Nate Silver: Sanders surrogates' attacks on Pete Buttigieg are "extremely weird"

[highplainsdem]

This is about the attacks by Sanders c-chair Ro Khanna (and Nina Turner and others) on Pete Buttigieg for remarks he made in New Hampshire Friday -- see this thread for background if you haven't read about this yet:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128780536


Silver's tweets, just two so far, start with this one:

Link to tweet

And if I'm playing Early Morning Bad Narrative Cop, this is an extremely weird Narrative coming from some Sanders surrogates. Buttigieg's comments were extremely boilerplate, basically that Trump and Sanders voters both suffer economic anxiety and are disaffected with the system.


In fact, Sanders supporters sometimes make arguments like these themselves to claim Bernie will appeal to Trump voters. It's an extremely weird thing to get upset about unless they're deliberately looking to pick a fight with Buttigieg.

Silver also retweeted this from NBC's Josh Lederman:

Link to tweet

Also just to put this in context: This came in remarks to high school Democrats in which Buttigieg was effusively praising Sanders’ authenticity and telling kids why as a high schooler he wrote an essay about Sanders and courage

As for what Nate Silver said about Sanders surrogates possibly "deliberately looking to pick a fight with Buttigieg" - pollster Matt McDermott agrees with that possibility;

Link to tweet

Hard to read the coordinated bad faith attack on Pete Buttigieg by Bernie Sanders surrogates as anything other than concern on their part that Buttigieg has the ability peel voters from Sanders.

[crazytown]

1. Ro Khanna Needs to retract his remarks

and issue an apology.

[highplainsdem]

6. It isn't just Ro Khanna. It's Nina Turner and James Zogby, too.

Turner retweeted Khanna's attack on Mayor Pete, and this from Zogby:

Link to tweet

Equating Trump & Bernie is as outrageous as it is just plain dumb. It show no understanding of politics, social dynamics, & reality. Buttigieg will have to find a way to climb out of this hole or he’s toast.

[crazytown]

9. Oh right ... the crew

well there’s no sense in waiting for a retraction from them.

[Jarqui]

30. No.

It's a sign they're concerned about Pete
because the complaint is almost fabricated - a real stretch

[crazytown]

35. The Young Turks sent people digging for dirt at South Bend

https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/2bmmTSQD7wsAQXplMP6XVY

[floppyboo]

127. vetting is part of journalism's job. nt

[Demsrule86]

36. He is taking voters from Sanders.

[SFnomad]

97. If he wasn't pulling many before ... he probably is pulling even more now n/t

[Corgigal]

107. That's also what I see.

It's not the smart way to go...

[RhodeIslandOne]

43. The fact that Nina Turner is taken remotely seriously....

.....and the Sanders campaign still allows her to campaign for him....is a tragedy.

[George II]

50. She's the co-chair of his campaign along with Khanna. This after she boasted about voting for Stein!

[DoctorJoJo]

57. Calling Turner a Bimbo Would be An Upgrade! I See Panic Setting In Among the 78-Year Old Crowd!

[Lonestarblue]

61. Turner was a big turnoff in 2016.

And she still is today. That Bernie chose her again makes me wonder about his judgment. She napalms everyone in leadership and then wonders why the survivors don’t support her point of view.

[RhodeIslandOne]

66. I hate to say it....

....but I think he believes she improves his standing in the African American community.

Nina Turner cares about one group. Her and her giant ego.

[BlueFlorida]

62. Shows poor judgment nt

[lapucelle]

89. "Senator" Nina Turner, Senior Fellow at the Sanders Institute!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

104. They are not people of honor

[lark]

133. Both ran last time as outsiders and a horrible percentage of Bernie Bros didn't vote for HRC.

Saw a statistic yesterday that 17% of Sanders' followers didn't vote for Hillary. Also, Russia pushed Bernie and drumpf and Stein - another valid point of comparison, especially when he knowingly hired Manaforts' partner in Ukraine as his manager. That's a chilling and horrible fact.

[still_one]

22. you are right

[Larrybanal]

77. bernie boys

are going to blow up this election too... they would prefer donald to anyone but bernie

[Cha]

2. Really strange.. BS surrogates attacking

Mayor Pete for "praising Sanders".

I hate to see what they'd have to say if MPB was dissing BS.

Link to tweet

Mahalo, highplainsdem

[lark]

3. Why is it always Sanders supporters who are attacking their 20202 Democratic rivals?

So nasty.

[Cha]

4. They haven't learned

insults don't work.

[crazytown]

7. But they are genuinely concerned

nothing to do with votes at all, it’s a matter of principal, I mean principle.

[True Blue American]

34. What ever!:)

[rzemanfl]

16. There aren't that many rivals. n/t

[LovingA2andMI]

27. Because....

Sanders supporters are desperate. Instead of counteracting the narrative on Bettigieg which could be the gentrification Downtown South Bend (which is a race and economic issue they refuse to tackle now that their "beloved Bernie" is now a Millionaire) they would rather go with these remarks -- which are nothing on surface.

[floppyboo]

128. the gentrification, and awarding of contracts to donators is also being discussed

as it should.

edit: don't expect to find much about it here. You'd be juried before you blinked.

[Demsrule86]

37. It is what they do.

[lostnfound]

59. Will Bernie run again in 20202?

😂

[mcar]

81. Yes

And when those attackers get called on it, they claim victimhood.

[George II]

85. I've recognized that in the past - most of the other candidates' staffs....

...are just going about the business of promoting their own candidates, not dragging the others down - very few have openly criticized their opponents and, in the few instances they have they point out differences in policy, nothing else. But we seem to see this kind of stuff from Sanders people every few days.

[lark]

102. Another reason not to support Sanders, he hired Manaforts' partner in Ukraine.

Only the worst, err best, people for him.

[tymorial]

91. Intolerance and spiteful indignation that anyone could possibly not support Sanders

[floppyboo]

131. Personal attacks suck.

Attacks on policy, hypocrisy, underhanded dealing, misleading headlines - these should all be fair game.

[R B Garr]

137. This! It is glaringly from one camp.

[LonePirate]

5. Weird? Not at all when you consider why: BS is losing support to PB so here come the knives.

[Autumn]

8. I really like Pete. But yeah, It is intellectually dishonest to compare Bernie to Trump.

Comparing any Democrat or a Democratic ally to Trump is just wrong. I'm not concerned that any candidate has the ability to peel voters from Sanders. It happens all the time. Look at how Kamala's support had dropped and how Pete's numbers have moved up. I think that the way it's supposed to work. It's called campaigning for a reason.

[dsc]

12. on the subject of intellectual dishonesty

the clip is rather short, He doesn't compare Trump to Bernie, he compares Trump voters to some Sanders' voters. Your post reeks of intellectual dishonesty.

[Autumn]

26. Clip? There is no video clip. The OP has tweets. Your post to me reeks of intellectual dishonesty.

Am I supposed to go looking for a clip that's long enough to suit you? I'll pass on that. You may have missed this from the Op that I replied to

This is about the attacks by Sanders c-chair Ro Khanna (and Nina Turner and others) on Pete Buttigieg for remarks he made in New Hampshire Friday -- see this thread for background if you haven't read about this yet:

I gave my opinion on the concern about Pete peeling votes from Sanders.

Hard to read the coordinated bad faith attack on Pete Buttigieg by Bernie Sanders surrogates as anything other than concern on their part that Buttigieg has the ability peel voters from Sanders.

Star Member Autumn (34,194 posts)

8. I really like Pete. But yeah, It is intellectually dishonest to compare Bernie to Trump.

Comparing any Democrat or a Democratic ally to Trump is just wrong. I'm not concerned that any candidate has the ability to peel voters from Sanders. It happens all the time. Look at how Kamala's support had dropped and how Pete's numbers have moved up. I think that the way it's supposed to work. It's called campaigning for a reason.

I think that it is intellectually dishonest to compare Bernie to Trump. Or Bernie supporters to Trump supporters.

[dsc]

32. Post 2 and post 6 in this thread

has a 22 second clip. I just played it to be sure, so yes it is a 22 second clip. And no he didn't, AS YOU FALSELY CLAIMED HE DID, compare Trump to Sanders. All the while you are claiming to be so offended by intellectual dishonesty. If that isn't intellectually dishonest then I don't know what is. ON edit I don't think it is unreasonable to ask people to look within the tread that has fewer than 20 posts.

[True Blue American]

39. Watched it.

[Autumn]

49. I responded to a tweet which was in the first link in the OP. If there is a clip the OP should

include it, I would have watched it and my response would have been different. If what Rhokannna tweeted wasn't in the video I would have called him out for shit stirring. I don't see a post #2 and post #6 was posted while I typed my response. I don't think it is unreasonable to ask people to include clip in their OPs either. Had it been included in the OP I would have watched it and ignored the tweet.

Link to tweet

?

And the rest of my post was in response to this from the OP

Hard to read the coordinated bad faith attack on Pete Buttigieg by Bernie Sanders surrogates as anything other than concern on their part that Buttigieg has the ability peel voters from Sanders.

I will stand by this from my post.

I'm not concerned that any candidate has the ability to peel voters from Sanders. It happens all the time. Look at how Kamala's support had dropped and how Pete's numbers have moved up. I think that the way it's supposed to work. It's called campaigning for a reason.

[LongtimeAZDem]

19. Except that Buttigieg didn't do that. He clearly compared Sanders' followers to Trump's

The intellectually dishonesty is on the part of those repeating Khanna's claim.

[Autumn]

29. As I said, I like Pete. If he want's to compare me to Trump supporters that his perogitive.

I think insulting Democratic voters who support a different Democratic candidate in a primary is not a smart thing to do. YMMV

[LongtimeAZDem]

46. If Sanders supporters dislike being compared to Trump supporters, perhaps they should

take a long, hard look at their tactics and methods.

[Autumn]

54. All Sanders supporters are not the same, nor do they behave the same.

Last edited Mon Apr 22, 2019, 10:50 AM - Edit history (1)

There is absolutely a segment of Bernie supporters who are not loyal to Democrats but painting all of the candidate supporters with the same brush is not right. Many of us are loyal Dems. Edited to add that in the video I looked for Pete said that Bernie supporters want to vote for Bernie to blow up the system. He's wrong. We just want a better system, a fair system that works for the people.
Every candidate has idiot supporters, I doubt Bernie has all that many supporters like that.

[ehrnst]

75. What about the senior campaign staffers he's hired who have slammed the Democratic Party?

Sirota, for instance..

Nina Turner who called for Democrats to stop the Russia investigation.

Brihana Joy Gray who stumped for Jill Stein.

Any thoughts?

[TwilightZone]

79. The people doing this are top-level in Sanders campaign.

It's not random people off the street.

"Bernie supporters want to vote for Bernie to blow up the system. He's wrong."

That doesn't apply to all of his supporters. The DSA, for example, is clear that they want to overthrow capitalism and replace it with socialism and they think Bernie is the one most likely to be amenable to such.

That is, pretty much by definition, blowing up the system.

[Autumn]

90. There is no way capitalism will ever be overthrown even if some want it. Most of us

know that and just want a fair system that benefits people. Small changes that only seem large to some.

[George II]

87. Ro Khanna isn't just some "Bernie supporter" - he's the campaign co-chairman...

...Are you saying that Ro Khanna is just an "idiot supporter"? If he is, and he's heading up the campaign, what does that say about the campaign itself?

[ehrnst]

123. I'll take your lack of response as a "No comment at this time."

[BigOleDummy]

88. Exactly! And well said...

… have been reading down these comments and was hoping and waiting for someone to make this point. Very disappointed with Mr. Sanders and his campaign right now tbh.

[True Dough]

20. Here's the thing, Autumn

It was a mischaracterization to say Pete was comparing Trump and Bernie. He said their base tends to be made up of people who wanted to turn the system upside down. That doesn't make Bernie and Trump the same people, or even similar. It means they both offered drastically different alternatives to the status quo (at least in theory because Trump is a lying snake-oil salesman as we suspected and are now finding out -- he's just out to make the rich richer, of course).

So to twist Pete's statement into some kind of comparison between Bernie and Trump is far more intellectually dishonest than what Pete said.

[Cha]

33. Exactly, True Dough. Some are

going no further investigating that than Khanna's tweet.

Another BS surrogate on Mayor Pete..

Link to tweet

The misconception took on a life of its own.

[ehrnst]

82. Actually, this is what Pete said:

“I think the sense of anger and disaffection that comes from seeing that the numbers are fine, like unemployment’s low, like all that, like you said GDP is growing and yet a lot of neighborhoods and families are living like this recovery never even happened. They’re stuck,” Buttigieg told high school students in in Nashua, N.H.

“It just kind of turns you against the system in general and then you’re more likely to want to vote to blow up the system, which could lead you to somebody like Bernie and it could lead you to somebody like Trump. That’s how we got where we are.”

[Autumn]

52. Here's the thing, True Dough. I responded to the OP and clicked on this link.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128780536

That tweet is what I responded to. Because that was in the OP. I'm not going to go looking for all the background history not included in an OP.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=81167

[radical noodle]

76. In truth

Pete wrote a very flattering essay about Sanders in 2000 and has apparently been an admirer of his for nearly two decades. I bet he's beginning to rethink that after this unwarranted attack.

[George II]

106. There are videos in the OP showing exactly what Buttigieg said. Looks like they were added....

....shortly after the OP was originally posted. You may not have seen them originally but they're worth a view. They show that he clearly didn't compare trump to Sanders. Khanna should have looked into what Buttigieg really said before he came out swinging, especially considering that he's Sanders' campaign co-chairman. Even the NY Post article was clear about what he said:

"Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg compared Bernie Sanders’ supporters with fans of President Trump — claiming that both camps include disaffected citizens who seek to change the status quo."

There is absolutely NO comparison of trump and Sanders. None.

Khanna should own up to either misunderstanding or mischaracterizing what Buttigieg said and apologize.

[True Dough]

108. Thanks for the clarification

Based on this and another distorted tweet from Ro Khanna, I think a lot more people are going to either A) stop paying attention to what Khanna is saying on social media or B) Seeking out background details so they have the full context of what really happened since Mr. Khanna's credibility is being stretched thinner and thinner.

[Autumn]

114. Yes his credibility is thin now. As is the credibility of those who focus and flog the supporters

of other candidates. If people can't pay attention to the candidates and spend all their time on the supporters it shows me all they want to do is divide and a lot of posts focus on doing only that. No politician is responsible for the actions of their supporters unless they are openly egging those supporters on. The only one I have ever seen use his supporters like that is Trump.

[True Dough]

116. Further to that...

1) The candidate should rein in and publicly admonish those "supporters" who make erroneous statements and/or apologize on their behalf and/or make them publicly apologize for misleading others (Khanna is the national co-chair of Bernie's 2020 campaign, not just some fervent Bernie admirer).

2) The record needs to be set straight when "supporters" choose to target another candidate with inaccurate allegations. If such statements are allowed to go unchallenged, they can cause harm to another's reputation.

[LongtimeAZDem]

60. +1

[ancianita]

83. Exactly. But Bernie can handle it. He's the one candidate on the move to reach the most voters,

and Buttegieg knows Bernie's winning voters with his excellent message and ground game.

Of course the rally "peels" are ON.

What Democratic Party has to deal with are the butthurt members who will not support the party nominee just because of the "Trump Tests" they were mad about during the primaries.

There's no opponent more "weird" than the one we will face in 2020.

[Larrybanal]

84. there is much to compare

trump and sanders are both ancient white men who need to let someone who is young enough to survive a presidential term have a chance...I liked bernie but he is just too old and many of his supporters are petulant spoilers

[Autumn]

94. "many of his supporters are petulant spoilers "?

Many of his supporters are Democrats.

[SFnomad]

98. Well, except the ones who are Stein supporters ...

2016 General Election ...

Co-Chairman: Nina Turner - Jill Stein voter
National Press Secretary: Briahna Joy Gray - Jill Stein voter
Campaign Speechwriter: David Sirota - Jill Stein voter
Top campaign adviser: Cornell West - Jill Stein voter

[Autumn]

101. I really don't give a damn that some people who supported Bernie in 2016 voted for Stein.

Neither Bernie nor I am responsible for the votes of others. Stein didn't win, Trump did. Most Bernie supporters didn't vote for her. As for people who work for and campaign for them it's not worth my time thinking and focusing on them. I don't choose their campaign people and supporters. I listen to what Bernie has to say.

[SFnomad]

109. These aren't just "some people", those are their CURRENT titles under BS

But go ahead and continue to make excuses.

[Autumn]

112. I'm not responsible for who any politicians will use or who they surrounds themselves with.

I've never liked Henry Kissenger or David Brock but I don't use that as an excuse to hate anyone who uses them in a campaign or considers them to be a mentor. I don't waste my time trying to control or dwell on what others do or how they vote.

[SFnomad]

113. I guess I have higher standards then ... BS's current team helped the Democrats lose to tRump

Asking for my vote, to help them clean up the mess they helped create ... it's not going to happen. We have way too many real Democrats to choose from in the Primaries.

[Autumn]

115. I see how high your standards are. Good luck. nt

[Hekate]

117. Said politicians are responsible for who they hire & what those people say. If said politicians...

...don't repudiate bad words and actions, it is reasonable to assume the politician who put them on his/her payroll approves of that bad behavior or does not think it is important.

The people we are discussing are not just random agitators in a crowd someplace, they are major architects of Sanders's campaign. What is wrong with this picture, Autumn?

[Autumn]

119. Like I said, I despised Brock for what he did to the President. But I don't lose sleep over

his part in Hillary's campaign. That was her choice.

[Chemisse]

95. Is comparing how they both represent shaking things up disingenuous?

Because I think that's pretty fair. It doesn't mean they have common beliefs or policy ideas.

There were some voters in 2016 who were interested in both Trump and Bernie, just for that reason.

[Autumn]

99. No it isn't disingenuous. Our country and our system needs a shake up. In 08 there were

voters who were interested in both Obama and Romney and went for Obama because they wanted change. After finding a video I realized the tweet linked in the OP by Ro Khanna was disingenuous and bullshit, no video was posted so I responded to that and the points in the OP made about Bernie supporters.

I had to look for a video, I'm not going to wade through the twitter cesspool to figure it out. Pete didn't compare Bernie to Trump. I stand by my opinion that anyone who compares Bernie to Trump is wrong.

What Pete said was that said that Bernie supporters like Trumps supporters want to vote for Bernie to blow up the system. That's nothing horrible but IMO he's wrong. No one's perfect. There may be a few idiots who want that but for the most part, Sanders supporters just want a better system, a fair system that works for the people. The focus here seems to be all about the supporters of a candidate and instead of focusing on what their candidates actually say they elevate the stupidest things said by assholes like Khanna who twisted what Pete said and a few assholes that support a person that say dumb ass things because they aren't politically aware.

In fact, Sanders supporters sometimes make arguments like these themselves to claim Bernie will appeal to Trump voters. It's an extremely weird thing to get upset about unless they're deliberately looking to pick a fight with Buttigieg.

and

Hard to read the coordinated bad faith attack on Pete Buttigieg by Bernie Sanders surrogates as anything other than concern on their part that Buttigieg has the ability peel voters from Sanders.

[Chemisse]

124. Fair enough. You make valid points. n/t

[Celerity]

125. As always, great points Autumn

[louis c]

10. Many Sanders Supporters (not all, but some) Have No Loyalty to the Democratic Party

[rzemanfl]

17. +1. n/t

[LovingA2andMI]

31. THIS RIGHT HERE...

Is the important point. No Loyalty.....

[Cha]

38. And, BS' staff hires who voted 3rd party

for jill stein.. Sirota, Turner, Grey.

[ehrnst]

41. Some on his senior campaign staff have been downright hostile to the Democratic Party. (nt)

[vsrazdem]

53. True, because their not all democrats.

[David__77]

70. That's true!

Also not all Sanders 2016 voters are 2020 Sanders supporters, and vice versa.

[Dorn]

11. Is there a list of candidates and their surrogates?

I don't know who speaks for whom, has anyone created a table of candidates and who is speaking for them?

[True Dough]

23. I'm largely clueless on that front as well

But Ro Khanna is on my radar now. That's twice he's come at Pete on Twitter, trying to make him look bad.

[highplainsdem]

28. Turner is a Sanders co-chair. Zogby is a Sanders adviser and on the Our Revolution

board.

As far as I know, there isn't any comprehensive list or table of the candidates and their surrogates.

[ehrnst]

44. David Sirota, Nina Turner, Jeff Weaver, and Briahna Joy Gray are certainly on that list. (nt)

[BlueFlorida]

13. THis is why the "rapid response" team for any candidate

needs to be seasoned, mature and measured with a methodical analysis of the threat and then figuring out the best way to deal with it instead of hair-trigger-shooting-from-the-hip.

Not every perceived threat deserves a response.

[ehrnst]

55. That kind of "everything that is not praise is a threat" response

doesn't bode well for a healthy relationship with the free press.

[Ford_Prefect]

14. Send in the Trolls. Never mind they're already here.

[still_one]

25. .......................................................................

[BannonsLiver]

100. Often masquerading as supporters of other candidates

I see a lot of passionate, OTT defenses of Bernie from people who claim to support other candidates, only they never ever talk about those candidates, only Bernie.

[Ford_Prefect]

111. I was speaking to the frequency and intensity of bashing attacks on progressive candidates on DU.

The pattern I see resembles what we had in 2016 and 2018, the gang bashing attacks in particular. It has nothing to do with favorite candidates and more to do with political cant IMHO.

Some of it clearly derives from 3rd party activities to disrupt.

There is legitimate criticism. DU is nothing if not a place for that.

Then there is the over the top onslaught which often seems based more on expressing an attitude than on facts. Likewise there can be similar feeling in the expression of certain defenses.

Then there is the whole family-at-a-wedding syndrome which "He said, She said" doesn't begin to describe.

I prefer it when the dialog is about events and remarks I can research, rather than attribution and hearsay.

In Sander's case I see a man with a distinct political record who has often been attacked for focusing on issues the mainstream party would prefer were not mentioned during any campaign. I make no defense of his recent campaign hires nor anything they may have said.

The pattern of personal attacks on progressive candidates is what concerns me and the degree to which that damages the course of debate and discussion here at DU.

[thesquanderer]

15. Perhaps Sanders' biggest weakness is his selection of people who speak on his behalf.

Though we don't always know whether these people are acting on their own or are running their statements by Sanders in advance. Neither answer is good, though.

[ehrnst]

45. I see a pattern in his selection, and in what they say. (nt)

[Hortensis]

18. Of course. Attacks are how these "surrogates" roll.

The aggressively hostile behaviors of Sanders' agents and subsets of his supporters was a major feature of his candidacy in 2015-2016. We should be seeing a lot more as this heats up, especially because he's doing his best to draw a lot more of this type to him from Trump's camp.

Nate Silvers' description of Sanders' and Trump's populists as suffering from economic insecurity is amusingly...facile. Many are, of course, but he himself reported post-2016 studies revealing that racism, not economy, was the primary motivator.

[Cha]

48. +1!

[Skidmore]

132. +1 nt

[Me.]

24. Another Here We Go Again Moment

and just like someone else, this campaign, so far, gets away this nonsense and doesn't seem to pay a price.

[ehrnst]

40. But unfortunately, not surprising. (nt)

[MaryMagdaline]

42. The bottom line is the Sanders campaign identifies Pete's campaign as

Taking away voters from their base support. Early effusive criticism was called for at the highest levels of Bernie’s campaign to rein in their supporters and to let their supporters know that Pete is another “sellout.” This is probably just necessary politics. Also, Dems will have the uncomfortable job of defending gentrification now. It’s another devisive ssue. Dems who are mayors or congressmen from inner cities will be vulnerable. Governors and senators will be above the fray on this issue. I think the issue of gentrification helps Bernie with minorities. In fact I think I just witnessed a liberal dog whistle, “gentrification.” Democrats better learn to respond to this one.

As for the “attack” on Pete? He’s running for President. I think he can handle it. I think his statement, “these are not abstract concepts to me” is brilliant. Sets him apart a little from the ivy tower senators. Bernie’s response is also intelligent ... if you’re going to brag about being in the trenches, we’ll hit you with some of the decisions you made at local level.

This is going to be an issues campaign ... why am I the only one who’s not upset??

[floppyboo]

129. You're not alone.

I have no problem at all with Bernie's surrogates reaching out to potential Dem voters - the ones who stayed home, voted green or libertarian. They aren't the present base of the party - but they could be - and that, I think, means victory over 45.

Change is often uncomfortable - especially if you are older. Fact is, the older population isn't getting any bigger.

[MaryMagdaline]

134. True - our numbers will only get smaller

[George II]

47. What I find very interesting is that the surrogates of only one candidate have been on a mission....

....to go after many of the leading Democratic candidates. I haven't seen such attacks coming from any other camps on a regular basis.

With Biden announcing in the next few days, I suspect we'll see an increase in such activity directed at him, too.

[Cha]

58. Oh yeah, I see this BS surrogate already starting

on Biden, too..

Link to tweet

[Politicub]

51. "Credentialed elitism"?

Sounds like a winning campaign slogan to me.

I am going to do an informal and wholly unscientific poll today where I ask people if they’re against the scourge of credentialed elitism.

And BTW, And I find it incredibly insensitive that Khanna is talking about the Sanders campaign blowing things up in the wake of the bombings in Sri Lanka.

[lillypaddle]

56. and just another reason

BS would be terrible for America. And you BS supporters out there, do you really not see any comparison to trump?

[murielm99]

63. Of course they see the comparison.

That is why they are in such an angry state of denial.

I hope Bernie is eliminated early. I want this primary season to focus on getting rid of trump, not answering backstabs by Bernie's people. I don't care who the Democratic candidate is, they should not have to waste time fending off Berniebro attacks.

[littlemissmartypants]

64. It appears that the veritable gloves are coming off. nt

[BlueFlorida]

65. Nothing weird about it

This is how anger driven campaigns work. If there is no rage, there is no campaign so the rage has to be continuously stoked.

[yaesu]

67. Lets hope things don't get too out of hand during the campaign season. nt

[PatrickforO]

68. That is weird. Looks like it's getting dirty.

Sigh.

Well, had to happen.

But let's not forget - the mission is to have a nominee that isn't totally bloodied in the primary so we can BEAT Donald Trump. And I mean beat him, like landslide beat. And go all the way down his negative coattails and get new Dems into city, county, town and state governments, and flip the US Senate.

My biggest election fantasy: The next day reading how Trump lost by a landslide, and Mitch McConnell was also defeated soundly.

By the way, on that clip - I listened and Khanna is way off. Buttigieg was NOT comparing Bernie to Trump. Saying that was kinda dirty politics.

[panfluteman]

69. I Think We Need New Ground Rules for Political Campaigning in the Era of Trump - Russia

With the main ground rule being no needless attacks and mudslinging among Democratic candidates opposing Trump. These will only be amplified by Russian trolls and bots, whose main job is to sow division and chaos among those who are wanting to run against Trump. Democratic candidates should focus only on the positive, the substantial, and above all, only on the issues. What are the advantages and virtues of your own position on the issues, and how do you see it as being superior to what else is out there? Hold yourself up, and don't waste your time putting other candidates down. Please remember that we are Americans first, and that there is a hostile foreign power out there who is wanting to sow chaos, hatred and division among us. E pluribus unum!

[melman]

71. Look at this

Extreme Sanders hater Tom Watson also saw it as an attack.

Link to tweet

I guess he didn't get the memo.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

92. Yep. Even here people were like ohhhh burn! Good job Pete!

Now the tactic is how dare you insinuate Pete attacked Bernie!

The Outrage Wurlitzer is so tiring.

[BannonsLiver]

103. Sometimes the truth hurts I guess

[David__77]

72. While I may not like the equation of Trump and Sanders voters...

...I don’t find it to be intellectually dishonest. I don’t find that to be true.

[MaryMagdaline]

126. Well said

[radical noodle]

73. I'm so surprised...

NOT. Keep it up Bernie, and you'll alienate even more people.

[jalan48]

74. PB is our newest Progressive hope. Too bad he doesn't have a voting record to back up his rhetoric.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

78. True Believers like some of Bernie's staff are the most problematic.

They are absolutely right and therefore everybody else is wrong, and no criticism, even something that isn't criticism but also isn't fawning adoration, is allowed. I do think they are trying to pick a fight with someone they didn't ever expect, like the Spanish Inquisition, so now they have to take him out. They had the other playbooks figured out but not this one.

I don't think Mayor Pete will go down easily, especially as the result of snotty barbs from the likes of Stein retreads Khanna and Turner.

[Blue_Tires]

80. It's not "weird", this is just what Bernie's staffers *DO*

Did everyone forget their smearing of Kamala already?

[tymorial]

86. This is repugnant, dishonest and dishonorable

I am quite frankly ashamed that I ever supported this guy

[elleng]

93. Thanks to Nate.

[Hekate]

96. The person who mentioned "rage-driven campaigns" is on to something...

I thought the comparison by Mayor Pete had to do with economics, and was quite fair. Do we want to understand Trump-voters or not? Do we want to recapture some of them or not? Do we want to get the message to them that Democrats will actually work to improve their lives or not?

BS says he stands for each and every one of these things. So what's the beef with Democrats who agree?

But when you look at what else enables BS's campaigns, and the kinds of things his surrogates say that are never repudiated by BS himself (same as in the last presidential campaign), it brings the rage-driven aspect into very sharp focus.

[The Mouth]

105. According to many on here

"Do we want to get the message to them that Democrats will actually work to improve their lives or not? "

No, we don't want to. Anyone who voted for Trump is forever tainted, we don't need fascists on our side, and trying to understand or use even a shred of empathy is morally the same as wearing one's MAGA hat at a Klan rally. Anyone who could support a white male is racist, anyway

/sarc

[GitRDun]

110. This post is symbollic of the reason I won't support Bernie in the primaries.

Bernie and his crew just don't seem to get along with other Democrats.

There always seems to be an edge of either negativity or superiority as you read through these posts emanating from either the campaign or its supporter.

We don't need a candidacy who cannot seem to bring folks together.

The general election will be too rough a ride if Democrats aren't feeling unified.

[NastyRiffraff]

118. They are "extremely weird"

As Buttigieg started out by praising some of Sanders' views. But it stops being weird when you remember that everyone must completely agree with everything St. Bernie says or does. And defend him loudly and often from the slightest criticism. His employees are simply following his wishes.

[Hortensis]

135. :) And employees are chosen for their attack-dog abilities.

Thank goodness these behaviors are being exposed this time. A lot of nice people had no idea just what they were supporting/part of last time and have a right to.

[aikoaiko]

120. Does anyone know that Buttigieg actually said?

[LongtimeAZDem]

121. This:

“I think the sense of anger and disaffection that comes from seeing that the numbers are fine, like unemployment’s low, like all that, like you said GDP is growing and yet a lot of neighborhoods and families are living like this recovery never even happened. They’re stuck,” Buttigieg told high school students in in Nashua, N.H.

“It just kind of turns you against the system in general and then you’re more likely to want to vote to blow up the system, which could lead you to somebody like Bernie and it could lead you to somebody like Trump. That’s how we got where we are.”

[aikoaiko]

122. Thanks.

I can see why someone from the Bernie side would fire back to not link Bernie with Trump.

People not sympathetic Bernie's message probably wouldn't see it or even care.

Overall, I don't think Buttigieg's or Ro Khanna's language was weird or extreme.

[floppyboo]

130. Does anyone have the number of registered Dem voters

from the cut off in NY primaries (Sept?15). I seem to remember reading some stats off surges in registration for people wanting to support Sanders.
Were these all fake Dems? Should they all be shat upon now?
edit: even when 80% voted Dem in the general?
I'm thinking it was more of a win than not.
edit 2: and not to mention the record turn out of younger voters in 2018, excited by the direction of the party, as enshrined in policy at the 2016 convention, which may have looked quite different had Sanders dropped out earlier.
You can't deny the excitement and rejuvenation that he has brought to the party.

Some folks were disappointed with the primary outcome. Ya, so? The bigger point is, they are back and fighting - for the Dems.

Last time I checked, SBS isn't running as an independent.

[Cha]

136. Maybe they just wanted

to attack PB?