Bernie Sanders is doing exactly what he should be doing. Let's all do it
Sanders has had some powerful videos and popular pieces in the last few years calling Trump out on his lies, the GOP on their attack against Social Security and Medicare, and trickle down economics in general.
When I see one, I post it or kick and recommend the thread where someone else has posted it.
"Sanders isn't a Democrat" "Democratic politicians have been saying this too", etc., almost always follow that.
But Sanders is doing exactly what he, and every other American politician, should be doing: calling out lies and protecting the American public.
If it pains you to see something posted favorably about Sanders, then post some excellent messages from politicians you like even more! I will kick and recommend those, too, especially if they are smart in their messaging and progressive in their approach.
In fact, let's all compete to see who can post and kick up the most Trump-hostile and citizen-friendly messages we can find, from the politicians who we like the best. Politicians who make those statements and messages are on our side. I read a lot about how much better Democratic politicians are than Sanders. I'm open to it. Bring their messages here, loudly and proudly, and let's all work on getting rid of Trump and the corrupt GOP congress! But don't dump on Sanders for doing the right thing - all of us should be doing the right things, and I'm happy to have him fighting the good fight along with my party.
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They could work together. Why can't we?
These Democrats must be pretty stupid to be hanging out with an "attacker", right?
Or....maybe. Just maybe, they don't take the occasional constructive criticism of the party as an "attack", and see much more benefit in working with a strong Independent ally, who champions causes FDR would be proud of.
Now that's one more tiny kick for this thread.
he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. And, imo, he is doing a good job. I am also impressed by a lot of other Dem politicians (Merkley, Harris, Swalwell, Warren, Hirono, Schiff, etc.). It is time for people to get over themselves and work toward the blue wave.
And many Democrats do the same.
And here's an EXPLOSIVE video by Robert Reich: https://m.
What are WE doing? Whining?
Support ALL PROGRESSIVES!!!
Thank you.
than Sanders.”
Wow! I think I see your problem and why you would choose to start another divisive thread.
:large
I have been a member of DU for a very long time and started following the site religiously well before signing on. Bernie Sanders used to be held in the highest regard by almost everyone here. It’s unfortunate that that’s no longer the case. He is doing excellent work and is bringing loads of new people and energy into the fold. Thanks very much for your post
to, tend to accept the leader the group chooses, and then tend to adopt the ideology and arguments of the leader. WHAT!!!??? 
(I didn't find learning that pleasant either.)
Appalling but as true for most on the left as on the right. Individuals vary by our degree of loyalty and obedience, and whatever, but the vast majority of us apparently follow this pattern enough to make a very strong one in large pop0ulations. And these days we're sticking with our groups for years and years.
If Sanders told you (the typical "you" in your splinter group, not you specifically) to set aside factionalism temporarily and join with the mainstream of the Democratic Party to stop the threat of authoritarian takeover from the right (just until the threat was defeated), you would. Because he's the leader, and if he put it convincingly enough that you didn't go find another. But he's not really telling you that, and we know it because we all know what he's saying and we all observe ongoing behaviors.
None of us are mindless zombies, of course. We all presumably want to stop the anti-progressive wave that threatens to permanently destroy everything we say we want to accomplish.
So, you might have asked yourselves, why haven't you found a new leader who is committed to saving progressivism in government? Only until the threat is vanquished? To save Social Security, the dream of universal healthcare, the ability to demand a police officer's name and badge number? The small group can't possibly save it on their own, right? They'd have to fight alongside the larger, even if they maintained a discrete identify.
Political psychologists could tell us in great detail why progressive followers haven't dumped their current leader in favor of another committed to fighting the right, and why mainstream Democrats don't leave their group focused on stopping the right to join you.
But it has very little to do with endangered progressive goals and everything to do with loyalty to group and leader.
day!
My Senator.. Mazie Hirono!
Mine is a team cause.
Politics, governance is a team sport.
When Sanders joins the team and leaves the team (forget the fact that he tells people that the team does terrible things) he is stating in "branding terms" that it is not a first place team. It is a second place team and it is below him. He is saying that there is should be a better team but he will go along with this team for now.
Its as if a football player joined a team that had orange and black colored jerseys and a player insisted on wearing his own colors, green and gold.
They may run in the same direction and they may run the same route but they are not on the same team. One team supports and promotes the team. May not even have names on the back of the Jerseys, they are known as the Democrats.
Sanders promotes himself and a few Democrats that he endorses. He says that the Democrats are terrible at messaging, he doesn't agree with their branding. He is on the team when it helps him score points and leaves the team when it helps him improve his individual brand.
Yesterday I had a killer day. Got up at 4 am with 4 hours sleep for an 18 hour killer work day.
On the way from San Diego to Yuma in the middle of a desolate area there was a trunk parked on the shoulder. A driver was starting on what was going to be a 5 mile trip to the gas station.
Turns out he lost track of his DEF and ran out.
Normally I would have stopped and picked him up but this time I took him to the 2nd gas station (first didn't have DEF) and he could have waited a couple of hours to arrange a ride back to his truck but I took him.
I took him back (even though he was no longer "stranded"
because it would give me another 30 minutes to tell him more about O'Rourke. He was from Texas. I already got him excited about O'Rourke but while he was picking up his DEF I was in the car looking up places in Laredo where you could get an absentee ballot because he says he is registered but never home and rarely voted.
By the time we got back to his truck with the DEF he had bookmarked the link and had texted 15 friends to vote for Beto.
I did this because the head of our team told us to take off our slippers and put on our boots and get going. Being a team player I was inspired and took an hour out on a day that made my diabetes scream pain into my feet and stayed with this guy, just like I was canvassing door to door, which I do a lot of for Democrats. In my Congressional District the winner of the Democratic nomination Alexandra Kirkpatrick sent out a mailer for my candidate, Dr Heinz (who happens to be gay) lying and saying that he supported the NRA. Kirkpatrick was an ardent NRA supporter until our congresswoman Giffords got shot in the head. Personally I hate Kirkpatrick for what she did to Dr. Heinz. I spent last Saturday going door to door because in the end who is on the ballot isn't that important. Its the D that's important. So even when I am unhappy with the individual I promote the team because in the US system power is given to teams, not individuals. Sanders has it backwards.
Now even if Beto doesn't win the increased turnout should trigger 2 red congressional seats to flip to blue.
So Sanders may agree with me on many things (and on trade he agrees with Trump while I agree with Obama) but he is also SHOUTING A SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE by repeatedly joining and then leaving the Democratic Party and that is "DEMOCRATS ARE NOT REALLY GOOD ENOUGH".
You can excuse it away, you can be devoted to your hero but you cannot explain away the fact that Sanders really doesn't think that the Democratic Team measures up. If he thought that they did he would have their name on his jersey.
Just last week I talked in depth with a guy who voted for Trump and is now unhappy but really likes Sanders. He doesn't think that the Democrats are good for anything and he doesn't really think that Democrats and Sanders have that much in common.
As Luhan said "the medium is the message" and Sanders medium is "the Democratic Party is not good enough for me".
You are free to delude yourself in thinking that such distinctions don't speak volumes to ordinary people but they do and they are cumulative over years. There is a huge amount of proven statistical research that shows if you can get somebody to vote in 3 Presidential elections for the same party they will remain with that party for the rest of their lives at a very high percentage. The point is to build a bond with the team.
Well said ProfessorPlum!
