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Hillary Clinton
Related: About this forumBarney Frank~ 3 Reasons Why Things Will Get Harder for Bernie Sanders
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/02/three-reasons-why-things-will-get-harder-for-bernie-sanders-213591February 2016
...
Until recently, Sanders has experienced the great benefit of not being taken seriously. Between the focus on the unexpectedly entertaining Republican race, and the intense scrutiny on Clinton as the overwhelming Democratic favorite, the only aspect of Sanders record to have drawn any attention from outside his own campaign is his ambivalence on gun regulation. What this has meant is that he has been enjoying one of the greatest gifts any politician can ask for: the ability to define himself as he wishes, without any inconvenient rebuttals.
In many ways his candidacy is deeply ironic. A senior United States senator who has held national office far longer than any other candidate in the race25 years in Congress, including influential committee positionshas been the most successful in presenting himself as the quintessential outsider. He presents himself as not only free of responsibility for anything that happened during his tenure, but vigorous in his insistence that nothing that was done while he was there had any value in addressing the problems that he discusses. And his condemnation falls equally on Democrats and Republicans alike. When he leads his audience in the chant that Wall Street regulates Congress, he draws no distinction between Democrats who enacted crucial financial regulations like the Volcker rule, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the regulation of derivatives and the Republicans who fought all three and are now working to undermine them.
Nor does President Barack Obama escape. While he does not explicitly attack the president, nowhere in Sanders campaign rhetoric is there any positive assessment of his record. His listeners do not hear that the Affordable Care Act was a great advance and must be protected as he and others try to go beyond it. They dont hear that getting the top tax rate back up to where it was before Bush lowered it meant a real increase in tax fairness.
Many congressional Democrats, myself included, feel deep resentment at this wholly negative portrayal of our efforts. First, it is a prime example of how inattention has helped Sanders until now. Commentators have made a point of noting the lack of congressional support for Cruz, legitimately drawing negative inferences from the fact that his closest colleagues are essentially rejecting him. But little notice has been taken of the fact that Sanders does scarcely better: Cruz has one House supporter as I write; Sanders has two.
In many ways his candidacy is deeply ironic. A senior United States senator who has held national office far longer than any other candidate in the race25 years in Congress, including influential committee positionshas been the most successful in presenting himself as the quintessential outsider. He presents himself as not only free of responsibility for anything that happened during his tenure, but vigorous in his insistence that nothing that was done while he was there had any value in addressing the problems that he discusses. And his condemnation falls equally on Democrats and Republicans alike. When he leads his audience in the chant that Wall Street regulates Congress, he draws no distinction between Democrats who enacted crucial financial regulations like the Volcker rule, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the regulation of derivatives and the Republicans who fought all three and are now working to undermine them.
Nor does President Barack Obama escape. While he does not explicitly attack the president, nowhere in Sanders campaign rhetoric is there any positive assessment of his record. His listeners do not hear that the Affordable Care Act was a great advance and must be protected as he and others try to go beyond it. They dont hear that getting the top tax rate back up to where it was before Bush lowered it meant a real increase in tax fairness.
Many congressional Democrats, myself included, feel deep resentment at this wholly negative portrayal of our efforts. First, it is a prime example of how inattention has helped Sanders until now. Commentators have made a point of noting the lack of congressional support for Cruz, legitimately drawing negative inferences from the fact that his closest colleagues are essentially rejecting him. But little notice has been taken of the fact that Sanders does scarcely better: Cruz has one House supporter as I write; Sanders has two.
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Barney Frank~ 3 Reasons Why Things Will Get Harder for Bernie Sanders (Original Post)
Her Sister
Apr 2016
OP
Please follow the forum rules and limit linked posts to four paragraphs.
Stand and Fight
Apr 2016
#1
Thanks so much. Just don't want to give anyone an excuse to cause trouble. You're great!
Stand and Fight
Apr 2016
#13
Stand and Fight
(7,480 posts)1. Please follow the forum rules and limit linked posts to four paragraphs.
You can do more than four paragraphs if you have permission from the site or author. Thanks!
Her Sister
(6,444 posts)2. ok will edit now ~ a moment
Stand and Fight
(7,480 posts)13. Thanks so much. Just don't want to give anyone an excuse to cause trouble. You're great!
4now
(1,596 posts)3. This is going to be fun.
spooky3
(34,476 posts)4. thank you - he makes VERY good points.
Her Sister
(6,444 posts)5. He seems to know BS
and he seems to know what he is talking about! This is from February!!! Really recommend reading in full.
FloridaBlues
(4,008 posts)6. Great read and so true, that's why no one from the senate stands with him
creon
(1,183 posts)7. ironic
It is ironic that Sanders is running as an outsider.
Frank shows - quite clearly - that he is not an outsider.
Sanders is a professional politician; and, is a member of the Washington Establishment.
A lot of the comments are quite funny.
They seem to think that dumping buckets of filth on Frank refutes his argument.
Too funny.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)8. What is ironic is that he dreams of flipping super delegates
mcar
(42,372 posts)9. And BS supporters complain that their guy isn't getting media attention!
fleabiscuit
(4,542 posts)10. Pretty much a must read. K&R
Rose Siding
(32,623 posts)11. Whoa! Barney's quick quips are fun but this is great
He had me at
Until recently, Sanders has experienced the great benefit of not being taken seriously.
Lucinda
(31,170 posts)12. Thanks much!
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,192 posts)14. +1000