NY Times: Bernie Sanders Accuses Liberal Think Tank of Smearing Progressive Candidates

[George II]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/14/us/politics/bernie-sanders-2020-candidates.html

Bernie Sanders Accuses Liberal Think Tank of Smearing Progressive Candidates

April 14, 2019

WASHINGTON — Senator Bernie Sanders, in a rare and forceful rebuke by a presidential candidate of an influential party ally, has accused a liberal think tank of undermining Democrats’ chances of taking back the White House in 2020 by “using its resources to smear” him and other contenders pushing progressive policies.

Mr. Sanders’s criticism of the Center for American Progress, delivered on Saturday in a letter obtained by The New York Times, reflects a simmering ideological battle within the Democratic Party and threatens to reopen wounds from the 2016 primary between him and Hillary Clinton’s allies. The letter airs criticisms shared among his supporters: That the think tank, which has close ties to Mrs. Clinton and the Democratic Party establishment, is beholden to corporate donors and has worked to quash a leftward shift in the party led partly by Mr. Sanders.

“This counterproductive negative campaigning needs to stop,” Mr. Sanders wrote to the boards of the Center for American Progress and its sister group, the Center for American Progress Action Fund. “The Democratic primary must be a campaign of ideas, not of bad-faith smears. Please help play a constructive role in the effort to defeat Donald Trump.”

Mr. Sanders sent the letter days after a website run by the action fund, ThinkProgress, suggested that his attacks on income inequality were hypocritical in light of his growing personal wealth. The letter is tantamount to a warning shot to the Democratic establishment that Mr. Sanders — who continues to criticize party insiders on the campaign trail — will not countenance a repeat of the 2016 primary, when he and his supporters believe party leaders and allies worked to deny him the Democratic nomination.

(more....)

[mcar]

1. ...

[comradebillyboy]

2. Thin skinned Bernie just can't take any criticism at all can he?

[Renew Deal]

46. No. He never could

But his new wealth should help him buy some ads to make him feel better.

[dalton99a]

3. "Trump wins if you say bad things about me"

"Only say nice things about me, ok?"

[ehrnst]

57. Pretty much. (nt)

[Demsrule86]

93. No Trump wins if he is the nominee.

[BlueFlorida]

4. More whining and crocodile tears

One has to have a thick skin to run for POTUS.

This reminds me of Bernie's rant because he "thought" Clinton called him unfit to be president and he went off the rails.

[Me.]

5. Dear God, Will He Never Stop?

[Skidmore]

6. +1 nt

[sheshe2]

18. +2

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

43. Let's hope Bernie NEVER stops fighting for what's right.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Me.]

49. So You Think Constantly, Never Stopping, Criticizing Dems Is Right?

They have generously let him run under their banner twice for pres and God knows how many times for Senate, after which he kicks sand in the Dem's Face, and that's OK?

[Thekaspervote]

54. +1000

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

70. Your premise is wrong.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Me.]

72. Ahem, My Premise Is Exactly Correct

like it or not

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

75. Nope, it's wrong as wrong can be.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Me.]

77. Delusion Can Be A Lovely State Of Mind

and did I miss the release of his tax returns today?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

78. It sure can... glad you realize what you're doing!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Me.]

81. Very Cute

Bring that out the next time the Vermont Dems rig the Senate election for BS and then he turns around, after winning, and says no thanks leaving the Dems with no one. Or the next time he loses a primary by millions and still thinks he won.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

82. LOL!! You make the accusation that "Dems rig the Senate election" for Bernie?!?!

Wow... ookkkaayyy!! Think you just proved my point!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[George II]

99. I love the way people say "your premise is wrong" or "you're wrong" without addressing what...

...about it is wrong.

That's like when we were children having a schoolyard argument - "you're wrong", "why?", "because I said so!"

[Me.]

100. They Can't

it's the old I'm rubber, you're glue mishmash

[ehrnst]

56. How about dealing better with it when someone critiques him?

He's running for POTUS after all. That's part of the package.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

58. So far, Bernie is dealing with it FAR better than... fill in the blank.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[ehrnst]

59. I know of no one that fills that blank, certainly not after this public display. (nt)

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

60. Really?! Can think of a few... Bernie is handling it like a CHAMP by comparison!!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[ehrnst]

61. None come to mind who have this kind of public display of pique about being critiqued.

Publicly disagreeing with him in any way "will get Trump elected?"

And ThinkProgress? Really? Who next?

Reproductive rights organizations?

[MrsCoffee]

65. Too late.

He pulled out the Planned Parenthood is "part of the establishment" a couple years ago. That went over well too.

[ehrnst]

66. Indeed. (nt)

[Eliot Rosewater]

79. Whoever the Democratic candidate is they will have to win without the votes of a certain

group and we both know it.

I wont accept that, if we lose THAT will be why and I will want to find them in grocery stores and so on and SCREAM at them in public and I will.

[ehrnst]

64. What's right - you mean like calling CAP "corrupt corp shills" - or praising them for "good work?"

Link to tweet

Which is it? Can you tell me?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. Man, he's prickly.

[macleod-s daughter]

8. corporate dems

Corporate dems, the dnc and the dlc want to support one of their own and barely tolerate anyone who won't toe their line. Their manipulations last time cost us. And they don't like criticism....especially when it comes from the candidate who probably could've beaten trump. I think I've heard it described at Dunninger-Croger ( spelling all wrong, sorry )syndrome. So far into their own beliefs that they can't see beyond them. This could hurt us again. Leftie progressives are not the problem.
I don't know who'll be the candidate, I will vote for whoever. This admin has harmed us in so many ways it'll take a dem to right the ship of state.

[George II]

15. Do you realize that the DLC was dissolved about eight years ago?

[UpInArms]

23. Well, please explain how come they called my house yesterday

DLCC .... wanting money

[George II]

24. The DLCC is NOT the DLC, two entirely different organizations. The only thing they have in common..

...is the word "Democratic".

[UpInArms]

26. Okay

Thanks for that explanation

[Hortensis]

42. :) Give 'em money. The DLCC helps LOCAL and STATE

Democrats get elected (and Republicans un-elected) so our local governments are working for us instead screwing us big time while we're paying so much attention to national politics.

DLCC - Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

[Cha]

33. The quote from that poster.. "Corporate dems, the dnc and the dlc want to support one of their own.

and barely tolerate anyone who won't toe their line."

Really?!

[NurseJackie]

48. Look! All the anti-Democratic party "talking points" in one paragraph!

[Cha]

86. Yes, how telling.

[tymorial]

103. Imagine that. The Democrat party moving to support an actual member of the party

Its shocking I tell you. The humanity..... I can barely contain my outrage and confusion.

Shouldnt be required but obligatory:

[Cha]

105. Yes, I want an Actual True BLUE

Dem who has been working FOR our Party all these years!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

76. I wonder why.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[wasupaloopa]

30. Do you also write novels ?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

31. The attacks on Bernie are a GOOD sign... shows he's winning. Otherwise, they would just ignore him!!

They're obviously feelin' the Bern!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[namahage]

35. We don't ignore Trump, either.

And, as it turns out, for many of the same reasons we don't ignore Sanders.

[Thekaspervote]

55. Whoaa! Nailed that one

[Me.]

73. Excellent!

[ehrnst]

52. Why would Thinkprogress want to "attack" because he's "winning?"

I'm losing track of when it's "bad" to disagree with Sanders, and when it's a "good sign" that people disagree with Sanders....

It seems he's not used to anyone disagreeing with him on anything, and reacts strongly to it. It's going to be a very long primary for him if this is how he takes it.

[Cha]

32. You're a divider and insulting our Democratic

party.. broad brushing it with Buzzword labels that have no meaning.

We got a Democratic Victory in the House with moderate Dems from all across our Nation. Turning 45 Red seats to Blue Wave BLUE!

That's why we have Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House.

The DNC and the DCCC helped us win those seats.. So quit spreading Crap about our Democratic Orgs.

Link to tweet

[Hortensis]

44. Macleod, Think Progress are good guys.

They're on our side. And, btw, so are we -- Democrats.

Don't let partisanship lead you into smearing good people. That's what happened to those who are now supporting criminals in office and putting children in cages -- partisanship maneuvered them into being against what were once also their principles.

[OKNancy]

9. They should write a letter accusing Justice Dems

and the Young Turks of being in the tank for Sanders. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with think progress expressing their opinions. Bernie just doesn’t like what they’re saying.

[sheshe2]

19. +++

[Tactical Peek]

10. Please!

There will be NO fighting in the primari... . . . uh, War Room!

[Kurt V.]

28. lol

[Cha]

11. Too bad, BS.

[loyalsister]

12. That seems to be the thing to do

Anytime there is even the most legitimate criticism, the candidate and or supporters will line up to label it a hit piece or conspiracy.

[Gothmog]

13. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[MyNameGoesHere]

14. The second failure of the Independent Senator from Vermont

Is going to be spectacular. I'm getting a fucking 10 pound bucket of popcorn ready. 10 pounds before popping.

[Cha]

34. lol

I hear ya damn!

[ucrdem]

16. Accusing the liberal media in a foodfight over his taxes.

Gee where have we seen this before.

[robbedvoter]

17. promised positive campaign, already smeared everyone else, PP HRC in the past

and speaking of having money - his people did that to Hillary last time

Link to tweet

[Me.]

74. I'm Waiting For Him To Pull HRC Into This Campaign Too

I don't know how he can resist

[comradebillyboy]

83. According to Dave Weigel he already has

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/paloma/the-trailer/2019/04/14/the-trailer-what-we-learned-about-sanders-2020-this-weekend/5cb088b61ad2e567949ec175/?utm_term=.332a29f50bf9

"No other candidate for the Democratic nomination still talks about Hillary Clinton, whose surprise defeat was traumatic for millions of Democrats. Poking at the primary wounds can be risky; in Michigan, when Sanders reminded the crowd of his successful fight to end the voting power of “superdelegates,” there was a mix of cheers and boos. Mark Craig, 66, a Sanders organizer in Flint, took a cigar out of his mouth to shout a four-letter expletive about the party's 2016 nominee."

A more graphic rendition of Craig's outburst is documented here:
https://www.mediaite.com/print/bernie-sanders-organizer-screams-expletives-at-rally-fck-hillary-fck-hillary/

[Politicub]

20. I think I shall send a letter to BS with a list of my grievances.

On second thought, I have better things to do than whine and then run to the New York Times to tell them about how whiny it sounds.

[sheshe2]

21. Puleeeeze.

[ucrdem]

22. So the guy who went right along with Clinton Cash and Hair-gate

gets "rare and forceful" when they touch his taxes.

Isn't Socialism great?

[betsuni]

25. "The counter productive negative campaigning needs to stop."

[Cha]

40. Something I never

thought I'd see BS say.

Too late.

[NastyRiffraff]

27. NOBODY is allowed to criticize Bernie!

Especially a liberal think tank. How dare they! He is sacrosanct and above criticism.

[Cha]

37. Yeah, and he opened a hornet's nest!

Link to tweet

[stonecutter357]

29. it's a destination lol !

[nolabear]

36. Man, I try. I do. But the entitlement is just unbearable.

It seems like he should be compassionate and generous given the good ideas that he often has. But he just seems peevish and entitled. It’s just bizarre.

[Cha]

38. Why doesn't Bernie have a problem with $20 million from corporate investors in The Young Turks?

Link to tweet

[Cha]

41. It is weird to see Bernie's campaign calling CAP corrupt corporate shills in an effort to raise $$$

Link to tweet

[sheshe2]

50. I think I am getting whiplash, Cha!

[Cha]

87. Burning bridges...

Link to tweet

[ehrnst]

63. Yes... he's been doing some very mystifying u-turns lately.

Was that head injury worse than previously thought?

[Renew Deal]

45. Looks like people found something that stings with Sanders

Last edited Mon Apr 15, 2019, 10:32 AM - Edit history (1)

His increased wealth and social status.

And if anyone knows about bad faith smears it’s Bernie.

[betsuni]

47. "And if anyone knows about bad faith smears it's Bernie."

You can say that again. Accusing Democrats of being the same as Republicans, corrupt, an ideologically bankrupt party of out-of-touch wealthy elites paid off by lobbyists, corporations and wealthy donors to do their bidding, ignoring the working /middle classes, rigging things and out to get him. It just goes on and on. Talk about bad faith smears. Ridiculous.

[ehrnst]

51. Progressives sometimes disagree with him? It must have been very hard to discover that. (nt)

[Gothmog]

53. From my Twitter feed

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Lancero]

62. Sounds like a rehashed version of Obama's 'circular firing squad' comments.

[ehrnst]

67. The transcript of his speech in front CAP has been scrubbed from his FB page:

[George II]

68. Hmmmm, I wonder why?

[ehrnst]

69. I think that him wanting to keep a speech transcript private is more

ironic than I can express right now.

[NastyRiffraff]

84. I know, right?

But the Berniacs keep cheering him on. Apparently whatever he does, no matter how wacky, dishonest, or hypocritical is okay with them. You'd think the private speech transcript thing would hit a cord somewhere, but they'll find a way to excuse (or ignore) that, too.

Cognitive dissonance is as much of a thing with them as with Trump's Deplorables.

[frazzled]

71. He seems always to need to create a bogey man

to sell to the public to garner support. That's a dangerous thing: I don't care WHO the bogey man is. It was the DNC who were being unfair to him last time. Now it's the CAP. Or it's the 1%, or the system that's "rigged" against you.

All of these campaign strategies are negatives intended to rile up voters. As for the positive things he's selling (e.g. Medicare for All)—whether one thinks they're achievable or not, they are generally pitched in the framework of negatives or scare tactics, and presented as "my way or the highway" imperatives.

If Obama was selling hope and and stressing the "long arc" and "hard work" to achieve goals , Sanders is selling the option of either doom if you cross him or immediate gratification if you hew to his every plan. I'm not on board with that kind of approach.

[EveHammond13]

80. this is a huge fail from his campaign. Attack CAP and not FOX?

[elfin]

85. Cranky Geezer. I really really hope he does not become our nominee

A battle between the extreme right and extreme left? No thank you.

Media of all political bents would love it for the adrenalized rage and anticipation of things spinning out of control at rallies etc. More ratings. More excitement. More$.

[Cha]

88. "What's the reason for his letter? One can surmise it's about 'working the refs,' trying to

Link to tweet

[okaawhatever]

96. I think he's copying Trump's playbook. I believe he is trying to attract the attention of

independent voters who voted for Trump in 2016 but won't vote for him again.

[Gothmog]

89. Washington Post-Opinion: Sanders's testiness will revive long-standing concerns

Link to tweet

One of the “digs” on Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2016 presidential campaign was that he was all about himself — insufficiently attuned to concerns about unity, quick to lash out at critics and exceptionally thin-skinned. Those concerns surfaced again in Democratic ranks when he hired a rabid social media hit man, David Sirota (who hadn’t initially disclosed his affiliation with the Sanders camp).

Now he has gone into full attack-and-destroy mode, targeting in a vitriolic letter the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank that has advanced, for example, a health-care plan that expands Medicare but is distinct from the Sanders Medicare-for-all plan, and CAP Action Fund, CAP’s political arm.....

What’s the reason for his letter? One can surmise it’s about “working the refs,” trying to intimidate others from criticizing his ideas or him. Sanders’s effort is downright bizarre, when you think about it. Imagine if Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) railed at the New York Times editorial page, demanding more praise, or if Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) demanded the Nation be more friendly. A Democratic veteran of many campaigns (not associated with CAP) observes, “This is disgracefully Trumpian, as Sanders desperately tries to create a fake controversy to change the subject on the eve of the release of his tax returns. … If he can’t take some accurate, fairly lighthearted ribbing from a progressive source, he’s proving that he’d be incapable of weathering the general election hurricane that Trump would unleash.”....

We already have a president who can’t take the rough and tumble of politics and wants to silence critics. I find it hard to imagine that Democrats want someone who might be just as touchy and intolerant of criticism.

[Cha]

90. ..

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

92. sanders is upset at being vetted

Link to tweet

Other Democrats saw Sanders’s denunciation of CAP as a worrying sign at the start of the 2020 campaign, which could herald a potentially destructive path that Sanders intends to pursue for the party’s nomination.

“I think his tone in general is too Trumplike. It’s based on anger,” said Greg Hale, a longtime Democratic presidential campaign adviser who worked for Clinton in 2016. “We all need to be together and we need to have a positive message, not a negative message.”

[Cha]

94. I want someone who can Unify.. brilliant strategy, BS

Link to tweet

Mahalo for the link, Goth

[Gothmog]

91. sanders does not want to be vetted

No one took sanders seriously and so he was not vetted. Vetting is important I amso glad that sanders is being vetted this cycle https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/28/why-bernie-sanders-has-an-uphill-climb-ahead/?utm_term=.1b4f90c2a717

Finally, what happens when the oppo dump on Sanders comes? We have no idea, because it never happened in 2016. Clinton was so terrified of alienating his supporters and seeing them vote for Jill Stein in the general election (or not vote at all) that she tiptoed around him for pretty much the entirety of the primary campaign. That doesn’t mean that he’ll be destroyed when stories about the more colorful aspects of his history start cropping up, but there’s just no way to know.

Which is what we could say about the Sanders candidacy as a whole: There’s no way to know how it’s going to go. But he’s got his work cut out for him.

See also https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/19/politics/bernie-sanders-2020-campaign-donald-trump/index.html?utm_source=twCNNp&utm_content=2019-02-20T14%3A52%3A07&utm_term=image&utm_medium=social%C2%A0

2. How will he withstand more scrutiny and more attacks?
One of the secrets to Sanders' success in 2016 was that no one -- most especially Clinton -- thought he had any chance of going anywhere in the race. Clinton largely ignored him for the better part of 2015, allowing some problematic parts of Sanders' record for Democrats -- most notably his voting record on guns -- to go unnoticed. (When the race began to tighten, Clinton gently prodded Sanders on guns and health care.) Sanders, too, largely flew under the radar of investigative reporters for major news outlets who were busy looking into Clinton, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and others seen as more viable candidates. (That reality clearly benefited Donald Trump in the early days of the campaign, as well.)

Sanders will get no pass -- from either the media or his fellow candidates -- this time around. He is among the frontrunners -- and will be treated as such. His wife's time as president of Burlington College could well come up. And his opponents will do a deep dive into his nearly 30 years of votes as a member of the House and Senate. This is all very normal stuff in a campaign. But not for Sanders.

Now we can see how sanders reacts to being vetted

Link to tweet

Among some Democrats, there was a sense of bewilderment that the Sanders campaign had gone—as one operative put it—”nuclear” over a mere web video. One Democratic consultant sympathetic to Sanders described the video as being “like a gnat buzzing around your ear,” one which should not have distracted from the candidate’s Midwest tour.

It also raised questions as to whether the senator was ready for the scrutiny that would come from being a frontrunning candidate, after having run as an insurgent against an ideal foil, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.

“When you’re leading in the polls of president of your party you should expect investigative stories to hit at least once a week and to be attacked by your opponents every day,” said Ben Labolt, who served as press secretary to Barack Obama during the 2012 campaign. “An attack on something like ThinkProgress is the sign of a super-narrow-minded campaign that isn’t actually thinking of how the election will be won... They have chosen an establishment force that no one outside of the Starbucks at 16th and K would recognize.”

I am glad that sanders is being vetted

[Cha]

95. Josh Marshall and Paul Krugman on BS..

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[samnsara]

97. hes dividing us again and sooner than usual....

[Blue_Tires]

98. Any Bernie fans want to address this?

[samnsara]

101. no dem would have done this...just saying....

[dlk]

102. If Bernie Were Ever Seriously Vetted...

[Gothmog]

104. Philippe Reines on the NYT article

I agree with Reines that the NYT article was crap

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet