Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign megathread

[Joey1996]

Why can't Bernie just go away? He's not even a Democrat.

Anyways, I have still never heard an explanation as to why progressives want an 80+ year old to be President?

Because age is just a number and Bernie seems to be in good health. He just needs to pick a competent VP.

The whole Bernie is not a Democrat line comes off as really hacky. It’s just a label. There are legitimate criticisms of Bernie but that isn’t one of them.

It's not just a "label". He's not a Democrat. He's running in the DEMOCRATIC primary.

Anyways, Bernie's campaign will fail...again.

He's literally a member of Senate Democratic leadership and has caucused with Democrats since he came to congres, please drop this lazy smear.

Why can't Bernie just go away? He's not even a Democrat.

Anyways, I have still never heard an explanation as to why progressives want an 80+ year old to be President?

Because age is just a number and Bernie seems to be in good health. He just needs to pick a competent VP.

The whole Bernie is not a Democrat line comes off as really hacky. It’s just a label. There are legitimate criticisms of Bernie but that isn’t one of them.

It's not just a "label". He's not a Democrat. He's running in the DEMOCRATIC primary.

Anyways, Bernie's campaign will fail...again.

He's literally a member of Senate Democratic leadership and has caucused with Democrats since he came to congres, please drop this lazy smear.

So why can't he register himself as a Democrat?

Also, do you guys believe that Joe Lieberman is a Democrat?

Who is more closely aligned with the current Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders or Joe Lieberman?

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Why can't Bernie just go away? He's not even a Democrat.

Anyways, I have still never heard an explanation as to why progressives want an 80+ year old to be President?

Because age is just a number and Bernie seems to be in good health. He just needs to pick a competent VP.

The whole Bernie is not a Democrat line comes off as really hacky. It’s just a label. There are legitimate criticisms of Bernie but that isn’t one of them.

It's not just a "label". He's not a Democrat. He's running in the DEMOCRATIC primary.

Anyways, Bernie's campaign will fail...again.

He's literally a member of Senate Democratic leadership and has caucused with Democrats since he came to congres, please drop this lazy smear.

Why can't Bernie just go away? He's not even a Democrat.

Anyways, I have still never heard an explanation as to why progressives want an 80+ year old to be President?

Because age is just a number and Bernie seems to be in good health. He just needs to pick a competent VP.

The whole Bernie is not a Democrat line comes off as really hacky. It’s just a label. There are legitimate criticisms of Bernie but that isn’t one of them.

It's not just a "label". He's not a Democrat. He's running in the DEMOCRATIC primary.

Anyways, Bernie's campaign will fail...again.

He's literally a member of Senate Democratic leadership and has caucused with Democrats since he came to congres, please drop this lazy smear.

So why can't he register himself as a Democrat?

Also, do you guys believe that Joe Lieberman is a Democrat?

Who is more closely aligned with the current Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders or Joe Lieberman?

No, you can't respond to my questions with a question. Answer my questions first.

[Florida Man for Crime]

So why can't he register himself as a Democrat?

Vermont doesn't have party registration, so if that is your standard then there are no Democrats in Vermont.

The entire Vermont Democratic party will have to be purged and disbanded, and the state given over to Republicans, since there are no Democrats.

Also there are no Democrats in any other states such as Texas and Ohio. And over in Virginia, the Democratic VP nominee of 2016, Tim Kaine, is not a Democrat.

Barack Obama was also not a Democrat at the time he ran for the Presidency, though now I suppose he is a DC resident, so he has probably now joined the Democratic party now that his Presidency is over.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

So why can't he register himself as a Democrat?

Vermont doesn't have party registration, so if that is your standard then there are no Democrats in Vermont.

The entire Vermont Democratic party will have to be purged and disbanded, and the state given over to Republicans, since there are no Democrats.

Also there are no Democrats in any other states such as Texas and Ohio. And over in Virginia, the Democratic VP nominee of 2016, Tim Kaine, is not a Democrat.

Barack Obama was also not a Democrat at the time he ran for the Presidency, though now I suppose he is a DC resident, so he has probably now joined the Democratic party now that his Presidency is over.

Most of what you said is nonsensical garbage.

Anyways, Bernie himself says that he is not a Democrat. VIDEO PROOF HERE: https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/sanders-i-don-t-consider-myself-a-democrat-924041283893

Why should the DEMOCRATIC Party nominate someone who is NOT a Democrat and has continuously said that he doesn't consider himself a Democrat?

Why should he receive the DEMOCRATIC Party's nomination over actual DEMOCRATS?

He can advocate for the Democratic Party to move the left on economic issues but I don't believe he should run for President and especially not as a Democrat. He's just using the party for political expediency and convenience.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Harris and Warren will no longer be my least favorite candidates in the race

[Adam Griffin]

https://twitter.com/tomwatson/status/1088999602848714752

What does this even mean? Hes had the most sizable influence on D politics in a while now, considering many house candidates and presidential candidates are copying his playbook, and many candidates he endorsed were able to win their races.

Seriously, what is this guy using to grade Sanders?

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.

[Senator Spark]

Endorsed enthusiastically.

[Florida Man for Crime]

So why can't he register himself as a Democrat?

Vermont doesn't have party registration, so if that is your standard then there are no Democrats in Vermont.

The entire Vermont Democratic party will have to be purged and disbanded, and the state given over to Republicans, since there are no Democrats.

Also there are no Democrats in any other states such as Texas and Ohio. And over in Virginia, the Democratic VP nominee of 2016, Tim Kaine, is not a Democrat.

Barack Obama was also not a Democrat at the time he ran for the Presidency, though now I suppose he is a DC resident, so he has probably now joined the Democratic party now that his Presidency is over.

Most of what you said is nonsensical garbage.

No, it is knowing what Party Registration is and being aware that about half the states in the USA have no party registration, as opposed to being ignorant. You asked why Bernie Sanders does not register as a Democrat.

You may as well have asked why Barack Obama did not do the same. He served as President without being a registered Democrat.

[Sorenroy]

Why should the DEMOCRATIC Party nominate someone who is NOT a Democrat and has continuously said that he doesn't consider himself a Democrat?

Why should he receive the DEMOCRATIC Party's nomination over actual DEMOCRATS?

He can advocate for the Democratic Party to move the left on economic issues but I don't believe he should run for President and especially not as a Democrat. He's just using the party for political expediency and convenience.

You say that as if it is a bad thing. Like it or not, we live in a country where there are only two major political parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. You either run for one of those party's nominations or throw the vote by running as a third party and absorbing more from one side than the other. That is how things work. If you are suggesting that Sanders run as a third party independent you are either trolling or seriously don't understand this. If Sanders is the most popular candidate in the field and has no path to gaining the Republican nomination, his only option is to run and win the Democratic primary.

Also, if Sanders does a better job representing the Democratic base than any of the people registered as Democrats, why shouldn't he get the nomination? It's Democratic voters deciding who should be their nominee, not voters in general deciding which Democrat should be in the presidential race.

[DrScholl]

The NRA got him elected to the House, so he does have a history of political opportunism.

[Cold War Liberal]

Good.  I can't wait to see his campaign crash and burn.

Running for President at 77 is completely ridiculous.

[McGarnagle]

Running for President at 77 is completely ridiculous.

Admit it, if Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi got the nomination you'd vote for him/her in a heartbeat (and I personally think she's done a great job during the shutdown and demonstrated a lot of unblinking resolve.)

Still, Bernie Sanders is still my first choice for the nomination. We'll have to see how things develop. Whoever it ends up being, I'll vote for the Democratic nominee even if I have to hold my nose a little (because I'm pretty sure it won't be Bloomberg and it won't be Gabbard).

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Being a strong Bernie supporter last time around, I'd rather have him endorse Warren than run again.

[Skye]

Bernie isn't going to get as far this time around.

Hopefully his supporters are less annoying now.

[President Johnson]

Oh please not. I just wish he would go away.

[MillennialModerate]

Ugh, this makes me nervous.

[Joey1996]

Why can't Bernie just go away? He's not even a Democrat.

Anyways, I have still never heard an explanation as to why progressives want an 80+ year old to be President?

Because age is just a number and Bernie seems to be in good health. He just needs to pick a competent VP.

The whole Bernie is not a Democrat line comes off as really hacky. It’s just a label. There are legitimate criticisms of Bernie but that isn’t one of them.

It's not just a "label". He's not a Democrat. He's running in the DEMOCRATIC primary.

Anyways, Bernie's campaign will fail...again.

He's literally a member of Senate Democratic leadership and has caucused with Democrats since he came to congres, please drop this lazy smear.

Why can't Bernie just go away? He's not even a Democrat.

Anyways, I have still never heard an explanation as to why progressives want an 80+ year old to be President?

Because age is just a number and Bernie seems to be in good health. He just needs to pick a competent VP.

The whole Bernie is not a Democrat line comes off as really hacky. It’s just a label. There are legitimate criticisms of Bernie but that isn’t one of them.

It's not just a "label". He's not a Democrat. He's running in the DEMOCRATIC primary.

Anyways, Bernie's campaign will fail...again.

He's literally a member of Senate Democratic leadership and has caucused with Democrats since he came to congres, please drop this lazy smear.

So why can't he register himself as a Democrat?

Also, do you guys believe that Joe Lieberman is a Democrat?

Who is more closely aligned with the current Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders or Joe Lieberman?

No, you can't respond to my questions with a question. Answer my questions first.

Your question is ridiculous, you're comparing a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, whose politics have reshaped the party and who is popular amongst likely Democratic voters to freaking Joe Lieberman.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

So why can't he register himself as a Democrat?

Vermont doesn't have party registration, so if that is your standard then there are no Democrats in Vermont.

The entire Vermont Democratic party will have to be purged and disbanded, and the state given over to Republicans, since there are no Democrats.

Also there are no Democrats in any other states such as Texas and Ohio. And over in Virginia, the Democratic VP nominee of 2016, Tim Kaine, is not a Democrat.

Barack Obama was also not a Democrat at the time he ran for the Presidency, though now I suppose he is a DC resident, so he has probably now joined the Democratic party now that his Presidency is over.

Most of what you said is nonsensical garbage.

Anyways, Bernie himself says that he is not a Democrat. VIDEO PROOF HERE: https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/sanders-i-don-t-consider-myself-a-democrat-924041283893

Why should the DEMOCRATIC Party nominate someone who is NOT a Democrat and has continuously said that he doesn't consider himself a Democrat?

Why should he receive the DEMOCRATIC Party's nomination over actual DEMOCRATS?

He can advocate for the Democratic Party to move the left on economic issues but I don't believe he should run for President and especially not as a Democrat. He's just using the party for political expediency and convenience.

This strikes me as a really weird argument. Surely it's better for non-D party left wingers to remain under the party umbrella than run as a third party and risk spoiling the vote?

American political parties don't work like political parties you see in other countries. They're more sprawling coalitions with a label pasted on top. Heck, a few times parties have literally poached random military figures with no political leanings to see if they can be an effective figurehead.

[Heebie Jeebie]

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.

[Comrade Funk]

Get ready for another primary of brogressives inadvertently helping Trump. Will Bernie call these diehard out? Probably not.

[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.

[ViaActiva]

Yeah whether you like or dislike him it's pretty indisputable that Sanders has had a significant impact on the Democratic platform.

[Bernie Derangement Syndrome Haver]

Bye bye Warren

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

No amount of excuses will change the fact that Bernie Sanders in not a Democrat and should not get the Democratic Party's nomination.

Can you just imagine if the Republicans nominated an right wing independent who didn't consider themselves to be a Republican for President? That would be ridiculous and we would laugh a them.

However, just because Bernie is a "progressive champion" (show me his record though), this is supposedly OK with some Democrats.

Anyways, Bernie might not be able to run in the Democratic primary because the DNC changed the rules last year and said that you have to be an actual Democrat to run in the primary. Imagine that.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Bernie is a liar.