Bernie just told Wolf Blitzer that he is an Independent and will be an Independent for the remainder

[politicaljunkie41910]

of this Senate term.

Bernie was on Wolf's show on CNN a little while ago, and they discussed many things including his lack of endorsement of Hillary. During one particular discussion, Wolf asked him whether he was a Democrat. Bernie ho hummed before saying that he ran for President as a Democratic. Wolf said that he didn't answer his question. They changed the subject. They came back from a commercial break and talked some more about other topics. At the end of their conversation, Wolf again asked Bernie if he was a Democrat. Seemingly caught off guard for a second time, he ho hummed again. Wolf then asked him what will be reflected on his Senate door, a D or and I. Bernie then said that I ran for Senate as an Independent. I will be an Independent for the remainder of this term. Wolf then said Thank you and that was the end of their discussion.

[MariaThinks]

1. it's very disgusting to hear bs talk like that.

[AgingAmerican]

129. Why?

He has caucused with the Democrats for decades. The party has shifted to the right over the last 8 years. Can't say I really blame him.

[Maru Kitteh]

134. Oh. Okay. Well what was his excuse decades ago?

And if he's too good to be a Democrat, and been too good to be a Democrat for decades, the why oh why did he pretend to be one now?

[AgingAmerican]

135. Did he leave the Democratic party decades ago?

First I've heard of that...


Do you believe it should be illegal to be an independent? Or a Democratic socialist?

Martin Luther King was a Democratic Socialist. Was he wrong to be so?

[Maru Kitteh]

159. Was he a Democrat years ago?

First I've heard of that

After saying Sanders caucused with Dems for decades, your post excused Sanders' by taking a clear swipe at President Obama, stating that the party has "shifted to the right over the last 8 years." You gave this as the reason why you "couldn't blame" Sanders for his current behavior as outlined in the OP and Sanders' interview on CNN where he refused to answer when asked if he was a Democrat and then clearly stated that he plans to remain an Independent.

If it is fair for you to blame President Obama for Sen. Sanders declaring that he is going back to being an Independent, it's certainly reasonable to ask what reason Sanders could have had in the decades prior as well.

[AgingAmerican]

160. Yes it has shifted right

Sequestration, and other right wing deals. I also believe Hillary would have stood up to them where Obama didn't had she won in 08.

[Maru Kitteh]

161. Well thank you at least, for that. Have a pleasant evening. nt

[deathrind]

2. Good for him!

[lunamagica]

8. Yeah, good for him that he used the Democratic Party whenit suited him and now that he

doesn't think he needs them he tosses them aside.

What an upstanding, honest full-of integrity guy!

[MH1]

38. He votes with Dems on most issues.

Frankly I'm very happy having his vote in the Senate, whether he calls himself a D or an I.

If he had won the Dem nomination for President, he would have had a D next to his name as President.

I don't think he's tossing anyone aside, and anyway, why should we care? We just want his supporters to vote for Clinton in November. And we want that not because of some personal, romantic love for Hillary (most of us anyway), but because Donald Trump would be an unmitigated disaster for this country.

[LiberalFighter]

42. So have some Republicans. That don't make them Democrats.

[OriginalGeek]

47. i bet you can't name one single repub who votes with dems on most issues

Bernie is indy because dems weren't liberal enough and even though I am a registered dem I can understand that. I wish the dems were lefter than they are.

[Sheepshank]

62. any socialist would vote more often with Dems than Reps

doesn't make them a Dem.

It was clear from day one that Bernie couldn't figure out how to rally a party of his own, and chose to hijack the DNC for his own personal reasons. He complained about the process from day one, stole important data, complained that everything was rigged, enrage his constituency constantly and needlessly with innuendoes and misinformation, historically has railed against the Dem Party, but as would history have it, he had no qualms using them for his own selfish desires. Laying sideways in the public trough his entire adult life and hasn't changed that tactic into his mature years.

[OriginalGeek]

67. I knew he was an independent before he ran as a dem

I don't think he ever tried to fool anyone into thinking different. He was the leftest candidate I could find and I wish more Dems were like him. (And I vote for the ones I can who are.)

[OriginalGeek]

71. liberal and left is more important to me than D.

he was always both of those and always will be.

[Sheepshank]

74. and the 10% or less far left speaks for the entire nation?

seems a tad selfish to me.

[OriginalGeek]

75. obviously they do not

but a fella can dream can't he?

[AgingAmerican]

148. There is no 'far left' in the Democratic party

You are saying that the nation is 90% right wing? No, it isn't.

[nolawarlock]

122. And the truth matters more to me than either. nt

[DLCWIdem]

132. Bernie supporters make up your mind

We have been castigated for saying Bernie isn' t a Democrat. He says he is an Indy, you supporters say, " good." Where was this attitude when you were castigating us.

[OriginalGeek]

139. find one single post where I ever castigated you,

or anyone else, for saying Bernie isn't a Democrat.

I have agreed with a few posts I've seen that say he is more Dem than some actual Dems.

If a guy is always on your side and always votes with you and champions causes for you, why all of the sudden is he a bad guy?

[DLCWIdem]

141. first of all, not you particularly

That is why the post was pluralized. And I haven't myself ever posted that Bernie was not a Democrat. However, I have seen many posts hidden and castigated for posting that Bernie wasn't a Democrat. Don't believe me there is another thread dealing with Wolf Blitzer which says exactly that. That thread, however, questions the premise of him not being a democrat.

[OriginalGeek]

145. OK well

you'll have to take that up with them.

And Bernie gets his fair share of castigation around here too. I reckon it's bc of the I instead of a D no matter how many D ideals he supports.

Although before the primary season and before he decided to run, most everybody loved ol' Indy Bernie.

[yodermon]

66. What a really fucked-up talking point that is, and very depressing that it's become so popular on DU

When he announced as a Democrat he was UNIVERSALLY PRAISED here for doing so, because, having been and Indy all his life, it was quite possible that he could have run as one.

Imagine the howls of rage had he run as an indy. Especially in hindsight, seeing how much support he got.

Now, we get howls of rage because he ran as a Dem.

Do you **really** wish he had run as an independent in the General? RILLY?

No good deed goes fucking unpunished.

Enjoy your outrage.

[floriduck]

78. This choir will not get it but thanks for trying.

[yodermon]

104. Well the broccolization of DU is complete.

It's OK, I still like this place and have been lurking for too long to just give it up.

[840high]

114. .+1

[LuvLoogie]

97. He would not have gotten access to the DNC voter database,

and he would not have gotten access to the Democratic debates. So it is accurate to say, just as Bernie indicated, that he did it for the exposure and the money. He was a Democrat in name only. And his only legislative impact comes in inclusion of the Democratic collective. He is an autocrat at heart.

[DLCWIdem]

133. not to mention getting Hillary Pac money in 2006. I think we know who benefits most between

The DNC and Sanders

[Doremus]

76. Dems have used him when it suits them too

He's caucused with Dems all along and probably has a better Democratic voting record than some Dems.

[buddysmellgood]

87. You're right. Maybe I don't belong here anymore.

I've always voted for Democrats and this is the Democratic Underground. But if true progressive ideas are going to be buried, shamed and booed, maybe I should look somewhere else. I had hoped that Bernie would bring Independents to the party and a conversation and debate would be held at the Convention.
It's looking more and more like that is not going to happen.

[deathrind]

108. ...

"He has always caucused with the Democrats,"


"Sanders was also endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Democratic National Committee chairman and former Vermont governor Howard Dean. Dean said in May 2005 that he considered Sanders an ally who "votes with the Democrats 98% of the time".[111] Then-Senator Barack Obama also campaigned for Sanders in Vermont in March 2006.[112] Sanders entered into an agreement with the Democratic Party, much as he had as a congressman, to be listed in their primary but to decline the nomination should he win, which he did.[113][114]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

[lunamagica]

111. But now all he does is bash Democrats

[bonemachine]

126. I believe the phrase you were looking for is

Constructive criticism

[lostnfound]

127. He bashes Dino-ism.. He is a DEFTN

Dem except for the name

[kstewart33]

121. So an independent is making demands about the Democratic Party platform.

If he's an independent, fine. But he has no right to make any demands about the platform of a party of which he is not a member.

Bernie could mosey over to the Republican party and issue his list of demands there. Makes about as much sense.

I expect that my post could be banned, but now that Bernie is no longer a Democrat, I don't think the post violates policy.

[AgingAmerican]

150. No, he is on the committee

And chose about 40% of the platform committee's members. He was selected to make whatever decisions regarding the platform he see's fit.

[Orsino]

142. And all we got were these lousy new demographics of progressives and youth...

...and a platform leaning in the progressive direction. What a rip-off.

[Dawgs]

23. +1.

[geek tragedy]

3. meh, he ran for the Senate as an I so might as well leave it as an I on his Senate door nt

[LongtimeAZDem]

4. He has already filed as an Independent for 2018 (nt)

[msanthrope]

52. Wherein I will support the Democratic challenger. nt

[Orsino]

143. Yes, a few will not rest until they have their revenge. n/t

[SharonClark]

154. How silly. They will vote for the candidate they like better, it just won't be Sanders.

[w4rma]

155. Yes. They'll support a Republican declaring themselves as a Democrat. And they'll lose. (nt)

[msanthrope]

158. It's not about revenge....it's about a pragmatic choice of who will support

HRC and the Democratic Party. I'm willing to change my mind if BS works on downballot Dems, but I see no evidence of that.

[Eric J in MN]

105. Link? NT

NT

[LongtimeAZDem]

113. His most recent amended filing

Dated 10/14/15

[Eric J in MN]

118. Maybe he filled out the form to reflect

...how he's currently serving in the Senate.

I predict that in 2018, VT Democrats will nominate him, and he'll accept, and then he'll serve as (D-VT) instead if (I-VT).

[LongtimeAZDem]

120. Perhaps; but that is speculation. The document is the official position, filed 6 months after

his Statement of Candidacy for president.

[casperthegm]

5. Good for Bernie

What's funny is that he is more of a Democrat than many so called Democrats. Kind of ironic, isn't it?

[stopbush]

14. Kinda self-serving baloney, isn't it?

[casperthegm]

22. Nope

Guess we'll have to agree to disagree regarding the state of the Democratic party. I know dissension is frowned upon here by the overlords, so I'll just leave it at that.

[stopbush]

60. I've been a D since 1972, and I have to say that I have never been as pleased

with being a D as I have been during the Obama administration.

The revolution was well under way before Sanders usurped the idea of revolution for his own political purposes. But the truth be told, the D Party is NOT in need of any major or even medium overhaul. The country was responding to the Obama revolution long before Sanders decided to position himself as the one and ONLY person who cared about middle-class issues and social justice.

We were fine before Sanders came along and attempted to hijack the D bandwagon, and we'll be even better once Hillary is elected president. The D party always has been and always will be bigger than any single person.

Sanders will return to the Senate as an Indy (so he revealed today on CNN) where his ideas will once again be totally subservient to the ways and whims of the Dems in the Senate. He needs to learn to work with Ds going forward or risk being marginalized.

[LongtimeAZDem]

29. +1 (nt)

[840high]

115. It is. They

just don't understand on DU.

[brush]

6. Well I'll be damned. Is he thinking straight? He basically admitted he used the party . . .

and now has no further use for it since he didn't win the nomination. What a mensch .

Who is advising him? Maybe no one. Do him and Trump have that in common?

[frazzled]

7. And just like that, the truth is laid bare

He never was a Democrat, he won't ever run for Senate as a Democrat in Vermont, and yet he has the chutzpah to be telling the Democrats what's wrong with them all the time. That's why he was booed today by House Democrats.

[arcane1]

10. What's wrong with having political opinions? One has to be a member of a party to speak their mind?

So much for free speech.

The truth is laid bare all right: progressive ideals are not welcome.

[frazzled]

15. Nothing wrong with having opinions

He can have them whenever he wants. But using the Democratic Party's political apparatus and platform to run his campaign from ... and then calling it rigged every time he loses, and pretending he should have great influence over a party to which he avowedly doesn't belong ... that's not okay.

He has every right to express his opinion as an Independent, but his entire insincere infiltration into the Democratic Party has had no moral or ethical standing. Goodbye.

[arcane1]

18. "goodbye" LOL

That was easy

[Sheepshank]

65. who is "they" on this board?

and why does this post seem rude and divisive toward DU members?

[bluedye33139]

16. Closed system

A party's nominees and its platform should be chosen by party members, not just by someone walking by on the street.

[arcane1]

19. someone walking by on the street who came in 2nd place, you mean.

Nice try.

Not really.

You need to get over Bernie.

[bluedye33139]

41. Someone who is not a Democrat

He's already declared that he isn't a Democrat and is going to continue to be Sanders I-VT, so, yes, just walking by. Already gone. And lost, lost dismally. These things are public recorded facts.

[arcane1]

49. "Party Over Principles" is a morally bankrupt philosophy n/t

[bluedye33139]

63. If only

Yes, if my entire political philosophy consisted of "I'm going to support whatever someone from this party does, regardless of its consequences or my own beliefs," you would have a point. But -- not surprisingly -- I actually have views that align with the Democratic party, and therefore I work with my fellow Democrats to get things done.

[Sheepshank]

68. judgemental much?

there are reasons to react to, and fight the Republican machine with a pack or unified group mentality. And that has nothing to do with a "bankrupt philosophy".

[David__77]

59. That's not how the Democratic Party has it set up.

In California, my home state, unaffiliated voters are welcome to vote in the Democratic presidential primary. On the other hand, only registered Republicans may vote in the Republican presidential primary here.

Further, not every state registers voters by party. I personally do not think it is a great practice.

[stopbush]

21. Free speech?

The Constitution guarantees that the GOVERNMENT shall put no restrictions on free speech.

Political parties are not the government. Members of a political party may work in the government, but their opinions may be as freely expressed as the next person.

Sanders is free to express his beliefs and party member are free to boo him if they disagree with his beliefs. There are consequences to expressing opinions that do not align with those of a political party, just as there are consequences to expressing an opinion in the workplace.

Ths is not a free speech situation and the argument you're making isn't appropriate to the situation.

[Lord Magus]

35. Since when are progressive ideals defined by agreement with Bernie Sanders? -nt-

[arcane1]

51. They're not n/t

[Hortensis]

82. +1.

They are not, of course.

[Squinch]

131. Oh, the drama.

[yodermon]

69. oh fetch the FUCKING smelling salts. He's been an indy his whole career.

"oh the truth is laid bare! Bernie is and indy, Water is Wet, and *gasp* flows downhill"

gmafb.

[Hortensis]

83. Right. He's always held Democrats in

a rather bizarre degree of contempt, not even suspending his attacks when he registered as a Democrat in order to run as one for president. So, no, this Democrat will not be surprised at all IF this turns out to be true.

But I do consider that, IF he abandoned his duty and his debt to the party now, it would be both dishonorable and further proof of a lifelong pattern of too-rigid, too-narrow beliefs for true competence. If he did not agree he had run up a debt or assumed a duty, however, that would not be surprising either.

[frazzled]

94. "I am a Democrat now"

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/11/08/bernie-sanders-i-am-a-democrat-now/

Also:

“Well, he is a Democrat. He’s said he’s a Democrat, and he’s gonna be [supporting] the Democratic nominee, whoever that is,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told Bloomberg Politics’ “With All Due Respect.”
“But he’s a member of the Democratic Party now for life?” Halperin pressed.
“Yes, he is,” Weaver said. “Yes, he is.”


http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-dem-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/04/bernie-sanders-democrat-independent-222228#ixzz4Df0eq3Jj

So, he lied. He said he was a Democrat, and now months later he's saying, no, he's an Independent. Not very trustworthy.

[LuvLoogie]

100. Real Democrats were right to be skeptical of his "conversion."

Now Bernie can continue to tell the world about what's wrong with the world, because he's an Independent with Principles--except for when he's not.

[John Poet]

163. Bernie Sanders 'not trustworthy' ? HA.

That's pretty funny!


I bet he has an email server in his basement, too...

[chillfactor]

9. like so many on DU have already said...

Bernie is not a Democrat....Bernie confirmed that today.

[Vinca]

12. It's a shame he didn't run as an Independent.

[Blue_Adept]

11. I don't care that he's an Independent

But I really dislike the way he waffles on it because he knows it's problematic in the here and now.

For someone who has built a reputation on being straightforward, it's definitely damaging to act like this.

[Hortensis]

84. Well said.

[silvershadow]

13. People support policies and platforms more than personalities (well, at least they should,

and most do). The sooner we realize this and quit whining, the sooner we can woo the undecideds, independents, and erstwhile non-voters. That is our job in a general election. We aren't in a primary now. Will the sour grapes EVER stop?

[Adrahil]

37. Sour grapes? It seems to me, Bernie could end any discord.

He could graciously acknowledge the victor and re-state his pledge to defeat Trump. Party politics matter in our electoral system.

[silvershadow]

44. Party politics only matter to die-hard partisans. Apparently that lesson was lost to history?

[MineralMan]

17. Bernie may make history as being the only Independent

ever allowed to run for President as a Democrat by the Democratic Party. I find that sad, really.

[teamster633]

25. When you make a mistake, as we all invariably do...

...the best you can hope for is that you learn something from it. I can only hope our party has learned something from this unfortunate and undue extension of trust to someone who had demonstrated for many years and in many ways, that he was not worthy of it.

[MineralMan]

26. Politics, like it or not, is a team sport.

It's not an individual sport.

[teamster633]

33. Exactly.

Regardless of how "enlightened" that individual happens to be.

[Hortensis]

91. Oh, I feel sure we are the better for Sanders'

candidacy. Nothing's free, no other candidate energized America's latent desire for progressive solutions the way he was able to, and we get to have the whole Bernie, not just the part that suits us.

I've always suspected he is defined even more by his limitations than his abilities; but as far as this election goes, imo the good he has done us far outweighs the bad, including his ultimately so obligingly losing to a much more competent and temperamentally suited candidate.



My guess is Bernie still doesn't realize that the only "how" needed was to show her that a strong majority of Democrats wanted it. Thank you for that service, Bernie.

[Dustlawyer]

20. I assume the people objecting to his staying Independant as a Senator would have preferred that he

run a third Party campaign instead? While he wants REAL change, he doesn't want to split the Democratic Party to do it. Hillary will be just fine thank you. He is not slinging arrows at her and is definitely attacking Trump.

Expecting him to endorse a candidate that has raised a crap ton of money from corporations, one of his biggest issues, would be hypocritical. He has demonstrated that he prefers Hillary to Trump, as do I.

Thanks for representing me Bernie!

[NorthCarolina]

140. ^^^THIS^^^

The issue is that the Corporatocracy, like the monarchy, insists that you kneel before their authority.

[Orsino]

144. I've always wondered how Sanders would handle...

...the party requirements for fundraising calls. That part of the job is unseemly and inevitably corrupting.

[George Eliot]

24. "I ran as Independent..." So he's an independent.

His constituents voted for an Independent. I don't think he really cares what Clinton voters think. And why should he? He's not the candidate. He has a much bigger constituency now than when he started. I'll vote Clinton but I won't desert Bernie whose values and priorities are mine.

Let go of the anger, bitterness and control and help your candidate win. It's not his job to win it for you or her. He's already honestly said Hillary over Trump any day of the week. He says what he means.

[George Eliot]

30. Sick? Stop the emotion. Let it go. Stop talking Bernie.

That's all it takes. Talk Clinton. Talk Trump. It's over for Bernie. Ignore him. Those of us supporting him know it's now about a movement. We are still with him. No more Bernie posts on DU 2016 election. I'd be happy. Once convention is over, he's just a senator representing a state that loves him.

[Lord Magus]

31. He says what he means, except when he doesn't.

Obviously he didn't mean it during the campaign when he said he had genuinely become a Democrat.

[George Eliot]

45. Became dem to run. Labels important I guess...

I've never voted labels but I guess they matter. That's the one thing I didn't realize about voters until I came to this blog: the importance of labels. I've been democrat in most elections but since I'm from open primary state, I've voted for the person over the label. I'm learning how much loyalty to a party determines a voter's choice. You see, for me that's a little scary. No matter how far parties move right, we will always pick one of the two candidates. Does that matter to you?

Yes, I want the Democratic Party to move left again because they are a major party. Bernie tried to do it. But now he's blamed because his principles may not be aligned with that party as it moves into election cycle. He is still trying to move it left. Are you against that?

[SummerSnow]

28. Not surprising he said this.

[giftedgirl77]

32. Anybody that thinks BS ran as a Democrat for any other

reason than convenience they need to pay more attention.

[MaggieD]

34. I hope we can finally stop hearing the "Bernie is a Democrat" nonsense

He isn't and never has been. The first clue is that he has spent a lifetime dissing the shit out of just about every Democrat that has ever accomplished anything while having no real progressive achievements of his own.

But hat's off to Bernie for finally telling the truth.

[Cal33]

46. I think you guys are making it tougher for those Democrats who are against voting

for Hillary to change sides. If you want them to vote for Hillary, stop your rubbing
it in. Don't help Hillary to lose their votes. I don't think she would appreciate
what you are doing.

[LongtimeAZDem]

53. Anyone who would refuse to vote for Clinton based on online comments

wouldn't vote for her if if you held a gun to their heads.

It's time to stop pandering to the petulant.

[MaggieD]

55. I disagree

Because what I see here is passive aggressive OP after OP pushing Bernie and dissing Clinton. And yes, it is just a handful of people but they are prolific. It's time we took our party back, IMO.

DU is NOT representative of the real world, and in fact it is an embarrassment to actual Dems and has been for a very long time, because it has been infiltrated by people that HATE the Democratic party and Democratic politicians.

[yodermon]

73. ha ha haaa. He's been indy his whole life. He did us a FAVOR by not running as an Indy

for fucks sake.
"dissing Democrats" == trying to pull them to the Left. *gasp*

"party over policy" duly fucking noted.

[MaggieD]

77. Not how I see it

He called for a primary on Obama; he has spent an years trying to convince young people that Dems are corrupt (with absolutely NOTHING to back that up); his campaign lied about endorsements, stole data from other campaigns, faked being union members to invade union workspace; said black people's votes don't matter; used the party and its infrastructure even though he is not a member of it (dishonest and unethical), and told people the system was rigged because he couldn't admit he lost in state after state.

And he did all this without having any real progressive accomplishments of his own to tout. None.

He is nothing more than a Nader IMO.

[bklyncowgirl]

86. Nader ran as an independent in a general election.

His presence on the ballot arguably helped elect George W Bush, who was arguably the worst president in American history. You are claiming to be outraged that Sanders ran as a Democrat--in the Democratic Primary. Would you prefer that he have run as an Independent and throw the election to Trump?

[bklyncowgirl]

93. Enrich himself? Really?

Are you accusing Sanders of pocketing campaign funds? Please supply a reliable source or rephrase your comment.

[bklyncowgirl]

99. You accused Sanders of theft. That is a crime.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Neither of your links were reputable sources nor did they prove anything of the sort. I thought Democrats were supposed to be the "fact based" party.

[Bluenorthwest]

106. Tha's a load of crap similar to the bashing of the Clintons over the Foundation stuff, it's bashing

those who are on our side, bashing one of the precious few in DC who have never voted against the rights of LGBT or anyone else. It's self indulgent, and I hope you derive out of it that which you so profoundly and clearly need to derive.

Hillary is the nominee. I thought that was your objective. Perhaps she's just a prop?

[MaggieD]

107. You asked

I answered. If you didn't want an answer you should'nt have asked. But the answer is factual.

[DLCWIdem]

136. how about a free trip to the vatican. not to mention all of that coverage

Stints on late night talk shows. SNL. Can' t tell me he didn't enjoy himself.

[bklyncowgirl]

138. A trip to the Vatican could be culturally enriching, I suppose

Spiritually enriching too if you're a Catholic. For a secular Jew, probably not so much but I'm pretty sure that getting a chance to speek at a major conference on global poverty and a brief meeting with the Pope was pretty damn cool. Did it get him Catholic voters he hoped for, I don't know.

As for the late night talk shows, all the candidates go on those. Obama's pretty much a regular. Is he enriching himself or is he making himself available to a different audience?

I don't get the hate. Yes, Sanders disrupted her coronation and exposed divisions within the Democratic party--but those divisions were there long before Sanders threw his hat in the ring. He pointed out that Democrats as well as Republicans are complicit in a corrupt system of lobbying and seeking donations from a handfull of wealthy donors. Well, that is true. He did not make that up. Yes Republicans are worse.

Hillary Clinton's problems did not begin with Bernie Sanders. They will not end with him. She is deeply distrusted by a whole range of people many of whom would normally vote for a Democrat. Whether it is due to the hostility of the GOP and the media or due to her own actions and attitudes or a combination of both, does not matter. It is a real problem.

Instead of berating the small group of Sanders supporters who haven't left this site in disgust, most of whom will most likely vote for your candidate even if they have to go to the polls with clothespins on their noses and take showers shortly afterward, you guys should be posting the positive things that Hillary Clinton wants to do as president. I read a post about HIllary's plan for increasing broadband access the other day and commented that it sounded pretty good. It sank like a stone. Bernie bashing posts dominate this forum. You guys cant give it up.

You see, given our system of governmnet which ain't changing any time soon, Ibelieve that the Democratic Party is the best hope for this country. That does not make me blind to its faults. Mocking people who think differently than you do, labeling any criticism as "concern trolling", writing off large numbers of voters as racistsand trusting that the American people will see reason rather than deciding to give the system a giant FU by voting for Trump does not appear to me to be a strategy for victory and even less a strategy for governing in a deeply divided country.

Oh and you're welcome whoever decides to thank me for my concern.

[DLCWIdem]

146. spiritually enriching yes

Not to mention staying in 5 star hotels with the best accommodations. Oh and I haven' t seen Gary Johnson or Jill Stein on SNL. I may be wrong. As to a coronation, Didn't you just post you didn't get the hate. Considering that she got over 3 million more votes than Sanders and won by every measure, including getting about 55% of the vote. Since a democracy calls for a majority and that is a majority, I don't consider that a "coronation".

[bklyncowgirl]

153. Sanders made her work for it.

Some here can't forgive that.

[Adrahil]

39. Which once again reinforces my decision to vote as I did. NT

[oasis]

40. My union steward was required to represent non-union employees

in our shop according to our national contract. I remember a specific case when our steward successfully saved a guy's job through the grievance procedure, and the guy still refused to join our union afterwards.

Same mindset.

[DCBob]

43. As I suspected... Bernie is no Democrat.. never was.. never will be.

[Hekate]

48. Ew. I feel so used, Bernie. You said we had a real relationship--turns out you were just canoodling

I should have listened to Mom.

[Johnny2X2X]

50. Wow

U would expect his supporters can start a website call the Independent Underground so they can support him there. But this is the democratic underground and I expect Bernie to be booed here too.

Been following him for 20+ years, he is ruining his legacy and hurting his cause.

[cosmicone]

54. Kick him out of all committees

When D's win the senate, let's make him a back bencher again.

[SidDithers]

56. That question should have been asked when he declared his candidacy...

I said as much more than a year ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6588367

Sid

[JTFrog]

57. He punked the Democratic party good.

His Presidential Campaign said he was a Democrat and would remain so for life.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

58. He was elected as an Independent. What's the problem?

[Lord Magus]

92. The problem is he claimed to be a Democrat for the last year while running for the Dem nomination.

If he was lying for all that time, that seems problematic.

[chillfactor]

61. I asked the Administrators....

so hopefully we will get a response as to what we are supposed to do about Bernie posts.

[floriduck]

80. Chill, factor.

[w4rma]

157. You got your answer.

Skinner: No, we shouldn't ban discussions related to Bernie Sanders.

Bernie is a Democrat in all but name. He caucuses with the Democrats, he ran for president as a Democrat, and he has a tacit agreement with the Democrats so he can run in Vermont without serious Democratic opposition.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1259&pid=11264

[NWCorona]

64. So how many here passed judgment without even bothers

To see if this narrative is even correct? Probably less than 5%

[politicaljunkie41910]

90. Today's show is now on the CNN website if you want to check it out.

It wasn't there at the time I posted the OP.

[KingFlorez]

72. He ran in the Democratic primary for resources

End of story

[madamesilverspurs]

79. Here's video of the interview.

Rather adept equivocation . . .

.

[RandySF]

81. Great

This means we don't need to let him speak at the convention.

[Triana]

88. So?

What has changed from anything he's said previously? This smacks of someone (Blitzer) trying to make something out of nothing.

[benny05]

102. Agreed eom

[840high]

116. yep +10

[Thinkingabout]

95. Interesting, what is next?

[LuvLoogie]

98. I can't see how he would expect a role at the convention at this point. Nor any further serious

consideration of his "demands."

[liberal N proud]

103. He was never a Democrat, all he wanted was the resources of the Democratic Party

[seabeyond]

109. As I say, fascinating. We all knew this as we got in trouble saying it out loud. Scolded even, Nt

[DLCWIdem]

137. yeah. See my post about Sanders fans making up their mind

[tallahasseedem]

110. Well then, we don't need an Independent...

speaking at our Democratic National Convention then.

[synergie]

112. Okay, so is he lying now, or when he claimed the same thing about being a Dem?

These are mutually exclusive things.

[The Second Stone]

117. Sanders has never in his life been a Democrat, and a lot of use were suspended

for saying that, including me.

He let his campaign say that he was going to be a Dem the rest of his life. http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-dem-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/04/bernie-sanders-democrat-independent-222228

Frankly, that was dishonest for Sanders not to correct that. He has never been a Democrat.

[Joe the Revelator]

119. Good for him. We need more free thinking independents.

That's the problem.

[TeeYiYi]

123. Bernie Sanders clearly stated...

...that he's a Democrat and that there would be a 'D' on his door. You seem to have left that part out.

He said that he can't change the 'I' on his door or his classification in the Senate until the end of his term, since he was elected to the position as an Independent; but he was very clear about voting for Democratic policies and identifying as a Democrat.

He's trying to use his position to help define the future Democratic platform, and he's well within his rights to do so, as a Democratic Primary candidate heading toward the Democratic National Convention.

He's campaigning for change that will have a positive impact on the future lives of all Americans and their descendants. I'm grateful that he has the desire and tenacity to fight for the 98% and for all of the people who helped to get him this far in the election.

If he were to concede and endorse Hillary prior to the Convention, he would lose this opportunity to help shape and influence policy that is now being debated and decided for all of us.

His decision to continue to try to effect change while he has the stage is nothing short of impressive. I remember wishing that Al Gore and John Kerry had had the courage of their convictions to fight for the Democrats in this corrupt and twisted political system.

I thought Bernie did a great job keeping the conversation on topic while Wolf Blitzer came off as looking like a one topic bully; like a bulldog with a rat caught in its teeth.

Bernie Sanders speaks for me and I'm grateful for the effect he's had on this 2016 Presidential Election.

TYY

[bigwillq]

124. Cool.

His life, his choice.

[Whimsey]

125. So can we stop treating him as a democrat

and getting dinged by his supporters when we criticize him. I am so tired of being alerted on by Sanders supporters for stating something about Bernie. If he is not a democrat, than he is in the same category as Trump.

[deathrind]

128. He really had no choice.

But to go Dem in order to run for President. He probably would have run as and Independent had the playing field been level but it is not. Anyone who takes the time to inform themselves on why he did this will find that both republicans and democrats have worked diligently over the years to make it virtually impossible to run for president as anything other than an R or D. Access to voter databases, campaign financing, media exposure / debates etc is very difficult do as a third party. There is a reason we do not see third party candidates in elections... Republicans and Democrats have been very effective at making sure our two party system remains a two party system.

[LongtimeAZDem]

130. Sure he did; he could have meant it, instead of claiming it for political expedience

instead, he kept his independent status in the the Senate, and ran as an "outsider" against the Democratic "establishment", tossing blame here and there when he was unsuccessful.

[robbedvoter]

147. He can be whatever he sees fit. But then why the obsession of changing the platform

of a party he doesn't even consider himself a member? Their election rules and everything. Anyway, been trying to remember the name for the action undercover trolls on DU of coming out and laughing at us. Was it delurking? Uncloaking? Whether you find any relevance to the analogy or not, I'd love an answer as it's driving me nuts.

[Night Watchman]

149. hmm?

[workinclasszero]

151. Bernie Sanders says he ran as Democrat for the media attention

By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS March 15, 2016

Bernie Sanders on Monday night said he decided to run for president as a Democrat because of the media attention he would receive.

"Do you run as an independent? Do you run within the Democratic party? We concluded-- and I think it was absolutely the right decision, that, A) in terms of media coverage -- you have to run within the Democratic Party," the Vermont independent said at MSNBC's Democratic town hall in Columbus, Ohio.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-says-he-ran-as-democrat-for-the-media-attention/

[robbedvoter]

152. Also, on March 5th, Tad Devine declared on MSNBC that he is not running for

the D nomination but AGAINST the D party. Which was clear to me all along and I only wonder why everyone ignored this publicly acknowledged intent.

[aikoaiko]

156. I love that Bernie defies convention in this way.

[glennward]

162. I really don't care what he is as long as he endorses Hillary and gets out there to help defeat DT!!