Democrats welcome Bernie takeover
BY AMIE PARNES - 04/17/17 06:00 AM EDT
Excerpt:
More than a dozen Democrats interviewed by The Hill say the Vermont Independent has become a powerful and welcome voice for a party struggling to find its identity after a devastating defeat in 2016. While misgivings remain about giving too much leadership to a politician who technically isn’t a Democrat, a clear warming trend is on the rise.
“It continues to drive me a bit nuts that he continues to register as an independent but the bottom line is that he is a good Democrat,” said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary and openly worried then about Sander’s allegiances to the party. During the primary, some Democrats worried that Sanders, a self-described “Democratic socialist,” was pushing the party too far to the left. Others mocked him for being a one-issue candidate who championed what they called “unrealistic” proposals like free college tuition.
What ever bitter feelings exist, many other Democrats say Sanders is key to rebuilding the party.
“If you are concerned with labels, you might bristle at the notion of a registered Independent jockeying for control over the direction of the Democratic Party – and there were certainly some in the party apparatus that expressed precisely this sentiment during the 2016 campaign cycle,” said Lynda Tran, a Democratic strategist. “But if you’re focused on policy ideas over party labels you might welcome the inclusion of his voice, and frankly other voices too, at a time when the Democratic Party is under intense attack and working on the path forward.
“At the end of the day, Bernie Sanders may be a registered Independent, but he has always caucused with Democrats and there is no question he continues to enjoy strong support among many members of the Democratic Party,” Tran added.
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/329049-democrats-welcome-bernie-takeover
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