Why Does Mainstream Media Keep Attacking Bernie Sanders as He Wins?

[Autumn]

Bernie Sanders keeps surprising cynical pundits in his second presidential run.
BY MARI UYEHARA

Poor Chuck Todd.

After a week of Todd using his MSNBC evening show Meet the Press Daily to assail the senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders has won—clearly—in New Hampshire. It’s not if Todd hadn’t tried.

On Monday, Todd quoted conservative outlet the Bulwark, characterizing Sanders’s online following as “digital brown shirts,” essentially likening a Jewish politician’s supporters to Nazis. The Friday prior, Todd led a panel in hand-wringing over class warfare against billionaires. He has long had his crosshairs on Sanders. In May, he told the senator “the right will hammer and sickle you to death.” In 2015 after a shooting, he called Sanders, who has a D minus rating from the NRA, “pro-NRA.” And in December, he balked at the idea of refraining from the unjournalistic phrase “Bernie Bros,” asking, “What do we call them, Bernie siblings? Bernie people?” His guest suggested the obvious: “Bernie supporters.”

Of course, Todd is one among many in an anti-Bernie chorus. After the New Hampshire debate last week, his colleague Hardball host Chris Matthews went on a socialism rant, warning of “executions in Central Park” and exclaiming that “I might have been one of the ones getting executed”—perhaps revealing elite pundit anxiety that a growing consciousness about wealth inequality and its enforcers might turn on them. Matthews continued: “I don’t know who Bernie supports over these years, I don’t know what he means by socialism. One week it’s Denmark...Well, what does he think of Castro? That’s a great question.” On Morning Joe, James Carville, the old Clinton strategist, warned: “That’s it. If we go the way of the British Labour Party, if we nominate Jeremy Corbyn, it’s going to be the end of days.” Nevermind that Corbyn is deeply unpopular in the UK, with a net favorability rating of -40 percent according to YouGov polling, while Sanders is America’s most popular politician.

And all of that was just MSNBC.
After the New Hampshire results came in, political reporters and pundits put facts into linguistic pretzels, instead of just stating what the numbers did: That Sanders had won, taking the popular vote for two straight contests in a crowded field. Not all of it was pure ideological offense. New York Times politics reporter Jeremy Peters, tweeted: “Pete, after winning Iowa, is almost beating Bernie in a state Bernie won four years ago by 22 points. Under any normal standard of assessing the Democratic race, Pete would be called a frontrunner.” Likewise, Trip Gabriel also of the New York Times, also asserted an upside-down analysis tweeting, that the number one story of the night was Amy Klobuchar (who came in third) and the number two story of the night was Pete Buttigieg (who came in second) coming closer to Sanders than expected.

https://www.gq.com/story/mainstream-media-vs-bernie-sanders?fbclid=IwAR20Ddu_BibvGqv8veDdVqoAl4IKpZIRazpvdRMM2T1P7mDrqxdDqomrk_I

[brooklynite]

1. Considering he's only won once.....

...and why should he be immune from criticism simply because he's ahead (which he's not)?

[Autumn]

13. No one said Bernie should be immune from criticism. The article is a criticism of the media

and the way they reacted to him and his clear win in NH versus other candidates. You must have read a different article than I did.

[krissey]

32. A clear win that was so close it resulted in a tie of delegates. Delegates is the win/lose

in this story. As I see it he has one loss and one tie. Why does media favor him so giving him two wins?

[Autumn]

37. Not the story in the article I posted. He won the popular vote in two back to back states.

Not discussing delages. The story is the Toad and other media personalities pretzel twisting

But Bernie!!! Whataboutism.

[krissey]

44. Delegates define a win or loss or tie.

[HopeAgain]

2. There is no "balanced" journalism on 24 hour news

Never was. I cut the cable and haven't watched anything except the debates on any of these channels and I'm pretty sure my I.Q is improving.

[msongs]

3. poor bernie the most persecuted person in the entire history of the human race, or even the entire

history of the planet, or even the universe before and after the big bang or the hand of god or whatever

[PatSeg]

19. And here I thought that was Trump!

Guess Bernie will take that mantle from Trump.

[Fresh_Start]

28. they are both too good for this country

and should remove themselves to their utopia...whereever the hell that exists (which I suspect is not on this planet)

[PatSeg]

53. Oh, I agree

We could all chip in and buy them an island somewhere. They can complain to each other how unfair everyone was to them.

[KPN]

31. Meh. Nah, that be the "establishment" dems.

[TwilightZone]

4. Ah, the lie that Sanders won twice again.

If one has to twist the facts to make a point, it's not a very good point.

I find it rather amusing that the author spends a lot of time complaining about pretzel logic, then tosses in a better example than any in the article.

[Autumn]

15. The article is about Bernie's win in NH and the medias coverage of him.

It's not a lie as you claim. Bernie won the popular vote in two back to back contest in a crowded field.

[TwilightZone]

18. Nah, it's a lie.

Sanders and his supporters know how the process works. They just conveniently forget how it works when it suits him.

The only thing that matters in the end is delegates. A candidate needs 1990 of them to win a majority, and bonus points aren't awarded for popular vote totals in caucus states or elsewhere.

Claiming a win based on popular vote knowing full well how the caucus process works is disingenuous and simply false.

[KPN]

33. Okay. Got it. I'll accept that if you accept this.

How about we be consistent. Let's be consistent then about the point that HRC really won in 2016. What's good for one is good for the other, no?

[Autumn]

34. Are you saying the media is totally fair? You might want to

read the article you are commenting on. Since it's not about winning delegates but media coverage of Bernie and how well he did in the two states.

But whataboutism.

[tiredtoo]

5. The main stream media

Are corporate entities. Corporatists fear Bernie. They may have to start paying their fair share of taxes.

[Donkees]

6. Walter Cronkite has left the building

[forgotmylogin]

7. Maybe if Bernie were a Democrat there'd be more enthusiasm for him in the Democratic Primary...

[we can do it]

10. Exactly this.

[Butterflylady]

79. That's a very good statement...

[Donkees]

11. Vermont Resolution sent to DNC

Vermont Resolution sent to DNC

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4793362-RESOLUTION.html

RESOLUTION
Whereas, the State of Vermont has no Party registration;

Whereas, the Vermont Democratic Party has been, and continues to be, committed
to a membership policy that is broadly inclusive of all who share and promote our
values of creating a more just and equitable society for all people;

Whereas, this policy has created a more vibrant, engaged, and successful Vermont
Democratic Party;

Whereas, we recognize that candidates who appear on the Vermont ballot as an
Independent may share the values outlined in our platform and are eligible for a
Party endorsement;

Whereas, efforts have been made at the national level to question the status of
elected officials who caucus with Democrats in Congress due to their Party
registration status;

Therefore, let it be resolved that the Vermont Democratic Party affirms that any
federal candidate who receives the endorsement of our State Committee and who
caucuses with the Democrats in the U.S. House or U.S. Senate shall be considered
a member of the Democratic Party for all purposes and entitled to all the rights
and privileges that come with such membership at the state and federal level;

Let it be further resolved that the State Committee directs the Party’s Executive
Director to send a copy of this resolution to the Democratic National Committee,
the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee.

[forgotmylogin]

17. Fair enough, but in a year with a plethora of great actual Democratic candidates...

I've actually juried more than once for posts on here for "Don't bash Democrats" when the message was about Bernie Sanders, who is not a Democrat.

My dad is in the electrician's union where members looking for work can go in every morning to get sent on freelance jobs. They allow electricians not in the union to also apply, but only after every registered union member seeking work has been sent out.

He related how one non-union guy showed up a lot and would frequently complain about being sent to the back of the line. The response always was "if you want full union privileges, then join the fucking union already."

[TwilightZone]

20. Sanders is considered a Democrat for jury purposes here.

From the rule you noted:

"This rule also applies to Independents who align themselves with Democrats (eg: Bernie Sanders)."

[forgotmylogin]

26. Again, fair enough...

But if you enter a pie in a cake-baking contest that allows you to do so, doesn't it make sense that the cake-bakers might get a little mad when pie-supporters continuously complain when there is a reluctance to award the pie some kind of prize for "Best Cake"?

[Autumn]

23. From the looks of things I think he has just as much, if not more enthusiasm than some of the

honest to gosh real Democrats have. Bernie won the popular vote in both states.

[KPN]

36. Wel,l that's obviously true here, but so far in the primaries, there's quite a bit of

enthusiasm for Sanders. He won the popular vote in both primaries to date and leads in most polls. I'd say that's enthusiasm.

[KPN]

71. Huh? What the hell does that even mean?

Too good to choose? And this from Undecided? “Pathetic”?

[ahoysrcsm]

72. Sanders sure doesn't have a majority of supporters on DU.

Seems all his supporters like to stay "undecided."

[KPN]

74. Who said anything about majority? Why are

you undecided? I suspect for similar reasons as everyone else. So what’s your beef?

[ahoysrcsm]

75. Sanders can't even get his most vocal "supporters" to commit to him.

Will you commit to voting for Sanders?

[KPN]

81. No, I'm keeping an open mind about Warren.

[ahoysrcsm]

78. My state does not have a "primary"...

So the "undecided" is the only truthful option there is. Maybe 2024 we will go to a primary system, but not for 2020.

[ahoysrcsm]

76. "...enthusiasm for Sanders."

And yet DU support is stuck at 11%. So many "undecided" Sanders supporters that are too good to choose him as their candidate.

[LiberalFighter]

8. Cripes! All I heard was Bernie winning Iowa and New Hampshire.

[we can do it]

9. What "wins"?

Squeaked by Buttigieg, but they got same amount of delegates.🤷🏼?♀️

[Autumn]

22. He clearly won the popular vote in both states. Back to back in a crowded field.

The media... Bernie wins the popular vote. "When will Bernie drop out and look how well the candidate who are in 3rd and 4th place did." That's the media and that's the story from the article.

[krissey]

30. And Buttigieg won the delegates. Delegates count. Popular vote does not count.

[we can do it]

46. So then why don't we have president Clinton, following that logic?

[Autumn]

54. The article isn't about delages or the EC. It's about media coverage of Bernie's wins in the first

two wins. from my post that you skipped over.

The media... Bernie wins the popular vote. "When will Bernie drop out and look how well the candidate who are in 3rd and 4th place did." That's the media and that's the story from the article

.

[we can do it]

59. I didn't skip. Popular vote is irrelevant.

[Autumn]

61. Media coverage isn't irrelevant but thanks for the kick

[dualboy24]

82. At this stage I think votes count more.

Telling someone "Well Bernie got the most votes, but Pete got more delegates because of some strange voting system."

Whst take away does the average person take from that?

Even the late night talk shows were joking about how dumb the caucus system is.

[we can do it]

83. So following your logic, where is president Clinton?

[BeckyDem]

12. Chuck Todd is irrelevant imo. But that doesn't mean I excuse him nor the rest of them at

MSNBC. Most tv news anchors are awful, they do not examine the real time issue in the manner they should as far as I am concerned.

Obviously, I support Warren, but this is what is relevant about the fear corporate people have of each of them. When Bill Gates, the alleged "good" billionaire was asked if he would support Warren over Trump should she win the nomination, he would not answer.

So don't anyone bother to explain to me why Bernie gets so much heat, its obvious that these corporate people like their power and do not intend to concede it if they don't have to.

[KPN]

39. THIS. Warren and Sanders speak the truth. Until we as a nation recognize that, we'll continue

to see populism roiling the campaigns/elections and risk future autocrats in the WH.

[BeckyDem]

48. Yep. Its why we fight for no more money in politics.

[lapucelle]

14. BS lost Iowa and has fewer delegates than Buttegeig. N/T

[Autumn]

16. Bernie Sanders won the popular vote in both states. One clearly and the other with discrepancies

[lapucelle]

65. BS came in second in Iowa and is behind Buttegeig in pledged delegates.

No amount of spin is going to change those two facts.

[Autumn]

66. Again. Bernie Sanders won the popular vote in both states. Those are the facts from the article.

[lapucelle]

67. It's the delegate count that wins a candidate the nomination,

and Pete is in the lead. The popular vote narrative might momentarily assuage the sting of being in second place, but everyone knows it’s meaningless spin in the race for the nomination which is determined by delegates.

[redqueen]

21. That's what they do. They work for corporate interests and the wealthy.

They always have to some extent but after the Telecom Act of 1996, media consolidation increased to a frightening extent. The entities behind the media outlets have a vested interest in protecting wealth and power.

[KPN]

40. Who signed that act?!

[redqueen]

43. Clinton. nt

[BeckyDem]

49. Telecom 1996. That was terrible, one of the worst ever.

[redqueen]

50. Yep. It's one of the reasons we are so divided, and one of the reasons we have Trump.

It's also one of the reasons cell service is so shitty.

[BeckyDem]

52. Its tragic really. There are so many 24 hour news stations and what do they cover?

It is pitiful because they could be informing the public, as in Iraq lies, as in Koch money polluting the planet. They spend a lot of time on LOOK what so and so said to so and so!

It scares me sometimes, and I will never forget how they had a live camera waiting on no one was there podium for Trump in 2016. That tick tock of money to waste was a good gamble in their mind.

[CentralMass]

24. After that comment there no doubt that Chuck Todd is an asshole.

During the the 2008 primary I blocked Fux Gnus on my cable box. During that same period after Tweety's attacks on Hillary i stopped watching him. In 2015 I dropped cable. I do have a good digital attenna and acces to CNN through streaming. I do occasionally tune in to CNN to watch the evening shows. Cuomo and Lemon
shows are ok. I haven't watched MSNBC five years since I cut the cord.

[KPN]

41. I hear you. Rachel and Laurence are okay on MSNBC, Ari Melber, and a couple of others. But yeah --

Tweety and Todd are corporate neoliberal shills.

[denem]

25. Why Does Bernie Sanders Keep Attacking the Mainstream Media as He Wins?

[krissey]

27. Wins, plural? He won NH and lost the Iowa. His win gave same amount of delegates.

How come Sanders keeps claiming a two state win?

[Autumn]

42. It helps to read the article. He won the popular in both. Nothing about delegates but YMMV.

[krissey]

45. Delegates define win, loss, or tie.

[TDale313]

29. Gee, why does the corporate owned media not like Bernie? n/t

[krissey]

35. Media coddled Sanders for five years. I do not know they have issue. But another bridge burned by

Sanders by accusing them of picking on him for the last 6 months. They have been hearing they are the enemy for four years from Trump. I imagine they are pretty damn tired of people saying they are cheating, being unfair, picking on....

[mainstreetonce]

38. I think the media attacks Joe

They want a fight.It is good for ratings.Now they are attacking Bloomberg..

[MineralMan]

47. Wins? Right now, he is second to Buttigieg in delegates.

How is that winning?

Let's talk on March 4.

[Autumn]

57. Talk about the article. It's about winning the popular vote in the first two states, which he did

and the media reaction. We don't have to wait till March for that. YMMOV

[MineralMan]

58. How about if I talk about whatever I want?

How would that be?

For me, the only count that matters is the delegate count. That is always the case. It is what will determine who the nominee is, in the end.

So, I post as I see fit.

Time will tell the story, won't it?

[Autumn]

60. Sure you can. But you don't get to tell me to wait till March to talk about what I want to

post and talk about. I also am free to post as I see fit. Don't like it? See my name and scroll on by.

[MineralMan]

62. Thanks. I'll do just that.

Post as I please, I mean. You'll do the same, I'm sure.

[Autumn]

63. I always do as I please, no doubt about that. nt

[MineralMan]

64. Then, you're just like me in that regard.

[TexasTowelie]

51. .

[liberalmediaaddict]

55. Poor Bernie

So the mainstream media, DNC, Democratic establishment, social media and Biden/Buttigieg/Klobuchar/Warren supporters are all against him. He either gets too little media attention or too much. Most Democrats I know have promised to vote for whoever wins the Democratic nomination. Including Bernie. Most Bernie supporters say it's "Bernie or Bust."

[Autumn]

56. I'm going out on a limb here but I think you didn't read the article?

The article is about none of your points in your post but I can say, I don't know one Bernie supporter who says it's "Bernie or Bust." Thanks for the kick.

[treestar]

68. They need a close race; thus they always attack

whoever "wins."

[pansypoo53219]

69. not enough ratings in tearing him down like they can w/ biden(ukraine-FAKE). Pete they blew off.

but lying in wait to see how they can destroy who is the nominee. just like how they coddled GWbushit.

[RandySF]

77. Attacking?

You’re joking, right? I don’t they’ll touch him unless he’s nominated.

[Farmer-Rick]

80. Corporate media is very afraid of Bernie

Because the filthy rich sit on the boards of directors of media conglomerates and they don't want to have to pay their fair share in taxes.

They trash Bernie or anyone who dare to point out how the filthy rich have rigged our country.

[pnwmom]

84. When doesn't the Dem in the apparent lead feel attacked by the media?

It's not like Hillary had an easy time.

[MrsCoffee]

85. What the fuck is he winning?

Let alone continuing to win?

Quit the fucking whining already and do something that makes people want to vote for you.