'I'm not a Bernie Bro': Sanders' base splinters in California

[DonViejo]

Other progressive candidates and a home state-senator are showing why Sanders may have a tough time winning in this liberal-leaning, delegate-rich state.

By CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO and CARLA MARINUCCI 06/02/2019 07:06 AM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO — Bernie Sanders put down roots in California during the last presidential race — and he never really left. Now, he is making the delegate-rich, early voting state, where progressives are ascendant, a central part of his 2020 campaign.

But as the Vermont senator sets up camp here again, he finds himself in a different and perhaps less favorable environment, without Hillary Clinton to play off, surging energy behind a progressive rival in Elizabeth Warren and a popular home-state senator, Kamala Harris.

A crush of events this weekend centered around the state Democratic Party convention here — from ballroom speeches to intimate meals to a liberal forum organized by the influential group MoveOn — laid bare the emerging scramble to cut into Sanders’ progressive base.

“Last time, Sanders was able to run as the only progressive against an establishment candidate,” said Doug Herman, a California-based Democratic strategist. “There are multiple options for a progressive candidate at this point—if that’s who you want to elect. And polling is showing that Warren is taking the biggest bite out of Bernie’s base.”

California’s Super Tuesday primary — and the liberal-leaning state’s glut of delegates — has heightened its importance next year. The convention served as a kind of curtain-raiser for its millions of voters, but also a chance to chip away at Sanders’ standing in front of plugged-in activists. Public and private polls of the state, which largely mirror national figures at the top, show former Vice President Joe Biden running in the lead, followed by Sanders, Harris and Warren.

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/02/bernie-sanders-moveon-california-1349552

[riverine]

1. so

'I'm not a Bernie Bro'

Nice political sign for the convention.

[thesquanderer]

2. re: "Warren is taking the biggest bite out of Bernie's base."

Still, in current polling (DU's informal poll aside), Warren and Sanders combined are still a distant second to Biden, so that's not the reason he's not leading.

[riverine]

4. The far left (what some people mistakenly call "the base")

is only about 25-30% of Democratic voters.

Sanders and Warren are fighting for a minority share of Democratic voters.

[George II]

5. You're generous, I've seen estimates of 15-20%.

[lapucelle]

3. From the article cited:

Dan Gordon, a North Hollywood Democratic strategist who runs the "Schmolitics" podcast and served as a delegate for Sanders in 2016, said he remains a “big supporter of his ideas.” Though he may support Sanders again this year, he said, he is still looking at others, including Warren, Buttigieg and Harris, and he wished Sanders wouldn’t run.

“I think he’s divisive, and it’s not entirely his fault,” Gordon said. “There’s still bad blood from people who were Hillary supporters and Bernie supporters. Like most every Democrat, I want to make sure that a Democrat wins in 2020, and I’m a little bit nervous about the divisiveness that comes with Bernie.”

[yardwork]

6. What goes around comes around.

[Cha]

11. Ya think?!!

[roody]

7. And nobody showed up for his rally in San Jose.

[lapucelle]

10. About 2,500 pretty much the same as his rally in VT last weekend.

Bernie Sanders fires up small but passionate crowd in San Jose

Sanders’ rally in Guadalupe River Park, a break from the state Democratic Convention in San Francisco, drew about 2,500

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/06/01/bernie-sanders-fires-up-small-but-passionate-crowd-in-san-jose/

[Hortensis]

8. There more to this. Bernie's anti-Democratic faction betrayed all progressive

issues when he didn't win, close to half refusing to protect them by voting third party, a similar number actively voting to empower the Republicans to destroy them, and 2% refusing to vote.

That revelation, that they lied and that for them it was really about the candidate and power, not progressive issues, wasn't lost on many of those Democrats who'd supported Sanders because they believed he was the strongest, most committed to progressive goals. That is what we are seeing here.

Nor, I suspect did many sensible voters miss their passionate claims all through 2017 that the ACA must be destroyed (and of course replaced at some unspecified time of power), as the Republican worked to just destroy right then. In 2018, after it became clear that they'd failed to destroy national support for the Democratic Party's ACA, and thus for Democrats, they went mostly silent (dormant?) on that issue, though they do approve Sanders' opposition to the Democrats' plans to improve the ACA, including lowering premiums.

Now, it's looking as if climate may become this faction's big weaponized issue for attacking Democrats and trying to build power. Based on their history, I'm guessing they'll pretend climate's their passionate crusade right up until their chosen leader drops out and their failure to continue the fight under the banner of the Democratic nominee exposes them again. Because that's how they roll. No one doubts the sincerity of their hostility.

For me, the question isn't really whether this small faction will continue their angry attacks against Democrats-- in a election year of literally existential issues for our planet and our nation -- but how many earnest voters will be fooled by their rhetoric into joining them and/or rejecting Democrats this time. So far, the first at least is looking very promising.

Speaking of, a blatantly phony Greenpeace poll is newly out giving Bernie Sanders a B- and Joe Biden a D-. Ridiculous and contemptible, but even they couldn't give Sanders an A with Inslee in the race. It's already been posted here and spread all over the media.

For those who would like to know the records of both men, and of congress by the year and over the decades, the highly respected League of Conservation Voters has been keeping records since 1970. I've also commented on Biden's record especially, because I looked him up a long time ago, at:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=137614

http://scorecard.lcv.org/overview

[comradebillyboy]

9. Bernie is very divisive. That's why the Russians boosted his

campaign in 2016. Will they do it again this election? Bet on it.