Sanders' first Senate endorsement: Jeff Merkley (D-Ore)

[pantsonfire]

Sen. Jeff Merkley backing his colleague from Vermont as "boldly and fiercely addressing the biggest challenges facing our country."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/opinion/why-im-supporting-bernie-sanders.html

It has been noted that Bernie has an uphill battle ahead of him to win the Democratic nomination. But his leadership on these issues and his willingness to fearlessly stand up to the powers that be have galvanized a grass-roots movement. People know that we don’t just need better policies, we need a wholesale rethinking of how our economy and our politics work, and for whom they work.

The first three words of the Constitution, in bold script, are “We the People.” The American story is a journey of continuous striving to more fully realize our founding principles of hope and opportunity for all.

It is time to recommit ourselves to that vision of a country that measures our nation’s success not at the boardroom table, but at kitchen tables across America. Bernie Sanders stands for that America, and so I stand with Bernie Sanders for president.

[NurseJackie]

1. Well, 1 is better than 0. Better late than never. (I wonder why it took so long. Why now...?)

He must have been afraid of the "Sanders Revenge Machine".

Note to Jury: Oh, I kid! Of course there is no Sanders Revenge Machine ... I'm making fun of the Bernie fans who've regularly claimed that Hillary's endorsements are the result of being "threatened" or being "fearful" of the imaginary "Clinton Revenge Machine". It's a joke! The alerter needs to lighten up. No candidate or candidate's supporters were smeared in this post.

[Betty Karlson]

3. Maybe he stopped being afraid of the Clinton revenge system?

And like NurseJackie, I will put in a disclaimer:

Note to Jury: Of course there is no Clinton Revenge Machine ... If Hillary's endorsements are the result of being "threatened" or being "fearful" of the "Clinton Revenge Machine", it really is just a data base and one candidate's spiteful character in continued fusion with one another. And even though more than one article has been written about it, no-one has ever actually seen it, just like those transcripts she promised to make public (over two months ago now...) It's a joke! Just like her campaign! The alerter needs to lighten up. No candidate or candidate's supporters were smeared in this post.

[pantsonfire]

4. Your condescention is palpable...really inappropriate. n/t

[NurseJackie]

7. Awww...

[pantsonfire]

9. Double-Down! Man you folks want to lose the GE if Clinton wins the nomination....

We'll at least have Bernie and his adorable kittens...

[NurseJackie]

11. Bernie will not be the nominee. :-D

[morningfog]

6. He didn't claim it was due to working on CP time, that's for sure.

[Tanuki]

14. Bernie must be over the moon!

Meanwhile, back at the Senate, the rest of his Democratic colleagues are nearly unanimous in their support of Hillary:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hillary_Clinton_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2016

U.S. Senators
Current

Tammy Baldwin, WI[31]
Michael Bennet, CO[31]
Richard Blumenthal, CT[31]
Cory Booker, NJ[31]
Barbara Boxer, CA[31]
Sherrod Brown, OH[31]
Maria Cantwell, WA[31]
Ben Cardin, MD[31]
Tom Carper, DE[31]
Bob Casey, Jr., PA[31]
Chris Coons, DE[31]
Joe Donnelly,IN[31]
Dick Durbin, Min. Whip, IL[31]
Dianne Feinstein, CA[31]
Al Franken, MN[31]
Kirsten Gillibrand, NY[31]
Martin Heinrich, NM[31]
Heidi Heitkamp, ND[31]
Mazie Hirono, HI[31]
Tim Kaine, VA[31]
Amy Klobuchar, MN[31]
Patrick Leahy, VT[31]
Joe Manchin, WV[31]
Ed Markey, MA[31]
Claire McCaskill, MO[31]
Barbara Mikulski, MD[31]
Chris Murphy, CT[31]
Patty Murray, WA[31]
Bill Nelson, FL[31]
Gary Peters, MI[31]
Jack Reed, RI[31]
Harry Reid, Min. Leader, NV[31]
Brian Schatz, HI[31]
Chuck Schumer, NY[31]
Jeanne Shaheen, NH[31]
Debbie Stabenow, MI[31]
Tom Udall, NM[31]
Mark Warner, VA[31]
Sheldon Whitehouse, RI[31]
Ron Wyden, OR[31]

[NurseJackie]

16. One is a lonely number ...

[Betty Karlson]

2. K&R for good news. The establishment is starting to wake up and smell the coffee. eom

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. I thought we're not supposed to like the establishment?

Or is that only when its members don't support Bernie?

[Betty Karlson]

8. You don't have to like the establishment to be glad when they do the right thing.

I'm still in favor of limiting establishment powers. I don't want us to have to depend on their goodwill. Such dependence is not a democracy, it is an oligarchy.

[thesquanderer]

13. It's not a matter of hating the establishment.

It's about persuading the ones that can be persuaded, to help achieve change. It's not like "you're either with us or you're against us." The establishment is not "the enemy." Rather, they are an obstacle. And there are multiple ways to deal with obstacles. Or to paraphrase Obama's recent line about classified info, "there's establishment, and then there's establishment." It's not all lumped together.

Bernie has gotten some "establishment" endorsements. He'd like to have more. He even said he would have liked to have gotten those PP and HR endorsements himself. But he knows these things are a bit of an uphill battle.

Ultimately, the only path to victory is to win over part of the establishment... the Super Delegates!

[Nanjeanne]

10. Kicked and thank you Sen Merkley

[Waiting For Everyman]

12. What a well-written endorsement!

Sen. Merkley is a good guy to have in Sanders' camp.

[Lizzie Poppet]

15. Proud of ya, Jeff!

Way to earn my support when you're up for re-election!

Governor Brown, on the other hand...

[pantsonfire]

17. Gov. Brown is 78, he's not running for a third term (he confirmed it).

...which isn't until 2018. Gavin Newsom will run to take his place (D-SF).