Sanders apologizes to Biden for supporter's op-ed

[Skidmore]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/479084-sanders-apologizes-to-biden-for-supporters-op-ed

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) apologized to former Vice President Joe Biden (D) Sunday night after an op-ed by a Sanders campaign surrogate published in The Guardian accused Biden of corruption.

The Vermont senator told CBS News that he regretted the message published by Sanders surrogate Zephyr Teachout, who does not hold an official role with the campaign but has endorsed and introduced the senator at his rallies.

"It is absolutely not my view that Joe is corrupt in any way. And I'm sorry that that op-ed appeared," Sanders told the news channel.

His statement follows a Sanders campaign press release that circulated the op-ed to supporters and members of the media, with the heading of the press release reading "Joe Biden has a big corruption problem."...

[janterry]

1. This is the kind of integrity that has me supporting Sanders

n/t

[Skidmore]

2. His integrity

is missing when his campaign or surrogates put out misinformation to begin with or insist on purity tests for campaign donations to other candidates that he doesn't follow himself.

[janterry]

6. It's not double speak

Like other 'traditional' politicians. It's what I find refreshing - and (tbh - and not arguing - it's just me

but it's one of the reasons I don't like Biden.

[Skya Rhen]

14. He called your "preferred candidate" a liar and hasn't apologized, yet you find him refreshing - lol

[janterry]

19. Do you mean to be so sharp?

You're not asking -

but just to put it out there - I'm okay with Bernie or Warren. Either one supports my preferred agenda.

TBH, even though I don't support Klobuchar much - she's too much in the middle (for me) - I'd be okay with her as well (or many of the other candidates that are also not as left as I am). The only candidate that I'm going to be very sad about is Biden. From a progressive point of view, that's a step back that I don't think Democrats need (again, my opinion).

I get that people think he's able to get elected. I don't share that bias. I think he will lose.

I suppose, we'll see.

[Skya Rhen]

26. Yes, we shall see...

[Hortensis]

18. How is your support for the action in question different from

the trumpsters' for their candidate when he or, say, Giuliani, does the same thing to Sanders?

Aren't libel and slander lies, no matter who's doing the lying?

LIBEL definition:

Noun: the action or crime of making a false written statement damaging to a person's reputation.

Verb: make false and damaging written statements about (someone)

SLANDER definition:

Noun: the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.

Verb: make false and damaging statements about (someone)

[janterry]

21. Biden's double speak on his past record of supporting the war in Iraq

n/t

[BluNoMatterHu]

17. TRUTH!!

[Hav]

3. He'd have integrity if his campaign wouldn't push

garbage like this. But they did and he hires scum like Sirota to do the lying for him while he pretends to not engage in attacks. His surrogates on TV went out of their way to not take a stand regarding these unsubstantiated smears and after enough pressure, Sanders finally had to apologize for the lies his campaign is pushing. That's some tremendous integrity.

[True Blue American]

4. Did Sanders fire

Those responsible for the video?

[Hav]

5. I know it's a rhetorical question but no

It's hard to fire someone who was hired to do exactly what he's doing now.

[True Blue American]

7. No, it was not

A rhetorical question! You fire a person when they do something like that!

[UCmeNdc]

8. You cannot fire someone who does not work for you.

The Vermont senator told CBS News that he regretted the message published by Sanders surrogate Zephyr Teachout, who does not hold an official role with the campaign but has endorsed and introduced the senator at his rallies.


About the only thing Sanders could do is say stop it or I will not let you introduce me or associate with me anymore.


Some of these supporters are just too too too zealous for their respective candidate.

[Hav]

13. The poster I responded to talked about a video,

that's why I assumed he/she was talking about the other incident about the shortened video that was supposed to show that Biden agreed with Ryan.
In regards to Teachout, I don't blame Sanders for the initial article but that his campaign was pushing that message afterwards.

[lapucelle]

9. I wonder if Zephyr Teachout thinks this shows integrity. N/T

She was pr

[brooklynite]

20. Apologizing when things get problematic?

Nothing that Teachout said was significantly worse than the "approved" comments by David Sirota.

[beastie boy]

27. If Sanders had integrity, he would have spent half of his time apologizing for his surrogates.

[George II]

29. "Integrity" would have been to not put it out at all. It was sent out by the campaign itself....

....using "Bernie" letterhead.

That wasn't a mistake, and Sanders still hasn't apologized for THAT!

[dusk]

10. Good.

Whether on not the online campaign tows the line, the statement is welcome.

[RandiFan1290]

12. Toe the line

Welcome Back

[lark]

11. He apologizes, yet his actual people distributed it, not just Zephyr.

Sanders has a huge integrity problem which is why I switched from supporting him in 2016 to disliking him after his tepid non-endorsement endorsement of HRC and hiring top staff that all personally helped assmouth win by actively promoting Stein and dissing Democrats up and down the board.

[Skidmore]

15. Reminds me of when

he apologized to Hillary for his people for the data breach. "My bad" feel to it. Apology given, by data taken and kept.

[NurseJackie]

23. "Sanders has a huge integrity problem" --- I completely agree.

Sanders has a huge integrity problem

I completely agree.

The candidate I support will have the integrity, ethics (and overall demeanor) that's needed to be the leader of the Free World. I will only support a candidate who makes me proud to see him (or her) as President. I've had enough of stomach-churning and vomit inducing politicians of late.

tepid

Well stated.

[Scurrilous]

16. And he has endorsed and introduced her at her rallies.

Seems they go way back.

Link to tweet

Because Bernie 'Constitutionally Incapable of Sucking Up,' Anti-Corruption Champion Zephyr Teachout Endorses Sanders

<snip>

"Legal scholar and political activist Zephyr Teachout, who literally wrote the text book on government and corporate corruption, endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president on Friday as she applauded him for building "the kind of movement that we need to fight the corruption that is killing us."

In her endorsement, Teachout said Sanders has emerged as the most trustworthy candidate when it comes to honesty, integrity, and having the fortitude to stand up to powerful interests.

"Bottom line: Bernie Sanders is constitutionally incapable of sucking up, and that's why people love him," Teachout said. "They know he'll always be on the side of the little guy against big agriculture, big banks, big pharma, big tech, hate, and fear."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/27/because-bernie-constitutionally-incapable-sucking-anti-corruption-champion-zephyr

Well you guys certainly sucked things up today.

I read a bit of the Guardian article and this is totally messed up. Bernie wants M4A. Hospitals, pharma companies, insurers, and healthcare industries oppose it. So Bernie has labled them corrupt. If you have any dealings with them, you are corrupt. No actual corruption has to take place. Just to be in their presence is corruption.

Bernie has drawn up a pledge for all candidates to sign saying they won't deal/take donations from these industries. Don't sign it? You're corrupt.

A law professor wrote this?

That's the public charges. Other charges are levied online. Someone somewhere knows this guy whose mother didn't have enough money to pay for medicine and she died.

Someone died? You're a murderer. A corrupt murderer.

Amazing.

Still my favorite, can't remember where I found it - Pete Buttigieg's 3 months of work for McKinsey was labled a Kissinger-grade war crime .

[samnsara]

22. OK here we go again.... he aplologizes for them but obviously CANT or WONT control his..

...surrogates. If he cant control his minions..how is BS going to lead the country?? Soon one of them will publicly call out Biden ( or Warren or Amy) as corporate whores and toss money at their barricade.


This side seems to bring out the meanness in supporters. I want some one who brings out the better angels in all of us.

....Thats Joe.

that article above is yet another reason I will not support BS unless hes the only one standing and I have no other choice.

[ramen]

24. Good move.

Glad to hear it, apologizing is the right thing to do here.

[NYMinute]

25. Oops

I got caught! What should I do? They hate me now ...

Maybe I'll issue a fake apology to placate

[Skidmore]

37. This attempt

at character assassination was disgusting, in content and timing.

[still_one]

28. He still hasn't apologized for the LIE about Biden and Social Security

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287436225

With people like Sirota, Turner, and Gray on his team, how can anyone take this apology seriously

[NurseJackie]

30. So many to apologize for.

So many to apologize for. For example: the Democratic party is NOT "intellectually bankrupt" nor is it "ideologically bankrupt" nor is it the "party of the elite" nor is it the "party of the one-percent".

[still_one]

31. +++

[Blue_Tires]

32. Sirota is a hypocritical piece of shit

But then I'm stating the obvious...

[mcar]

33. Nice to see

Perhaps he's evolving.

[Gothmog]

34. Has sanders fired Sirota?

Link to tweet

[Happy Hoosier]

35. Why does Bernie surround himself with these folks? NT

[MineralMan]

36. When his campaign staff and surrogates stop that kind of behavior,

I'll know that Bernie Sanders was sincere in his apology. I'll wait right here...