Bernie Sanders’s most vitriolic supporters really test the meaning of the word ‘progressive’

[MrWendel]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/10/bernie-sanderss-most-vitriolic-supporters-really-test-the-meaning-of-the-word-progressive/

By Janell Ross



Sen. Bernie Sanders had a heck of a day Tuesday.

The presidential candidate scored an unexpected and significant victory in Michigan, adding real-world evidence to his campaign's claims that he can continue all the way to the Democratic National Convention. Sanders posted a two-point win, narrowly carrying the kind of state he has lacked -- a big one with a sizable black population. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, still beat him 2 to 1 among black voters. But Sanders earned a larger share of the black vote in Michigan than he has in any preceding state.

That's the good news for him. This post will admittedly not be about that. So, Sanders voters -- particularly those keyboard gangsters, frequent commenters and tweeters, and those convinced of a grand media conspiracy to end the Sanders campaign -- prepare. This piece is about another aspect of the Sanders campaign and some of you.

Something -- we cannot say what -- inside certain corners of the ostensibly progressive and overwhelmingly white ranks of Sanders voters is amiss. There is a pattern -- demonstrated time and time again -- by both Sanders and some Sanders supporters of racial cluelessness, an infantilizing and almost colonial kind of condescension about policy, and a tendency to react to anyone who points that out by, well, supplying even more evidence of racial tone-deafness, self-ordained intellectual superiority and sometimes completely open displays of various forms of outright bigotry.

That's right. We said it. In trying to make their case, Sanders, and far more often some subset of his supporters, behave in ways that are difficult to square with their claims to progressive politics and building a more inclusive and egalitarian society.

One final note before we get to a few examples of the behavior characterized above: The portion of Sanders supporters who read the paragraphs above and began to compose their tweets, emails and below-story comments, we are aware of that Intercept piece that argues that the "Berniebro" and his alleged public misbehavior is media-generated fiction.

But the emails, Twitter messages and comments I have received tell a different story. They use a variety of curse words and insults typically reserved for women. More than one has suggested that I deserve to become the victim of a sex crime. They critique the "objectivity" of what is clearly political analysis based on polling data and other facts; they insist that black voters are dumb or that I have a personal obligation to help black voters see the error of their Clinton-voting ways. It is vile. And it stands in sharp contrast to the claim that no portion of Sanders supporters are angry people who sometimes engage in or embrace bigotry.

(More in link)

[revbones]

1. Yep, everything against Hillary

is due to right-wing smears or sexism. She's perfect in every other way.... No complaint has factual basis.

[bravenak]

2. Wow

[revbones]

3. Yep

[bravenak]

4. It was such a perfect demonstration and so instant

[revbones]

7. Glad you posted more than 7 words

I had been trying to respond in what similarly styled responses, but it's pretty hard to constantly reply with only 1-3 words so much and often, all while limiting any contribution to the topic. *wipes sweat off brow*

[revbones]

10. You shouldn't speak so ill of yourself.

[SMC22307]

23. LOL, Bravenak's on timeout yet again. (n/t)

[revbones]

25. Saw that. :)

[SMC22307]

28. And you didn't even break a sweat.

Too easy.

[revbones]

29. rofl Nice.

[reddread]

40. n/t

[LiberalArkie]

36. There is so much damn hatred. Saying pobrecito deserves a hide? So uncalled for.

[SMC22307]

38. "You take your chances."

And I'm guessing "pobrecito" was delivered in such a way that the jury voted to hide.

[LiberalArkie]

39. No, Bravenak is on some assholes list to get banned.

[kath]

5. Already posted here at least once, a day or two ago.

nice try though. keep on spreading the bullshit.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

14. been posted several times under dif headlines

Its all theyve got

[HooptieWagon]

16. Maybe they'll try Fox News next?

[Art_from_Ark]

41. We've already got a regular Fox "News" contributor here

http://insider.foxnews.com/tag/steve-leser

[kerry-is-my-prez]

44. Haven't seen this article yet - I'm usually here every day.

Some of it does ring true I'm afraid. Instead of attacking, insulting and being condescending, SOME of the supporters would do well to be a bit more pleasant. I'm not saying the Hillary supporters are perfect and that all Sanders supporters are unpleasant - some Sanders supporters are gracious and will have a reasonable discussion with you - but there's many here that I feel can act pretty immaturely and are overly defensive. For someone who would vote for Sanders in the GE should he be the nominee or would consider voting for him in the primary, if I thought Hillary could not win, I do not feel too positive or proud about joining the Sanders bandwagon. I don't feel like I would fit in or would be welcome. I don't see many Sanders supporters reach out to someone who also likes Clinton. They act as if we are horrible people if we happen to like her. As someone who likes Hillary and also Bernie (currently my 2nd choice) It's very difficult to want to join a team that I feel has great disdain for me.

I don't readily agree with what the article had to say about Bernie - but I cannot figure out why so many of his supporters act the way they do. Do things really trickle down from the top?

Again, I apologize to the positive Sanders supporters - but I wish you would exhibit more leadership here and be more active.

[NurseJackie]

6. The last paragraph that you cited is VERY DISTURBING to me ...

... but I find it difficult to be surprised at (or to even doubt) what she says.

[Alfresco]

9. Truth. K&R

[ZX86]

11. So sad and desperate.

Don't they realize the days of cheap smears is over?

[H2O Man]

12. That's funny.

The author of the article isn't a progressive, nor does she know what the word means.

[rhett o rick]

13. Swiftboating and by the WaPo. Who would have thought. The rich and powerful will pull out

all the stops to prevent a progressive from winning the nomination. I wonder why Democrats would side with the oligarchy.

[HooptieWagon]

15. WaPo...LOL!

[kath]

18. Really - the publisher of 16 anti-Bernie pieces in 16 hrs, and the employer of the illustrious

Jonathan Capehart. Give me a fucking break,

[Octafish]

17. PROPAGANDA 101: Repeat the Big Lie as often as necessary.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” -- P. Josef Göbbels, PhD

[HooptieWagon]

19. They keep repeating it...

...yet it remains false. You'd think when a tactic repeatedly fails they'd try something different.

[Fawke Em]

47. Insanity!

[H2O Man]

26. Correct.

[Dems to Win]

20. Any 'Bros Before Hoes' Tshirts being sold, as happened in 2008 in support of Obama?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/28/485928/-

I supported Obama in spite of a few assholes also being on Team Obama. Same now, for Sanders.

I read at least 500 tweets the other night during the Univision debate. One, count-em, ONE vile tweet called Hillary supporters the c word. For all I know it came from a Trump supporter.

I don't believe a word written in Jeff Bezos fiction rag. Bezos knows Bernie will make him pay his taxes, so he is on a mission to use the WaPo to take him down. I don't buy into anything written there.

[Gothmog]

21. K&R

[JoFerret]

22. Is Bernie stuck in a time warp?

I get this feeling more and more. It's like he got religion as a college student and is still in that same glorious place.

How is it going to play out in the general election that he honeymooned in the Soviet Union. And as for the time warp male sex attitudes - well - LOL.

The GOP will have a field day with all this.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/politics/bernie-sanders-own-words/

[noiretextatique]

30. And only their idiot supporters will care

Why do some Democrats believe people other than rabid teabaggers will be swayed by rw nonsense? It's not like we haven't heard everything in their playbook during the past 30 years. And their jihad against Obama...I doubt people will ever forget.

[Skwmom]

24. Smearing Bernie supporters with unknown internet posters. But since the WP is owned by Amazon's

Sweatshop I am not surprised.

[Bluenorthwest]

27. The author's idea of a progressive is a person who thinks Nancy Reagan was an AIDS champion so

obviously the author is also not a progressive. The WaPo seems to have a staff of full time gossips who bash away at voters they don't like. It's a vicious, nasty trip they are on over there, smearing regular people for the sake of Nancy Reagan's agent.

[UglyGreed]

32. Hillary is progressive

Could of fooled me....

[reddread]

43. you know what Lincoln said

theres a version of that third corollary-
sooner or later, you aint fooling enough of the people.

[Nanjeanne]

31. Ah Janell Ross . . . she and her fellow Clinton supporter Joy Reid did a whole segment

on BernieBros.

Not surprising she includes things like keyboard gangsters, frequent commenters and tweeters, and those convinced of a grand media conspiracy to end the Sanders campaign -- prepare.

Really pushing this whole bull crap. So tired of it. Berniebros. Sexism. Misbehavior. Horrible emails and tweets.

Poor baby. She is living in the age of Twitter and anonymous posters.

Janell - suck it up.

[hobbit709]

33. don't forget to oil the bearings on that spin machine.

[Avalux]

34. Baseless smear but if you want to be outraged, go right ahead.

I wonder how many emails, twitter messages and comments this author has received. She included a few that may or may not be Bernie supporters.

This is just another attempt to frame Sanders supporters as racist and sexist. It's bullshit.

[Betty Karlson]

35. Bernie wins, so let's call his supporters sexist again.

And preferably paint them with the broadest brush in my "journalistic" toolkit.

Speaking of bigotry: which candidate, after laughing with George W. Bush at the funeral of one of the biggest gay-haters on the planet, said Nancy Reagan was a silent activist who started the conversation on HIV/AIDS, when actually Nancy had tried to deadpan that conversation with her bigoted husband? Which candidate then issued two (2) flimsy lines about ": misspeaking", and even the next day delivered an "apology" that was mostly about "me me me" and not about the trust she had lost and the contrition she should feel, before strotting off to a nearby café for a pint of beer and a broad smile?

[gollygee]

37. Some are probably more libertarian than progressive

But Bernie is definitely a progressive and I don't choose my candidates based on their other supporters.

[Aerows]

45. I am sincere

in my support for Bernie Sanders.

Considering the pile that Hillary stepped in, I am confident that my candidate is the genuine article.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

46. Can some of you own at least some of the behavior listed in the article?

I would like to see some self-reflection here. Sorry, but I can see some of the behavior mentioned in the article exhibited here by some, not all. Condescension, superiority, not being inclusive.

[Fawke Em]

48. See, to me, it's Hillary's supporters who have a LOCK on condenscension

and superiority.

They keep up with the loyalty pledges not ever believing it may be THEM who has to vote for a nominee who wasn't their first choice. They post polls that we've already seen blow up in their faces and they call us "idiots" when we refuse to do what they ask.

Sorry - maybe y'all should "own" some things, too.

[GreatGazoo]

49. "Sanders's" -- adding apostrophe + "s" to a proper name for the possessive ? I think not...

Rule 1c. Some writers and editors add only an apostrophe to all nouns ending in s. And some add an apostrophe + s to every proper noun, be it Hastings's or Jones's.

One method, common in newspapers and magazines, is to add an apostrophe + s ('s) to common nouns ending in s, but only a stand-alone apostrophe to proper nouns ending in s.

Examples:
the class's hours
Mr. Jones' golf clubs
the canvas's size
Texas' weather

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp