Bernie Sanders Fires Back at Bill Clinton After Tea Party Comparison

[Red Oak]

"I do understand—obviously—he’s trying to do his best to get his wife to win the nomination," Sanders told Bloomberg's With All Due Respect. "But we should not be making silly remarks."

At a rally for Hillary Clinton in Palm Beach on Monday, Bill Clinton never mentioned the Vermont senator by name. But he said the Tea Party succeeded at the ballot box by deciding to "just tell people what they want to hear," before quickly adding that Democrats have also began "rewarding people who tell us things we know they can't do because it pushes our hot button."

Sanders, who won the New Hampshire primary by a large margin and is gaining on Hillary Clinton in early polling of the next contest in Nevada, rejected the comparison between the Tea Party and the rise of his candidacy during an exchange with Mark Halperin, the co-managing editor of Bloomberg Politics.

"Is there a comparison?" Halperin asked.

"No," Sanders shot back. "There’s no comparison."

Halperin followed up: "Just on the question, and we've discussed this with you before this, on the skepticism that you are telling people things that they want to hear."

Sanders' voice intensified. "Yeah, I am telling people what they want to hear! People want jobs. They want health care. They want educational opportunities for their kids. They want to deal with climate change. They want the wealthiest people to pay their fair share of taxes. Yeah, that’s what I’m telling people. And on every one of those issues, that is exactly what the American people want."

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-02-16/bernie-sanders-rejects-bill-clinton-s-tea-party-comparison-as-silly

Ben Brody, Bloomberg News

[kath]

1. Tell it Bernie, tell it!

[dae]

63. Damn right!

Hill, Bill, and Chelsea seem to be imploding together.

[SciDude]

81. A veritable Clinton black hole is forming!

No facts can escape it's intense political gravity!

[platitudipus]

105. Very good SciDude! Pithy

[Plucketeer]

125. I like this analogy!

And welcome to DU!

[jillan]

2. And that is what I love about Bernie. No matter what people throw at him, he does not get

rattled. He does not question himself. He knows what he stands for and knows why so many people believe in him.
He does NOT triangulate.

He is going to do an excellent job in the GE.

[Maedhros]

6. He has courage of conviction, something of which Hillary has no concept,

probably because she has no conviction other than "I want to be President."

[Plucketeer]

126. Not ONLY the courage of conviction...

...but the POWER of TRUTH! If you've got those items, you're gonna prevail.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

138. More like, "I deserve the presidency. Because."

[roguevalley]

15. I am not tea party. what a stupid thing for him to say

[Ferd Berfel]

27. They are desperate and scrapoing the bottom.

He's got nothing.

However, Listening tho this guy could be suicidal

[roguevalley]

31. love that.

Still love your online name. LOL!

[Ferd Berfel]

38. Tx

[Jarqui]

53. +99999999999999999999

[demwing]

68. for those who remember! /nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

100. "Hi!"

[Ferd Berfel]

131. LOL - Damn they have photos of me.....

kidding - not that old.

[demwing]

132. I remember "getting it" as a kid

Last edited Wed Feb 17, 2016, 07:13 PM - Edit history (1)

Berfel was the "trusted neighbor," but all of the Farkel kids looked like Ferd. One of the first adult jokes I understood.

[Ferd Berfel]

133. all of Fred Farkels kids had red hair!

[demwing]

142. Here's some TV Comedy trivia that surprised me

Only 2 years separate the last episode of Laugh In (1973) from the first episode of SNL (1975).

Similar shows, in a way, but in my memory they were from completely different eras.

[Ferd Berfel]

143. I did not know that

[passiveporcupine]

43. Where is the war on drugs and tough on crime?

They need to be on that list.

[Ferd Berfel]

64. tx you'er right

I"ll have it fixed tomorrow

[Bohunk68]

109. Add DOMA and DADT to that list.

[Ferd Berfel]

136. DOne - tx

[Plucketeer]

127. YahButt...

He left us with a Sirplus!

[INdemo]

29. Bernie did not say " I am not Tea Party"

"No," Sanders shot back. "There’s no comparison."

Halperin followed up: "Just on the question, and we've discussed this with you before this, on the skepticism that you are telling people things that they want to hear."

Sanders' voice intensified. "Yeah, I am telling people what they want to hear! People want jobs. They want health care. They want educational opportunities for their kids. They want to deal with climate change. They want the wealthiest people to pay their fair share of taxes. Yeah, that’s what I’m telling people. And on every one of those issues, that is exactly what the American people want."

[passiveporcupine]

45. I think roguevalley was talking about himself

saying he is not tea party.

[dflprincess]

91. And this is why I think Bernie will handle obstruction from Congress

better than Hillary.

He won't take their shit - he'll go to the public and make his case.

Hillary will claim to be finding "common ground" - which won't end well for most of us.

[Volaris]

101. I think your correct.

But understand what that really means-- it means a President Sanders would spend the first 2 years of his first term getting nothing else accomplished except being out on the stump bully-pulpiting his way to a Blue Congress that will actually pass the legislation we all desperately want and need.
I'm ready for that fight, the rest of us had better be as well or we WILL end up with an Obama third term.

[Art_from_Ark]

110. Bernie could actually start with a Blue Congress

or at least a Blue Senate, since there are 24 Republican Senate seats up for grabs this year, and only 10 on the Democratic side.

[Volaris]

121. That would be a great start indeed.

[dflprincess]

144. I do understand that

ready for the fight too.

At Paul Wellstone's memorial we were given green and white buttons (his campaign colors) that said "Stand up! Keep fighting!" I still have that button and I'll be happy to dig it out, wear it, and, most importantly, follow the advice written on it.

[pacalo]

92. Same here, jillian.

[Waiting For Everyman]

3. Thank you, Bernie!

So we see how it is: we see who slams us, and who stands up for us.

[beam me up scottie]

4. Righteous anger!

If you're not pissed you're either entitled or not paying attention.

[SammyWinstonJack]

112. Nailed it!

[VulgarPoet]

5. When Bill Clinton stoops to Rovian Ratfuckery

you KNOW this primary season has become an episode of the Twilight Zone. As soon as this primary is over, I'm switching my affiliation back to Independent; I feel dirty just contemplating the fact that I used to support the Clintons.

[840high]

34. So do I and so will I.

Really regret supporting her ever.

[sarge43]

50. Same here.

Team Clinton doesn't seem to want my vote anyway.

[Carolina]

77. Me too

I can't believe how staunchly I supported him in the 1990s, though I never cared for her. She seemed conniving even in 1992. And her history since has only confirmed my very early misgivings.

[Lorien]

97. Me too. I supported Bill throughout the 90s

but I wasn't very politically aware then. I just trusted anyone with a (D) behind their name to do the right thing. Now after a few decades we find out that all of his "bipartisan" actions really screwed us in the long term. With Hillary's cold and calculating vibe (reminds me a bit of Cheney), I never fully trusted her. She seemed like she had her own agenda, and Bill was just another tool to help her achieve it.

[freebrew]

122. Remember her 'failed' attempt at healthcare reform...

I remember all the talk, the insurance companies getting into the act.

Then it was over. No more talk, no more action.

Free reign for the insurance industry to gouge us yet again, this time with the approval of government.
Premiums skyrocketed. There was no attempt to reign them in, especially from the white house.

In retrospect, Bill Clinton looked good at the time - compared to HW.
His term looked better than W's.

Then the reality of what was done came to fruition.

Was it all just a distraction?

[certainot]

141. it was talk radio /limbaugh, not the insurance cos

the insurance cos, like the corporate politicians today, need a constituency to enable them - that's what talk radio is for.

and that's why obama couldn't get public option- all the screaming on top of 25 years of anti single payer BS from 1200 radio stations.

just like this whole dumb blowup - it's based on a completely idiotic reading of the tea party by bill, the same huge mistake still made by all dems and the left.

trump and cruz are just riding the limbaugh and sons bandwagon. they're telling the teabaggers what's already been pounded into the earholes of 50 mil people every year and the tea party are the one's who believe it.

the tea party isn't about a bunch of people being told what they want to hear to get them to the polls, it's about 1200 radio stations creating an alternate reality using unchallenged certitude to appeal to the frightened authoritarians with coordinated repetition from 400 think tank scripted blowhards.

[werknotgoin2takeit]

89. I am close to that too.

They keep trying to guilt me into voting for her when they give me nothing to vote for. I'm accused of being a recalcitrant child with a ball. They also say how strong she his, how all the polls she is up. Well, if that's truly the case, they don't need my vote anyway. Her incredible base can carry her to victory without my crazy tea party ass.

[frylock]

93. I regret ever wasting a single second of my life defending these people against RW attacks.

Never again.

[RobertEarl]

7. Hillary stood up to those children

She did not tell them what they wanted to hear.

Those kids wanted to hear: "You are safe here"

Instead Hillary showed them: "Send them back"

[TheProgressive]

8. Precisely Mr. Sanders....thank you.

[Doctor_J]

9. I feel like the wheels are coming off of the Clinton campaign

I would not like Bill and Hillary to humiliate themselves at the end of their career.

[Kall]

17. I wouldn't mind

Not after the kind of campaign they've waged this time. Special place in Hell indeed. Har har har.

[840high]

36. You're kinder than I am.

[Cassiopeia]

41. I don't think that's possible.

They're already going down that road and I doubt they stop until they get laughed and booed off of the stage.

[Warren DeMontague]

54. It didn't really have any "wheels" to begin with, that's part of the problem.

I mean, she could have run a substantive, issues-based campaign, but right out the gate it was this meaningless pablum and poll-tested gibberish like "everyday Americans" and "the middle class needs a champion".

I'm beginning to think they simply don't know how to do anything else. I believe both Hillary and Bill are very smart AND well-informed, they are clearly wonkish in understanding of the issues, but the minute they get out in front of the voters they immediately begin talking like the people they're addressing are four years old.

It's insulting.

[Moostache]

85. Its not by oversight or mistake...

They BELIEVE that the electorate needs to be talked down to and treated as if we are all non-prepared and non-understanding children that must save from our own selves...

They are finding out (again) that they are not just wrong, they are completely out of touch with reality.

[musiclawyer]

104. They are world class grifters

But even smart and gifted grifters like the Clintons only know their one pitch. They practiced it over and over and perfected it and had no reason to believe someone would slam the door shut on them again.

[Major Hogwash]

82. Well, she was barking like a dog at one campaign stop yesterday.

Let me know when the needle on your HUMILITY gauge moves.

[Armstead]

98. They should have wuit while they were ahead

Hillary could have just gone from the Sec of S job to a noce career giving speeches, writing books and nice civic stuff. Become an elder and everyone would be finevher.

But she had to ket her ambition get the better of her..

[SammyWinstonJack]

113. On this, being the first woman president, her ego is yuuuuuuge.

[GoneOffShore]

139. And the American people and the Democratic Party will be sacrificed

On the altar of her hubris.

[noiretextatique]

10. the clintons are best advertisements for sanders

[m-lekktor]

21. That's what I keep saying. Keep Bill and Chelsea out there 24/7 running their stupid mouths! nt

[libdem4life]

11. Ba da Boom !

[Bluenorthwest]

12. One day they complain that Bernie can't win while saying taxes would go up because people hate to

hear that. The next he's just saying things people want to hear. They really, really need to pick a line of attack and hold to it. He is either saying things no one will vote for or just saying things people want to hear, it can not be both.

[pangaia]

18. Yes, it can be both.

If you get my drift.

[VulgarPoet]

119. The Third Way requires a conscious expertise in Doublethink and Duckspeak. eom

[myrna minx]

120. Very good point.

[Lordquinton]

140. one day he does nothing for other Dems

The next he's raking in millions from big money interests, none of it makes sense.

[firebrand80]

13. There is a comparison

The share a philosophy of ideological purity and are both quick to dismiss any politician that would compromise with the other side as "traitors" or "sellouts."

[retrowire]

26. Not true.

As a Bernie supporter myself, I praise Bernie on his ability to work with Republicans.

Hillary meanwhile calls them the enemy but hey, what the hell.

[Ferd Berfel]

33. How about those that do the right wing's job for them

[NCjack]

72. Bill was the straw on the donkey's back that made Bernie necessary. Bill should

go away (Patagonia would be good) and reflect on his mistakes. A frank admission would get either Bernie or Hillary on the path to fixing them.

[Ferd Berfel]

87. Bernie is andhas been on the path

Hillary ? She'll have to triangulate on that

[beedle]

39. Compromise is good

... but I think compromise does not mean what you think it means.

Republicans want something but start negotiations at the extreme end of the far right spectrum .. 3rd way Democrats believing in 'compromise' start off where they think the republicans should have started and 'negotiate' rightward from there. Progressives are always ignored and thus have no chance to get any of their agenda forwarded.

[TTUBatfan2008]

44. That is fair...

...but you are talking a very large amount of the public that actually agrees both parties have sold us out for large corporations. This is not a fringe idea. In fact there are many practical people who are very aware of it and choose to accept the status quo due to the very, very slim odds of fixing it.

Teddy Roosevelt once said that corporations should not be allowed to donate money to political campaigns. I don't know why we strayed so far from this over the last 110 years, but it sure would be nice if we could fix it at some point.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Wait. He's just saying things people want to hear? They just finished claiming he says he'd raise

taxes and that no one wants to hear that at all. My lord how they carried on....

[bvf]

16. Hmm. Good observation. Throw anything handy.

It's like saying that large crowds don't mean anything, and shame on him for appearing in front of them when he could have been doing <fill in the blank>.

Never mind that today's talking points contradict yesterday's. Anything to keep Kissinger out of the discussion.

[azmom]

19. Yep. That's what I want.

Bernie knows.

[Duval]

20. Go Bernie Go!

Bill should keep his moth shut. He's not helping Hillary "win hearts and minds".

[Avalux]

22. Bernie!!!! Thank you for speaking the truth. n/t

[Snotcicles]

23. I think it's gallant of Bill. So when she loses the nomination she won't feel it's all her fault. nt

[Helen Borg]

24. Bill Clinton is showing signs of dementia...

[UnBlinkingEye]

99. Dementia

I agree, very sorry for what is to come for him. My father had the same problem 'Lewy Dementia' slow and downward progression.

[retrowire]

25. He's right.

"Sanders' voice intensified. "Yeah, I am telling people what they want to hear! People want jobs. They want health care. They want educational opportunities for their kids. They want to deal with climate change. They want the wealthiest people to pay their fair share of taxes. Yeah, that’s what I’m telling people. And on every one of those issues, that is exactly what the American people want."

I would be standing right behind him, arms folded and nodding my head in agreement.

[sarge43]

52. He stays on message: We the People n/t

[A Simple Game]

62. Same here, and I know he may not accomplish all of those things, and he may not even

accomplish any of those things, but I also know he is the only one running that will at least try for all of those things.

He will at least move the pendulum back to the left where it belongs.

[sorechasm]

116. Leadership requires aiming high, shooting for our vision. Otherwise, we'll always feel defeated.

Aiming low means shooting ourselves in the foot.

[A Simple Game]

118. Nice analogy with the shooting ourselves in the foot. n/t

[Punkingal]

28. You da man, Bernie!

Telling it like it is, as always!

[jwirr]

30. Hey, Billy, what we want is the truth and Bernie is giving

us that.

[cali]

32. You couldn't script that better- which is the entire point:

You can't script authenticity.

[Enthusiast]

49. Precisely.

[H2O Man]

35. Beautiful!

Recommended.

[SoapBox]

37. This just seems to back up the, NO! We Can't, campaign from Camp Weathervane.

That's what the Clintons are now preaching...no, no, no...that is until Hill decides to coop Bernie's stuff.

Go figure all that mess.

(Oh and Slick Wild Willie...shut your fuck'n pie hole...you're a disgrace.)

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

40. When did it become taboo to actually say you'll do things for voters?

Are our politicians supposed to now promise to do nothing if we elect them? What exactly is our incentive to even vote for people who aren't going to do anything for us?

[azurnoir]

42. Classy as always thank you Bernie

[Enthusiast]

46. I love Bernie's response!

Sanders' voice intensified. "Yeah, I am telling people what they want to hear! People want jobs. They want health care. They want educational opportunities for their kids. They want to deal with climate change. They want the wealthiest people to pay their fair share of taxes. Yeah, that’s what I’m telling people. And on every one of those issues, that is exactly what the American people want."

[Autumn]

47. No "we should not be making silly remarks" Speaking of silly remarks have you all seen this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511250589

[Broward]

51. This is a battle for the soul of the Dem Party and the future of our country.

If the Clintons win, most of the rest of us lose.

[Carolina]

79. So true... We, the people, lose

This election is for the soul of our party and our nation

[TIME TO PANIC]

55. Talk about a false equivalency.

Nice try Bill, keep alienating the base.

[nichomachus]

56. Bill's made his hundreds of millions -- he can show his true colors now. What a horse's ass!

We should have just shut up and let them toss him out. Then, Gore would have become president - could have run as an incumbent -- for two more terms -- and we might never have had to deal with Dubya.

Would have gotten the Clintons off our backs too.

[maindawg]

58. Kinda glad it's Hillary

She is the perfect villian. It looks like this is race and the side show is the GOP . It's you and me and Bernie vrs the billionaires. That's all. If you believe that we the people are going to be protected by the rule of law, you haven't been paying attention.

[SheilaT]

57. This is EXACTLY why the Hillary group and their surrogates

who say that the Republicans will throw such crap at Bernie that he'll fold up into a quivering mass of jello, just don't get it. He responds and responds immediately to things like this.

Had Kerry done the same the swift boat thing would never have gained any traction.

[ms liberty]

78. Exactly.There is no one better

At pivoting from the distraction back to the issues than Bernie. I've been watching him for years, and he's a master at it.

[HenryWallace]

59. Brilliant!

Shift to the issues, shift to the issues, shift to the issues!!!

[CharlotteVale]

60. Perfect response to Clinton's shit slinging.

[Dont call me Shirley]

61. Bernie has been Walking his Talk his entire life, Bill.

[Mendocino]

65. Slick Willy

lost all his political capital long ago. I'll leave it at that.

[Jackilope]

66. Tea Party funded by Koch Brothers

Bill Clinton can chew rocks. No one is buying his folksy Bubba crap nor buying genuine enthusiasm for an HONEST candidate that hasn't sold their soul.

Corrupt duo, both of them.

[BeanMusical]

67. Tea Party?

You make me sick, Willy.

[Enthusiast]

115. A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

69. Mark Halperin is a dick. Pardon my Americanese.

[silvershadow]

70. May the Third Way begin to fade away. nt

[billhicks76]

71. Clinton Has Already Soiled Her Chances Of Winning A General

She can barely keep her own party's support. Independents are gone. Only a fool would think she is the right candidate now. Anyone who votes for her is actually going against a win in Nov. She is Ralph Nadar and Walter Mondale.

[Betty Karlson]

107. Indeed: she is Nadar and Mondale rolled into one arrogant, untrustworthy piece of Third Way.

If we have any doubt about the liability she would be for the Democratic Party: remember Debbie's 2014 successes?

[left-of-center2012]

73. Bill was impeached, committed adultry in the Oval Office

We don't need another Clinton Presidency

[mdbl]

83. who cares about all that crap

I am pissed about glass-steagall, NAFTA and everywhere else he triangulated with corporate repugs.

[noiretextatique]

86. Likewise, but it takes a special kind of hubris

To get a blowjob from an intern knowing fully well that the rw was out to get you.

[mdbl]

88. he thought he was invincible - he misunderestimated the Repugs desires for sex scandals

lol

[noiretextatique]

95. yep...he thought he was invincible eom

[99th_Monkey]

74. YUUUGE K&R!!! n/t

[deutsey]

134. +1

[PatrynXX]

75. Bernie Tea Party? sorry Bill, Hillary is using the Tea Party play book

and is literally doing it by the book I'm gonna assume Karl Rove is a close friend

[thereismore]

76. Spectacular takedown! nt

[Geronimoe]

80. One thing you can never accuse the Clintons of doing

staying classy.

[RATM435]

84. Fuck you bill clinton!

[Beartracks]

90. "tell people what they want to hear" .. Uh, the TRUTH?

===============

[pacalo]

94. Way to go, Bernie!!!

[frylock]

96. Was Billy wearing his flannel and jeans, or was he wearing his Palm Beach costume?

[SammyWinstonJack]

114. Ouch!

[Vinca]

117. LOL - the red and black checked shirt is reserved for us New Hampshire hicks.

[dog_lovin_dem]

102. "First they ignore you,

then then laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win". Gandhi
I believe we've entered the fighting stage.

[Red Oak]

103. Yes, I do believe we have.

Next up - We Win!

[Betty Karlson]

106. Thanks, senator Sanders, for standing up against tone-deaf self-absorbed Clintons.

And great respect for the dignified way you did it. You did a much better job than I could have done.

[SixString]

108. DU Rec.

[SammyWinstonJack]

111. Tell 'em Bernie! All politicians tell the voters what they want to hear.

Knowing they can't deliver. Republicans do it all the time.

The Clintons/establishment just don't like what Bernie is telling us, because the cost is too high, FOR THEM!

YES WE CAN!

[NoMoreRepugs]

123. But but but - we don't want reality we want Perception

cuz we are 'Mericans and we are #1

[Loki]

124. Truth is never easy to hear.

n/t

[avaistheone1]

128. Preach it Bernie!

[Myrina]

129. That's some rich irony, coming from Mr. Weathervane ...

[John Poet]

130. I am tired of the Democratic party selling out its progressive principles,

along with its progressives. Sure, they want us to VOTE, but when the election is over, we are cast aside and it's back to center-right triangulation as usual. It needs to stop, here and NOW.

Bernie is the first candidate in a long while who hears what the people are saying,
and is willing to be their voice in a presidential campaign.

[Uncle Joe]

135. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Red Oak.

[Ivan Kaputski]

137. This coming from an oligarchy representative means a lot.