Bernie Sanders Won't Commit To Conceding Primary Even If He Has No Chance Of Being The Dem Nominee

[Soph0571]

Link to tweet

Bernie Sanders wouldn't commit to dropping out of the race before the convention if he were not the nominee and said some people say he would've beat Trump "if the system weren't rigged against me."

If he plays that game, when the stakes are so bloody high it will be unforgivable.

[irisblue]

1. Ok. This is an issue for me.

[JoeOtterbein]

2. I saw the interview live; Bernie said he "wouldn't commit".

Do you know of anyone who has?

[George II]

6. The question started with "If it's clear that you will not be the Democratic nominee...."

To answer your question, yes, starting with Martin O'Malley in 2016, Hillary Clinton in 2008, and many more.

[JoeOtterbein]

11. Thanks. Any other candidates this year?

I have not heard anyone else ask.

[George II]

12. The question apparently was based on past performances.

[Cha]

19. EXACTLY.

[JoeOtterbein]

23. Or it could be just be just plain bias. nt

[sheshe2]

53. Bias?

Which of our candidates in our 2020 elections ran a campaign and refused to leave and take it to the convention after their path to winning was gone. Please name one.

[JoeOtterbein]

55. No other candidate has been asked if they would not take it to the convention. We may have 3 or more

still in the running at that point. Why have a convention, if we can't settle this then? Unless it is bias now?

So it seems biased for Kacie to only ask Bernie.

[sheshe2]

56. There was only one that took it to the convention.

The question was based on past history which none of the other candidates have.

[JoeOtterbein]

61. Just the thought of the 2016 GE makes me nauseous. I'd rather not relive it. nt

[sheshe2]

62. Well from the sounds of it? We are going to.

Retake GE 2016. The sequel.

[LanternWaste]

65. I'd pretend as such too...

and then coyly suggest that no evidence is needed to support the implication. If called on it, I'd simply use the old stand-by (and meaningless) line: "some people say..."

[IndyOp]

42. Indivisible 2020

Most candidates - including Bernie - have signed their pledge to support whoever the Dem nominee is during the general election.

https://pledge.indivisible.org/

[namahage]

48. Not only that, Bernie was the FIRST to sign.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bernie-sanders-first-to-sign-pledge-to-rally-behind-whoever-wins-democratic-primary

National progressive outfit Indivisible on Thursday launched a pledge compelling all 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to rally behind the eventual nominee. Bernie Sanders was the first to sign it, the group revealed.

The “We Are Indivisible” pledge asks for three commitments from him and any other prospective signers, as first reported by BuzzFeed News. First, Indivisible’s pledge requests that candidates “make the primary constructive” by outlining their visions while respecting their opponents.

“I’ll support the ultimate Democratic nominee, whoever it is—period," the pledge also reads. “No Monday morning quarterbacking. No third-party threats. Immediately after there’s a nominee, I’ll endorse.”

And the group also wants a commitment that every candidate will “do the work to beat Trump,” including a promise that “As soon as there is a nominee, I will put myself at the disposal of the campaign.”

[IndyOp]

51. Nice! Thanks for the info. (nt)

[redstatebluegirl]

3. Here we go again...this guy wants to

destroy our party.

[Politicub]

4. It's silly to ask him. He wants to win the nomination.

Asking assumes that he will not win. Of course he isn’t going to answer that kind of question.

Has Biden been asked the same question? If no, why not?

[Cha]

5. I don't think it's "silly" to ask BS that.. &

why is he talking about "rigged"?

[Politicub]

13. I think the "rigged" talk by Bernie is out of line. But, at the same time,

I think asking him and only him the question about commitment is premature... at least until a few votes are cast.

[Cha]

18. It's way out of line.

[George II]

25. We all know why they asked him and only him. There are two major reasons...

...but I'll just leave it there.

[sheshe2]

32. Name one candidate that is running for a second time...

That refused to concede and take it to the convention.

Politicub

13. I think the "rigged" talk by Bernie is out of line. But, at the same time,

I think asking him and only him the question about commitment is premature... at least until a few votes are cast.

Fact is he is talking about a rigged election before one vote is cast.

[Cha]

37. Excellent point, she..

Fact is he is talking about a rigged election before one vote is cast.

[sheshe2]

41. Thanks Cha!

I am so looking forward to the debates, tonight and tomorrow.

[Gothmog]

34. Putin and Russia did try to help sanders

Here is one area where the process was rigged http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/bernie-sanders-2016-rigged-wont-pledge-support-winner.html

Notably, Robert Mueller’s investigation found that Russian social-media bots amplified Sanders’s message during the primary and circulated attacks on Clinton, many of them false. Sanders himself bore no responsibility for that social-media operation, but it is arguably a form of “rigging” — by Russia — more underhanded than any action taken on Clinton’s behalf.

[George II]

7. Why not? Right now Biden is ahead.....

....I'm sure that if the roles were reversed he would be asked that question. Plus, Kasie is going on "past performances", like June 2016.

[Cha]

9. Ikr.. Thank You, George!

[Politicub]

17. I don't really think it matters what his answer is. The nominees should be planning based on

Bernie's past behavior. That's the best predictor of what he may do should he lose.

One of the only things a candidate can control are her or his plans. And, they can try to make a pivot if things aren't going according to plan.

Bernie is treated differently than the other democratic candidates. There's a good explanation for that: he's not a member of the party. I'm still not sure why he is allowed to participate in democratic-sponsored forums and events and be on the democratic primary ticket.

And, all of this is just my opinion, of course, like everyone else. Bernie is not who I am supporting in the primary, and he's far down my list of people I would want to see win. Would I like for him to fall in line if he loses? Yes. I would want any of the candidates to support the nominee, especially Sanders, since he has some sway with a lot of people.

But do I expect him to behave differently than he did in 2016? No. It would be a pleasant surprise if he did. But it's not likely to happen.

So the best we can do is play with the cards we are dealt.

[dlk]

8. Is Bernie a Uniter or a Divider?

[SidDithers]

10. He didn't last time. Why would he this time?...nt

Sid

[Gothmog]

14. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday did not commit to conceding the primary even if it became clear he would not be the nominee, a move that traces back to 2016 when the senator was facing down then-Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.

In an afternoon interview, MSNBC's Kasie Hunt asked Sanders if he would leave the race before the national convention. His response? "I intend to be the Democratic nominee."

After a back-and-forth — "Are you asking that of every candidate?" — and further pressing, Sanders said he was proud of his grassroots campaigns, particularly in the key states of New Hampshire and Iowa, and his million volunteers. The Vermont senator is polling just behind frontrunner and former Vice President Joe Biden, with 19 percent of the expected vote as of June 23.

"Our goal right now is to win it. And by the way, as you you may know, poll after poll shows what against Trump? Shows me beating Trump by 8, 9 or 10 points. We're going to beat Trump, we're going to win the Democratic nomination."

[George II]

26. He was pretty rude to Kasie Hunt.

[Cha]

45. ..

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. "Some people say". Can you think of someone else who uses that phrase incessantly? n/t

[peggysue2]

24. Yup!

I read that on my way out this afternoon and thought:

Hummmm. So, so familiar.

[DrToast]

28. First thing that came to mind.

[grantcart]

49. The same guy who always is the "victim"? Just like Bernie?

Same guy who, just like Bernie, never admits to a past error, never apologizes for a past mistake?

There are more similarities.

[Tarheel_Dem]

63. So many similarities that it scares the bejeebus out of me.

[msongs]

16. a person who is not a team player wants to be team captain. hmmm. nt

[TwilightZone]

20. Oh, good. We're back to "rigged".

I'm sure that will help.

*sarcasm, obviously

[Sherman A1]

21. It is terribly early for this nonsense

The process will sort itself out along the way.

[ArcticFox]

22. Good for Bernie

He represents a whole lot of good people with his policy positions. And staying in is helpful to advocating those positions.

[Cha]

46. No it isn't "helpful". Elizabeth Warren is a much better

advocate.

[Gothmog]

27. Sanders Claims 2016 Primary Was Rigged, Won't Commit to Supporting Winner

From Jonathon Chait http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/bernie-sanders-2016-rigged-wont-pledge-support-winner.html

While Sanders is coyly hiding behind the “some people say” formulation, he is threatening to repeat the tactics he used in 2016, when he called the process “rigged” and withheld his support long after the outcome was decided.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the nomination as the clear preference of the majority of her party’s electorate. She won 55 percent of the primary vote, as opposed to just 43 percent for Sanders, which is not an especially narrow margin.

It is true that, in a very broad sense, Democratic Party leaders decided early on to support Clinton’s candidacy, and she received major endorsements from elected officials and interest groups. That, however, is not what most people understand by the term “rigged.” What’s more, the process probably benefited Sanders. By clearing the field for Clinton, Sanders was able to position himself as the catch-all candidate for a broad coalition of voters who opposed Clinton for various reasons: Voters who considered her too moderate, or too liberal, or too corrupt all voted for Sanders, who had the anti-Clinton field to himself.

It is not true that the Democratic Party “rigged” the contest in any illegitimate or nefarious fashion. Russian hackers found some emails from staffers at the Democratic National Committee favoring Clinton, but the committee did not take important steps to materially impair Sanders. Throughout the primary, some real (or putative) supporters of Sanders often claimed improprieties at the polls, but those largely failed to pan out. Sanders supporters also reacted to the prospect that Democratic Party superdelegates would give Clinton the nomination even in the face of a popular-vote defeat, but that scenario turned out to be moot in the face of Clinton’s clear win.

[DrToast]

30. I'll never forget...

...that Sanders actually courted the superdelegates when it became clear he wouldn't win the popular vote. After months of trashing them, he did a complete 180 and wanted them to hand the nomination to him.

[Freethinker65]

29. Stupid question at this time. As stupid as asking if any of them would consider being VP.

They are currently running for President.

Any other answer could be mistaken for lack of confidence they have what it takes to win the nomination.

[Tiggeroshii]

31. Whenever I hear "Hillary did win," I think, "no, she didnt,because: Here we are."

Woulda coulda shoulda double standards. Hillary didn't commit on 2008 and stayed long after it was clear she wont win -and nobody else is being held to whether they will quit if they they have no chance.


Another day -er minute, another Bernie bashing thread....

[betsuni]

43. 2008: Obama won nomination on June 3, Clinton conceded on June 7.

2016: Clinton won nomination on June 6, Sanders conceded on July 12.

And she added "I will work my heart out for the Democratic Party and the party's eventual nominee" in her speeches near the end of the 2008 primaries.

[Cha]

47. Thanks for the gd Reality Check,

betsuni!

[betsuni]

50. I guess some people think a few days is "long after it was clear she won't win."

Typical. A WhataboutHillary and misinformation.

[John Fante]

58. Not to mention, Obama vs Hillary as much closer than

Hillary vs. Bernie.

[Doreen]

33. So he is doing the same thing that he did last time.

[Midwestocrat]

35. Not cool, Bernie.

But then, he really isn't listed as a Democrat according to the United States Senate... and, well, himself.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

36. God, fuck this guy.

[Mike Nelson]

38. I hope...

… Bernie reconsiders this approach... he is welcomed into the Democratic Party and has an advantage in the caucus states, due to the strong passion from his base of support. I see that as an advantage - not a system "rigged" against him.

[NurseJackie]

39. I figured as much.

[Docreed2003]

40. And this

[mcar]

44. It will be unforgivable

[liberal N proud]

52. Just like last time.

Are we positive he is helping trump?

[TEB]

54. Oh knock your shit off Bernie

We’re in a fight against orange scumbag so Bernie is now channeling his inner trump saying this pound sand Bernie

[NYMinute]

57. K&R nt

[John Fante]

59. Bernie thinks the 2016 primary was rigged? No surprise there.

[LibFarmer]

60. I wonder

if Bernie secretly wants Trump to win. There are a lot of people who take pleasure in saying, "I told you so."

[Gothmog]

64. Sanders won't commit to leaving the race if he fails to secure the Democratic nomination

Link to tweet

Sanders faced widespread criticism from across the party after the 2016 race that his insistence on carrying out his campaign through the Democratic National Convention even after it became clear he had fallen short of the necessary delegates to win the nomination forced Hillary Clinton to continue battling an intraparty dispute and hurt her standing in the general contest against Donald Trump....

Sanders faced widespread criticism from across the party after the 2016 race that his insistence on carrying out his campaign through the Democratic National Convention even after it became clear he had fallen short of the necessary delegates to win the nomination forced Hillary Clinton to continue battling an intraparty dispute and hurt her standing in the general contest against Donald Trump.

[Cha]

66. BS.. ".. some people say.."