'Bernie Mafia': Sanders Supporters Look to Seize Democratic Party Initiative

[Omaha Steve]

by ALEX SEITZ-WALD NOV 21 2016, 5:52 AM ET

As Hillary Clinton fades from public view, Bernie Sanders is not only still here — he's everywhere.

And the progressive organizations and operatives who rallied around his presidential campaign — "the Bernie Mafia," as they call themselves — feel as though they've finally won a seat at the adults' table in the Democratic Party while the Clinton machine retreats.

Video: http://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/sanders-future-with-the-democratic-party-812529731550 via @nbcnews

In the days since the presidential election, Sanders — who is an Independent and not officially a Democrat — has been promoted to the Democratic leadership in the Senate. One of his top allies, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, has become the front-runner to be the next chairman of the Democratic Party, which largely opposed him in the primary. And Sanders is already encountering "Bernie 2020" signs and T-shirts wherever he goes, while batting away reporters' questions about another presidential bid.

He's on a tour to promote his new book, and everyone seems to want his opinion on the election — especially since, during the primaries, he won many of the key Midwestern counties against Clinton lost in the general election.

FULL story: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/bernie-mafia-sanders-supporters-look-seize-democratic-party-initiative-n686531

[OKNancy]

1. then he should join the party

I'm not a fan

[yeoman6987]

40. After losing over 900 democratic seats across the country,

I think it's worth the effort to at least hear him out. The current way is failing big time.

[LWolf]

44. I'm not a fan.

I'm a supporter, because my support is based on issues and record, not a popularity contest.

I think you've got it backward. The party should join him. And many are.

[pangaia]

51. Bravo !!

[RKP5637]

54. K&R !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

56. Well said... count me in!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!

[SMC22307]

57. Ah, so refreshing to hear that... (n/t)

[uponit7771]

65. No, its not about one person and the party joining him makes it such...we'll see

[duffyduff]

2. Walk the walk, Sanders, and join the Democratic Party.

Otherwise, he has no credibility to tell Democrats what to do.

[JudyM]

18. He's not telling anybody what to do, but Party leadership seems to find his perspectives valuable.

[Doremus]

24. When the Teamsters not only endorse but take out TV ads for Republicans

Then it's time to find out how we skidded so far off the tracks as to end up 180 degrees east.

Name-calling and cheerleading isn't going to fix what's wrong. The sooner we wake up to that fact the sooner we can start to mend the damage they've inflicted with our full approval and participation.

[JudyM]

48. Agreed. We need to integrate our strengths, not hold on to opposition that gets us nowhere.

[Duppers]

72. *AMEN*

I became a dem in my early 20's because I supported the exact same values that Bernie Sanders does.

Some folks need to wake up☝and stop the sniff test meme. There's a tremendously dangerous fight to be waged.

[pangaia]

52. He has ALWAYS walked the walk!

[Me.]

3. Another Male Who Hillary Had More Votes Than

Who thinks he was the winner and is taking a victory lap

[Nevernose]

5. He had more votes where t mattered:

The upper Midwest. We ignore him and his voters at the peril of the next election.

People around here keep bashing Bernie Sanders for losing to Clinton, ignoring the fact that she lost, too. Maybe instead it f complaining about him, we should be taking notes.

[Champion Jack]

7. exactly

[pnwmom]

11. He wouldn't have had all those votes after Trump got through

using the GOP's 2 foot thick folders of opposition research on him -- reported on by Kurt Eichenwald of Newsweek.

People who assume Bernie would have emerged from the onslaught unscathed are fooling themselves.

[LostOne4Ever]

20. That's at least 8 folders less than what they obviously had on Clinton :P. Nt

[yardwork]

69. I read your posts on JPR. I saw the threads you recced.

Did you rec the thread on JPR with the photoshop of feces on Hillary?

[LostOne4Ever]

73. You did? Including the one where I was asking how to delete my account?

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]Afterall, that was about the only time I posted over there once Bernie Conceded...

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/is-there-anyway-to-delete-old-posts-2/

I even made a few come to Hillary post here on DU after that:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512250811
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512324261

Of course anyone who read my post over there knew my political philosophy:

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/is-it-me-or-is-bernie-primarily-concerned-now-about-trying-to-change-the-party/

I appreciated that he was trying to pull the Democratic party back into being a party of and for the people. Even if he didn’t get us all the way their this time, he has set the seeds for the revolutions success, to have a major party that fully embodies liberal reforms and innovations. From there, we can pull the country to the left.
Supposedly the democratic party just passed the most liberal and progressive platform ever, that more people than ever within the democratic party identify as liberal or progressive, and a Liberal candidate nearly was able to topple the establishment’s darling. I would say overall he had more success than he probably even thought he would have.
I am proud that I supported Bernie Sanders!

That I only support Dems!



Of course most of my 48 posts over there were either me posting memes in the atheist group about religion or posting game of thrones jokes or talking about Pokémon go.

As for my Recs, which I Wonder how you were able to see them as even I have no idea how to find my own recs over there, I guess you mean my recs of cali, retro-wire and Warren stupidity saying Trump is a threat to democracy and that we HAVE to vote for Hillary to stop him? Cause those were the last things I rec'd over there.

To be honest, if you REALLY did read my posts over there, then I don't see why that would be pertinent to this discussion. I am not accusing you of poisoning the well or anything like that...[/font]


PS: no I did not rec that thread, in fact I never would rec something like that and never even saw the thread you mentioned as I mainly posted in and about atheism, video games, game of thrones, and anime.

[LostOne4Ever]

74. Oh did you read this post of mine too?

http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/will-you-vote-for-her-trump-stein-johnson-or-none-of-the-above/

Bernie has endorsed Hillary, I am going to vote for her.
Not only that but she has been endorsed by Russ Feingold, Elizabeth Warren, John Lewis, and many other people I admire.
But most importantly of all, I can not and WILL NOT allow my vote in any way give the Republicans the white house and the supreme court.
I am going to vote a straight democratic ticket.

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=#009999]I make no secret that I was a Bernie supporter and posted there for a while when the primary wars were raging. I needed a place to go not filled with Bull Bernie SMEARS.

I have also made it clear that I supported, donated, and voted for Hillary in the general. During that time when JPR went batshit nuts and became a bunch of Jillbots and Trump-humpers I repudiated them STRONGLY and frequently.

Maybe if you followed my posts here on DU you know that.[/font]

[Nevernose]

22. Maybe, maybe not

People didn't seem to care about the mountain of shit on Trump -- quite probably the worst human being to ever get a major party nomination. The only thing we know for sure was that Clinton lost in the upper Midwest, and America lost as a whole.

My post, though, was about including Sanders and his supporters in the future of the party. I'd rather win the next election than argue about the last one.

Clearly, in order to win moving forward, we need to appeal to Sanders supporters.

[Me.]

27. Exactly

I've read some of it and it was/is nasty stuff. He would've been demolished.

[frazzled]

15. And he had bupkus from minorities and lost women as well

He had 3 million fewer votes from Democrats voting in the primaries--a large 12 percentage point loss.

So if you care only about white blue collar males in the Midwest, who are angry and feel put upon by immigrants and people of color, then you will think Bernie Sanders, who has never been a member of the party, best represents the party. If not ...

Think about it. Gain some racist, misogynist white guys in the middle of the country, lose even more people of every stripe elsewhere.

[Nevernose]

21. You're putting words in my mouth

I didn't say he best represented the party, I was suggesting that it was smart to give him a seat at the grownup table. And while he lost the overall minority vote, he got 76% of the youth minority vote. That's not so important for yesterday's primary, but those are going to be our voters in tomorrow's election. They were attracted to his message of economic populism; we ignore that at our own peril.

Hillary had a lower turn out among all groups than Obama did, including minorities. That was about her popularity. A lot of that was media bullshit, but at least some of it was the messaging and the messenger.

[frazzled]

29. And a very large portion of that (somewhat) smaller turnout

was due to the ramifications of the Sanders primary challenge, which convinced a lot of young people that Clinton was the corporatist devil (c'mon, you know you saw it widespread here). They did not show up to vote for her, or voted for third party candidates.

And that vilification is still going on: vote for me just because I'm a woman? That is low, real low, and also entirely false.

Bernie has an "outreach" position. That's fine with me. But reaching out to disaffected male voters alone, or sticking to the single bogeyman of Wall Street exclusively (that's his bailiwick) would be a huge mistake. And I don't think he has very good relationships with the base of the party. Yes, liberal and moderate and progressive women, minorities, and others, of all ages, make up the base of the party. It's not a great way to start an outreach campaign by rudely insulting a majority of the Democratic Party (namely, women).

[kcr]

33. And it's odd to me how he stays with his schtick even now

But is backing Ellison who understands this and knows the way forward is through building a coalition that includes everyone. I think it shows just how phony his "revolution" was the whole time. Bernie is a politician and isn't very good at it.

[Nevernose]

34. That was ironically my daughter's position

She thought that the fact that older (I tell her to say "more seasoned" ) feminists were voting for Hillary based on sex was ridiculous. She thought that was the antithesis of what feminism should be. Of course, that's entirely her perception. I also happen to believe that her perception is valuable even if not 100% accurate.

A big difference between us (she's 20, I'm mid-40s) was that after the primary, she stone-cold REFUSED to work for the Clinton campaign. And ironically, I was taking her canvassing for Bill when she was just a few months old, and every election after that. From pushing her stroller to helping her register to vote, she's always been politically active. She just wasn't feeling it for Clinton, however. I know for a fact that she voted for Clinton; it's something of a family tradition that they threaten to throw us out for fuckng around at the voting booth. I worked for the local Democrats (there was a serious disconnect between the state and Clinton campaigns), but she flat refused.

She's my kid and I raised her: I like to believe, correctly or incorrectly, that she didn't buy into the anti-Clinton hype. However, I also wonder how if it doesn't demonstrate a deep divide in the generations of feminists.

[frazzled]

36. Just to be clear: it's not a "fact" that "older feminists were voting for Hillary based on sex"

It may have been a side bonus, but nobody was voting for her based on gender alone. Nobody does that.

It shocks me that people can believe that.

[Nevernose]

37. Really?

Your takeaway from my last post was that?

Can we just agree to hate Donald Trump and get Democrats elected (even if they're only weird quasi-Democrats like Sanders)?

[frazzled]

39. Totally agree on that /nt

[JudyM]

49. I agree with her and I'm old enough to be your mother. ;)

[Cobalt Violet]

17. 1000

And did the DNC ever address those voter purges in NY and CA?

[kcr]

32. There it is. The reason he lost my support

Shut up and sit down, minorities!

That's the way of politics now. The Trump way wins.

[pangaia]

53. He does not think he is the winner

And is not taking a victory lap.

Jeeze!

[NastyRiffraff]

4. "He's on a tour to promote his new book"

Yep. That says it all.

[Omaha Steve]

6. Hillary Clinton's book tour exposed "flaws in the machinery"

I met VP Biden in Omaha when he was on a book tour in 06. Got the book autographed What exactly is your point?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clintons-book-tour-exposed-flaws-in-the-machinery/

By REBECCA KAPLAN, JAKE MILLER FACE THE NATION June 29, 2014, 4:43 PM

Political analysts from the left and right disagree on whether the former Secretary of State's recent memoir, Hard Choices, was a good read, but they all said it helped her team to identify some weaknesses that could affect a potential presidential campaign.

Clinton faced a "dilemma" with the book, in that she has finished her term at the helm of the State Department but still sees a potential political future, said Dee Dee Myers, who served as former President Bill Clinton's press secretary, in a panel on CBS News' "Face the Nation." Her staffs' attempts to prevent the recent book tour from turning into a political campaign "proved to be much harder than expected," Myers said.

"In this day and age and being Hillary Clinton, everything's about politics. So I think they've some work cut out for them," Myers said. "She's hasn't declared anything yet. And so, it's all fixable, but I think they saw some flaws in the machinery that they need to go back and readdress."

Wall Street Journal Columnist Peggy Noonan, who called the memoir "a banal piece of work," said the interviews that Clinton conducted with various media outlets "gave fresh life to stories such as Benghazi" and other issues that Clinton could face as her party's nominee.


More at link. Video: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/will-hillary-clintons-awkward-answers-about-wealth-hurt-her

[think]

10. Thank you for keeping things in perspective. /nt

[pnwmom]

12. Yeah, we really needed the perspective of rightwing Reagan supporters like Peggy Noonan.

[Omaha Steve]

35. By REBECCA KAPLAN, JAKE MILLER FACE THE NATION

[pnwmom]

41. So? The featured quote was Peggy Noonan's. nt

[Omaha Steve]

43. Several quoted in the story like POTUS Obama

[R B Garr]

8. Yeah, cashing in -- which is something he shames others for doing.

So phony.

[JudyM]

16. whew, you don't see the difference between writing a book and political favors?

[Omaha Steve]

19. Bloomberg News estimates that Clinton was paid 6 million for her book

https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/bernie-sanders

Bernie Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont, and is running for President of the United States in the 2016 election.

Sanders began campaigning for civil and minority rights in the 1950s. While in high school he aimed to raise scholarship funds for Korean orphans, and he called for gay equality 40 years ago while running for office in Vermont. Bernie was arrested in 1962 for protesting against segregation in schools, and in 1963 he joined the March on Washington. An article on Alternet lists 19 ways Sanders has stood up for civil and minority rights.

He has also supported parent-child centers and senior citizens groups. In 2011, he gave his book royalties, nearly $23,000, to the Addison County Parent/Child Center. In October, 2015, Sanders refused to keep a campaign contribution donated by a pharmaceutical CEO who controversially raised the price of an AIDS medication. Instead, he donated $2,700, the maximum amount allowed from a private donor, to Whitman-Walker Health, a clinic that specializes in the treatment of HIV patients.

[progressoid]

45. 1

[JudyM]

50. Thank you for this. Facts ought to matter, right?

[SMC22307]

59. I forgot that Bernie donated those book royalties...

thanks for the reminder!

[JudyM]

14. If you haven't read the book how do you know if it might have ideas that help progressive causes?

Could be great for Dems.... seems Dem party leadership has been saying "Bernie's right about a lot of things" (Schumer, this past weekend) and looking to adopt some of his ideas.

If you need to knee-jerk read against him, you're going to be grimacing for a while, by the looks of our party's direction now.

(Ps I voted for Clinton so no personal attacks, please)

[NCTraveler]

13. "Bernie Mafia"

I can't stop laughing. "Bernie Mafia"

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=bernie+mafia

NBC has created a name for them!!!!

[yuiyoshida]

23. That's kinda like Fox News calling Obama's fist bump

The Terrorist Fist jab...

[NCTraveler]

25. Dear Lord.

Some just won't get it. The media is literally trying to get Bernie primary supporters to rally against Democrats. Doing searches it's clear NBC is trying to build this name for them. You would think our side would have figured this out after Fox damn near built a party on their own. The Tea Party.

[Omaha Steve]

30. Schumer is next top Senate Democrat, adds Sanders to leadership ranks

Seems the D's are building a name for him.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/11/16/schumer-elected-senate-democratic-leader/

By Ed O'Keefe and Mike DeBonis November 16

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) was elected as the next leader of Senate Democrats on Wednesday, establishing him as one of his party’s most senior officials in Washington and Democrats’ primary partisan counterweight to a Trump administration.

Schumer promised a “bigger, bolder, sharper-edged economic message” in his first remarks after his election and said Democrats would remain focused on the middle class “and those struggling to join it.”

“We heard the American people loud and clear,” he said. “They felt that the government wasn’t working for them. They felt that the economy was rigged against them in many places and that the government was too beholden to big money and special interests.”

In a gesture to his party’s progressive wing, Schumer added Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to a junior role in his newly expanded leadership team.

[NCTraveler]

46. 1 Schumer is a party guy. Very happy you are cheering him.

He knows what he is doing.

[SMC22307]

60. A party guy who has adopted Sanders' message.

I guess massive Democratic losses will do that to a guy.

[NCTraveler]

61. Not sure what you mean.

Why wouldn't Schumer? It's politically expedient. Seems for some this is their first foray into watching politicians work. Clinton has been supporting Sanders in a major way. That is a small part of why we were so united in the primary.

Your post here is exactly what Schumer is hoping for with his political niceties. Clearly working. Seems Schumer might be the right person for the job.

[senaca]

38. I don't get the infighting here

From my prospective, Bernie in the primary exposed ideas that harken back to FDR/LBJ Democrats. I think he actually made Hillary a stronger candidate. She adapted and adopted his ideas as it usually happens in a primary. The Democratic Platform was one to be proud of. I think both Bernie/Hillary people can attest to that. Bernie campaigned hard for Hillary. So the question comes down to what ideas in both campaigns are we proud of and want to adopt as a whole. What do we stand for, without putting the name of Bernie or Hillary into the picture. It seems that going forward the next two years should be grassroots. We need to take back the Governorships, develop promising state leaders with great ideas whether they be liberal, moderate etc. Each state should have a website that updates people on what they are trying to do for their constituents as well as the who voted against something that would be popular for voters. It might be nice to have an introduction and blogs from those who will be running in 2018/20. For that matter what states have the best websites with the most viewership among constituents. What ideas can be adapted.

I agree with you that trying to get Bernie primary supporters to rally against the Democrats is a divide and conquer strategy.

[kcr]

42. That's the problem, though. It ended up being divide and conquer

Even if the intention initially was to move the party to the left. Even as she was conceding, the attacks continued full bore. I don't get this strategy and it has cost us, and will cost us in the future. I always proposed that this was the way to do things rather than 3rd party spoilers and I was a full on 100% Bernie supporter in the beginning. I sure can't make that argument again! This was a huge disaster and I despair about how we can ever push for change.

[NCTraveler]

47. Agree with everything you said.

Outside of not getting the infighting. Media outlets will generate divisive names, as has been done here, and the less savory crowd will run with it like its brilliance. Literally media generated divides.

Really like your first paragraph. I'm much further left than our parties platform. I can still tell when the media themselves generate stories in order to divide.

[elleng]

26. Thanks for this, Steve.

Useful to know what true progressives, like Senators Sanders and Warren, are doing.

[Paladin]

28. Join the party, Sanders.

That's the least you can do at this point, considering the damage you and your followers have done.

[SidDithers]

31. ...

"If Mr. Trump has the guts to stand up to those corporations," said the former Democratic presidential candidate, "he will have an ally with me."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/17/politics/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-allies/index.html


Pfft.

Sid

[bettyellen]

55. They want his opinion because he gives them slime against the Dems. What a con.

[Demsrule86]

58. It was a mistake to let him run as a Democrat which cost us the election, and it is a mistake to let

him be in leadership. He is not a Democrat and often criticize Democrats.

[athena]

62. I agree. (n/t)

[BainsBane]

66. Plus one.

I do not share his vision of making the Democratic Party Trump lite in order to play to the racist white vote he sees as so superior to the women and people of color whose rights he angrily attacks as "identity politics."

I like Keith Ellison in spite of Sanders. He is my congressman. Unlike Sanders, he isn't divisive and doesn't spend his time attacking Democratic voters. If, however, he is going to be a mouthpiece for Sanders, I will change my views of him. I saw Ellison periodically during the campaign. If I see him at a party event, I am going to ask him directly what he means to do in regard to Sanders,

[Demsrule86]

71. I like Keith Ellison too.

I just think we need someone full time who is not elected for this job. We could have lost a Florida seat this time.

[lovemydog]

63. If they can bring out the vote and win elections

I'm all for it. We've been getting our asses kicked for far too long at state and local levels. Time for some new blood.

[CottonBear]

67. What or who is PUMA? n/t

[madokie]

68. Party Unity My Ass

P.U.M.A.

[CottonBear]

70. Thanks. n/t