Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign megathread

[Jags]

The measurement here for him and many of his affiliation is how many cardboard cutouts a particular influencer can put into office, irrespective of whether they share the same views (or even the party's views) on key issues. In their eyes, Sanders is a failure because most of his endorsed candidates either didn't win their primaries or lost their general elections. It's the same reason they fixate so much on him "not being a Democrat": it's all about labels, branding and superficial belt notches for them.

Of course, they overlook that Sanders' foray into presidential politics started not because he wanted to win an electoral contest, but because he wanted to steer the narrative of the Democratic Party. By that measurement, he has been far more successful than any other Democratic politician in many years, including the candidate he lost to in 2016 (does anybody really remember any unique policies Clinton championed?). Practically every presidential candidate who has entered the race or is expected to enter has cozied up to him on all of his core issues, including substantially higher taxes on the wealthy, $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and so forth. Just three years ago, virtually no prominent Democrat would be caught near these issues.

By and large, Bernie Sanders doesn't need to win the endorsement/brand game of checkers in random congressional and statewide primaries because he has taken charge of the chessboard upon which the game is played. The candidates and politicians now sing his tune; in a large number of cases, whom he picks in primaries is merely a potential cherry-on-top kind of branding/notch game victory just like the #Resistance types value.

Give me a break. Sanders's influence on Democratic Party orthodoxy is wildly overstated. It's not like establishment Democrats thought "higher taxes on the wealthy, $15 minimum wage, Medicare for All, and so forth" were bad ideas or not worth pursuing--the only difference between Sanders and the establishment was that the former was/is willing to make empty promises and the latter is actually interested in what is politically possible.  You want to credit Sanders for moving the party to the left, but the real credit belongs to two others:  Mitch McConnell, for completely destroying the notion that compromise  with Republicans is possible, and Trump, for being so unpopular that Democratic majorities in Congress after 2020 are now a distinct possibility.

Thats exactly what happened under obama.

[Jags]

Bernie is a liar.

Zing! Nice work, you really got him this time!

[Jags]

Can Bernie supporters explain these for me? Especially those who don't like Kamala Harris.







Also, why hasn't Bernie released his most of his tax returns? Why did he vote against Russian sanctions (Magnitsky Act)? Why did he hire someone with connections to Paul Manafort? (Tad Devine)

The FBI should hire you, you are quite the investigator! They could use someone who just oozes intelligence like yourself.

[Jags]

I did not support him in 2016 and my opinion of him as a leader has only deteriorated since.  He did an absolutely terrible job uniting his supporters behind Clinton, his record on gun control and Russia is abysmal, he clearly doesn't understand racism and misogyny, his ego is the size of Mars, and I believe it's incredibly disingenuous of him to ask to represent the Democratic Party when he hasn't even put in his time as a member like every other person in the field.

I'll vote and even organize for him (as I would any other Democratic nominee) if he's chosen, but as far as the primary goes he's in the bottom of the barrel with Gabbard for me. I'm especially interested in Warren, Castro, and Buttigieg, but please give me literally anyone else besides Saint Bernard or Ethnonationalist Tulsi.

Is that what Peter Daou and Neera Tanden told you to do?

[Jags]

Samders never even tried to make a convincing case for Clinton. He constantly repeated that he endorsed her only because Trump was much worse.
Not to mention that a few hours before election day he essentially  signaled to his voters that it's OK to vote for Trump by saying he doesn't believe that whoever votes for him is a racist.

That statement made me sick, I suspect Bernie really does bond with the racists who stormed the Trump rallies. He could never understand the struggles of POC as living in a lilly white state for over 40 something years. This twitter comment will come back to haunt him when Kamala and others start to unleash attacks on his campaign.

Because if there was anyone in America circa 2016 who understood the struggles of POC, it was Hillary Clinton

Hillary has resided in states with significant POC populations. In the years since moving towards Vermont Bernie has shown no signs of communicating the problems facing minorities.

Chappaqua, New York is whiter than Burlington, Vermont.

Near one of the most diverse cities in the entire world. More likely to meet up a POC on the streets during a visit then Bernie will during his vacation time Vermont.

As if Hillary was mingling with working class people on the streets and not elites lmao.

[Jags]

https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1097881486588444673

One sucker dies, ten are born.

*salt intensifies*

[Jags]

My reaction:

https://twitter.com/bessbell/status/1097897255904829440
 

This is the same type of delusion as the “liberal coffee shop” trump guy.

[Jags]

I’m sorry GoTfan but no the threads attacking Kamala over truancy jailing when dozens of other states and their AGs do the same, calling her “the anointed one”, or attacking her over Trump giving her 8 grand back in 2013 when he did that all the time and also in the world of political donations that isn’t a lot are not legitimate at all and are just people who don’t like her (mainly Berniebros sadly) finding an excuse to rip on her

The exact same could be said for the anti bernie crowd

[Jags]

A Sanders vs Trump debate would be something to see.

I'm personally quite excited to see how many times they repeat their useless slogans without mentioning any policies that come with a stitch of realism. Good times ahead!

Yep, nothing gets me more energized to vote than being told I can’t have good things.

[Jags]

ITT: maroon avatar middle class white guys who can’t accept equally good nonwhite and/or female candidates for President.

ITT: Technocracy Timmy thinking that being nonwhite or female somehow qualifies you for anything

It certainly doesn't disqualify anyone from anything. Of course, some people think that white people know nothing about being poor so there is all sorts of weird logic out there.

Of course not. I never said it did.

You definitely implied it did. You get triggered at the thought of qualified minority and female candidates defeating your lord and savior Saint Bernard.

In no way did he imply that. Youre being disingenuous and its embarrassing.

[Jags]

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/1099380342018912257

Good on Bernie for standing against dictators. Shame most of the responses are deranged tankie maniacs who are now calling Bernie a pawn of Dick Cheney. Socialist apologism for Maduro is disgusting.

I wonder how they think foreign policy overall should be handled because chances are their views on it aren’t that great.

Inserting our influence into a country to make money off its oil is not good foreign policy.

[Jags]

Bernie stutters and stammers his way through why he STILL hasn't released his tax returns. Using the same verbiage from 2016 so this is obviously rehearsed.

https://twitter.com/LisaTalmadge/status/1100206036152172544

He had the time to write 2 whole books since 2016 ...but he didn’t have the time to get his taxes ready? Lol

Zing! Bernie’s toast!

[Jags]

https://twitter.com/ZerlinaMaxwell/status/1101556901505044480
https://twitter.com/Selena_Adera/status/1101918983928860672

No one cares about your tweet stockpile

[Jags]

Imagine spending your free time combing Twitter for dirt on Sanders and then posting it to US Election Atlas Dot Org.

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If Bernie gets the democratic nomination and Trump is still president, Putin will be a very happy man.

Because Bernie is a russian agent

[Jags]

Some people are taking this way too seriously. No one cares who Bernie hires for his campaign

[Jags]

Can we stop with lumping Bernie’s whole base with these trolls on social media? For all these endless Bernie or bust, burn down the DNC if we don’t get our way posters like 90% of his base voted for Hillary. There is a clear disconnect between his actual base and these online trolls

This. Let's not forget more 2008 Hillary supporters voted McCain over Obama than Sanders supporters did Trump over Clinton.

A lot of people cite this fact as if it means something, but you're comparing apples and oranges. The 2008 election was a lopsided Democratic win, so there was little to disinsentivize protest voters from switching their party vote.  Basically, nobody cared if a bunch of deadenders voted McCain because Obama was all but guaranteed a win anyway. The 2016 election was obviously a much more closely run contest and threre should have been ample pressure to stick with the party.  Different context, different incentives.

Nobody thought Trump would win in 2016

[Jags]

Why did Bernie Sanders go on that doofus Joe Rogan podcast? The man has promoted pseudo-science and has given credentials to alt-right figures that have polluted the political discourse. What made him attracted to do an interview with a man that makes jokes about porn and weed instead of going to a more reputable podcast that has a mature audience who understands the hot topics are not all black and white, capitalism and socialism. You wouldn't see Warren or Harris going on the show, why does a politician with high name recognition and obvious platform doing this for exposure? Leave that guest spot to Tulsi Gabbard and other losers who have nothing to gain by appearing on Rogan's podcast.

Why are you the way that you are