Democrats welcome Bernie takeover

[Donkees]

BY AMIE PARNES - 04/17/17 06:00 AM EDT

Excerpt:

More than a dozen Democrats interviewed by The Hill say the Vermont Independent has become a powerful and welcome voice for a party struggling to find its identity after a devastating defeat in 2016. While misgivings remain about giving too much leadership to a politician who technically isn’t a Democrat, a clear warming trend is on the rise.

“It continues to drive me a bit nuts that he continues to register as an independent but the bottom line is that he is a good Democrat,” said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist who supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary and openly worried then about Sander’s allegiances to the party. During the primary, some Democrats worried that Sanders, a self-described “Democratic socialist,” was pushing the party too far to the left. Others mocked him for being a one-issue candidate who championed what they called “unrealistic” proposals like free college tuition.

What ever bitter feelings exist, many other Democrats say Sanders is key to rebuilding the party.

“If you are concerned with labels, you might bristle at the notion of a registered Independent jockeying for control over the direction of the Democratic Party – and there were certainly some in the party apparatus that expressed precisely this sentiment during the 2016 campaign cycle,” said Lynda Tran, a Democratic strategist. “But if you’re focused on policy ideas over party labels you might welcome the inclusion of his voice, and frankly other voices too, at a time when the Democratic Party is under intense attack and working on the path forward.

“At the end of the day, Bernie Sanders may be a registered Independent, but he has always caucused with Democrats and there is no question he continues to enjoy strong support among many members of the Democratic Party,” Tran added.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/329049-democrats-welcome-bernie-takeover

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. It was inevitable.

[SharonClark]

2. "Some Dems" this and "some Dems" that does not make a good article

or prove the point of another divisive heading. You need to remember The Hill is not your friend.

[lapucelle]

3. That's a great clickbait headline.

Evidence for the title's sweeping claim?
"More than a dozen Democrats interviewed..."
Someone better tell all the other Democrats.

The byline provides a little more context. Isn't Parne's pimping an anti-Clinton potboiler that's coming out later this week?

[KPN]

10. Yeah, the article's pretty neutral overall, but the headline is not.

[alfie]

4. I am grateful for this

His message resonated with a lot of people. The other side has gone so far to the right that moderates have no place to go. Bernie seems to be able to explain things in such a way that the ideas he proposes have reasonable paths and outcomes. Ryan's health care and budget proposals are the epitome of greed and cruelty. Only the hard right bigots that agree with Ryan.

[pangaia]

7. LIKE

[JudyM]

5. The key: "if you're focused on party ideas over labels" - and Sanders' ideas have been consistent

through time. They are, in principle, our party's traditional values that he espouses and votes for.

Folks who oppose him based on the label are negatively stereotyping in the way we fault others for doing.

[pangaia]

6. LIKE

[Paladin]

8. Bernie Sanders, trying to take the Democratic Party under, yet again.

No thanks, Bernie. One trump victory is more than enough for one lifetime. And some of your DU supporters were/are beyond rude.

(And here I thought that re-fighting the 2016 debacle was against forum rules! I've seen dozens of threads like this one which disprove it.)

[JudyM]

12. You may not have noticed that the OP is about what is happening now, not about the election.

IOW, you sure seem to be doing just what you are complaining about.

Continuing to be so triggered by what Sanders is doing to help the party now is only going to hurt you -- because he is, as noted in the OP and welcomed by both Schumer and Perez, going to continue to be very active in getting out our vote. You'll eat your own heart if it keeps bothering you. The primary is over, the election is over, we have to fight and you can look at Sanders as a useful tool for Dems, if nothing else.

[LakeArenal]

9. Apparently Bernie is still unwelcome at DU.

Seems like nothing he can say or do is helpful to some folks here. Keep pushing away folks. Prove to the enemy we are just like them. Party first. Not people.

[Skittles]

13. Democratic party?

[Heartstrings]

11. Why all the negativity?

I mean... c'mon it's Bernie! Who has always had our backs and best interests in his heart....Bernie! Geesh!