OBAMA: Bernie Sanders 'tapped into a running thread in Democratic politics'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Business Insider

Colin Campbell

In a Politico interview published Monday morning, President Barack Obama weighed in on the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has been surging in the race against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Obama also waged an insurgent campaign against in the 2008 contest.

Politico correspondent Glenn Thrush asked Obama if he bought into the notion that Sanders is an "analog" for his own candidacy against Clinton eight years ago.

"I don't think that's true," the president replied.

FULL story at link.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/barack-obama-politico-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-2016-1

[PatrickforO]

1. Bernie is what we thought Obama would be.

At least I did.

[billhicks76]

4. Agreed

I always wondered what happened to the Obama that was going to filibuster the Telecom Immunity Act in 2008 and then suddenly voted for it after meeting with high level DLC people.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. Bernie is what I hoped Obama would be,

while knowing in my heart it was a scam. There were just too many high dollar people behind Obama.

[peacebird]

9. ^^^this^^^

[840high]

18. +10

[geek tragedy]

10. Then you weren't paying attention to what Obama was saying nt

[jwirr]

11. +1

[Proserpina]

2. Pitiful

I'd hope the inarticulateness of this interview was the interviewer's fault for clumsy editing...but who knows?

[tularetom]

3. Obama knows about that "running thread"

Since it's the same one he tapped into when he ran in 2008 and then largely ignored after he was elected.

[mikehiggins]

5. Sanders "advantage" in taking on the front runner and the establishment?

That is just silly.

Sanders' advantage was that he isn't carrying years of baggage and that what he does bring is a habit and reputation for telling the truth, at least as he sees it.

In the article O repeats the story that Bernie hasn't been "vetted" by the media and his programs haven't been analysed as a result. Even though many Democratic voters might wonder what he's talking about after the revelations that Sanders is a racist, sexist, tool of the NRA whose plans for Single Payer will cost the US taxpayers $15 TRILLION!!!! and raise taxes on everyone, plus throw more money in the direction of those grifters on Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, and that the GOPukes are going to be much more resistant to him than to any other Democratic candidates, still he is President Obama and really can't be questioned.

Right.

Oh, and that doesn't mean that I am/will/would disparage him for supporting HRC. Unlike many, Obama is loyal to his people.

[sorechasm]

7. "Bernie is fearless" - PBO

Despite PBO's obligatory balanced praise for both candidates, and 'caution' about the durability of Bernie's platform, that last statement seems put out there as a challenge to Bernie's campaign. PBO knows that this one trait, fearlessness, defines success or failure at the Presidential scale. It is one trait he did not grant to HRC.

Obama continued: "Bernie is somebody who — although I don't know as well because he wasn't, obviously, in my administration, has the virtue of saying exactly what he believes, and great authenticity, great passion, and is fearless. His attitude is, 'I got nothing to lose.'"

PBO thinks this attitude may be a cavalier, temporary affectation, of Bernie riding high on his recent successes. In fact, this attitude has been integrated into Bernie's leadership qualities for the past four decades. Bernie has always been determined and fearless about his compassionate support for economic fairness, and he always will be.

[George II]

8. Another quote from the interview:

"I think that what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and delivering the goods is ultimately the job of politics, making a real-life difference to people in their day-to-day lives," he told Thrush. "I don't want to exaggerate those differences, though, because Hillary is really idealistic and progressive."

Bears repeating - "what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and delivering the goods"

She's the only candidate who knows how to deliver the goods - she's not just an idealist with no idea how to accomplish those ideals.

[Kelvin Mace]

12. Except she is not idealistic

otherwise should wouldn't be now claiming that universal healthcare is unobtainable, especially after attacking Obama back in 2008:

"Since when do Democrats attack one another on universal health care? I thought we were trying to realize Harry Truman's dream. I thought this campaign finally gave us an opportunity to put together a coalition to achieve universal health care."

Her "progressive" stances have come about only after she was dragged from her conservative view points, like DOMA, and Keystone. She is a war hawk and counts war criminals like Henry Kissinger as a "friend and adviser".

While she opposed the bankruptcy bill when she was First Lady, she supported and voted for it when she started taking Wall Street money as a senator.

WARREN: And she says, "Tell me about bankruptcy." And I got to tell you, I never had a smarter student. Quick, right to the heart of it. I go over the law. It's a complex law. Went over the economics. Showed her the graphs, showed her the charts. And she got it.

Within 20 minutes, she could play where the rest of it would come. Well, then that will mean this part's happened. That will mean this has happened. I said, "Yes, that's right." And at the end of the conversation, Mrs. Clinton stood up. She said, "Let's get our picture taken" which we did, and she said, "Professor Warren, we've got to stop that awful bill," referring to this bankruptcy bill that sponsored by the credit card companies.

So I left. She went back to White House, and I heard later from someone who is a White House staffer that there were skid marks in the hallways when Mrs. Clinton got back as people reversed direction on that bankruptcy bill. President…

MOYERS: That was supporting the industry. And because of her…

WARREN: President Clinton had been showing that this is another way that he could be helpful to business. It wasn't a very high visibility bill. And when Mrs. Clinton came back with a little better understanding of how it all worked, they reversed course, and they reversed course fast. And indeed, the proof is in the pudding.

The last bill that came before President Clinton was that bankruptcy bill that was passed by the House and the Senate in 2000 and he vetoed it. And in her autobiography, Mrs. Clinton took credit for that veto and she rightly should. She turned around a whole administration on the subject of bankruptcy. She got it.

MOYERS: And then?

WARREN: One of the first bills that came up after she was Senator Clinton was the bankruptcy bill. This is a bill that's like a vampire. It will not die. Right? There's a lot of money behind it, and it…

MOYERS: Bill, her husband, who vetoed…

WARREN: Her husband had vetoed it very much at her urging.

MOYERS: And?

WARREN: She voted in favor of it.

MOYERS: Why?

WARREN: As Senator Clinton, the pressures are very different. It's a well-financed industry. You know a lot of people don't realize that the industry that gave the most money to Washington over the past few years was not the oil industry, was not pharmaceuticals. It was consumer credit products. Those are the people. The credit card companies have been giving money, and they have influence.

HRC has demonstrated she answers to whoever is writing the big checks, and it is not us.

[George II]

15. Yawn, do you REALLY want to get into quotes and actions by the candidates from years ago?

Sanders has a number of interesting nuggets that I can post here, too. Unfortunately people are discouraged from posting anything less than glowing comments, quotes, or facts about him.

[Kelvin Mace]

17. We are not talking about quotes from the ancient past

rather ones from the recent past while HRC was in the senate and running for president last time.

Post whatever you please.

[Android3.14]

13. Always a huge delay in delivery of those "goods"

Last edited Mon Jan 25, 2016, 02:45 PM - Edit history (1)

HRC has never provided leadership on any progressive cause, only throwing the weight of her name long after the rest of the country has shifted.

[George II]

14. Sanders has never provided leadership on any progressive cause - for the most part....

....during his tenure in Washington he's been a follower, not a leader. He's had very few bills that he authored introduced in either house, but he has signed on to a whole bunch authored and introduced by others.

[Android3.14]

16. Your subthread is about Hillary

What does your perception of Sanders' leadership (documented as awesome, BTW) have to do with Hillary's absence of leadership on any progressive legislation?

I'd love to hear how she has a leading voice when she advocated for a living wage, single payer healthcare, LGBT rights and voted against the war in Iraq. Oh, wait...