This seems like familiar territory to me. ***HRC GROUP POST***

[MADem]

I have had it with naive Bernie Sanders idealists
Take a lesson from Paul Krugman: We don't have political revolutions. This is a democracy of incremental change
JOHN AVIGNONE

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/26/i_have_had_it_with_naive_bernie_sanders_idealists/

....while he insists that quixotic insurgent campaigns based on ideological purity work, it’s impossible to miss that he doesn’t say exactly when. He doesn’t cite any campaigns that back up his assertion. The reason why is simple. There are none. As much as Purdy and Sanders supporters wish it were true, this strategy has never worked and likely never will. Since the days of Ancient Greece, ideological purity in a democratic society has been the road to ruin of every political movement and every political party that has tried it.

Purdy has accidentally encapsulated not just the fatal flaw in the Sanders theory of change, but also the primary flaw of his supporters. Sanders doesn’t have supporters as much as he has believers. Sanders’ supporters cannot call on facts to support their fervent belief that his message of radical change is possible, because the facts do not support this belief. They become belligerent and hostile any time anyone questions this belief.

That Sanders is right — and so his followers are right — is taken as an elemental matter of faith. Sanders represents the light and all that is good; anyone who questions this must be an agent of the dark and all that is bad.

Sound familiar? It should. This is precisely the impetus behind every extremist movement in history. Sanders and his supporters too often exemplify a political manifestation of this black and white ideology. One of the consistent criticisms of Bernie Sanders throughout his career is that he’s self-righteous and unwilling to entertain any position or belief that doesn’t exactly match his. Back in 1991, when Bernie was still new to Congress, progressive icon Barney Frank said of him, “Bernie alienates his natural allies. His holier-than-thou attitude—saying in a very loud voice he is smarter than everyone else and purer than everyone else—really undercuts his effectiveness.”...

[SunSeeker]

1. “Bernie alienates his natural allies."

Yup. All he is doing is dividing Dems with his ridiculous claims, like PP and NARAL leadership being part of the "establishment" he is "taking on." The GOP love it.

[MADem]

5. The GOP are praying that he becomes the candidate! PRAYING!

And they're doing more than that, too--they're sending out little clickers on the social media circuit, armed with their shitstirring spoons and harsh invective, to do as much damage as possible.

He's a dream candidate for the GOP!

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-01-26/republicans-run-ad-against-sanders-because-they-want-him-to-win

Republicans Run Ad Against Sanders – Because They Want Him to Win
The so-called ‘dog whistle’ ad is meant to fire up Sanders' supporters and help defeat Hillary Clinton.

The ad was produced by ESA Fund, a super PAC founded by major Republican donor and former TD Ameritrade executive Joe Ricketts, and is backed by a $600,000 television buy in the Hawkeye State.

Instead of undercutting Sanders’ support, the ad is actually intended to improve his standing by riling up liberals, for whom free college, a national single-payer insurance system and taxes on Wall Street are key reasons to vote for the 74-year-old Democratic Socialist.

...

Republicans would love nothing more than for Sanders to win the Democratic nomination.

Sanders has in recent weeks touted polling that shows him outperforming Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in head-to-head match-ups with potential Republican nominees. But his relative strength is a reflection of Sanders’ newness on the national stage and Republicans’ focusing their attacks on Clinton.

[yallerdawg]

2. When you lose over half of presidential elections...

then you really should look closely at the ones you won!

I don't want to lose again!

[NurseJackie]

3. "Sanders doesn’t have supporters as much as he has believers."

Sanders doesn’t have supporters as much as he has believers.

I thought that was an interesting observation from Mr. Avignone.

[NastyRiffraff]

9. And so very true! eom

[Iliyah]

4. K & R

[Hekate]

6. Beautiful. I love Barney Franks' assessment -- and he saw it in 1991!

[MADem]

12. Barney always was the smartest guy in the room. This was true even when he was a rumpled young

whippersnapper up on Beacon Hill. He was always ahead of the curve. He's missed in public life.

[Thinkingabout]

7. A pie in the sky, just reach up and grab whatever you can.

Hillary is not promising a pie in the sky, she wants to relieve the income inequality, wage increases, college tuition paid through community services, and improving Dodd Frank and invoking the Volcker Rule to prevent another financial meltdown along with some sensible gun control issues.

[William769]

8. Great article. Thanks for posting it.

[MADem]

13. It's a good idea to dip into the real world every now and again!

The DU bubble gives a curious perspective--gotta get outside it every so often!

[Sheepshank]

10. Well that was a fun little read

Found myself nodding in the affirmative all through it.

[MADem]

14. Me, too! nt

[mcar]

11. An excellent article