Stephanopoulos Presses Sanders for Suggesting Obama Primary Challenge in 2012

[MrWendel]

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/stephanopoulos-presses-sanders-for-suggesting-obama-primary-challenge-in-2012/

George Stephanopoulos confronted Bernie Sanders on ABC’s This Week this morning over Martin O’Malley‘s attack that he was disloyal to President Obama.

During the South Carolina Democratic forum this past Friday, O’Malley touted his credentials as a lifelong Democrat who fully supported the president in 2012 before saying Sanders was trying to get someone to run against Obama.

In March 2011, Sanders said that a primary challenge to the president would “enliven” the debate on the Democratic side, and four months later he even said, “One of the reasons the president has been able to move so far to the right is that there is no primary opposition to him… I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition.”

When Stephanopoulos pressed him earlier on “trying to gin up opposition,” but Sanders dismissed this as “media stuff.” He insisted that the implication he opposed Obama’s reelection is “categorically false.”

[Eric J in MN]

1. I was also outraged that Obama was trying to make a Grand Compromise

...with the Republicans to cut Social Security. In retrospect, we know that failed without a primary challenge, but at the time, we didn't know what it would take to prevent Social Security cuts.

One of my biggest objections to Hillary Clinton is that her words on Social Security echo some of Obama's when he was trying to cut Social Security with a Chained CPI. She says that she wants the poor to get more benefits and that she's reluctant to raise the cap. If there isn't more coming in, then cutting Social Security for the average person would be needed to give more to the poor.

[yeoman6987]

3. Sheesh even without chained CPI, no raise

[djean111]

2. Because that "feet to the fire" thing was only if Obama's feet were cold, I guess.

"disloyal to Obama" - Bernie is loyal to the United States. And its people. Loyalty to a particular politician, who certainly did need to be pushed to the left (never happened, sadly) is putting loyalty to Obama over loyalty to country. That would be pathetic.
Pathetic to do, and pathetic to accuse Bernie of that. Pandering, IMO.

[MrWendel]

4. So just say that.

If Clinton is supposed to own everything thats shes ever done. Instead hes saying hes always supported Obama. Hillary didn't because she was running against him in 2008. But Bernie wasn't in March 2011. Should Bernie not be held to the same standards or is this just "Media Stuff"? Lead by example and own it too.

[djean111]

5. You really consider "supporting" Obama to be the equivalent of just fawningly agreeing with

everything Obama has done and will do? Bernie was wishing for a way to push Obama away from the right.

[MohRokTah]

6. So now Sanders was against Obama before he was for him???

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. And, he was right.

[freebrew]

10. +1...nt

[Ron Green]

8. George S. epitomizes the inside-the-beltway bought politics of

today's media. I've never heard him pursue a truth that would move us toward a better self-governance.

[riderinthestorm]

9. I'm undecided but I don't see this as any big deal

The context was the Social Security discussions at the time and I for one was pretty unhappy with some of Obama's comments then as well.

It would have been healthy to have some pushback.

I'm really leaning towards O'Malley but I disagree that this is a problem

[bobbobbins01]

11. I don't see what the big deal is.

I think primary challenges are a good thing, they help hold candidates feet to the fire. I think Bernie should have a primary challenger when he runs for reelection as well.