response to yours.

You are exactly right. Schumer will be the one to watch, if Bernie does not support Hillary and Democrats in the next few months. Let's see: How about Senate Subcommittee Chair on Bathroom Maintenance?

[Koinos]

23. Bernie will be in for it, if he keeps trashing Hillary. Schumer does not like that.

[redstateblues]

26. Bernie can either increase his stature in the Senate or commit political suicide

and finish out his career back in obscurity-I think he will choose the former

[TwilightZone]

36. Exactly.

He can either become an even bigger pariah in Congress and the Democratic Party than he already was or use his newfound fame to help us move forward. Even with all the the political rhetoric he's thrown around, I think he gets on board. It would be stupid not to.

[Koinos]

37. As we all recall, Bernie suggested that Obama be primaried.

I think it's time for karma to knock on his door.

[procon]

27. So it's true, Sanders is a con man and he's been running a scam from the start! nt

[Koinos]

38. There are three logical possibilities here.

1. Bernie is lying to the senators, but telling the truth to his supporters.

2. Bernie is lying to his supporters, but telling the truth to the senators.

3. Bernie is lying to both the senators and his supporters. He has a different set of lies for each group.

It goes without saying that he is lying to himself.

[Her Sister]

28. Talking to Sen. Boxer!? Does this have anything to do with California!?

A little opportunistic?

[riversedge]

31. well, Sanders send out the defiant mealy mounth Response letter,, then latter riles up

his rally crowd telling them it is all the way to the convention. I images Boxer has to be diplomatic but Sander did not get the point or has purposely forgotten it.



.....Boxer said she conveyed her concerns to Sanders in "a really nice talk" with him Tuesday. "I told him how bad it was in Nevada. He said he was distressed about it, and he expressed chagrin about it. I told him 'Bernie, you need to get a hold of it,' and he said he would.''
"He said, 'I can't believe my people would do this,'" said Boxer, who is stepping down from the Senate in January. "He got the point."

[taught_me_patience]

33. Bernie is caught in a catch-22

He knows that if he tones down the rhetoric, his fans will turn on him. He needs to keep ratcheting up the rhetoric to keep his fans, but it's also making it more likely that they will turn on him in the future. There is no way out for him and it's a problem completely of his own making.

[Politicub]

34. He's quite the shapeshifter, Bernie

And such a politician. I have to admit -- it's pretty amazing that he has the gall to call himself an outsider when he's about as insider as they come.

[fleabiscuit]

35. Where are the tax returns? eom

[DemonGoddess]

39. I'm not buying that he's quietly

working towards unity. Not at ALL.