‘A Prophet’: The Zeal of Bernie Sanders Supporters

I know this is four months old at the time of writing this but here's my two cents; having spent a lot of time in circles where Sanders is really popular, I think his support is 1) a result of the Obama administration, who spent a lot of attempting to compromise with Republicans who were not willing to compromise with him. I think Sanders supporters see this and are frustrated that the DNC continues to try to court the moderate/conservative lane with few results to show for it. 2) I think there's a realization that Bernie Sanders is a rare candidate who can generate enough excitement to pull off the kind of social change that many young, disenfranchised liberals are looking for. He's also 78. I think there's a very real fear that if he dies, people like Warren aren't going to take up the mantle of leading the party towards significant social change - that's why her political history is so relevant here. There's a fear that if Sanders doesn't secure the nomination, Democrats are going to revert to the way they were doing things in 2008. Sanders supporters are incredibly wary of giving up this fight because they see a rare opportunity to entrench significant change into American politics. I don't entirely agree with some of that but I see their fears. They look back to the 70s and wonder if they'll have to wait another fifty years for this opportunity.

C'mon Michael Barbaro, your contempt for Sanders is glaring .... I do appreciate a piece about Bernie on the Daily, but take a sick day and have someone else interview Alexander if you cannot at least temper the dismissive tone of your response to Bernie's candidacy and his policies. to quote you "did I miss something" re: Biden broken blood vessel during CNN debate. Also, your constant burst of "hmmph" as you interview Alexander Burns is disappointing.

I can say very clearly that my loyalty is with Bernie. After what the DNC did to Bernie in 2016, I was #DemExit. Sadly, the DNC learned nothing from anointing Hillary Clinton. Maybe its choices for 2020 have been a bit more diverse (Beto Kamala, Joe, and Pete) but the one thing that all its "chosen ones" have in common is their allegiance to corporate America and the Democratic elite. The DNC has set up another year of turmoil. As a 72-year-old "millennial" I will not accept Elizabeth Warren as your obvious substitute-for Bernie. If the DNC continues to ignore the will of voters, it will re-elect Donald J. Trump.

There is only one viable choice presently on the left and that is Bernie Sanders! The DNC better get behind the coming progressive tsunami and not play another coronation game again! This is a fight against fascism first and then the corporate forces next ! If the corporatists within the DNC think they can replay 2016 they do so at their own peril lest they forget about the 1969 Democratic Convention! The only way to defeat fascism is with democratic socialism!

Here is the difference, in my view, between a vote for Bernie and a vote for Biden. Voting for Bernie is voting for a candidate. Voting for Biden is voting against Trump. I am 66 years old. All my life, I've voted against the other guy. I've been given candidates by the Democrats that I hate only a little less than the Republican candidate. I will not succumb to that anymore. I will not enable the broken political system in this country anymore. I want a candidate that I believe will do the right thing. Such a candidate is Bernie Sanders. I will write Bernie's name in if he is not on the ballot.

It is not the supporters who have to answer to the leaders but the leaders who are supposed to respond to the wishes of the base. The fact that they think otherwise is why these leaders will soon be ex-leaders.

What's the oldest joke about politicians? "How can you tell when they're lying? Their lips are moving." Well, we actually found someone on the left who doesn't lie. And someone who doesn't flip-flop based on what people want to hear. Unlike Warren, Sanders will tell us that we need to raise taxes a little to ultimately save money with Medicare 4 for All, which makes it seem like he's more likely to fight for it if elected. It's not free stuff if Sanders has a way to pay for it. And a campaign funded by people, not corporations? This is a dream candidate which Dems should be fighting for. You know why they're not? Because so many are so corrupt, and terrified of a grass roots movement like Bernie's taking the place of their donors. Pelosi, Clinton, Biden and so many others don't favor incrementalism as a philosophy. They simply take so much money from the healthcare/pharma that they refuse to act in their voters' interests. Obama was the biggest recipient of healthcare donations in 2012, a thank you for giving us the GOP plan based on Mitt Romneycare. Obama had majorities in both houses of Congress and 80% of Dem voters polled wanted single payer. Centrists never deliver, and are closer in ideology to the right than the left. If Dems can't recognize an honest and principled leader from the actual left in their midst, then honest and principled voters will ditch them for good.

Alex, the question you needed to ask yourself was not how old you were when Warren switched from being a Republican, but how old Warren was when she switched. Also, the Trumpiest thing you’ve done is repeat the debunked notion that Sanders supporters didn’t vote for Clinton in the general election.

I'm Bernie or bust.

Millennial Independent turned Democrat here. I was streaming the rally because I couldn't be there. I love Bernie and basically everything he stands for. A few thoughts on the pod and in general. -I love Bernie because of his consistency, his telling truth to power, calling out things for what they are and being ahead of his time on many notable issues (M4A, LGBTQ rights, promoting a living wage, etc) -He is one of the most powerful icons today partially because of his populist message, just like why Obama was popular back in 2008 and why Trump was able to win in 2016. Both were able to get their bases excited with a populist message. That is what Bernie brings. I really don't understand why centrist Democrats hate Bernie so much. The Bernie base will fight tooth and nail for justice and equality, do centrists not want that? We have been sliding towards right-wing christofascism with centrism. We need something different -He didn't say "Bernie's Back" because he thought he had fallen behind in the race*, it was because he was off the campaign trail and now, HE'S BACK! *on polls, look at Bernie's 2016 polls Vs. actual results, especially in some midwestern battleground states: see MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, INDIANA, ILLINOIS. Polling is not that great of a barometer for the policial atmosphere in the 21st century. -He can win battleground states -2016 primary was essentially rigged by the media (see polls & coverage) and DNC (see delegate count before the elections even happened)

Like others, I find it interesting to see the party loyalist question posed toward Sanders supporters and supporters of other candidates. It is clear why Sanders supporters are loyal to him: his integrity, dedication to people regardless of race, religion, gender, class or economic distinctions, has set him apart from every other candidate. I’m a decades long leftist Independent with no party loyalty, yet the majority of my votes have been for Democratic candidates. I, and other Independents will vote for the Democratic nominee in order to defeat Trump, but will, from that point onward rethink about why the Democratic Party continues to reject the forward thinking, equitable humanitarian policies that men and women like Sanders have made their life’s work. The effect of tens of millions IN the Party who will be thinking similarly, will have a devastating impact on its future. It will be the wake up alarm that rang too late.

When I was a teenager watching state politics in Arizona, The Keating Five's brazenness (among a load of other things) afforded me quite the education in the Republican machine and corruption. Then watching all my classmates in college scream "Character doesn't matter!" to support a presidential candidate who would go on to have 5 crowning (Republican) achievements in his administration: 1) Breaking labor with NAFTA and other trade agreements, 2) destroying the welfare system 3) exploding the prison population to enrich a whole host of corporate interests in the for-profit pipeline, 4) A sweeping massive series of deregulations of the financial sector 5) deregulation of communications corporations, ensuring the stranglehold of corporate media on a less and less informed public, completed my education on just how much both political parties had abandoned the interests of the vast majority of Americans. I admit, the utter betrayal of the Democrats hurt the most. I remain an Independant. My vote is a tiny drop in an ocean that doesn't have any real power. But it's mine. And it has to be earned. The same people who sold out the Democratic party of Roosevelt/Truman/Johnson are still in power and remain absolutely unrepentant for their mind-blowing failures. They continue to sandbag and malign Sanders at every turn. Those interested in understanding what happened to the Dem Party over these 40 years -read "Listen, Liberal" or watch Thomas Frank's lectures on youtube.

When journalists make a huge deal about the age of candidates being older than past nominees, they should consider that LIFE SPAN IS LONGER now. 70 is the new 50 . President Abe Lincoln was early 50s while President. Rather than hyperfocus on one factor that is not a big concern to voters, why not discuss actual issues that voters do care about?

We're in this peculiar quandary here where neither a philosophically, ethically, and morally consistent Republican or Democratic party exists. Thus it's not just true liberals who feel left out; true conservatives are feeling homeless as well. And while there may be some semblance of a right-wing in the United States, there is nothing approaching a left-wing. Since Clinton, the Democrats have not even managed to lean left. Thus centrists like Warren are viewed as leftists, or even leftist radicals, and Bernie seems the only figure promising even the possiblity of a change that could bring us just to the level of the rest of the west. So, yes, it is difficult to imagine voting for anyone else. Sixty-two million Americans failed the most fundamental civics and ethics test in 2016. Electing another conservative Democrat would simply be catering to these morally empty monsters still further. If they manage to get Trump again they will finally reap the whirlwind they so thoroughly deserve. The innocent will suffer, sadly. But it's going to require more suffering, alas, before genuine change can take place I fear.

Speaking as an ardent Sanders supporter, I can say with with a high degree of confidence that the majority of his base will support the democratic nominee. We understand that voting is as chess move, not a love letter (as Rebecca Solnit once wrote). If Sanders is not the nominee, I think you'll see some Sanders people sit out in states where the race is clear. A lot of Sanders supporters are very discouraged by how he is framed (or ignored) by the media and how the democratic machine (DCC and its boosters) talk about him and his policies. Especially because HE IS A FRONT RUNNER and a positive force for the Democratic party. Without question, Warren's candidacy would not be viable had Bernie not fought for the platform on which she now stands. I thought the NY Times was the paper of record. But it's missing a big chunk of history by not covering Bernie to the same extent as other candidates. Thanks for this episode though, the people appreciate it.

I love the daily but this episode ... not so much. Interviewing random supporters and presenting it as a representative selection? What was the point of this? The framing of the story so negative. Isn’t it more interesting to find out why Bernie’s supporters are so loyal? Maybe the DNC can learn something.

I have always been a registered independent who recently registered as a Democrat so I can vote in the New York primary for Bernie Sanders. I have no loyalty to the Democratic Party. Biden was the driving force behind the unconscionable ratcheting up of the drug war because he feared Democrats were losing votes for being soft on crime. Then he co-sponsored the catastrophic 1994 Clinton crime bill that codified into law that the purpose of incarceration was punishment, not rehabilitation, although of course his son Hunter suffered no legal consequences for his cocaine/crack usage beyond getting kicked out of the military. Biden also decimated average Americans with his 2005 bankruptcy bill and of course was a big supporter of invading Iraq. I have no idea what Biden has ever gotten right, and his hypocrisy is just revolting. Centrist Democrats are diametrically opposed to my values, just like the Republicans. But at least the Republicans are straightforward with how vile and greedy they are, while the Democrats are sanctimonious hypocrites.

Margaret Philadelphia PA Didn't more people who voted for Bernie in the primary in 2016 then vote for Clinton in the general than Clinton voters voted for Obama in 2008? That's something important to remember if you're going to play the blame game, which most Bernie supporters aren't really interested in. We passionately support things like Medicare for All, a ban on fracking and holding the fossil fuel industry accountable for knowingly destroying the earth, a living wage, tuition free higher education, and all the essentials of Bernie's platform that will ensure a dignified, happy, productive life for everyone.

At 18:15, the reporter asks Bernie supporters "Why don't you support Elizabeth Warren?" Tell me...does anyone ever ask Warren supporters why they won't support Bernie? For the majority of this race, Warren was either behind or tied with Bernie (only recently has she overtaken him), so there were plenty of chances to ask this for months. Yet, I never heard this question asked. In fact, I never hear ANY candidate's supporters asked "why don't you support [this other person] instead". Only Bernie supporters are asked this. As if only they have to *uniquely* explain why they support their candidate over the others--can't it be that they simply support Bernie for the same reason Warren supporters, Biden supporters, etc. back their respective candidates? It seems as if backing Bernie is some kind of disease the media is desperately trying to diagnose and cure. It truly is astounding how biased and lopsidedly negative the mainstream media treats Bernie and his supporters.

I honestly would vote for whoever isn't Trump at this point. I'm surprised how some still want to abstain after the last three years if Warren or Sanders don't win. My first choices are Sanders and Warren currently but I see no world where our country gets better by having Trump win the next election over even the worst possible candidates: Gabbard or Biden. Err maybe not Gabbard but she doesn't stand a chance anyways. I maybe be taking a risk with supporting Sanders first with his health issues, but I believe he's one of the most trustworthy politicians around. If he is as well-spoken and healthy as he was in the last debate while president, I will be happy. Warren is a close second.

The democratic party needs to actually offer these people the policies they want, not watered down ineffectual substitutions that the donor class finds acceptable to appease the masses, but the actual policies people are asing for. Til then, no, move left or lose.

I loved listening to this episode. Two things that stood out to me: 1.) The fact that most Bernie supporters are willing to vote for Elizabeth Warren is good news. This is a contrast from the previous election when many had the "Bernie or Bust!" mentality of not voting for Hillary. 2.) The guy that was talking about Joe's eye had me dying laughing. I almost crashed because I closed my eyes laughing. I'm glad Michael said "did I miss something?" and the other gentleman clarified. ..... "Hey Joe, is your eye going to explode again?" OMG Died laughing.

The answer is no, I'm not loyal to the Democratic Party. I'm hoping that there are enough people like me to reject the Democratic Party by voting for Bernie so that they reflect upon the fact that parties need to be loyal to the people instead of the other way around.

Just going to point out that, if the Democratic Party doesn't have a vision that is actually different from what Republicans want to do, there's less involved in supporting a political party than there is in supporting a football team.

We support him because of his policies, honesty, character, and record, not simply because we are (rightfully) resentful of the party's 2016 shenanigans. I'm not a Democrat, and feel no allegiance to the Democratic Party.

This episode provides an interesting and seemingly accurate analysis. However, it completely misses some obvious questions and is framed in a very strange way to me. The underlying question throughout the episode seems to be how the DNC can convince these insurgents to assimilate and support the party. As citizens our concern ought to be how can we get our political parties to work for us? What is the purpose of the party if it effectively disenfranchises people? If the DNC is concerned about the party missing out on all these potential Bernie enthusiasts to support the party, why not simply embrace the policy proposals that have enthused Bernie supporters? It's clear that, as much as they claim there is a 'zeal' for Bernie as an individual, that the supporters are motivated by policy as evidenced by general enthusiasm for Warren as an acceptable alternative as opposed to Biden. The argument proposed is that moderates will be turned off. Well, ok, that's in the realm of logically possible outcomes but an argument that's never been tested. How much of the negative sentiment toward these policies is driven by the DNC which actively argues against them? The differing views on a wealth tax are striking. It is overwhelmingly supported by Americans, but can you find it anywhere in the establishment DNC platforms? The most pertinent question in my view is this: What causes an institution to inflict what appears to be self-harm to avoid embracing popular progressive policies?

"Democratic Party leaders are asking whether (Bernie's) supporters are loyal to the party, or just to him." Most Bernie supporters would answer that definitively: our loyalty is to the progressive movement which Bernie helped to jump start, certainly not to a Democratic Party that has been its most formidable obstacle. The Democrats lost their way forty years ago when in response to the Reagan landslides they abandoned the New Deal for neoliberalism and started accomodating rather than confronting Republican corporatism. Forty years of pro-Wall Street administrations no matter which party got elected created the historic wealth gap that has polarized the country and made a President Donald Trump not just possible, but inevitable. Millions of progressives won't be brow-beaten or faux-guilted into voting for yet another neoliberal centrist nominee by invocation of the Trump bogeyman. If that was seen as a problem last time, I assure you it will be worse by many orders of magnitude in 2020. Progressives see that Trump is only the symptom of a much larger problem -- the capture of our political system and government by an oligarchy of Wall Street and the one per cent, which has left us with only the forms of democracy without the substance and which permits debate only within a very narrow band of the political spectrum. Candidates like Biden, Harris and Buttigieg are avatars of that oligarchy. Limiting the choice to such candidates is "herd management," not an election.

This is the first time I felt the Daily was out of touch, and I listen every day. I guess as a Bernie/Warren supporter this topic was very obvious to me, so I was surprised to hear Michael seem genuinely surprised by some of the Bernie supporters’ perspectives.

I don’t think it’s about choosing between Bernie or the Democratic Party. It’s about choosing policy and the person that you think will fight for it.

Loyal to the party?? I'm loyal to anyone I agree with. There is no ball and chain keeping anyone marching lockstep with a particular party. And that's what has all these establishment politicians sweating. As they should be.

I am attracted to an ideology, rather than a party or an individual. Bernie seems to most authentically support that ideology and he is running as a Democrat. I can't imagine lending my "zeal" to the party as such unless they authentically support the same ideology. Pelosi and others have made it extremely clear that they will not do this, and that they actively hate and fear ideological voters, so if I am representative of Bernie's other supporters, I think the Dems are out of luck on this one.

Why would politician's supporters be loyal to the party? Have they ever been? The best they can hope for is that the Bernie Bros share enough values with the Democratic party to want to vote Trump out of office. I doubt that is the case though, as they are the prototypical case of white entitlement. Just like Bernie.

"... a party establishment they feel favored Hillary Clinton..." Nope; we KNOW the party establishment favored Clinton. That is an established fact. Why should we trust the DNC this time around? To regain our support, they could start by entirely abolishing super delegates.

If Bernie doesn't get the nomination, I'll either not vote or I'm voting Trump so he can continue to burn the democrat party and wage war on the elite class, even though he is one, but at least it makes them uncomfortable.

Bernie will probably be snubbed by the DNC again, possibly in favor of Elizabeth Warren. I like Bernie and his ideology. The only reason I’m voting for Elizabeth is because she proved herself with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and she was the only political person who relinquished her paycheck while government employees were on strike. But if it wasn’t for Elizabeth, I’d gladly vote for Bernie. If Mr. Sanders doesn’t get the nod in 2020, I suspect it might be his last. To me, his lasting legacy is bringing progressive ideals to the forefront. These ideals are commonplace today but when he first touted them many years ago, these ideals were radical in the extreme. These ideals are even recognized with horror amongst the less enlightened Democrats today. Would Elizabeth AND Bernie work in 2020? Yes, but again, the DNC is looking for a centrist and Bernie will be snubbed. Bernie, history may not have been kind to you but I’m sure the people of Vermont recognize your genius. And yes, Democrats care for the Party but the Democratic Party pales compared to a dynamic candidate. Right on for Mr. Sanders! Good luck sir in 2020.

Most Sanders supporters, including myself, would gladly vote for Warren though there are certainly exceptions. It feels like you guys are deliberately picking sound bites from the most zealous of supporters. And frankly, while you try and spin it as though he was falling behind before the heart attack, he was doing well in the early states at the time. So it's a touch more complex than presented. That said, the truth is that most progressives are not loyal to the DNC. And Bernie's base is a combination of independents and progressives. So yes, the reality is that the DNC should be worried about what happens if somebody like Biden is the nominee.

Bernie/Tulsi would be a winning ticket. It redeems the DNC for what happened to both of them in 2016 for standing up against corruption & the establishment.

How to "harness the fervor" of Sanders supporters? Nominate him.

The disdain for a politician that finally actually speaks to the needs of regular people instead of triangulation and big money bootlicking is oozing through MSM everyday, and has been for the past 4 years.

People over party. It's extremely alarming that liberals care more about toeing the party line than actually doing good.

They feel? Seriously? I guess y’all don’t remember the DNC email “hack”, that forced Debbie Wassermann Shultz from her head position, and several underlings to resign, because they were underhandedly campaigning for Hillary. Yeah, we feel, we also have proof that it happened, but go ahead with the aspersion that it’s all our imagination, we’re used to media gaslighting.

As a Bernie supporter from day one, I resent the way the media and the DNC establishment marginalize us. I am a strong but disgruntled Democrat, who has voted the party line since 1978, The only Democrat I voted against was a slimy Vichy Democrat, Tom McMillan because he supported a flag burning amendment. The DNC and their corporate minions have been sabotaging the left since the ‘70’s. I only vote for them because the Republicans are so bad. I have a history with the Democrats. Many of Bernie’s voters don’t. Twice as many Bernie voters voted for Hillary. Hillary attracted many centrist racists who couldn’t abide a Black President. The only Bernie voters that didn’t vote for Clinton were the independents. Clinton just took their votes for granted and never even tried to earn their votes. I hate both parties. I just hate the Republicans several magnitudes more. I would be happy to see both parties die. I hope the Republicans go first, but if it’s the Democrats, so be it. Vote Blue no matter who unless it’s Biden.

Nah, Sanders is a much more rare creature than a prophet. There are plenty of those about. (Particularly extremely intelligent historians and journalists who have been systematically deplatformed and smeared.) No, what Sanders is is an actually honest pol who will fight to the end for the working class and poor - read: vast majority of Americans who have been thrown under the bus by both political parties the past 40+ years that I've been watching. Quite unnerving, isn't he?

I cannot speak for every Bernie Sanders supporter out there, but I can speak for myself and say, that I am loyal and expect to remain loyal to Bernie until the day that his heart stops beating. There is no other candidate that has been on the right side of history for as long as Bernie. From his college days in the 60s and throughout his political career, Bernie Sanders has fought for the poor, the sick, the elderly, the working class and minorities. No other candidate has his track record, passion, appeal and yes, the loyalty of his supporters who will give him the last few nickels and dimes of their meager incomes. Try all you want, Bernie Sanders supporters are stuck to Bernie like gum on the bottom of a shoe. We stood by him in 2016 and through the Democratic Convention when we were mocked, and we will stand alongside him again through 2020 and beyond. If Democrats truly wish to win in 2020, Democrats need to stop trying to sabotage the Bernie Sanders campaign and embrace the reality that his supporters are as principled as Bernie Sanders has been since he began his career in politics.

Why would anyone in their right mind be loyal to the democratic party?