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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,111 posts)
Thu May 19, 2016, 01:35 PM May 2016

After tensions explode in Nevada, it’s time for Sanders to be honest with his supporters

TENSIONS IN the Democratic presidential race exploded in Nevada over the weekend. Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) shouted, cursed and threw chairs during a state party convention in which they failed to force rules changes they wanted. Even though they were attempting to get more delegates than the caucus results in the state suggested they deserved, they attacked the process as unfair. The state party chair subsequently received death threats against her and her family.

Mr. Sanders responded with self-righteousness and hypocrisy. He released a statement in which he listed a series of procedural complaints about the Nevada convention, attacked the Democratic Party for not being inclusive enough and warned that “millions of Americans are outraged” and that “the political world is changing.” He offered a throwaway line, three paragraphs down, condemning his supporters’ hooliganism in a statement that mostly justified it.

Mr. Sanders’s irresponsibility is sadly unsurprising. He has stirred up populist energy over the past several months with anti-corporate scapegoating and extravagant claims about policy. He has indulged and encouraged hyperbolic feelings that the country is badly adrift, that most of the nation agrees with a left-wing agenda but is trapped in a corrupt system, and that nothing but a political revolution will do. He has attracted some big, passionate crowds. But as he has lagged in votes, he increasingly has questioned the legitimacy of the process and encouraged his supporters to feel disenfranchised. The result is a toxic mix of unreason, revolutionary fervor and perceived grievance.

What is particularly galling about the Sanders camp’s complaints of disenfranchisement is that Mr. Sanders has benefited or tried to benefit from a variety of sketchy quirks of the nominating process. He has claimed support for his cause in caucuses, which are quite exclusive, but he complains about closed primary elections, which are more inclusive. In Nevada, his supporters were trying to game the rules to get more delegates and got upset when they did not succeed. As veteran Nevada politics reporter Jon Ralston put it, “Despite their social media frothing and self-righteous screeds, the facts reveal that the Sanders folks disregarded rules, then when shown the truth, attacked organizers and party officials as tools of a conspiracy to defraud the senator of what was never rightfully his in the first place.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/after-tensions-explode-in-nevada-its-time-for-sanders-to-be-honest-with-his-supporters/2016/05/18/f17c2468-1d2d-11e6-b6e0-c53b7ef63b45_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_rainbow

18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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MADem

(135,425 posts)
7. It's like someone cut a massive stank-fart in the elevator.
Thu May 19, 2016, 01:46 PM
May 2016

We KNOW who did it, but we're trapped until we reach the lobby and the door opens....but once the door does open, we trip over one another, scattering like children to recess, trying to get away from that nastybutt that loosed that hideous odor!

That's what's happening to this campaign--the number of articles decrying his campaign's tactics, and his supporters' behavior, are growing by the day. Democratic leadership are calling on Bernie to Feel The Reality, fold his tent, and get real with his supporters before they do something worse than they've done to this point.

If they think their histrionics are convincing anyone to change their minds, they need to get one of those fucking grips--I've gone from "He's my second choice" to "This guy is a surly idiot and his more vocal supporters are complete assholes." And that was a LONG, long road to travel, but he made it seem like a walk around the block. He did it to himself. How NOT to win the Presidency, in a few clueless steps!

 

workinclasszero

(28,270 posts)
4. Good article
Thu May 19, 2016, 01:43 PM
May 2016

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Sanders to do the right thing though.

He is mathematically eliminated from the nomination so I believe if he can't steal it by manipulating supers which also ain't happening...

He will do the maximum amount of damage possible to Hillary then declare an independent third party run or run on the green ticket.

Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Cha

(295,929 posts)
8. What it's time for is for sanders to stop demonizing Hillary and being honest by telling his fans
Thu May 19, 2016, 01:48 PM
May 2016

he has no path to victory. Start living in reality.

Response to Cha (Reply #8)

stopbush

(24,378 posts)
14. If you so easily accept the false equivalency that both side do it
Thu May 19, 2016, 02:14 PM
May 2016

when it comes to Sanders v Clinton, don't expect people to reject the false equivalency that both sides are the same when it comes to Trump v Clinton.

After all, that's what Sanders has been saying for years, that there's no real difference between Ds and Rs. Only this year, he's more down on the D Party than the Rs!

 

Her Sister

(6,444 posts)
9. Yeah believe me! we've been more than ready!
Thu May 19, 2016, 01:50 PM
May 2016

Ready and raring to go! Will be great when we all can go after Trump, eh!????

Cha

(295,929 posts)
6. Really. burnie did this.. and this is what happens.. time to tell them the truth, sanders.
Thu May 19, 2016, 01:44 PM
May 2016

burnie shows how not to run a revolution.

Bet you anything it should be based on facts.. like President Obama's in 2008.. and Hillary has her own revolution going on under the radar. They'll wake up one day and realized it happened.

BS was late and ran it poorly.

Mahalo, Yo Mama~

Response to Cha (Reply #6)

Cha

(295,929 posts)
13. You're outta here.. you don't come in our Group and tell us what to do.. This is all on burnie
Thu May 19, 2016, 02:11 PM
May 2016

sanders. BS needs to start being honest with his fans and quit demonizing Hillary.

You go tell him to go after trump.. k?

Cha

(295,929 posts)
18. I see he got himself auto removed.. after buggin me to leave Dems alone and go
Thu May 19, 2016, 11:19 PM
May 2016

after trump.

Thing is there's only one Dem and she's the Nominee.

Indeed! Walk away~

Walk away

(9,494 posts)
15. Sanders is a very angry man of average intelligence who is a poor loser.
Thu May 19, 2016, 02:50 PM
May 2016

He is not going to do anything helpful. His intention is to destroy the Democratic party.

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