Bernie Sanders Lays Out His Requirements For Endorsing Hillary Clinton

[Iamaartist]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-endorsement_us_56f45bf0e4b014d3fe22b4a7?ir=Politics§ion=us_politics

Your thoughts

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) insisted he’ll stay in the presidential race, but outlined conditions under which he would endorse Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton “if I can’t make it.”

Sanders, who badly trails Clinton in delegates for the Democratic nomination, said Wednesday that his chief priorities include making sure the party embraces his anti-establishment platform and expands its base.

“If I can’t make it — and we’re going to try as hard as we can until the last vote is cast — we want to completely revitalize the Democratic Party and make it a party of the people rather than one of large campaign contributors,” Sanders said in an interview on the progressive Web show “The Young Turks.”

[bravenak]

1. He wants to change the party that he just joined recently

And we are supposed to just let him control our party even though he "badly trails Clinton in delegates".

[pandr32]

30. Exactly!

He is so full of himself it makes me turn the sound off the TV when it cuts to a segment that has him talking. I've had about enough of him lecturing at every opportunity and dictating how everything needs to happen. Blah-blah blah!

[Tarheel_Dem]

59. Girl, ain't that some sh*t? Both parties are being held hostage by self absorbed narcissists.

[bravenak]

65. This is unreal.

[jmowreader]

2. My thoughts? We can't capitulate to his demands.

From the article:

Sanders also listed policy demands he would make of Clinton, including a single-payer health care system, a $15 an hour minimum wage, tougher regulation of the finance industry, closing corporate tax loopholes and “a vigorous effort to address climate change.”

In short, "if you want my endorsement you have to throw away your platform and embrace mine." The problem is, Bernie's platform will kill the chances of any politician that endorses it.

[Iamaartist]

3. agree

I agree also with you .there shouldn't be any demands.....

[ucrdem]

4. When you get down to it it's the same platform only More! Bettah! Bernie!

So it should be an easy deal. On the other hand his shtick is basically "I'm not Hillary or Barack Obama" and I'm not expecting him to change his spots. It will be nice if he does though.

[charlyvi]

41. In shorter.....

I'm making it impossible for you to get my endorsement.

[jmowreader]

46. Yeah, pretty much

And I think that's really been his intention all along.

When Hillary hits somewhere around 2100 to 2200 delegates (in a combination of pledged and super) Bernie may issue another ultimatum: this is what you have to do to keep me from running as Jill Stein's vice-president. At that time I don't know what we should do. Stein/Sanders is capable of splitting the Democratic vote in enough states to put Trump in the White House - and in any state he was strong in the primaries, he could definitely do it. We can't give in to the demands of terrorists, we can't arrest the son-of-a-bitch and we can't get the Green Party decertified. And more to the point, we CAN'T let Donald Trump within a hundred miles of the Oval Office!

[charlyvi]

49. I think most people know that.

And I honestly don't think enough people will vote Green to give Trump the advantage. He is so toxic to our nation that good sense will prevail. Just as it did when Hill's supporters moved to Obama in '08. Under 30's are notorious for not voting. They are unreliable as Bernie has found out during this primary. Most of all, though, I don't think Bernie would run as ANYONE'S veep. His ego would not stand being second to Stein. He's an Independent for a reason. He would have to support her agenda, not his own. And I honestly think his agenda is more in line with Hillary than the Greens. I read the Green party platform. Fantasyland. A nice fantasy, but a fantasy nonetheless. I think Bernie is a bit more practical than that. My guess is he'll go home to Vermont where he is the king of his kingdom so to speak. I don't think he'll endorse Hillary; that might make his Senate career a bit bumpy, but it would leave him with his political purity, which is his stock in trade.

[MANative]

5. It's always been my understanding that the Party determines the platform,...

guided by the nominee's policy positions. And since when does the loser of a contest get to dictate its terms? I've liked and respected Bernie for a long time, but some of his recent antics have diminished him in my view.

[George II]

16. The other candidates who have run have a little to say about the platform, but generally....

....they've already been involved in the Party. I wouldn't be surprised if O'Malley has more to say about the platform than Sanders. He's been an accomplished Democrat for a lot longer than Sanders has.

[6chars]

6. Just talk. He'll come around.

Hillary will give him a way to do it that displays inclusiveness.

[George II]

17. I hope not - I don't want him meddling with OUR Party any longer.

[MarianJack]

7. Just like...

...when Willard advised President Obama to adopt HIS policies after getting his ass kicked 4 years ago!

PEACE!

[misterhighwasted]

8. Oh my, now he's threatening with blackmail???

WTF is he even about anymore? Any message he once had is now morphed into blackmail for his endorsement & threats of lawsuits that never go anywhere once the grandstanding is over.
With the FEC riding his tail, & expecting some answers, it appears sanders whole campaign has lost what moral compass it may have began with.

Unbelievably FUBAR
Seriously, He's publicly blackmailing HRC for his endorsement?
What would his endorsement actually mean, that his fans will suddenly support Hillary & vote for her because bernie said so?

Ahem..ya like when he also asked them to stop being a*holes on social media..
Hillary can tell bernie to kiss it because his grandstanding Blackmail ploy is like the last gasp of a dying campaign.

Maybe he thought it made him sound really tough or something

[Iamaartist]

10. Bye Bernie

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[misterhighwasted]

11. Lol.. Now there's "A future we can believe in" eh bern?

[Iamaartist]

12. lol!!

[livetohike]

18. Love it!

[musicman65]

29. Love it

True story

[displacedtexan]

35. Blackmail is surely how he's leveraged his senate votes with Dems.

Dems have needed his votes up until now. With the senate poised to turn back to blue, hopefully Bernie won't be able to demand committee chairs and other "perks" for his votes. It's a political party, not ransom negotiators.

[Thinkingabout]

9. He can demand but it does not cause Congress to pass his demands

And he can call for the protests, time will tell if that works.

[Iamaartist]

13. True

[Her Sister]

14. Seems there is a HUGE positive correlation

between candidate and supporters!

[George II]

15. And I'm sure Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer are now laying out THEIR requirements to allow him....

...back into the Democratic caucus.

It takes chutzpah to be making demands on our eventual nominee.

This is just another display of his arrogance that he's had since he got into congress.

[72DejaVu]

19. By George, you've got it

If we take back the Senate, they can tell Bernie to just sit down and shut up. If he wants to vote with his new GOP allies, fine, let him reveal his true colors.

[CajunBlazer]

25. This^^^^

I'm tired of Bernie - his most enthusiastic supporters are not and will never be Democrats. Regardless if he comes around to supporting Hillary, if he remains an independent he should be marginalized in the Senate. Let's see if he like caucusing with himself.

[pandr32]

31. Boom! That works!

[LiberalFighter]

36. Yep! The Democratic Caucus

will also be deciding what committee and position they will assign him. Not any top choice positions. That's for sure.

[Rose Siding]

20. He never did understand how this whole things works

Not govt, campaign spending, and now losing.

[Thinkingabout]

21. Maybe we could defund the F-35 program and do something else with the money.

[misterhighwasted]

39. Imagine all the free stuff one could offer without funding bernie's beloved F-35 instead

Of course the Wall St MIC investors, much like the Wall St NRA, might have a problem with that, but..oh well.

Bernie. Voting for weapons & bombers & feeding the killing machines & those big oligarch investors around the world.
And the only means to pay for his free stuff is to tax the max out of thise who already pay too much.

What if I personally do not want my tax $$ increased just because bernie owes his weapons pals more favors than he owes the tax payers.

He's a liar and a con.
We are being fed another trickle down heap of b.s. A useless policy plan, that burdens the tax payer while his Wall St pals, the builders of killing machines, remain untouched.
His promises are looking more like political slight of hand.

One begins to wonder just who he's campaigning on behalf of. Its not sounding like its the tax payer.
Many voters have heard nothing else from bernie to make them believe otherwise.

[Thinkingabout]

40. His base with the OWS, ergo the constant ranting about Wall Street, nevermind he has been

fund raising with the firms from Wall Street, his connection to Lockheed Martin, Ben and Jerry's and other shows he is tied to the corporations, meetings with lobbyists of corporations, NRA, the list goes on. But Hillary represented Wall Street and any connection she has is wrong but Bernie has been there also. Just be honest about the connections.

[misterhighwasted]

44. As I've stated before, His is a campaign of slander, lies, theft & deception.

Straight outta the Koch's John Bircher/Libertarian playbook. And Yes, they are both one & the same, under the funding of the biggest oligarchs in town. The Koch Bros.
I have seen nothing but this pattern of behavior since his campaign began.
Who's bernie really campaigning on behalf of?
Its become obvious and we now know why.

[Thinkingabout]

48. Yep, all in the bed together, if one gets bed bugs then they all have bed bugs.

[misterhighwasted]

52. we always knew Hillary would be on her own against the guards of the glass ceiling

Bless her heart. She is the brightest, strongest, most determined person I have ever known.
And why we proudly stand with her, in it to the Oval Office.
That is the only path to busting the gridlock in DC..it begins & ends with Sec Hillary Clinton, once & for all.

[Thinkingabout]

53. And they are afraid the strong woman will make the right decisions.

[misterhighwasted]

58. And she will. And she'll demand & expect compromise.

Something that's apparently quite difficult for the good old boys club.
If this nation ever needed a mom to step in & demand the boys clean up their filthy room, it is now.
Boys, that's the problem.

[fleabiscuit]

22. Two weeks after he drops out it's going to be "Bernie Who?"

The American public doesn't have time or patience for this crap.

BTW, anyone else think that the turks are a leftie FOX? I can't stand the innuendo and eye-winks that they call "reporting."

[Satch59]

23. We already have one bully in this race...

This will not wear well on Bernie...he already has stoked anger in his supporters...now he wants bully demands? Doesn't jive with being a democrat in my book.

[MSMITH33156]

24. On principle

he can go stuff it. The loser doesn't dictate the party platform, the winner does.

But, what he is actually demanded is basically what she has advocated for as well. Notice he didn't come in with his free college stuff. The single payer thing is a little fuzzy, because Hillary wants to do something realistic, like expand and strengthen Obamacare. But most of his demand list is just things that she would want anyway.

And I think he listed those intentionally so that he could exit and say, "see, I lost but we wouldn't be talking about all these things if it wasn't for me."

I have noticed this out of him, where he adopts her long-held positions, pretends he invented them, and then accuses her of copying him. I assume this will be more of that.

[misterhighwasted]

43. Spot on..I have seen the same plageristic tendencies from him

He has moved along from State to State honing his non-message to parallel Sec Clintons.

From stolen data to grow his voter & funding base, to stealing her quotes..
Sec Clinton 12/08/215 in response to Donald Trumps assailing of all Muslims:



Bernie has moved through his campaign, not so much defining himself , but rather by simply riding the long comfy coattails of Hillary Clinton's long and remarkably successful career. Taking what she has earned and selling it as his own.
He has given N O T H I N G back to the Dem Party.
Grifting as he goes. Typical mantra of the Koch's, John Bircher/Libertarian owned TeaParty.

He would be a disaster as a leader if the great USA.
And foreign policy? He has none. Why is he in this 2016 campaign anyway..or rather, WHO is he in it for.
Its not the American taxpayers. Nor to make decisions on critical foreign policy.
He wants to gut the Affordable Care Act & start over.
So we're back to nothing until he can spend the next 4+ years asking the same obstructionist Congress to give him something else. Well I call bull crap on all these issues.
Mr revolution becomes all talk with no real sound policy plan.
Who is Bernie really in this race, on behalf of.
Well its certainly not the Dem Party nor the American taxpayer.

Thanks for the protected space to rant.

[Iamaartist]

50. Dems

: I read some where he donated to Dem party about 1000,not sure that even happen.???

[misterhighwasted]

56. I've only heard Z E R O. But he sure has helped himself to plenty.

As bernie himself said, " Media & Money".
How ever he had to acquire those gifts.
This is who he really is.
Why on earth would anyone want a person like that leading our great nation.

[Thinkingabout]

70. Probably not speaking gigs.

[Iamaartist]

51. Just how I feel.....

[EndElectoral]

26. After reading the article and his demands he doesn't have to worry about ever endorsing HRC.

[still_one]

27. we'll see. However, the issues he is talking about won't go anywhere without Congress, so perhaps

if he doesn't win the nomination, and he goes back to the Senate, he should be introducing his pet projects through Congress, since that is where it would need to occur.

[jmowreader]

45. I know he's already attempted to introduce single payer. It went nowhere.

Like it or not, an enhanced Obamacare that fixes the problems inherent in the current law (such as the income gap between being required to buy health insurance and being able to afford to use it) is about as good as we're going to get. Is it perfect? No, a National Health Service-style healthcare system, where the system belonged to the government and its employees were civil service workers, would be much better - but it's also completely incapable of being implemented.

[still_one]

64. as long as the house is made up the way it is for sure

[fleabiscuit]

66. I wonder if any candidate has the guts to tell the American electorate the real truth.

If they really wanted to cut health care costs by a $trillion and more per year, and save millions of more lives doing it they should advocate and facilitate changing our diets to a vegan one.

I can only imagine the heads exploding.

[musicman65]

28. He can demand all he wants

However Hillary is in command & will preside over what she thinks best.

[creon]

32. He is trying to negotiate

His demands mean next to nothing.
His demands consist of laws that need to be passed by both Houses of Congress.
Clinton can promise him the sun, moon and stars. It is Congress that will deliver on those promises, not Clinton.

He knows all that.

He may be trying to set out a maximum position vis a vis Clinton; and/or, playing to his audience.

We shall see how this plays out; Clinton may come to the Convention with the delegates she needs.
If that happens, Sanders has no negotiating position.

It is very unlikely that the Democrats will get control of the HoR. Result: gridlock.

[Gothmog]

33. For this thread

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

63. +1000

[bellicosecello]

69. Beautiful graphic!

I can't express how disappointed I am in Sen. Sanders. He has in Hillary a true example of how to work for the Democratic party. I do hope his supporters take note of his selfishness. His My Way or Highway attitude is horrible for the Democratic party and it seems that I was wrong about Sen. Sanders being an honorable man.

[Iamaartist]

34. Cartoon

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[Walk away]

37. It does't matter what he wants. It's important that he is starting to wrap up his campaign.

He has to make like a big man for his faithful followers.

Even though we may hate it, Hillary is going to be nice and help him save face. That's politics.

[LiberalFighter]

38. Other than the Senate Democratic Caucus

he has not been part of the Democratic Party. And he is making demands of Hillary for his endorsement?

He isn't even close in votes or delegates to make those demands.

[Iamaartist]

42. If this was the case, this is the right way to do things not demands !!!!

When you lose you congratulate your opponent and endorse, her then maybe work on a platform together, as partners not demands before......

[misterhighwasted]

47. but but The Revoluushon! what'll he tell the kids?

Appears Sec Clinton, in all her grace & diplomacy having dealt with bigger, badass revolutionaries than bernie sanders, will hand his ego a token to save face & move on.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

54. There is no chance they dont come to an agreement and he doesn't support her, none.

Bernie's job is to make her give in just enough so he can credibly do so and she will

[Iliyah]

60. Or start his own independent run

[Her Sister]

62. Ok!

see what you mean!

[SFnomad]

55. #BernedOut

Sanders also listed policy demands he would make of Clinton, including a single-payer health care system, ...

[misterhighwasted]

57. Yup. flame to a flicker & a mere puff of smoke.

Poof

[Her Sister]

61. IMPRESSED!!!

NOT!!!

[Politicub]

67. Is suing those you steal from one of his demands?

Cause that's what he just did.

Got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and sued the one who caught him at it.

[misterhighwasted]

68. Deflecting blame. that's all its about. His entire campaign has been run like a TeaParty takeover

And the Big Money Kochs couldn't be prouder. It worked with the GOP & why not try it with the Dems.

Except Hillary is no lightweight with this stuff. She's known them all for 25+ yrs.
Good luck guys.
Ask Gowdy how his grand maneuver worked out.