Bernie Sanders’ Endgame Is Increasingly Bewildering To Team Clinton

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-convention_us_5773f0f4e4b0352fed3e97f7

Democrats have for weeks treated the still-operational presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with a mix of deference and caution, worrying about too strongly pushing the occasionally irascible senator and his legion of devoted followers.

But as time has passed and the party’s convention nears, supporters of Hillary Clinton really want to know what Sanders’ endgame actually is.

The question has been prompted by some recent muddled messaging from Sanders himself. The senator has said he’ll vote for Clinton, but is declining to actually endorse her candidacy. On Tuesday, he raised the specter of convention disorder over the nuts and bolts of the party platform, all while insisting he will do everything in his power to ensure that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump loses.

“So far [Sanders] has been riding a wave of good feelings in the sense he ran an incredible campaign,” said former Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who served with Sanders and Clinton but has endorsed the latter.

Sanders’ campaign did not return requests for comment. But those who know the senator say that the simplest explanation for his current pursuits is, in his typical fashion, the right one: He wants to change the Democratic Party, from the way it nominates its candidates to the policies it pursues.

“Bernie is trying to do exactly what he says he is trying to do. It’s in every one of his statements. He is making sure the concerns he has raised are taken into account for the future of the Democratic Party,” said former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), who worked with Sanders for a short period of time.

“The easiest answer with Bernie is to listen what he says because what he says is what he means,” he added. “It is remarkable working with him. You didn’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out what he was saying or what he meant. It was a pleasure being around him.”

And Sanders has been around. Since voting in the Democratic primary concluded, he hasn’t receded far from the spotlight. The stadium-sized rallies are over, but he has campaigned for like-minded progressives, sent fundraising emails to elect allies, pushed for platform changes through his delegates and, lately, has taken to the op-ed pages of the major newspapers

Go Bernie! Much love from a proud supporter from the beginning till the end! Do not let the hatred from some people deter you in your goals for reforms.

[RobertEarl]

1. Interesting. Very. N/t

[MohRokTah]

2. .

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

3. Roll your eyes all you want...

Supporting the TPP tells me all I need to know about you.

[MohRokTah]

5. .

[MohRokTah]

12. .

[840high]

22. ...!100++++

[bravenak]

4. Nobody cares anymore anywayz

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

6. Front page of this section is filled with angry articles frustrated that he won't endorse/end camp

[bravenak]

10. His endorsement is irrelevant at this point

80 percent of his support has already moved over to Hillary. Much faster than her 08 support moved to Obama. We have EDUB. That's much much much better.

[NurseJackie]

34. "EDUB" ... Love it! :-D

[bravenak]

49. She is hella cool.

[TheProgressive]

7. Keep up the great progressive work Bernie!

[still_one]

8. Why are some of DU still focused on Bernie Sanders? The Democratic nominee is HILLARY.

Deal with it

[eShirl]

17. not "is," "will be"

why is everyone so impatient?

[charlyvi]

29. Is eom

[uponit7771]

11. Sanders has no leverage, his supporters have FLOCKED to Clinton faster than Obama's did in 08 and

... his left leaning bonafides have been "trumped" by Warren (who most of the left pined for at first) ... none of the delegates are going to move over to him either.

His endgame is petulance right now, he'll get a couple of nods but he'll keep asking then get nothing

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

13. Not accurate

He has gained +12 net favorability in the newest YouGov poll... http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/polls/yougov-economist-24795 (Hillary only gained +1) (Trump lost 7 favorability)

Clearly he isn't doing anything wrong in the eyes of the American public at large. That his supporters are willing to vote for Clinton might say more about his strategy than the bleating on about why he hasn't endorsed yet. Bernie is authentic.

[uponit7771]

16. Talking about hold outs on votes, Obama had 40% in 08 Clinton only has 8% right now...

... she doesn't need his endorsement seeing his supporters have already flocked to her fast relative to 08... when Obama won.

No delegates are going to move for him and he has raised little cash down ballot...

Relative to Clinton in 08 he doesn't have any leverage

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

20. He has raised a lot down ballot directly to specific candidates...

How many down ballot candidates have received money from the Hillary Victory Fund yet?

[uponit7771]

23. No, he has less than 5 million put down ballot at all... no, not even close to that number but I'm

... giving him down ballots at that number which relatively is paltry

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

25. Well taking your word on that number, where is the evidence that any downballot candidate

has received money from Hillary Victory Fund?

[charlyvi]

32. Clinton, Sanders differ on down-ballot Democrats

In his statement announcing his latest financial triumph, Sanders emphasized details he has every reason to be proud of: his campaign has now received over 6.5 million contributions from 1.7 million individual Americans, with an average contribution of just $27. The senator’s email to supporters referenced the potency of his “revolution” – three times.

Yesterday afternoon, meanwhile, Hillary Clinton’s campaign announced its fundraising tally over the same period, and though Sanders hasn’t matched his rival in votes or wins, we were reminded once more that he’s easily defeating her when it comes to dollars in the bank. But the Clinton campaign’s press release added something Sanders’ did not:
Hillary Clinton raised about $29.5 million for her primary campaign during March. That amount brings the first quarter total to nearly $75 million raised for the primary, beating the campaign’s goal of $50 million by about 50 percent. [Hillary For America] begins April with nearly $29 million on hand.

Clinton raised an additional $6.1 million for the DNC and state parties during the month of March, bringing the total for the quarter to about $15 million [emphasis added].
The first part matters, of course, to the extent that Sanders’ fundraising juggernaut is eclipsing Clinton’s operation, but it’s the second part that stands out. How much money did Sanders raise for the DNC and state parties in March? Actually, zero. For the quarter, the total was also zero.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/clinton-sanders-differ-down-ballot-democrats

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

44. That is the whole ponzi scheme she employed with the HVF...

Remember when Sanders threatened a lawsuit over it. Because in essence that money was going to soliciting for donations on behalf of the Clinton Campaign using a loophole.

I am specifically looking for any instance where a downballot Democratic candidate received money from actions undertaken by Clinton campaign.

[Chan790]

68. If you feel that the state parties and DNC are irreparably cancerous and broken...

why would you raise money for them?

Sanders raises money directly for candidates that share his vision.

I wouldn't give money to the DNC or CTDems either...they'd probably use it to run more Democrats that I really don't think are good Democrats at-all. The best way for any movement working for reform the party is to work to gut the establishment and its institutions so they may be reformed or replaced. Sanders fundraising for the DNC would be counter-productive to what we're actually attempting to do.

Rebuilding requires demolition. Do you invest time and resources into renovating a house you're trying to knock down so you can rebuild on the lot?

[unc70]

38. How would you, or even Sanders, know?

Some of us have donated directly to other candidates after receiving a mailing from Sanders. How could you even presume to know what we might have done and will continue to do? By being overly presumptive, I suppose. Why not; it works for so many others.

[Zen Democrat]

43. Amen.

[merrily]

80. Tim Canova, for one, has raised millions, including some $ from me. I never heard of him before.

[floriduck]

54. Still not sure where that 80% stat came from. But it gets repeated a laaaaaaaaawwwt

[Cali_Democrat]

15. Well said!

[MADem]

14. Hatred? More like puzzlement. This might not end well for him.

This is from your source:

Sanders’ leverage seems limited in other ways as well. The portion of the liberal base that is withholding its support for Clinton has decreased in recent polls. That’s been aided in part by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) endorsing the former secretary of state — although the Clinton camp believes that 10 percent to 15 percent of Sanders’ supporters were never Democrats to begin with and won’t vote for Clinton simply because other progressives are on board.

Many of Sanders’ prominent endorsers have switched their support to Clinton as well. And according to Democratic sources, the Clinton campaign has been working behind the scenes to try to limit the prospects of convention chaos: Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook has spoken repeatedly with Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver, in addition to meeting with Sanders’ delegates in Vermont in an attempt to earn their support.

Rendell, who is chairing the convention, said he has also been working with the Sanders campaign to ensure that it has access for a march through the city and a convenient spot to host a rally and demonstration. But even then, he wasn’t optimistic that the party was gearing up for a serene week.

“My guess is it won’t be totally peaceful,” Rendell said. “But it will be more peaceful than (the Republican convention in) Cleveland. Total low bar, I know.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-convention_us_5773f0f4e4b0352fed3e97f7

[NurseJackie]

36. I didn't realize it was as high as 15%! That helps to explain a LOT!

The people in that group would have never voted for Hillary anyway.

[Zen Democrat]

39. I'm gonna vote for Hillary, but that doesn't mean I love her. I LOVE Bernie. nt

[MADem]

57. I can completely appreciate that and understand your feelings from personal experience.

I was on Team Clinton in 2008, and it wasn't easy making the switch. That said, the thought of Caribou Barbie a heartbeat away from the White House was more than enough to finally persuade me to get my ass Fired Up and Ready To Go!

I will say I went from reluctant supporter to "enthusiast" in very short order -- what made me really understand how important the Obama Presidency was, was the Inauguration Ceremony. It's a pretty powerful thing when people in your own family are shedding tears of joy and unable to speak over some guy taking the oath of office. President Obama was a visual representation of opportunity for those of us who don't look like we came out of 1950s-era central casting; and he turned out to be a really good POTUS, too.

When HRC was named SECSTATE I said to myself, "Hmmm--what a 'She stoops to conquer' moment!" Because holding that job would make her--no doubt, no question, no reservations--the most qualified individual to run for public office when the job became available in future. Between the legislative experience in the Senate and that gig on the world stage, and of course, sitting in a catbird seat seeing how the process works in the WH for eight years, there's no one who can hit the ground faster than she can. She doesn't have to ask "Where's the bathroom?" or "Which one is the Map Room?" She knows her way around and she knows how the game is played.

I just can't imagine The Donald soiling the WH with his tiny orange hands. It's simply too ugly an idea to contemplate!

[Her Sister]

72. Very cool answer! The whole thing!!!

[NastyRiffraff]

85. That's fine

You're sane. You don't have to "love" Hillary; just vote. Think of it as a vote AGAINST Trump if you like, it still counts as a vote for a Democratic president. Love Bernie all you like; I certainly don't and that's fine, too. We're Democrats;; we know a Trump presidency would be disastrous for the country.

[zappaman]

18. Who?

[Adrahil]

19. Meh. No longer relevant.

He could have been, but he misplayed his hand.

[JRLeft]

31. Yet so many of you post about him, he must be somewhat relevant.

If I consider someone irrelevant, I never think about them.

[Adrahil]

33. I don't. But I think he just irritates some folks.

All this talk of democracy and the will of the people, and he can't acknowledge that he lost. Seems kind of petty to many. I think he squandered an opportunity to be a real leader in the Democratic party, but his choice. At this point, I don't really care. I hope he recoups some dignity and returns to doing good work in the Senate.

[Zen Democrat]

42. Fact is, he didn't lose. He won big and the movement he's begun is just getting started.

It will be working for Progressive wins during all of the Hillary Administration. And beyond. This was about way more than the nomination. Bernie has said that from the beginning. It's never been about HIM.

[Adrahil]

46. We'll see. NT

[Armstead]

58. His opportunity was to become a fawning sycophant and reap the gratitude

Instead he's continuing to press for what he pressed for in the primary (and for years before that).

Sorrrreeeee he has not decided to do the "let's sweep everything under the carpet" thing for y'all.

He's going to continue to be a pain in the ass of the conservative centrists, and I am glad for that. We need more pains in the ass.

[Adrahil]

74. I disagree. He could be more like he was last night with Chris Hayes.

He could emphasize that he has great respect for Clinton and that he endorses her, but that they don;t agree on everything, and that he will advise her on issues and point our to her when he thinks she's wrong.

Endorsing does NOT mean having to become a sychophant.

[Armstead]

84. He's been pretty much like that all along

He was maybe a little more relaxed last night, but not saying much different than he's been saying for weeks.

[NurseJackie]

37. His being "puzzling" does not mean he's relevant.

It's interesting to try and figure him out ... kinda like watching a train wreck in slow motion, you just can't look away in spite of yourself ... there's a certain element of being odd and quirky entertainment ... but that hardly makes him politically relevant any more.

[bettyellen]

55. The slow drip of stories from campaign workers- the two headed coin and infighting....

That shit is juicer than most of the RT and Brienart crap posted here for the last six months. Implosions are inherantly interesting!

[Armstead]

59. It's really pretty damn simple

He got into the race to advance issues he (and millions of otehrs) believe need to be addressed. He lost the nomination, but he didn't lose those principles.

He's going to keep pressing for those issues. He's a royal pain in the ass to the establishment, and I'm glad he is. We need more pains in the ass.

[840high]

21. Kick with love for Bernie

[Proud Public Servant]

24. I suspect it's safe to ignore him at this point

That's not to put down Bernie. But it's obvious that Clinton and Sanders aren't even playing the same game at this point, if they ever were. Clinton needs to get on with winning the general, Sanders needs to get on with building his movement. At this point, neither one significantly helps the other; Clinton has all the ex-Bernie-supporter votes she needs (or is likely to get), even without his endorsement, and Sanders' long-term goals actually benefit from lack of contact with Clinton. Give him an appropriate speaking spot at the convention and let everyone move on.

My chief concern is that, if Bernie doesn't play this right, he'll find his influence much-diminished inside the Beltway, even as his stature grows beyond it. The Clintons know how to hold a grudge, and whoever the next Dem Senate leader is will likely either be a Clintonite or be unwilling to cross her. Bernie may not care, but I'd hate to see him frozen out.

[MohRokTah]

47. He won't get a speaking slot at the convention.

Candidates get no speaking slot before the nomination vote and after, only the nominee and those who endorse get speaking slots.

So Sander gets nothing because he refuses to concede and endorse,

[leftofcool]

27. For the umpteenth time......I don't care what sanders does or does not do.

I don't know him, I don't hate him. I just don't care.

[ret5hd]

78. And yet, here you are.

Just sayin'.

[libdem4life]

28. Bernie is continuing in his stated goal to involve "little people"...blue collar

unions (not the management) folks who can not compete with the massive influx of corporate cash.

He did not covet the job of presidency. He was a reluctant candidate with a message. If he chooses to participate in a portion of the Democratic Party that is not associated with neoliberalism, then he is doing what he said. Obviously, who one votes for this November is only one event of the story.

It's not just about one election or one candidate and winning or losing. Movements or Revolutions...call it what you will...are not unipolar. It now most likely will move to the bottom up...an eager, underserved potential candidate segment that doesn't have to get someone's OK to run. There is now a national leader, which The People have not have for a very long time.

Time will tell, but I think the angst of Bernie still being around and not tied to Hillary's hip will go away at some point before Bernie goes away. At least I hope so.

[DanTex]

30. Bewildering to anyone who doesn't want Trump to be president.

I remember him saying he would do everything in his power to stop Trump from becoming president. I believed him. I was wrong.

[tonyt53]

35. Ah, but that spotlight has moved away from him and that gets him the most.

I don't hate Sanders, not even remotely. In fact, I feel sorry for him.

[Evergreen Emerald]

40. Wait...isn't he running as an independent?

What is he doing? Is he a democrat? is he an independent? Which is it? Why does he care about the democratic party if he has decided to run as an independent?

[MelissaB]

41. The responses in this thread tell you everything you need to know about why DU is what it is now.

Posters have left and the Alexa rank continues to drop.

[corkhead]

51. DU is to "underground" as AT&T is to "telegraph"

[demwing]

45. Bewildering? LOL

The only people who are "bewildered" are those that are also bewildered by the concept of navigating with a compass, instead of just following any breeze that blows.

[PowerToThePeople]

53. Bravo Senator!

[silvershadow]

56. There are things that bewilder me, but this sure isn't one of them. nt

[Uncle Joe]

60. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, GeorgiaPeanuts.

[Night Watchman]

61. And to All Sane People

I mean: He lost. Simple.

[whistler162]

65. Now now no need to insult Sec. Clinton supporters

[eridani]

62. He stands a much better chance of convincing some of his higlhy alienated supporters to vote against

--Trump is he does NOT endorse her.

[Chan790]

69. I've noticed that a lot of Clintonites don't get that.

A Sanders endorsement for Clinton probably gains no votes for Clinton at this juncture...but it almost certainly moves some of his primary supporter's GE votes from Stein to Trump as they will see it as him selling out the revolution to make nice with Hillary Clinton, someone many of those holdouts view as a cross between Salome and Cersei Lannister.

I don't get what is bewildering about that. He's doing exactly what he said he was going to do:

1.) Continue the revolution.
2.) Work against Trump getting elected.
3.) Vote for Clinton in November.

[Scuba]

63. Why do they find truthfully fighting for the 99% bewildering?

[Lord Magus]

66. Since when does "truthfully fighting for the 99%" require denying reality?

Bernie still has yet to even concede that he lost. Or to congratulate Hillary on her historic victory. And maintaining a zombie campaign under the pretense of still being an active candidate just makes him look ridiculous.
.

[whistler162]

64. So the author of the piece believes Sec. Clinton's

team is clueless and is growing more so as time passes! Hmmmmmm.... not good.

[Jitter65]

67. He and his supporters are waiting and hoping for the FBI to charge her. That is all.

And he loses either way.

[Chan790]

71. I don't think anybody expects or hopes for that.

Not anybody sane at-least.

What part of this is hard for Clinton supporters to understand? It's not about your candidate, it never was. This campaign was always about reformation of the party...it still is. The endgame is to not have an endgame until we succeed in reforming the party, whether that takes one election cycle or twenty. We're not going away...we'll be here still in 2020 to push for a primary candidacy and work to move the party in a more-progressive direction. We'll be here in 2018 and 2022 to get progressives onto the ballot and replace centrist Democrats with progressives everywhere progressives can win.

None of that revolves around Clinton. Frankly, as far as our objectives go, nobody gives a F about Clinton. She's not relevant to the revolution; no more so than dinosaurs are.

We lost the nomination. We're still winning the war. Who concedes when they're winning the war?

[randome]

73. It was never a war in the first place.

Antagonism and trash-talking the Democratic Party only makes it less likely to get positions aired. The longer Sanders waits, the less influence he has so if this was a war, he's not winning it.

[brooklynite]

76. "This campaign was always about reformation of the party"

Explain how you propose to do that.

Sanders let the nomination; therefore his movement can;t do it by dint of numbers. It has to be done in a cooperative rather than confrontational manner, and stubborn refusal to acknowledge defeat and unify the Party around it's nominee won't put the Clinton campaign or the Party in a mood to consider his "demands".

[Chan790]

83. Clintonites could always capitulate.

We're not going away and we're never compromising with the center-left again because they don't keep their promises and we always get the short end of the stick. What y'all do with that is up to you.

[Lyric]

70. Bewildering is the wrong word.

Reeeeeeally the wrong word.

If Hillary had behaved like this back in 2008, I wouldn't be supporting her today. Selfishness and egotism are repulsive qualities.

Thankfully she was a gracious loser. SOME people could learn lesson, but that would require acknowledging that Hillary Clinton isn't Satan Incarnate. So I doubt if we will see that any time soon.

Jesus, even the Repukes behaved with more grace and dignity than this, and THEY lost to a blathering ferret-headed shitgibbon. Did I get that right???

[Her Sister]

75. Repulsive, you found the perfect adjective!

eom

[Koinos]

77. I don't think that "endgame" is the right word.

I think that Bernie wants to continue to be a "gadfly" for Democrats.

I think he sees his role as that of ongoing "critic" and "protestor."

But showing appreciation of what Hillary Clinton and other Democrats have done would situate his criticisms within a broader context of friendly cooperation.

People tend to pay more attention to criticism from well-meaning friends.

[stonecutter357]

79. " this posts has been hidden by a DU Jury"

[Sheepshank]

81. Regarding your bolded paragraph..."he says what he means..." errrr..that's a big NO!

I have seen plenty of examples where what he said was off, wrong, scary, demeaning etc and it was explained away in a completely different manner by BS supporters here on DU. We are supposed to decide and decipher when that one line applies and when it does not? I'm not a mind reader, and neither is anyone else attempting to interpret what he means.

[NCTraveler]

82. My heart goes out to Sanders. nt.