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2016 Postmortem
Showing Original Post only (View all)"Bernie Loses His Halo. Even progressives are criticizing him now after he’s shown a harder edge." [View all]
...If Bernie wants to own the moral high ground at the convention, hell need to return the focus of his campaign to the issues in its final days.
...
Actually, Sanders hasnt lost much support among his most avid supporterswho do not include Moulitsas, a sometime critic. What we are seeing, however, is that its 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 didnt try). Even if Democratic voters didnt 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 Clintons 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 hes 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.
143 replies
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"Bernie Loses His Halo. Even progressives are criticizing him now after he’s shown a harder edge." [View all]
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
OP
Sadly, too many of us have lost the goodwill and respect we had for Sanders when he
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#3
I would hear the tells from Sanders himself that told me was not coming just from his team, or
seabeyond
May 2016
#5
Do you "spinners" realize you're alienating more and more Democrats from HRC by lying?
Baobab
May 2016
#138
Yes. Apparently some Hillary supporters are STILL Hillary supporters. News Alert!
virtualobserver
May 2016
#12
#HillaryLostMe the same way Bernie lost the Hillary supporters posing as Bernie's supporters.
merrily
May 2016
#44
Funny how Sanders demolishes Trump in all polls and Clinton can't even break even....
Peace Patriot
May 2016
#119
Oh, come on. You know that if his campaign had just been "quixotic," you would never have to
bjo59
May 2016
#135
Wendell Pierce, a Hillary supporter, was arrested for violence against a female Sanders supporter.
MaeScott
May 2016
#54
At THIS Point Hillary Desereves ALL The CRITICISM That Can Be Levied At Her! To Date, Her "History"
CorporatistNation
May 2016
#141
You posted about 99% of the entire article, not much more to read at the link. You should shorten it
B Calm
May 2016
#2
He's the guy the Berned Outs have been convinced -- CONVINCED!!!1 -- would distract everyone
Number23
May 2016
#124
That's the spirit! Keep effing that chicken! Soon EVERYONE will agree that one guy who assaulted
Number23
May 2016
#137
Exactly. Hill supporters tend to come down on the side of reality rather than pipedreams.
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#16
From the same mind that brought you "Why It's OK to Accept Wall Street Campaign Cash"
hellofromreddit
May 2016
#21
Remember all those adoration pamphlets with the bold and numerous caps throughout.
Sheepshank
May 2016
#80
obvious that sanders appeal is lessening as I see the tone in almost all the online blogs
beachbum bob
May 2016
#26
That's because they're in the bag and Clinton is propelling the propaganda using Brock and her
haikugal
May 2016
#31
Sanders is lying about a contested convention to keep the small dollar donations flowing
Gothmog
May 2016
#28
Sad, cringe-making devolution and decline of a once worthy and uplifting campaign.
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#29
marcos even said dailykos would be all hillary after the first super tuesday
Viva_La_Revolution
May 2016
#113
I have yet to see this sort of unhinged hagiographic worship for Sec. Clinton.
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#49
Point me to where somebody talks of carving her effigy into a mountainside...
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#62
“The 'burn it down' attitude, the upping the ante…seems to be coming from Sanders himself.”
riversedge
May 2016
#45
For better or worse, a campaign's tenor is always the responsibility of the candidate.
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#48
Yes, sadly (but not surprisingly), Fox, RedState, Daily Caller, Breitbart
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#72
The growing mind-meld between the two campaigns is disquieting, to say the least.
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#99
"I think his behavior will hurt him in the remaining states including California."
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#66
Bernie never admitted to having a halo. HRC minions put one there to trash Bernie. n/t
Larkspur
May 2016
#79
Oh, reeeeeally? It's his acolytes here on DU who have elevated him to holy heights. LOL!
Surya Gayatri
May 2016
#82
And I know of HRC supporters who are desperate for HRC to become president so that they can see a
Larkspur
May 2016
#91
He's insisting on integrity -- to finish the work of democratic voting that he started. Respect.
ancianita
May 2016
#86
There clearly was a time that I would proclaim how lucky the Dems were to have two awesome choices
Sheepshank
May 2016
#88
>>>"Even progressives are criticizing him now after he’s shown a harder edge.">>>
Smarmie Doofus
May 2016
#105
The OP's propoganda misses the mark for one key reason the 'team' just can't get -
floppyboo
May 2016
#115
This totally represents the reality I have seen. Many people, both Sanders supporters and not
anotherproletariat
May 2016
#118
He needs to spend some of that last 5 Million on an image person. Every time he's been shown in the
anotherproletariat
May 2016
#126