"Bernie Loses His Halo. Even progressives are criticizing him now after he’s shown a harder edge."

[Surya Gayatri]

...If Bernie wants to own the moral high ground at the convention, he’ll need to return the focus of his campaign to the issues in its final days.

...

Actually, Sanders hasn’t lost much support among his most avid supporters—who do not include Moulitsas, a sometime critic. What we are seeing, however, is that it’s no longer taboo in liberal circles to attack Sanders as he drags out the nomination process at a time when many are itching to turn their fire on Donald Trump. And if his reputation in the party is being damaged outside his base, that will make it harder for him to extract concessions from Clinton regarding the platform and party nomination rules at the convention.

Through much of the campaign, Sanders wore a progressive halo, making it tricky for Clinton to play classic hardball politics (not that she didn’t try). Even if Democratic voters didn’t believe he was the practical choice, his platform still spoke to the ideological aspirations of many in the party. His supporters heard, “I like Bernie, but…” so much that they turned it into a website providing information designed to assuage unsure voters.

Much of the warm, fuzzy sentiment was based on a perception of Sanders as a non-politician, a man so wedded to his ideals that he would not besmirch them by engaging in petty politics. Democrats of all stripes lauded Sanders in October when he went out of his way to keep the debate focus on policy and take an enticing line of attack off the table, thundering, “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.”

But in the months that followed, the Sanders campaign adopted an increasingly harder edge, gradually depriving him of angelic protections. Now, with only six states remaining on the primary calendar, the delegate math harder and harder to ignore, and the Clinton’s lead over Donald Trump short of insurmountable, partisan impulses on the left are kicking in, and patience for squabbles is wearing thin.
...

Right now, the media is getting a lot of the sport it likes, and Sanders is getting a lot less of what he likes. He might consider delivering a speech on how giving reporters fodder for stories about discord only serves to take the spotlight away from income inequality and corporate influence over democracy – which would be a way to urge better behavior from his supporters without sounding like he’s scolding them.


http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/bernie-sanders-loses-his-halo-213911
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Good analysis and valid advice for the Bern.

[liberal N proud]

1. He was going to run a positive campaign and he has done everything but that

This is an angry old fool:

[Surya Gayatri]

2. Quintessential "angry old man". Literally shaking his finger and

waving his arms at the whole world, and blaming everybody but himself for his present predicament.

[Cha]

6. gross.

[Maru Kitteh]

21. One can virtually see the spittle fly and smell the coffee breath, no?

*shudders*

[Gothmog]

24. The positive campaign promise did not last long

[Her Sister]

3. Oh Thanks! Bookmarking! Gonna read with my morning coffee!

Ahhhhh!!!

[Surya Gayatri]

4. Really good, brass tacks analysis.

[Cha]

5. burnie has lost his fake halo.

Despite the charges that the toxicity comes “from the top” of the Sanders campaign, Bloomberg News reports that Sanders has personally reached out to fellow senators and given “behind-the-scenes assurances” that he “understands the need for party unity.”

I call BullShit on this.. we know the toxicity comes from the top and I don't believe for a second that sanders "understands" a damn thing about party unity.

Thank you for this, Surya~

[Surya Gayatri]

7. We'll see. He certainly has no historical loyalty to the party.

Is he serious about doing everything in his power to keep Drumpf out of the White House?

The moment is coming to either "shit or get off the pot", as my late RW-nut father used to say.

[BobbyDrake]

10. 2 years left on his current Senate term, and he's never had a job that wasn't taxpayer-funded.

I don't see him being all that eager to abandon his gravy train by retiring early. This means he'll have to play by Democratic Party rules in the Senate, whether they're in the majority or minority. Otherwise, he undoes everything he's said about being a Democrat this primary cycle, and further tarnishes his brand by making more and more openly opportunistic decisions that go against his supposed principles.

Although won't it be ironic when he retires and starts making money off of the lecture circuit? You'll see a completely different perspective on private speaking fees once Bernie is earning some, just wait and see...

[Surya Gayatri]

11. Boy, will he be chafing under that disciplinary yoke! LOL!

This means he'll have to play by Democratic Party rules in the Senate, whether they're in the majority or minority.

And, yes, the irony will be delicious "when he retires and starts making money off of the lecture circuit..."

[jmowreader]

22. Do you really believe that last paragraph?

I don't think anyone would pay to hear him speak. Corporations don't want him, universities can just throw in a tape of one of his stump speeches...

[TwilightZone]

19. He's backed himself into a corner.

If he doesn't endorse Hillary as he said he would, he looks like a hypocrite.

If he does endorse Hillary, he looks like a hypocrite.

If he negotiates with the DNC to retire his campaign debt after publicly accusing them of money laundering and rigging the election, he looks like a hypocrite.

[Cha]

20. Oh, I forgot about the lying "money laundering" accusations. Thank you for the reminder.

burnie's going to be a lying hypocrite if he backs Hillary and a liar if he doesn't.

You're exactly right.. BS has backed himself into a desperate corner, that's been a long time in the making .. and this is where he ends up. Hoisted on his own well deserved petard.

[NastyRiffraff]

23. "I call BullShit on this.. "

Last edited Mon May 23, 2016, 07:19 PM - Edit history (1)

So do I, Cha. Bernie has been slamming the Democratic party for years, and has only stepped up his attacks on it since beginning his campaign. Bernie himself, not his campaign. He makes a point of it. Legitimate criticism is one thing, but he goes far beyond that; he never misses an opportunity to try to de-legitimatize the Democratic party.

[Cha]

27. BS wants to take our Dem Party down with hm.. poor thing... ain't gonna happen.

[Gman]

8. Sanders has little control over his supporters

They will continue to behave badly even after the convention. They simply want to destroy. No reason, no plan, no goal. Just destroy.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. Funny you should mention the slogan "DESTROY". So many of Sanders' rabid young

minions remind me of the Neo-Anarchist movement here in France. Guess what their street-violence war cry is? "DESTROY" (in English, LOL!)

[Iliyah]

12. In my opinion BS never had a "halo" to begin with

[Surya Gayatri]

13. I certainly never saw him with one. But, too many of his

most rabid supporters saw him that way.

Remember the various "Bernie Worhsip" threads from a couple of months ago? Pure cultish belief and behavior.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511591182

[TwilightZone]

15. HA Goodman is the leader of the "Bernie is a savior" pack.

You know...the one they like to pretend doesn't exist.

[TwilightZone]

14. Well, they sure freaked out about this one. Multiple posts and a lot of whining.

They don't seem to realize it's a Politico article and not from the Clinton campaign.

[Surya Gayatri]

17. That salient fact does seem to have escaped their notice. LOL!

[Thinkingabout]

16. On some issues like SS he has moved to Hillary's position, Hillary has been for universal health

care for years, he has come to her position on shutting down failing banks but using Dodd Frank, he did not understand how to do this but I don't hear a lot about reinstating Glass Stegall. Hillary wants free community colleges and assistance refinancing student loans and tuition assistance with community service. These are progressive ideas.


Now it seems as he is wanting to destroy and disparage the DNC, I do not like this action. He agreed to follow the rules and now he wants to change the rules to suit him, he wasn't going to run a dirty campaign, that left a long time ago. His supporters are out of hand and he is not making the proper moves to be a leader, no we do not need this as a leader of the US. He is angry, not needed.

[Surya Gayatri]

18. ^^^WORD!^^^

"His supporters are out of hand and he is not making the proper moves to be a leader."

[Gothmog]

25. I have never felt the bern but I used to like Sanders

Sanders' antics have lowered my opinion of Sanders greatly

[anotherproletariat]

26. Harder edge? Let's face it, he's being an childish a*&. nt

[tarheelsunc]

28. He's "gone negative" throughout the entire campaign.

His attacks and smears against Clinton would make even the reddest Republican proud. Unfortunately, his fanboys are way too delusional to recognize it.