Voting for Bernie. Never gonna change my mind.
10
I pray he will stay in the race till the better end. This country needs many political choices. The Democrats and Republicans will say whatever they think will maintain their power and control over the country. At times they motif into the other . If we want every citizen to vote then every choice needs to be available.
2
Thank you for underscoring the well-known truth that money drives politics. The ones with the most charge into any race in the lead, even before lesser-known candidates can be viewed, heard and assessed.
2
Politicians are human. Personality cults are anathema to democracy. True patriots are skeptical, thoughtful, tolderant. Without our democratic traditions, e.g., the Constitutional free press, we are nothing.
In that light, the Sanders people are not doing a good job convincing me to support their candidate. If they think his $6 million and his vast campaign apparatus advantage will in and of themselves win me over, they had better think again.
Here on this site they are attacking every reasonable assertion or factual claim that does not paint their candidate in a glowing angelic light.
E.g.: Sanders certainly did play a role in the 2016 election debacle. Russia certainly did attempt to assist his campaign. More than 20% of his voters did not vote for Clinton. 12% of them--motivated principally by racial and gender resentment, as reported here--did vote for Trump.
They are pushing irresponsible conspiracy theories. E.g.: "The media is only writing negative stories about Bernie." "The media is only publishing unflattering photos of Bernie." "The corporate media …" "The elite media …" "The establishment media …"
In 2016 in this paper the public editor Margaret Sullivan wrote two paragraphs in which she stated that she believed the Sanders coverage had sometimes not been fair. She also said that had already improved.
The top political editor Carolyn Ryan vehemently disagreed. She believed the Sanders coverage was altogether fair. In 2019, I am with Ryan.
3
Bernie's ideas have moved the party left and he's shown he can mobilize individuals to donate, vote, and activate.
I wonder how his frontrunner status will lead to different media coverage this time around. For example, Bernie has a limited record of legislative achievement and lacks a concrete foreign policy vision at this tenuous moment for US status in the world. Finally, most Democratic voters care about nominating a candidate who can beat Trump. I am curious how Bernie will be received on a national stage.
35
@Katherine
Bernie forced Hillary to move far enough left unfortunately to lose the election to Trump.
not to be applauded.
16
@Katherine:
"For example, Bernie has a limited record of legislative achievement and lacks a concrete foreign policy vision at this tenuous moment for US status in the world. "
Voting against the Iraq war push was a huge and concrete foreign policy statement.
In fact, that still illegal war is what lead to many of the US foreign policy issues.
"Finally, most Democratic voters care about nominating a candidate who can beat Trump. I am curious how Bernie will be received on a national stage."
Is this a joke?
He already beat Hillary in 2016. His vision is popular across the country.
Right, Hillary lost the primary to Sanders in 2106, and only "won" the nomination thru rigged vote counting. Similar to W's "win" of Ohio in Nov. 2004.
14
@Katherine
His "limited record of legislative achievement" is deeper than the media and his detractors give him credit for, but it's hardly surprising that he didn't get any major legislation through, when Senate Democrats were until recently far to his right and Republicans have been control for most of his tenure anyway.
What's more interesting is this insistence, by the centrist wing of the Democratic party, on "electability". Didn't you folks get your chance in 2016, and didn't you thoroughly misjudge the public, to shocking and disastrous effect?
Hillary won by about 2% of popular vote. Pretty pathetic, when the opposition was Donald J. Trump.
12
He's giving the election to Trump!
1
@GM
No he is not.
He would have beaten him even in 2016.
Relax and vote for Bernie in 2020.
3
"Mr. Sanders received $600,000 in donations that will recur monthly..."
Today the WaPo has an op-ed downplaying the significance of Sanders' campaign haul. What is it with MSM news outlets that just can't see the writing on the wall? What is it?
6
So is he going to divide his $6 million among the less fortunate campaigns?
1
@Aaron
Huh?
1
Those of us who know Bernie and have been working for his elections over the past three decades, get it. Bernie is sincere, hard working, and is the polar opposite of most politicians. He really believes in appealing to the brains and heart of voters, not to the greed, cruelty, and prejudice as does the so-called president.
As a Vermonter, I have been present at many town gatherings Bernie has held over the years. He actually discusses issues in depth with local citizens, helping Vermont be the only state in the country where the majority of the population could pass the citizenship test!
When Bernie ran for the House 30 years ago, there were many who doubted his ability to win an election, those who said he would never make his mark in DC. Those of us who had house parties, went door to door, and spoke up for Bernie never had any of those doubts. And we don't now.
14
@Nancy Braus
Perfectly put, thank you. Bernie Sanders is a national treasure. Sooner or later it is inevitable it will be recognized. His progressive influence on the Democratic party platform cannot be overstated. Proof is the fact the declared presidential contenders, with few exceptions aspire to sound like him today. Only 3 years ago it was unthinkable. I am immensely grateful he is running again.
7
Me too! We are so lucky to have such an honest and truly inspirational person to stick to his values, and show us the way...
2
Bernie can definitely win the Dem nomination, probably will, but he'll never be POTUS. This country will never let an old, one note, doctrinaire 1950's Marxist professor in the WH.
And in the unlikely event he becomes POTUS, the Dems would suffer huge loses in the House in 2022, take deeper loses in the Senate and be wiped out in Govern-ships.
Bernies effect will be to unite the middle and the right; it will be a catastrophe for the Dems, like his 2016 run was for them.
Bernie Sanders is the last great hope the GOP has going for it.
4
When Bernie Sanders had won the West Virginia primary, the NYT published two photos of Clinton on the front page; Sanders’ victory was discounted — at a time the race was tight. Regardless, subtle favoritism should be avoided this time.
7
Sanders is now 77 years old; he'd be 79 to start off his presidency, 83 -87 by the time he'd leave.
How about if we represent the next generation? Someone younger, less white, and less male sounds good to me.
4
@Nonamepls
Enough with these ageist comments.
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. In between they are already over 180!
And don’t tell me running Berkshire Hathaway is easier than running the US with thousands of aides and academics helping you.
By the way, no other candidate understand the new generation better. Think of everything Bernie is saying he will do. Who do you think benefits from them?
9
Ageist and sexist...why don't we look at what the candidates actually stand for...
4
The men you reference have teams
I think people concerned about age are not being unkind, they are being realistic about the toll of age and increased incidence of infirmity.
2
It's going to be him or Warren. It's the moral choice. It's the right choice. Sorry, smoking marijuana in college doesn't give you progressive bona fides.
3
People believe Senator Bernie Sanders. They respond to his decency, authenticity, consistency, credibility. This is why he is able to raise 6 million in one day. No on articulates progressive values and the common good with more conviction.
7
This just further proves how Bernie's platform is popular AND can easily defeat Trump. US citizens are sick and tired of the same old, same old from centrist Democrats. We want real change and Bernie can give it to us. As a woman of color, I am confident in Bernie's ability to reach all demographics.
146
@Avneet. He couldn’t even defeat Hillary, remember?
9
@Avneet "US citizens are sick and tired of the same old, same old from centrist Democrats."
Really? So how do you explain US citizens voting overwhelmingly for a centrist Democrat in 7 out of the last 8 elections?
What I'm tired of is the same old platitudes about St. Bernard.
8
Hillary's "war chest" was a huge consideration. I would personally like to know where all that money came from. Then again, Sen. Sanders never garnered an advance from a publishing house as large as either of Hillary's have been.
2
what remains to be seen is whether Sanders can unite the party or whether he will continue the role he played as a disruptor in 2016. Plus, his campaign will not have the luxury of sitting on the left and throwing rocks at Hillary Clinton's head this time around.
33
He has already united the party around a common platform that is more popular than any in quite some time. Several of the candidates he helped bring to national attention, like Andrew Gillum, Stacey Abrams, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are now national stars. He is writing opinion pieces in the Washington Post with the arch centrist of the party, Chuck Schumer. And he was highly respectful of Clinton’s lifetime of service, which he went out of his way to repeatedly recognize, in the primaries. As someone who routinely puts the interests of others before his own, of course he will unite the party.
23
Maybe you noticed, but Bernie went out of his way NOT to attack Hillary. "Nobody cares about those damn emails," or something to that effect.
22
@Theo Horesh Gillum is a national star? Gillum? A 'star?' Really? THey guy who lost in a state with a ten percent advantage in registered Democrats? Or Abrams, who decided running a left wing candidacy in the heart of Dixie was a winning ticket? And please don't mention AOC, who 's district would elect a mailbox to Congress if it had a D after it's name..
Oh and lets not forget Bernies guy in Texas Beto, yet another 'star' who can't win an election.
Claiming his ideas have moved into the Democrat party's 'mainstream' is a dog that won't hunt.
First, they haven't.
Second, he was effectively portrayed as extreme by both the DNC serving Hillary's interests and the GOP.
Third, offering him as a recipient for the votes of those disaffected by the so-called president's term in office is not the same as repudiating the boor.
Worst case: The DNC learns the hard way and our worst fears are realized by the so-called president's re-election.
15
Well, he seems to have managed to get a number of self-declared candidates to talk about universal healthcare and free college tuition, even when they themselves don't support it. He clearly brought issues to light.
2
Senator Sanders belongs in the heart of the 2020 campaign, whether or not he eventually wins the nomination. He never wavered in 2016 and he single-handedly moved a blinkered and reluctant Democratic Party to the left; his presence will help ensure it stays there. He is clean as a whistle and if you got back several decades you’ll hear him fighting for the same basic rights for ordinary Americans. Integrity and focus.
He is also the reason we have candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez running for and winning office. He inspired 100,000s of young Americans in 2016 (a point completely lost on the DNC) and, whether or they vote for him or not this time around, he will have set the stage.
He is a real gem in the middle of our trash heap of a political landscape, but you can be sure you’ll hear the same old critiques rolled out again: he’s too old, he’s never actually done anything in Congress, he’s too angry, he’s a “socialist,” etc etc. But he’s beyond all of it and I hope he runs a great campaign. Right now he’s the Lode Star for a new potential Democratic Party for the 21st century. Democrats and liberals who don’t welcome him to the field of candidates haven’t grasped his influence.
58
@Gerald A Bernie Sanders win would mark the end of neoliberalism.
3
This Democrat is now set up to automatically donate $27 every month to Senator Sanders' campaign, and intends to support him through the primaries and beyond.
55
So now raising millions for a campaign is good? Getting millions for making speeches is now a good thing? As in "two legs good"? I guess Jane is out shopping for house number four or maybe she could repay Burlington University students she defrauded? So much hypocrisy it is choking. At least this time he didn't hire Jeff Weaver, Karl Rove's brother in law, for his campaign manager or Tad Devine, Manafort's parter in heinous crimes, for his adviser. Why is that angle of Bern's tainted campaign staff never covered, white male press? If he is the nominee, this lifelong Democrat that has never sat out an election, will sit this one out.
7
I love Bernie Sanders. I don't love him enough to overlook the fact that he's doing battle with Democrats, to be the party's nominee, when he's NOT a member of the Democratic Party. This is sacrilegious in my view, and party leaders should stand up and say NO. If he's not a Democrat, he shouldn't be able to run as a Democrat.
4
@Roy Steele
I’m a registered Democrat too but this doesn’t bother me. Policy is way more important to me than party. I like that he’s stayed independent because the majority of the country is independent. That makes him the best positioned candidate to beat Trump if he wins the nomination.
11
@Roy Steele
Again for the nth time, he is a democrat. He does not belong to the Democratic Party.
Reagan at some point belonged to the Democratic Party but he was not a democrat. At least in my book.
3
Bernie has what it takes to bring Americans together.
I’m a registered Independent, and I sent money yesterday, signed up for recurring donations and will volunteer to help in my area.
He has integrity, authenticity and we can trust him.
He also worked hard to get Hillary elected after the primaries, and I’m surprised by the bitterness on the part of Hillary’s supporters blaming Bernie for the catastrophic campaign that she and her staff conducted.
Bernie conducted himself with real grace while navigating an aggressively hostile corporate media (once they couldn’t ignore him), and a rigged Democratic Party.
We are very fortunate to have a candidate with his level of integrity.
11
Well said!!!
1
I think Sanders should stay home. He is not a Democrat and I resent him coopting the machinery of the Democratic party rather than organizing an independent party movement for all those disillusioned with the existing structure.
6
Question: how do you report that your least favorite candidate broke all fundraising records and made the other candidates look anemic?
Answer:
Publish the report late in the day, and nowhere near the top of the page.
"...early fund-raising hauls offer bragging rights, at least for a moment."
In other words, it probably won't last long.
"...the donor list [Sanders] developed in the 2016 campaign is an enormous advantage that none of the other declared Democratic candidates can match."
In other words, it's not fair since he ran for president before.
I must say though, I can't blame the establishment media from circling the wagons. Bernie has a 50-state organization on the ground who have been through this before, and he generates more enthusiasm than the rest of the candidates combined.
And all that money will get a message out that is a far cry from HRC's vapid, "we're in this together".
Be afraid, centrists and conservatives, the winds of change are blowing. He may not win it all, but your gravy train will soon grind to a halt.
13
The has-been out raised the wannabes.
Like a rerun getting more viewers than the new show.
Tells you that despite the media frenzy, almost no one is interested in the slew of Liberals running in 2020.
and no way grandpa is winning vs Trump.
Might as well get to work on 2024 right now, 'cos 2020 is a done deal.
1
Don't count Bernie's money as being *for* him. Don't underestimate that a lot of that money could be coming from Republicans who want him to emerge as the front-runner, and ultimately beatable by a Republican (although not Trump who, it's hoped, will be in jail or otherwise disgraced).
6
Bernie Sanders never released his tax returns (except a 2-page summary from 2014). He “was kind of busy” and didn’t have time in 2016. What about now?
5
@Ellen
It will be done I am sure. It will look pretty lame compared to who volumes that Trump never released.
You won’t see much in consulting or speech fees coming from Goldman Sachs either.
The man is the real thing. If you cannot even understand that he is honest as Abe, you really don’t belong among his supporters. Unless you just immigrated from Mars.
3
Thanks for running, Bernie! You bring us hope!
9
Bernie has $500k each month from contributors - i.e. real people - who have signed up for recurring small donations.
Wow!
6
I think raising $6M in 24 hours is pretty impressive, and he's able to show exactly where it came from. (Unlike candidates who receive PAC money.)
5
That's a weak showing for someone who was the #2 candidate, just behind Hilary last year.
With his established voter network from 2016, that number should have been closer to $12-15mm.
This concerns me but Kamala is a far better candidate in any event.
3
@Prof Emeritus NYC
I am glad you are emeritus Professor.
If he could raise the number you pulled out of a hat, we would have called him Moses or Jesus.
4
My thoughts concerning the 2020 election is:
A B T ..... anyone but trump
This great nation can not stand another four years of trump.
7
Love Bernie but he’s not right for the next election as Prez. That ship has sailed. BUT I WOULD LOVE a BLOOMBERG/ BERNIE ticket. Makes no sense Ideologically speaker but still sounds good. Give Bernie an active vice role.
3
@Stewart
What? Sounds good? So does Coltrane.
2
So now the man who rails against money in politics is using his small donor power as a cudgel to say he deserves to top the ticket.
What about electability? He might make for interesting debates, but can he beat Trump? I have serious doubts.
On a likeability scale, for me he fails. He comes off as an angry old crank with no sense of humor. He has a chip on his shoulder as heavy as Ft. Knox,( speaking of money.)
If we're going to put up an older candidate, please let it be Biden.
8
@ChristineMcM
Christine, I implore you to read the latest issue of Harper’s Magazine. It contains a well-researched article on Biden’s disastrous legislative legacy. It’s a real eye opener and gives a look at the politician behind the bright smile.
8
@ChristineMcM
Biden is the same old, same old Tammany Hall like NY Democratic political machine of the 1850's, dark as midnight in terms of the possibility of any real change to the status quo, whereas Bernie represents high-noon in America, with policies and an agenda which no one can assert is not all-inclusive for all of the people, all of the time.
Bernie represents truth, justice, equality, in other words he represents what we always wanted to believe our nation was about, but in truth it never was.
As I said in an earlier comment, we are at a crossroads here in America; we can choose to skip merrily along the well travelled road we have been on for decades, suffering under the yoke of division and inequality, a yoke controlled by Republicans and Democrats, all of whom are in the business of enriching themselves off of our blood, sweat, and tears, or we can venture onto the less travelled road, the one Bernie is presenting, the one that leads us into a future of greatness, a future wherein equality and fairness will be welcomed instead of denied to the masses.
Bernie represents a last opportunity to wrest control of our future out of the hands of the Republican and Democratic authoritarians who genuinely believe they have our Democracy on the ropes, and if we elect another Trump or Clinton clone, it's game over.
9
@ChristineMcM
He has consistently outpolled Trump and every other Democrat except Biden since 2016. He performs much better among independents than any other Democrat. If electability is your main concern, Bernie is probably your best bet.
3
I would have far more respect for him if had chosen NOT to run again and endorsed Elizabeth Warren. They are of course not carbon copies, but I find it hard to see an argument that she doesn't have the same commitment to fighting economic injustice. The differences between their major policy stances, on regulation of financial services and the need to extend the welfare state, are relatively minor, especially compared to the rest of the field. Warren is to the left of Sanders on some issues, notably gun control. The logic of supporting him rather than her may be apparent only to those seeking a politically acceptable reason to vote for a man and not for a woman – those who would vote for this man, and perhaps not any woman, no matter what.
13
Given that he polls far better than Warren among Democrats and the national electorate, and that he has a more dedicated following, it would have been stupid for Sanders to endorse Warren over himself in the name of economic justice.
18
@Alex O
And I would have had greater respect for Warren had she not left Sanders out to dry in 2016.
That being said, I do like Warren and she would be my second choice for the nomination. However, Sanders' name recognition and a large donor base that makes him a much stronger candidate. His campaign also has a certain energy and enthusiasm that Warren's campaign (at the current moment) lacks and I think that enthusiasm is better suited to the kind of policies they both espouse.
11
@Alex O so what is the logic for voting for warren over sanders then?
3
This type of support so early in the election cycle reminds me of what early settlers said about the South Platte River: "a mile wide and an inch deep." I would be willing to bet that a good deal of these donations are coming from people who have regrets for not showing Senator Sanders enough support when it could have made a difference in 2016. I'm not taking Sanders seriously. Like Adlai Stevenson, he had his shot and he missed. It's over. If he truly has a mature ego and a sense of devotion to the country he claims to love so much, he will accept the reality that his ideas are now embraced by nearly every Democratic candidate. He doesn't need to be President, and frankly, as a Democrat, I won't be voting for ANYONE who isn't a registered Democrat.
17
@Chris And don't forget Burlington College. I have a lot of trouble accepting Senator and Mrs. Sanders as genuine, looking at that story. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/what-happened-at-burlington-college/482973/
6
@Chris You don't have trouble trusting candidates who only got religion about a week ago on issues important to the American people? They're all registered Democrats (and Warren was once a registered Republican.)
3
Well, if Bernie’s support is a mile wide and an inch deep, the country has been fooled, because everyone else has been observing the fervid support he enjoys among his most dedicated followers. And this, it just so happens, is what it takes to win.
5
$6 million over 225,000 donors in 24 hours. Average Sanders campaign contribution works out to $27 dollars per donor. Anyone who can't crowd source this primary is toast. If the candidate plays the big donor game, they are going to get destroyed by grassroots criticism. If you can't raise the funds small, don't run at all.
29
@Andy and along those lines, don't spend money on consultants or television ads. You Tube videos, rallies, and authentic answers to tough questions will do much more to get voters on your side than slick poll tested ads.
1
I’m glad that Bernie Sanders supporters are excited about his second run for president and are contributing to his campaign.
But Bernie seems to be the flip side of the Trump coin. If the media questions Trump’s policies or falsehoods, his supporters label them “fake news” or “the enemy of the people”, rather than being willing to have an honest discussion of the merits of the questions being asked.
If this newspaper runs an article that questions Bernie’s policies or how they would be paid for, his supporters comment on how the media is a corporate entity and therefore is against his “revolution” since corporate power is a target of that revolution, instead of being willing to have an honest and thoughtful discussion of the issues being raised.
Neither of these is good for America. It may win an election that leads to an uncertain result of actual results in government.
And we desperately need a government that can get things done.
28
@Me We need a government that can get the right things done in behalf of the vast majority of people. Of all the candidates who have announced, Bernie's the best choice in either party. Thank goodness he is the opposite of Trump.
3
@Me Yeah, people can be unreasonable about criticism of Bernie. On the other hand, the Times own public editor, the well-respected Margaret Sullivan, found coverage of Bernie's campaign unfair. Here's a quote: "A few months ago, I took a hard look at the amount of Sanders coverage in The Times and its tone. My conclusion was that while his candidacy had not been ignored, it had been played down. And the coverage sometimes seemed dismissive, even mocking. At the time, Ms. Ryan drew readers’ attention to a significant number of substantive Sanders articles, and strongly disagreed with the complaints about tone. I’ve seen improvement in recent weeks, including the assignment of a reporter full time to the Sanders campaign. (By contrast, The Times assigned a Clinton reporter back in 2013.) One recent article detailed the “enthusiasm gap” that may favor Mr. Sanders. But, as readers point out, his campaign still is often viewed through the lens of how it affects Hillary Clinton, rather than on its own merits."
For 2020 you'll just need to keep track yourself because the Times eliminated the position of public editor.
4
Have him release the last 10 years’ of his detailed tax returns. Also ask him if he has ever taken money from the Russian government or affiliated parties.
Hubris and arrogance does not even start to describe this man. After decades in public office he has nothing positive to show. He has a zero leadership record on any impactful legislation during his time in office. It’s one thing to identify what’s wrong with the country and what needs to be dealt with (even high school students do that quite nicely). And then continually complain and carp. It’s an entirely different thing to actually propose realistic solutions to address them that have any chance of being adopted legislatively. This guy is a fraud - another demagogue hawking snake oil. All he will do again is divide the Democratic Party, pick up his marbles and go home when votes go against him and help give Trumpty a second term.
21
@PK OK, we get it. You don't like raising taxes on the rich or other measures that would seriously reduce the income gap. You don't like universal health insurance or increased support for public higher education. Understood. We'll keep that in mind.
6
And there he goes again.
Let the Democratic infighting begin as dt sits back comfortably and has another Big mac and tweets his lies.
7
So far, the attacks are harshest against Sanders. Far from dividing the party, Sanders has actually United it around a common mission, and he rarely goes after the centrist leadership.
10
@Theo Horesh
Funny how the people complaining the most about "divisiveness" are the ones who typically start the mudslinging and engage in spurious, ad hominem attacks against Sanders. And they say irony is dead.
3
So will the Democratic party treat Bernie with respect this time? Or throw him under the bus like last time?
I hope Bernie's millions in donations really get under Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's skin.
25
@T SB
Is THAT what this is about to you? Sticking it to Debbie Wasserman Schultz?
You'd think a Bernie supporter would realize there are much bigger things at stake -- like the future of our democracy and our planet.
Bernie's ideas are awesome. The cult of personality around him is not. Nor is the disdain and hostility many seem to direct almost exclusively at female Democratic leaders.
4
@T SB Good point. The Times isn't exactly rushing to remind us what the DNC did to Mr. Sanders. Old news I guess.
1
Bernie's base just set a new record for saving up their allowance. Two years is an incredibly long time for the millennials living in your basement to hang on to your cash.
9
@Rob Vukovic
This kind of uninformed arrogance is going to sink you and your ilk on election day. While a great admirer of Bernie and his principled policy positions, I am not a supporter, for purely practical reasons.
America simply doesn't need, and can't afford, yet another 70+ year old career presidential aspirant who is for all intents and purposes is unelectable. To be successful in 2020, the Democratic party simply has to find a way to appeal to their demonstrably disparate membership. The party needs new blood, and the egos of the senior members of the party are just going to have to yield to, and hopefully mentor, a new generation of political activists who by virtue of their age and experience better reflect the current extremely lopsided and inequitable American political economy.
As a non-partisan but fully engaged citizen, it is my belief that we need new political blood, and lots of it. I can only hope that the Pelosis, Bidens, and Bernies representing the current political class learn this lesson in time.
2
He is the man. Sanders/Kobuchar ticket. I’m so excited. I prayed he would stay healthy and look at him. He looks better than ever.
15
The future of America clearly is not an 80 year-old man. Sanders would do better supporting some fresh blood and lending his guidance.
17
@Dan Ageism doesn't work my friend, ideas and creativity are the solution to this country's many ills. Bernie has presented them over the course of his career and was rejected many times because they did not support corporatism or neoliberal notions of power. Now is his time.....
15
He lost it for the Democrats once—and put Trump—in office and I bet he can do it again. Sanders and Nader, empowerers of plutocrats.
11
@Iced Tea-party
I think you mean Hillary Clinton lost it for Democrats? If the DNC and superdelegates hadn't rigged the primary we would have President Sanders rather than a childish, faux-populist. The country was ready four years ago, our establishment was not, which is why the other candidates are all running on Bernie's policies and agenda light.
3
Bernie Sanders, the true blue gentleman from Vermont, by way of Brooklyn, will waltz into his well earned role as our Commander In-Chief, on January 20, 2021.
And he will do so on the crest of a groundswell of support which will scare the wits out of the establishment, both Republicans and Democrats.
And, the media, especially the mainstream media, including the oh so devious NY Times, had best realize this go-round, that no number of attempts to undermine him, on behalf of their establishment masters, will work.
Here's the thing; the electorate is fed up with the machinations and manipulation of the last several decades, orchestrated by Republicans and Democrats, designed to subjugate the poor and the middle-class and drive them into economic slavery and near penury.
Social media and the incredible communications opportunities available even in remote areas, are making it almost impossible for our corporate owned mainstream parties to continue to bamboozle and keep people in the dark.
As for Trump and his hardcore supporters, their ugly, and thankfully brief appearance in our lives has served to put us on notice that our way of life can be destroyed, if we choose to not get involved, so as a Bernie supporter from way back, I say to any naysayers out there, join me and welcome this gentleman, with his all-inclusive platform, as our leader and first genuine representative of all of the people, in decades.
Boy, do I ever feel the Been !!
25
Here's the cranky guy again.
Some good stances, others not so much.
Better than Trump, no doubt; but is a grimacing, yelling socialist the best we can do?
8
@B.
Yes he is the best we could do.
And that is a world class man, honorable, intelligent, just and fair. What else do you want?
PS if you really are from Brooklyn, look around you will see so many like him who make your borough wonderful.
1
@Fran (with apologies to Frank Zappa for borrowing a few words)
Sorry Fran but this is the type of comment that drives me to desperation.
Biden is the antithesis of Bernie as a Democrat.
This is not a choice between a cupcake and a muffin (sorry Frank Zappa). You are choosing between status quo, center right, smile your way out of trouble versus a man who has sworn to pull us out of the mess we are in. Out of oligarch, judicial anarchy, inequality and international irrelevance.
Please think people. This is out chance to undo the damage done by the likes of W and Trump. Even Obama was not enough. He, like Biden was not a progressive.
Bernie 2020.
25
Bernie Sanders won all 55 counties in West Virginia and Hilary got ZERO, but (similar to the electoral college electing a non-popular president), Hilary got the West Viriginia democratic nomination against the voted will of the people because superdelegates pledged their votes BEFORE the people voted. That's corrupt and not democratic.
The same thing happened in:
Indiana
Michigan
Montana
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
ALL OF WHICH BERNIE WON BUT HILARY GOT CREDIT FOR.
Is this going to be any different this time around? Will there be democracy?
Anyone know?
Also, the NYTimes very strongly painted Bernie as a fringe candidate and Hilary as the inevitable choice. Again, going against actual events to paint a false narrative that influenced what went down. Next time support the person people are actually excited about and give that person the airtime they deserve so that he too can be taken seriously. In other words, more honesty in reporting would be great here.
Also, did anyone else notice Stephen Colbert go on an all-out mission this week AGAINST Bernie with his series of ageist jokes? Instead of his usual mix of humor + truth, in a way that influences opinion with levity, he chose to just try to make him look like a has-been loser to not take seriously. Colbert knows the influence he has and he could make more nuanced jokes about Bernie that would not also lead to people discounting him, but he chose otherwise....why?
34
@LynneR
I read DNC voted to not allow superdelegates to vote in the first ballot, so what happened in 2016 should not recur. It is ironic that the candidates are now tripping over themselves embracing the "crazy and fringe" ideas originated from Bernie. Everyone voting progressive should go with the original, classic formula; everyone else is just an imposter. Bernie is a bit too left for me, but I have always admired his honesty, transparency, conviction, and the totally classy way he supported Clinton after he was robbed of his win.
8
@LynneR probably not. You see, Sanders is NOT a Democrat, so they have no reason to put him forward as a Democratic candidate.
1
@LynneR
If we total the number of votes Hillary and Bernie received in all of the primaries, she comes out with three million more than he does. Why do so many Bernie supporters refuse to acknowledge that reality?
4
Seems like a lot of Democrats prefer moral victories to real ones.
5
@withfeathers
How about both?
But if a victory is immoral I don’t want it. Do you?
Can't wait to write him in again in 2020. Lets see if the DNC does what I expect they will do.
8
He helped put Trump in the WH. Can he do it again?
11
@Lost in Space
I think you mean Hillary Clinton helped put Trump in the White House? If the DNC and superdelegates hadn't rigged the primary we would have President Sanders rather than a childish, faux-populist. The country was ready twp years ago, our establishment was not, which is why the other candidates are all running on Bernie's policies and agenda light.
1
Hope we see the NYT give Bernie Sanders his fair share of media coverage this time around.
17
Be careful what you wish for. No crying foul when they ask him to show his tax returns.
@Betty Boop
His tax returns will be as clean as Frette sheets at a boutique hotel in Florence.
So no worries there.
3
Sanders is all about Sanders. He hurt Hillory in 2016. Bernie, please go home. You are simply all talk. You are disruptive and actually harmful to the Democratic party. He is the left’s version of Trump - selling snake oil.
9
Can we vote tomorrow please?
6
Good for him, maybe this time he won’t get shafted by Hillary Clinton. As we all know, she sucked the life out of him the last election cycle. He probably would’ve beaten Trump.
24
@Mike DeMaio.
Hillary received three million more primary votes than Bernie did. If defeating your opponent in multiple elections is now called shafting, then yes, she shafted him.
6
Fat campaign accounts do not necessarily translate to electoral victories. Sanders is too old. AOC is too young. So, what Dem does that leave who's any damn good and can WIN?
3
I like many of his policies; however, he has done nothing while in the Senate and he doesn't stand much of a chance in a Primary. He has "been there, done that"; is too old looking, and has not historical achievements.
15
Bernie needs to show that he can bring out the African American vote before I will ever consider him a serious candidate. even with Obama by her side Hillary could not pull enough votes from this group and Bernie has polled lower than her consistently in the past with them. Only if this group supports him more than any other candidate will I support him, We need someone who can beat Trump, not divide the party once more. I lived through the Bush V Gore election stolen by Ralph Nader, and the 2016 debacle where 7 million votes went to Jill Stein for Pete's sake. Do we really need to do this again Dems??
8
Having to choose between Sanders, Warren, Harris and Klobuchar, all of whom espouse progressive stances. What a good problem to have!
9
@Aram Hollman
You can leave Harris and Klobuchar out and add Tulsi Gabbard.
Bernie is a decent well meaning consistent believer in [my opinion] the impossible dream. This picture is a utopia, and appealing to those who neither could nor would be able to
carry out the everything for everybody scenario. Sincerity though admirable does not necessarily translate to good leadership. We need a strong leader with reasonable platform that can be achieved. I wish him well, but I think he is not the right person to lead the democrats to the presidency.
15
I contributed because Bernie is the only one I trust to push through Single Payer/Medicare for All. He has supported it, vociferously, his entire political career. There is 0% chance he will sell out! The other candidates are Johnny-come-lately to the idea or just aren't behind it.
32
@Steve Siegel Bernie has the right ideas but in the reality of government he will need a congress that he can control. That's just how it is. Bernie has burned a lot of bridges.
Need examples? Jimmy Carter was generally ineffective even with a Democratic congress. And Trump? Even with a GOP House and Senate he couldn't get funding for his wall.
To pass major health care changes any president will need to be a coalition builder. Look at the resistance the ACA faced both before and after it was passed. Do we need single payer? Yes, obviously. Can a president get it by demanding it? No more than Trump will ever get his wall.
Bernie could go a long way toward making this happen, but not by running another campaign that divides the Democratic party.
7
What people see in Sanders: Character, Honesty, and a desire to stand up for ordinary Americans. It’s hard to find that anywhere else in politics these days, and it’s non-existent in the GOP.
37
I give Bernie all the credit for pushing for single payer healthcare and student loan forgiveness into the forefront of our fight against extreme inequality. That's why many bankruptcies occur, health care and education. Too bad Bernie has baggage from the Hillary fans. but of course he supported Hilary all the way through. Remember he said 'i don't want to hear about her emails!' during the debate. Amd he wholeheartedly supported her after the primaries.
25
The email remark was very early.
The Dems are going to totally blow-it and hand Trump another 4 years.
Candidates like Sanders and most of the other Dems who have announced are all so far to the left that even I could not cast a vote for them.
My god, free healthcare, free college, more spending on infrastructure, higher taxes on the rich (whatever defines rich these days), higher taxes on business, etc., etc., etc. The choice will be the devil you know vs. the one you don't.
My recommendation. Co-opt much of the GOP platform, only reposition it to the middle class. IE., Trump and the GOP passed a tax plan that was the largest transfer of wealth from the middle class to the top .00001% of earners and corporations that the nation has ever seen. It's also costing America another $1.5Trillion that must eventually be repaid, and most likely by the middle class. Those tax breaks should be redirected towards the middle class who will then spend those dollars on goods/services thus stimulating more economic growth and profits for business.
Or take immigration. State that America needs a strong immigration plan, but building a wall is silly. Current laws should be enforced and we should establish guest worker programs that allow those who come here to work to also pay taxes, etc. Most Americans can easily get behind this type of message.
And lastly, stop bashing business at every opportunity. The last time I checked, that's where most Americans get their paychecks from.
Just saying.
16
Great.
Already, on Democratic blogs, people are mad at each other. AGAIN.
Oh lordy I wish Bernie had stayed out of this. We have a plethora of accomplished, good-hearted, competent candidates who wouldn't tear the party apart.
But nooooo.
16
@Sophia
People are mad at each other? About politics? On blogs?
Oh no.
Seriously, first off Bernie is the single most popular politician in the country.
Second, people sometimes have good reasons to be mad. Politics involves serious matters in which we all have vested interests. People getting mad is often the best indication that they are actually engaged and paying attention.
Third, Bernie makes some people mad because he threatens their interests (if they are well off) or their sense of order (if they think the well off should run things). That’s not a bad thing. It’s a sign that he stands for some things that other candidates don’t and thus represents more of an actual choice.
Fourth, nobody is making you read those blogs. Some people like to get mad on the internet. You don’t have to be a member of their audience. There are many other things you can do. Some even offline or outdoors. You could even volunteer for your preferred candidate.
3
@Sophia
Tearing “each other” apart? Or sore Hillary supporters furiously blaming Bernie and those who dared (gasp!) to vote for him for Hillary’s Podesta’s and Brazile’s disastrously incompetent campaign managing? All I see is the latter. Clinton was an ineffective candidate and her supporters need to get over it.
1
Bernie is raising money of this magnitude now only because he is the only KNOWN candidate. As others campaign and gain traction, they will increase their campaign funds as well. Hopefully, a candidate who is close enough to the center to garner the votes from centrist democrats and even some Republican voters who detest Trump will win the day. Bernie is very close to being too old for office. He is responsible along with Hillary herself for Trump’s victory. His supporters ate up the anti Hillary rhetoric. Trump’s camp took advantage. Bernie has the same old platform which hasn’t played well enough to make him successful. He has some good ideas some of which are a part of many of the other Democrat’s platforms. Let’s give him credit for this but find someone else who is electable. Is there a cogent plan for paying for all the ‘free’ programs he has promised..... Blind loyalty by many supporters is unfortunate and unwarranted. Where are his tax returns? What about his stepdaughter’s wood working grant? What about his wife’s behavior and her take down of a local college? Does anyone truly think he can get anything done in gridlocked congress? My biggest fear is that his candidacy will propel Trump to another 4 year term in the White House.
8
While hindsight is 20/20, I'd say Bernie is four years older and four years too late. Seriously, he's too old to run for president, along with Elizabeth Warren or Hillary Clinton. At some point, baby boomers must exit stage right, and allow politicians from Generation X---very few I know---and Generation Y to take over.
All things considered, Bernie Sanders was correct in 2016, bu the Democratic Party establishment refused to accept reality. While Trump's presidency represents the culmination of the Reagan Revolution, it's also the denouement as well. Until the Democrats fully ascertain this, they won't regain the White House.
4
@Arcticwolf
As a Generation Xer I can’t think of a single politician my age I would vote for for president. The ones on offer — Beto, Harris, Booker, and Klobuchar are all Wall Street/Silicon Valley tools. We were a decidedly not great generation. I’ll vote for Alexandria Ocasio Cortez when she is old enough to run. Until then I’m sticking with Bernie.
12
Putting aside Bernie's stance on firearms which is completely anathema to the Liberal platform, what makes him a greater uniter across party lines than say Biden (I know he hasn't announced YET) or Klobuchar? Nothing. In addition, while he can generate excitement for the Left, how about the Independents? The Presidency is there for the taking in '20, the Dems would be foolish to nominate someone so unelectable and whose policy ideas are so easily invalidated financially. You can't win without Independents -- something Obama knew very well, something today's Democrats should remember.
12
@Holmes
Bernie consistently outpolls everyone among independents. Why? Because, contrary to popular myth, most independents aren’t centrists and many are progressives disgusted with choosing between two parties that both belong to Wall Street. Many were barred from voting in the Democratic primaries in 2016 but won’t be in 2020.
4
Since when did the measure of a politician become equated with money-raising ability? This media focus is simplistic and corruptive of the electoral process with it's fixation on dollars and not policy.
13
@walt Walt, we're always doing sportscasting in this business, and money totals are The Score. And then the poll numbers. And then ... let's see ... the popular vote as described by exit polls. And then the popular vote and then the electoral college -- and then the Winner!
It really, really isn't about the money.
Please stop this kind of journalism.
America is broken now under Trump.
This is about fixing it, with good ideas and hard work.
Sanders basic ideas are great and clear, they're what already exists in Western Europe. They're all achieved through democracy not authoritarianism.
Give us a universal healthcare system which gives everyone care when they become ill. This also frees all businesses from the burden of playing for healthcare making them more competitive.
Give every student an education based on merit and not ability to pay. Giving us the best human capital for future leadership in business, cultural and political life. Also freeing young people from suffocating debt thus boosting the home and consumer goods markets.
Regulate big banks. Break them up so there is no such thing as too big to fail making the great recession unrepeatable. Regulating them so predatory lending doesn't destroy the next generation of the middle class like it did the last one.
Any candidate that adopts all of Bernie's ideas gains ground against him. Present me this list plus — such as aggressive expansion of voting rights to combat the Republicans stealing more elections and ending the electoral college.
The idea that this is a "leftist" or "radical" fantasy is a D.C. Swamp Creature's moan. Echoing it in the press is just trying to curry favor with discredited trickle downers. Come at me with real arguments or my vote stays with Bernie.
20
We love Bernie. He is the way forward. He is the honest, intelligent and energetic man who will turn us away from the abyss of oligarchy.
Of course people will contribute what they can to a visionary like him. We need him and will raise whatever it takes to get it done.
Power to the people. For once since FDR, the tide is turning.
26
Wait till Wall Street and Silicon Valley hear that Sanders is number 1 . They will then pour their money into ??
Good to remember that Obama got more money from big donors than from small ones .
When Wall Street rules we are a Democracy in name only .
12
Great! He can raise enough to run as an independent and not drain the DNC of resources for Democratic candidates.
8
@David F
Is that what you really want, because that sounds like 4 more years of Trump. The Dems NEED Bernie and his supporters inside their tent if they are going to beat Trump.
@David F, what makes you think DNC is kosher? It is a pawn of special interests, big corporate, silicon valley, Hollywood, entertainment industry and Wall Street.
1
Sorry, I don’t see the need for the Democratic Party to accommodate a person who is a Democrat when it suits him. He’s an Independent, leave him there.
9
Mr. Sanders, I hope you don't scare the moderate democrats and push them away by promising free college tuition, free healthcare, etc. Hopefully, you will reevaluate your agenda and not over-promise this time around.
4
There is plenty of left over anger toward Bernie for his role in helping get Trump elected. He did not fully support Hillary even when it was clear this country had a maniac breathing down our necks. Now we are feeling positive about new candidates. We need a definite break from the memory of 2016. After this Trump turmoil/trauma we must move forward and away from the past. As the Democratic candidates line up Bernie will lose ground next to fresh faces. The same holds true for Biden. The country has changed.
12
@Hortencia
Bernie campaigned harder for Hillary in the General Election than any Dem defeated in the primaries ever campaigned. He did multiple events a day, raised money for her and mobilized his supporters to get out the vote for her. Unlike Hillary herself he campaigned for her in Wisconsin and Michigan because he saw that they were at risk. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and she lost.
Bernie’s supporters voted for Hillary at higher levels than Hillary supporters did for Obama in 2008. And he campaigned harder for her than she did for Obama.
All of this is thoroughly documented if you care to look.
Unfortunately it wasn’t enough and she lost. It was close so we can argue forever about why. But there is no good reason to blame it on Bernie.
4
Will he now hand over half to the government as an indication of good faith given his tax policies? No? Thought not.
2
The question is how many donors to Sanders live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
1
@Fester
Excellent question. My guess is a lot since he won Michigan and Wisconsin and large parts of Pennsylvania in the 2016 primaries.
2
Hopefully, this time around, he’ll be smart and won’t hand Trump another 4 years, if it doesn’t go his way.
Personally, I am tired of seeing old men with too much political power.
9
I voted for Bernie in the last primary, then went for Hilary in the general election. I agree with Bernie on many issues, and have been excited to see his progressive ideas become much more mainstream since he came on the scene. I fully credit him for that, and think he is a smart and ethical person. However, I don't think he should run our country. We need someone who can present fresh ideas with a new perspective, and someone younger, who still has skin in the game. I've also been disappointed by Bernie's failure to rally his voters ('Bernie bros') to vote Democratic. His campaign leveraged the misogynistic, hypocritical slurs against Hilary to make his case, or at the very least benefited from them. His sudden 'support' of Hilary was too little and too late, and not surprisingly, his base could not then be convinced to vote for her. We need someone completely new to the race this year, whether that's Harris, Beto, Klobuchar, Warren, or another, who really believes in the Democratic cause, as well as its constituents. That's a political reality that I believe progressives are seeing. We need the full weight of the party to go against Trump and when stakes are this high, we can't afford to choose someone who isn't really in it.
11
If readers want unbiased coverage of anything regarding the Sanders campaign, they will have to get it from somewhere other than the Times. This is Wall Street's newspaper, at the end of the day. They will subtly spin and smear and dismiss Sanders all the way to November, 2020, even if they help Trump get re-elected in the process. Watch Sanders' youtube video announcement of his entrance into the race. This is not about bragging rights, as if it was some adolescent contest. The money he raised and the fact that the millions of supporters he has dwarfs all the other candidates is a result of his message. We haven't had a politician like him since the 60's and young Americans are very, very much in need of hearing what he has to say. He is our best hope of beating Trump. If you don't want another 4 years of that monster, stop dissing him and get on board.
28
@Joe well said!
Saw that he was running yesterday and immediately donated. Even if he doesn't win the nomination, he pulls every other candidate toward policies supported by the majority of the American people (right and left) -- looking at you, healthcare and campaign finance laws!
11
Well, he's got a lot of fanatics, that we know from 2016. It's good for raising money quickly, but I'm not sure it's good for the primary process, the general election in 2020, or the country. I guess we'll find out.
6
Does anyone wonder if the Democrats opposition is sending Burnie all this campaign money to throw the next presidential election. That would be a smart move?
5
@Mike Mulligan
Talk about being in denial. Bernie is the most popular politician in the country. There is no mystery or conspiracy neccesary to explain his fundraising success. You should ask yourself why you try to talk yourself into believing such an obvious absurdity unsupported by any evidence.
1
Universal healthcare.
Free public schooling from K to Grad School.
No more Citizen’s United,
Environmental sanity.
Tax wealth and income of the top percentile to raise revenue.
Tax all speculative financial derivatives and high speed algorithmic trading.
Bring back an improved Glass-Steagall.
Kill carried interest.
Stop the demolition of private and public trade unions.
Gender equality.
Give generously to the man who can make it all happen.
Delighted to here he is braking all records of fund raising from people’s honest donations.
19
I think Trump has over $100 million pledged for 2020. Read em and weep.
2
RE: Bernie Sanders—
What's the value of AUTHENTICITY? You can't put a value on it.
He rings true. And the young—our future—as well as the seasoned, can especially feel it.
19
Bernie is not a Democrat. He has spent most of his adult life trashing the Democratic Party. But because his ideas are so far out of the mainstream, and he knows as a Green or Libertarian candidate he has no chance, he wants to take control of the Democratic Party for his own purposes. All the millenials, who have no real idea how party politics work (Win The Election, Stupid) and pumped full of self righteousness basically said 'I'd rather lose than for for Hillary" the last time.
So instead of a progressive majority on the Supreme Court, we have a conservative bloc that will be in control for at least a decade, more Citizen United's, and bye bye Roe. V. Wade. 25 percent of the federal bench has not been appointed by Trump, thanks to a GOP senate ramming thru his nominees, putting their stamp on federal law for DECADES. Paris Climate Accord, gone. National Health Care, on life support. More wealth being elevated to the 1 percent, while our public lands are being opened for mining and drilling.
With a Hillary Clinton presidency, none of this would be happening. How many Bernie Bros care that the damage this administration is doing to America, by their refusal to settle for half a loaf, will never be undone by a Bernie presidency?
11
@paulo s. s.
"Bernie is not a Democrat. He has spent most of his adult life trashing the Democratic Party."
So Paulo, here is a quick one: a democrat is not someone who necessarily belongs to something that calls itself the Democratic Party. Parties calls themselves all sort of things (National Socialist Party, Party of God, Christian Democratic Party, Islamic Democratic Party, Liberal Party, Radical Party so on and so forth).
Bernie is a democrat. So is William Weld. Neither they belong to the Democratic Party. At some point Michael Bloomberg belonged to the Republican Party and he was and is a democrat. Ronald Reagan belonged to the Democratic Part before he switched to the GOP. He was never a democrat before or after.
You get the drift?
5
He's the real deal and everybody knows it. It'll be fun to watch Bernie pull Republicans thats voted for Trump in 2016. His appeal is that far reaching.
Thinkin Bernie/Tulsi 2020.
12
Saw that he was running yesterday and immediately donated. I would prefer a Bernie candidate to run against Trump to win back blue-collar voters, but even if he loses he pulls whoever wins to the left, so it's a win-win scenario for issues that are important to the majority of Americans (right and left) including healthcare and campaign finance laws.
20
Personally I prefer Joe Biden and I hope he runs. Sanders is okay, but he isn't a Democrat and if he runs as an Independent he will re-elect Trump.
6
@Fran
Sorry Fran but this is the type of comment that drives me to desperation.
Biden is the antithesis of Bernie as a Democrat.
This is not a choice between a cupcake and a muffin (sorry Frank Zappa). You are choosing between status quo, center right, smile your way out of trouble versus a man who has sworn to pull us out of the mess we are in. Out of oligarch, judicial anarchy, inequality and international irrelevance.
Please think people. This is out chance to undo the damage done by the likes of W and Trump. Even Obama was not enough. He, like Biden was not a progressive.
Bernie 2020.
9
Democrats should consider how much of this money, enthusiasm, and commitment comes from voters who are not just party-line democratic voters, because if the democratic establishment got on board (and all party line democrats will vote for Bernie over Trump) and Bernie were the nominee he has the best chance of beating Trump of any democrat (especially any pro-corporate democrat). Democrats should not insist that a pure, one of there own is their nominee, if beating Trump is the highest priority. Bernie is not too far left to win; the presidential candidate he most compares with (FDR) won four terms and they had to invent term limits to preclude Americans from continuing to insist on a fair economy. Yes, Clinton won the popular vote but that was entirely by running up the vote in California; the democrats lost massive numbers of house and senate seats (and won them back on the back of Bernie's issues). And all those Obama voters that abandoned the democratic party in 2016 thought "hope" meant a fairer economy, and they'll come right back for Bernie.
26
"Sanders Raises $6 Million After Announcing Presidential Bid
The early fund-raising haul by Senator Bernie Sanders gives him bragging rights in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates.
The amount far surpasses what any of his rivals have disclosed raising after their own announcements this year."
As with the 2016 campaign, we have Bernie Sanders saying he's running in the Democratic party. But, Bernie is not and never has been a Democrat. He is registered as an Independent for voting in his state. He is listed in the Senate as an Independent. When he ran in 2016, the Democrats asked him to formally join the Democratic Party and he refused.
Why shouldn't Bernie run as an Independent? If he wants to run as a Democrat, join the Party. Last time out there were complaints that the Democratic Party didn't treat him as well as it treated Hillary Clinton. If Bernie is not a Democrat, why should the Party support him?
9
@RetiredGuy
70% of registered voters are not Democrats. Why should they support Democratic candidates? Do you have the numbers to win with only registered Democrats?
9
@RetiredGuy Bernie has always caucaused with the Democrats, so what's the problem? Had the Democratic Party not mounted a massive campaign against him (with the complicity of this publication and others), it would probably be him now sitting in the Oval Office and not the orange most unfit carnival barker masquerading as a president (with the complicity of the GOP). Poll after poll showed him to be the only one who might be able to defeat Trump in 2016. Don't make that mistake again particularly since for the past three years many of Bernie's ideas (minimum wage, Medicare for all, paternity leave, free education, as it already exists in all the major industrial free-market democracies of the world) have taken hold and are now being spoused by many other Democratic candidates who are running. And BTW I voted for Hillary although I worked in Bernie's campaign after he threw his support to her and also because she would be "the lesser of two evils".
6
I am not yet sure if I will vote for Bernie in 2020, but I can say this… I wish I voted for him in 2016. I love that he is a decent human being who truly cares about the welfare of every person in this country. I will listen carefully to all democratic hopefuls, but I am not going to dismiss Bernie again.
46
Since I'm not a Democrat (not a member of any organized party), I don't care about Sanders running in the Democratic primaries. The fact that he only becomes a Democrat during presidential primaries is interesting, but I can understand that it makes more sense than running as an independent.
What I do care about is what his supporters will do if (only a possibility) he once again does not get the Democratic nomination. Will they once again pout and cry foul, withhold their votes, and help trump win the election? That's the part that scares me about Sanders rejoining the race in 2020.
26
@D Inly 6-12% of Sanders supporters voted for Trump. 25% of Clinton's 2008 supporters voted for McCain. Did you accuse them of pouting and crying foul?
25
@Talbot It's not just voting for Trump; it's voting for Jill Stein or other third party candidates, or just not voting at all in protest. I know people who did this. The margins in key states, including my own, were small enough that this kind of stuff makes a difference.
11
@Talbot
Twenty five percent of Clinton's primary voters supported McCain in the general and Obama still won? Sounds like a Trump-sized lie. Care to quote a reputable source for that number you whipped out?
4
He's not my choice. But he deserves a great deal of credit, he excites the Democratic base, and we need that.
Another Vermonter was able to do the same, Howard Dean. Small donations, innovative use of the internet, and a 50 State strategy.
Though he's not my choice, yet, if he gets the Democratic nomination, I'll not just vote for him, he'll get all I can give in campaign contributions.
Trump needs to go, he's the ruination of our Democracy.
51
@cherrylog754
Why, with the incredible idiocy and danger Trump presents, does the Democratic base need to be more excited? I just don't get it. I lean conservative, and I count the days until I can vote against Trump.
Why can't Democrats get their supporters to vote against someone so awful? Why do they want to run someone like Sanders, who will likely blow it, resulting in four more years of horror?
5
Read benjaminstudebaker.com "Why Bernie Sanders Matters More Than People Think." I could not explain the Bernie phenomenon any better. I strongly recommend it to any voter. And I am a minority of color that voted for Hillary in the election but not the primary. I send my 27 dollars per week and started in December. I hope many of the readers of the Times do the same. It is a very modest price for what you might get if you are lucky.
73
@as couldn't agree more! I was also happy to see that he tapped Faiz Shakir as campaign manager, which signals his awareness of the necessity of keeping the interests of POC front and center by putting them in positions of power.
10
@as hear hear! I too am a person of color and voted for Hillary in the election but Bernie in the primaries. Hope the Dems who paint all Bernie supporter as "bernie bros" who were against Hillary see the true, bigger picture.
15
Sanders is the only one of the Democratic nominees who will fill stadiums.
Remember that in 2016, he rose from being unknown, to out-fund-raising the Clinton machine; consistently polling as the most popular politician in the country; winning the large majority of Democratic voters under 45; polling high among the 1/3+ of voters who are Independents, and cannot vote in Dem primaries; and yes, filling stadiums.
Voters get excited about Bernie. And that's what the Dems need.
115
@F. T. Except he’s not a Dem.
5
@Jackson
So what? His voters care about the man and his policies, not his party affiliation. Why should the latter matter?
7
@F. T.
Political campaign as rock concert, complete with merch. Lovable, crazy Bernie in shades on a tee shirt.
Who cares about the overwhelming majority of voters who save their participation the polling place instead of a political rally in a college town?
1
And remember, these are small donations (like the one I sent to him yesterday -- and to Elizabeth Warren when she announced).
These are not the big campaign donations that others have been out soliciting from Wall Street, or from the mega-donors who meet over drinks and dinner to decide whom they are going to throw their money at (see for example Sunday's The Circus on Showtime).
This is an important distinction to be making.
39
I still cant understand for the life of me why so many people would listen to a man's "ideas" on how to "fix" things who's never spent a day in his life working in any of those fields.
Bernie wants "medicare for all", yet doesn't know the first thing about healthcare or its delivery. He never worked in the field, never asked doctors, of hospital execs, or insurance execs about the business.
Just thinks the government should pay for it all.
Think about it. If Bernie showed up at your job and said he could run your company or place of business better then current mgmt, would you believe him? Why? Does he have any experience whatsoever in running your type of business?
Of course not.
Then why are you listening to his ideas on how to reform healthcare, or run the country???
He's never run anything in his life.
Why, because he says he'll get it to you for free?
What does that make you?
38
@Sports Medicine You think hospital and insurance executives should be making these choices over someone running for president?
56
Considering how poorly heath care and insurance is run in this country why would I ask insurance or corporate hospital executives how to reform and pay for health care. They have a financial interest in continuing things just the way they are. I may find the idea of Medicare for all questionable without more information but I can tell you that I won’t be looking for answers from the very people gaming the system for advantage and profit.
31
Yeah who is Sanders to tell Big Pharma not to game the genetics market? The nerve of the guy! Did he ever work for a drug company?
And don’t get me started on FDR. What did he know about regulating banks? Did ever work in any?
Rinse, repeat.
29
Bernie has set the agenda for the Democratic primary. He is the most popular senator in the country because he is incorruptible. He routinely destroys Trump in head to head polls because his platform is not dictated by corporate lobbies. He polls especially well in battleground states in the Northern Midwest because he supports working people. He has the most dedicated following because there are many who will give anything for someone who tells the truth. And he has beaten the next front runners in first day campaign contributions because his supporters are willing to sacrifice so that he might win. All of this puts him at the head of the pack and for all the right reasons.
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@Theo Horesh He hasn't actually had to compete against Trump. He has a lot of people who would hold their noses and vote for him if he wins the nomination, but would greatly prefer someone else. I personally put a lot of blame on him for Trump's election. I think he's been a singularly ineffective senator for a long time.
8
Incorruptible enough to stand up to the NRA? I won't hold my breath.
5
Beautifully put, Theo of Boulder, Colorado.
1
We love Bernie. We will contribute what we can so he can lead us out of the abyss of inequality, oligarchy and a dying democracy.
I urge the New York Times to get behind Bernie. He is the future. He has more energy, integrity and intelligence than most politicians.
He is a Mensch.
Bernie 2020.
137
@Blunt
"... I urge the New York Times to get behind Bernie ..."
The Times is a member of the Constitutional free press. They are not a propaganda organ that supports specific candidates. The claims by Sanders folks that the free press is biased against Sanders are nothing but conspiracy theories. The Constitutional requires the free press to be independent. If you want an in-house propaganda organ for your candidate, talk to Fox. They might even oblige you--if they believe that a Sanders candidacy or primary victory would help Trump get reelected.
8
@Blunt … what did he accomplish in his 30 years in Congress? What bills did he create and pass?
10
@Robert Disagree. As a Hillary voter in the election but not the primaries, it was very clear to me that there was an anti-Bernie bias from the time he announced his candidacy. He was fully dismissed by elite Democrats out of touch with the issues Americans face daily, including access to healthcare, a living minimum wage, and a progressive tax on the wealthy. Research the progressive media watchdog FAIR to see more on how corporate papers were biased against Sanders. Also, you clearly forgot that the editorial board endorsed Hillary NOT Sanders on Jan. 30, so no, this isn't a paper without bias (which is impossible in any case). As the face of elite democrats, NYT was pro-Hillary and her propaganda organ.
15
God speed Bernie! You are the sage of our times. We can no longer wait for incremental changes because that ain't happening, the wealthy the powerful won't allow it. We need drastic sweeping changes, to make the lives of our children grandchildren, the future residents of this planet - better healthier more happy more equitable. America is lagging far behind the rest of the developed world. And while you are at it, please also abolish gun violence (hunting in rural areas is ok but please don't allow shooting of fellow humans).
43
I agree with you on most everything. Hunting is barbaric and unnecessary.
1
When Bernie loses the Florida primary AGAIN, will he quit, or mess up another election?
37
@SundayNiagara If Sanders gets the nomination, least we wouldn't get to see a Democrat lose Wisconsin in the general election.
18
Bernie's long list of online donors would be useless without the continuing loyalty of his supporters. What fuels that loyalty?
His devotion to the causes of the common people against the might of Big Money.
His not trying to be everything to everybody, not fashioning goals from focus groups, but actually listening to what the people say they need and bringing those issues forward for discussion and possible resolution. Having a vision with no apologies.
It's accomplishing the amazing feat of funding a campaign through small donations rather than appearing before a Court of Big Donors and kissing up to them.
It's swallowing his pride and exhorting his followers to support Hillary Clinton despite being booed by some of them in their disappointment and fury. (If you've ever given your heart to a campaign, that's easy to understand.)
It's exhaustively campaigning in her behalf only to be told later by Clinton supporters that HE was the cause of her loss, as if Americans of every stripe don't have a right to run in a primary. (Pause here to chuckle in disbelief.)
It's his adhering more closely to goals of the old Democratic Party than the present-day Democrats do, and being screeched at with the banality of "He's NOT a Democrat!"
It's being completely shut out, disparaged, and mocked by mainstream media while watching the vilest candidate that ever lived showered with attention, and still coming back to fight another day.
It's called having character. Go Bernie!
128
@TM, i'm remembering the whole clinton endorsement a lot differently. i recall something along the lines of it not being his job to swing his voters to her after he withdrew. i recall a lukewarm at best "she's better than trump" endorsement, which many of his people took as an opportunity to throw their votes away on jill stein. yeah, go bernie, go home.
6
@mary chlopek
Lukewarm, and late, campaigning to the biiter end, long after the writing was on the wall. And when he lost, his campaign had no problem impugning the expressed will of millions of voters as illegitimate, just part of "the fix".
Then there's the damage done by his supporters, who eagerly trotted out old GOP attack lines against Clinton, and baselessly impugned her character, more damaging than Republican attacks as they were aimed at people who might actually vote for her.
Now he is a divisive figure in his own adopted party. Not a good start.
1
The millennials time to lead has come, and they choose....their grandfather.
They’ll donate to his campaign, but draw the line at setting up his new phone on the home WiFi network.
Sheesh
15
@Brad Flagged for ageism.
8
Ageism at it’s finest.
8
Bernie Sanders is a decent man and decency is what I crave after the past three years.
Every day is an assault on our institutions, truth and a failure to lead. Our next president must run against corruption by promising to restore our institutions and sign laws to maintain them. The presidency has too much power when in the hands of those willing to self deal at the expense of the American people.
32
I think Bernie should redistribute that money equally among all the candidates...
42
Bernie helped elect Trump because he trashed Hillary and forced her to move far enough left to lose the electoral college to Trump.
If you don't like Trump, Bernie was not a constructive force in the 2016 election.
47
HRC lost Democrats because she appeared to be in bed with wall street, and a supporter of the status quo.
28
@David
Hillary convincingly won the popular vote. It was a loss in the Electoral College which cost her the election. So, I doubt that the small, rural counties full of undereducated, white folks (the Republican base), decided that Hillary wasn't centrist enough to vote for.
On the contrary, I believe that had Bernie won (or been awarded), the Democrat nomination, he would have beaten Trump in the general election because he would have siphoned off key Trump voters.
20
@David
Sanders trashed Clinton? I don't seem to remember that. I do, however, remember Sanders campaigning on Clinton's behalf in states like Wisconsin and Michigan (states that Clinton neglected throughout the campaign and ultimately lost). This is unless you think Sanders "trashed" Clinton by disagreeing with her on policy. You know, the whole point of having a party primary in the first place.
Also, Clinton didn't lose by moving to the left. She lost because she was a "same as the old boss", status quo, Establishment candidate in an election year where many voters were clearly sick of that kind of politician.
But by all means, continue to hold on to the tired "Bernie cost Hillary" trope. It must be much easier than actually confronting reality.
30
Wow. That goes a long way in defending his electability. And I have yet to see a single reason why he shouldn’t be president besides he’s old, he’s white or the bizarre myth that he “helped elect Trump”. I’m open at this point to all candidates except Harris. But why vote for an imitation when we have the real thing?
33
@Brooklyn Dog Geek, bizzare? myth? 12% of bernie voters ended up voting for trump. that seems a little helpful, especially with his lukewarm embrace of clinton when he withdrew. or maybe this was it, bernie voters pouting about not getting their way decide to drive their truck into a brick trump wall, how about that? doesn't feels pretty real to me dog.
3
ok...that means I can donate to everybody else but Bernie. He's got enough already.
11
Why do I suspect Bernie's money is from many, many Republicans?
37
Well, if you mean that Bernie attracts people on both sides because his policies are popular with 70% of the country, you are right. If you really mean that Republicans would donate to Bernie to "mess up" the election, I say keep those donations coming in; every penny helps counteract the corporate agenda.
15
@Wondering...
Before Sanders' announcement: "Ha, Bernie is sooo 2016. Does anyone still care about him?"
After Sanders raises $6 million on his first day of his campaign: "Uhhh, it must be the Republicans. Yeah, that's it!"
The amount of mental gymnastics some of you perform to explain away Sanders' obvious popularity is truly incredible.
14
@Wondering... I can confirm that at least one of them (from me), came from a registered Democrat who has worked on five Democratic presidential campaigns in a row.
4
So far not a single word of support from him for the Interim President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó. Come to think of it, no Democratic candidate did. Isn’t it a bit more urgent and consequential than all of the logical and wonderful social plans they are constantly voicing? Can’t they show some realpolitik guts?
5
@Spensky Recall if you will that this is a campaign for the presidency of THIS country. Ironically, the current occupant of that space campaigned with a promise to be a non-interventionist. Of course, he had to turn that around because LOOK! OVER THERE! BAD GUYS!
2
Pretty pathetic lil story of the Democratic frontrunner NYT. As far as I'm concerned, Bernie never quit running for President. He has crossed crossed the US in the last 2.5 years more than ANY of public servant and continued to support candidates and lead policies that benefit the working and middle class- just as he has done for 30+ years. He is incredibly underestimated by the status quo pundits, political operatives and main stream media. That isn't a surprise because his win is a win for the majority of Americans of all races and classes and a loss for the corporate oligarchs and dark money who run our country and MSM advertisers. He is going to be trashed by everyone from the far right, Wall Street, Health Insurance and Pharma to Centrist Corporate Dems. That his why he can raise so much money- because WE the people know he is fighting for us and deserves our support. #UsNotThem
58
Vickie,
So wonderful to read your supportive comment.
This go-round I believe the mainstream media and many in our corrupt establishment will be falling over themselves as they try to give the appearance of supporting Bernie.
Our nation is at a crossroads, the establishment senses it and knowing that we now are hyper-aware of their insatiable hunger to control the wealth of our nation, they will try to grab onto his coattails and ride the wave with him.
My hope is that he remains incorruptible, and cannot be co-opted in any way.
13
I guess Bernie and what he preaches is still relevant. Democrats, don't get hoodwinked again. These ideas are not crazy. And can you imagine the SNL redux with Bernie and Larry David in light of the last two plus hideous years?
8
I hope the NYTimes offers fair coverage of Bernie in this election, whether he is able to capture the zeitgeist again or not.
74
@John walker Just sayin' he's made some enemies among Dem voters who view him as a spoiler, then and now. he's a controversial figure, in his own party.
And... lest we forget, can he beat Trump, never mind the nomination? Without that all those great ideas are up in smoke.
1
Bernie is the only REAL Democrat in the lot, read REAL as in FDR, $26 average donation, he addresses all of the important issues of our time, and he’s the only one that will be able to unite, rather than divide, the constituents of the party. And he correctly condemned Trump as a pathological liar, fraud, and racist. Don’t believe the lies that will be hurled at you to refute what I just said here!
28
"Bernie Sanders has already won the debate in the Dem primary, because every candidate is embracing his brand of socialism" Trump Campaign spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany.
That, and Trump's SOTU pronouncement that "America will never be a socialist country" I think, are the biggest endorsements for Bernie!
17
Bernie, Bernie, Bernie - people love you like the Uncle that visits once a year but you've just cemented trump's election...please, go find some other hobby.
27
@Sofedup Don't you believe in democracy? Beat Bernie at the ballot box , if you can, instead of telling him to "go away."
6
Assume that – once $4M more flows in – he’ll return 70% of anything beyond that, to the US Treasury...
PS
The irony of an old white guy landing a disproportionate share of the lucre is completely lost on me...
He’s more than equal to the task at hand – and most of his opponents...
5
@W in the Middle
Ever heard that you only pay taxes from net profit after the fiscal year. Facepalm. Seems like worrying about taxes as a rich person is something you never need to worry about.
Wow....is the corporate Democratic Party listening ?
20
@Abbey Road … he doesn't share his funds with the Party ... which was one of the strikes against him in 2016.
1
@Rev. Henry Bates
But then again he didn't loot the state parties with some sort of Victory fund either. There is that.
What we need is a Bernie/Liz ticket.
17
@Yann
Liz/Bernie, thank you very much.
1
Better choice: Bernie/K Harris ticket. With Liz becoming Commerce secretary.
1
We should just forgo ballot elections as then there'd be nothing to hack and just award the prize instead to whoever raises the most money. The media coverage would not have to change one bit.
5
LET the horse race begin. Bernie's old and getting older but it looks like he still has some mojo working. The papers keep telling us how exciting Kamala Harris is, which makes her more exciting to people. Warren started off with a cold shower, but there's still time to see if she's got the right stuff. I'm thinking not. Beto O'Rourke should start paying some visits to the east so we can see the whites of his eyes. Gillibrand is the candidate we love to hate, perhaps for good reasons. It will be hard for her to get out of that hole. Cory, we know you, but we don't...
3
@Sophocles that’s the problem, it’s not a horse race, as this article and the MSM, NYT in particular, portray it. IT’S ABOUT THE ISSUES, THE SUBSTANCE. And that’s where Bernie has already won.
8
Maybe Mr. Sanders would share some of this money with the Constitutional free press, by way of restitution. A sizeable proportion of pro-Sanders comments here on this site are pushing miserable conspiracy theories about the NY Times and the rest of the free press. "The Times is using only ugly photos of Sanders." "The Times is writing only negative stories about Sanders." "The Times is selecting for Times Picks only the comments that are critical about Sanders, or always putting them at the top of the list." "The corporate media …" "The establishment media …" My goodness. What's next? "The Times is the enemy of the people?"
21
@Robert Margaret Sullivan, the former public editor, devoted an entire column to what you call conspiracy theories. She thought the criticisms were largely justified.
18
@Talbot
Thank you for your reply. I did not recall seeing the Sullivan piece.
Margaret Sullivan wrote two paragraphs (one being mostly a reader comment) out of about 15 paragraphs total in which she called attention to what she believed were several shortcomings vis-à-vis the Times' coverage of Sanders. Sullivan goes on to say that there had already been improvement in his coverage.
The Times' top political editor Carolyn Ryan, however, strongly disagreed--in a longer, more detailed, and more carefully argued piece.
I will try to add both views to subsequent comments below here.
1
@Robert
Sullivan wrote:
"Something I’ve heard about relentlessly from readers is what they consider The Times's inadequate coverage of the Bernie Sanders campaign. [Reader comment omitted.] A few months ago, I took a hard look at the amount of Sanders coverage in The Times and its tone. My conclusion was that while his candidacy had not been ignored, it had been played down. And the coverage sometimes seemed dismissive, even mocking. At the time, Ms. Ryan drew readers' attention to a significant number of substantive Sanders articles, and strongly disagreed with the complaints about tone. I've seen improvement in recent weeks, including the assignment of a reporter full time to the Sanders campaign. (By contrast, The Times assigned a Clinton reporter back in 2013.) One recent article detailed the 'enthusiasm gap' that may favor Mr. Sanders. But, as readers point out, his campaign still is often viewed through the lens of how it affects Hillary Clinton, rather than on its own merits."
Link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/public-editor/presidential-election-coverage-margaret-sullivan-new-york-times-public-editor.html
5
We love him. We will contribute whatever we can to get him elected President of the United States of America.
He is our hope to fight the oligarchy that gets stronger every day.
Inequality that grows like a cancer needs to be fought head on. We need to annul Citizens United. We need universal healthcare, free public colleges, campaign finance reform, tax reform, gender equality, environmental sanity, dignity for working folk, fair trade unions, fair foreign policy, fair defense budget, decent infrastructure commensurate with being the richest nation in the planet and more.
Bernie can deliver. He is honest, he is energetic, he is intelligent. He is a mensch.
Please NY Times don’t blow it this time. Get behind the man millions love.
Bernie 2020. USA has to mend its ways.
51
@Blunt
Agree wholeheartedly with everything you say, and he will be our 46th President, elected in a landslide of relief and hope.
And Trump ?? He is will be nothing more than a horror story we will tell our grandchildren, a horror story about how one can learn to spot what a lying, cheating fraud looks like.
6
This progressive individual is a poor choice for election due to advanced aging . I suggest the fools who invested in this very risky choice for this adventure must be very frivolous in their money speculations.
7
Just don’t say, “it’s his turn”.
7
@J Pasquariello
Fair enough!
Ok, now are you going to take him seriously? He's popular, and, you know what, you're not. That means you, every twinkie who's running on a diversity platform, every donor's pet, every media outlet who backhandedly boosted Trump and forehandedly boosted Clinton. Wake up and smell the cawfee.
12
British folks sometimes say, "Begin as you mean to go on."
$6 million dollars with 225,000 donors in 24 hours is an explosion of support for Senator Sanders.
The $600,000 in monthly recurring donations will give the Campaign a base they can count on as they plan events, travel, staff and office space.
Not to mention that Bernie got donations from every one of the 50 states.
Go, Bernie, Go!
35
Bernie Sanders is the real thing—and untainted by Party or Party Machine.
Champion of single-payer universal coverage and of decent wages and access to education and of restoration of the American middle class and of addressing our Gilded Age profound income inequality. That’s the President we need. And the Congress has now been changed, and will be changing, to facilitate his vision.
97
@srwdm, It is really sad and appalling that the liberal media had a gag order of sorts when it came to covering Bernie in the 2015-16 election season. They did not give him a fair coverage. least of all the NYT. They let us down, severely and they send out the big top columnists to diminish Bernie, as often as they could, whatever way they could. They lacked the vision that Bernie was offering to his audience. Never mind, thanks to you tube and the internet, as many as 11 million viewers could view Bernie live, sitting in the comfort of their homes. The millennials and Bernie followers did not rely on the media at all, they skipped the traditional cable TV and news media because they knew that these sources were not giving Bernie the coverage he was due. If they covered him at all, it was all negative. Most disheartening.
14
@petey tonei
What's negative coverage, acknowledgement that he faced an uphill campaign? As if Clinton got off easy...
Or should the media put their thumb on the scale to say how great he really was, despite trailing support in the primaries? Is the problem on of truth, or favorability?
Bernie's problem was that he resonated with a specific group of voters, but failed to convince large and important portions of his adopted party's electorate, notably African American voters in the Southeast, who sealed his fate early on.
1
These donors aren't people who suddenly discovered Sanders. They are people who supported him in 2016 and still do.
Maybe Sanders will get the nomination and maybe he won't.
But there are millions for whom he represents a beacon of authenticity and inspiration.
155
@Talbot
Yeh, that's how the center left Dem Party handed Reagan a landslide victory in 1980, too off kilter and crazy spending plans while the middle class was imploding over the prior decade. It would be another 12 years before Dems learned their lessons from that - then promptly forgot it all in 2008.
6
Bernie Sanders has one advantage; he is one person whose message, whose approach, whose vision have not changed since 2016. The country, since 2016, has gleefully vacated the proverbial ‘center’ to move either to right (according to the current President), or to the left (according to the progressives), the Newton’s third law suggests an overwhelming response to the only known candidate Mr. Sanders at a time like this.
If, in four hours, he could raise that much he has to be the Democratic momentum to reckon with. Others running might need to redefine themselves either in terms of Mr. Sanders’ vision of America, or plead for the return of non-existent Obama-center, which exists in media hype. Who could be for Bernie Sanders? Perhaps, a substantial portion of them could be Trump voters who enjoy the fire, but not the smoke they have had under Mr. Trump’s command.
27
@Sam Sengupta
Bernies message isn't hard to figure out.
Im going to give you free stuff and those evil rich people are going to pay for it.
Doesn't work that way in real life. The shame of it is there are plenty of folks who think so.
15
@Sam Sengupta
You mean "to the right, according to the regressives."
So he's still against the TPP? Guess I'll be voting against him in the primary again.
1
All well and good. But with such a large field a lot of this money raised by these campaigns will be used to pick off rivals. Given that virtually all the declared candidates are public officials, mostly reside in the senate, should they not resign their seats do that others can represent their voters. Not that much is happening in that chamber, but they are paid to do a job. That job is not running for President. Absent a senate seat safety net, a few if not most of these candidates may reconsider.
3
@Keith
"...they are paid to do a job. That job is not running for President. "
You have your point. Can't really disagree. I think Rand Paul's state had a law against it that he somehow wangled a dispensation for.
2