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2016 Postmortem
Showing Original Post only (View all)It's Panic Mode for the Democratic Establishment - NBCNews [View all]
First Read: It's Panic Mode for the Democratic Establishmentby Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann - NBCNews
Jan 20 2016, 9:24 am ET
<snip>
It's Panic Time for the Democratic establishment
No, Bernie Sanders likely isn't ahead in New Hampshire by 27 points, as yesterday's CNN/WMUR poll showed (the other polling just doesn't back that up). But 12 days before the Iowa caucuses and 20 days before the New Hampshire primary, there's something happenin' out there. And now he's viewed as enough of a legitimate threat that the Democratic establishment and the liberal wonks are piling on him as if he were the frontrunner. It started Monday after the debate, when liberal writers like Paul Krugman, Jonathan Chait, and Ezra Klein either blasted Sanders' single-payer plan or argued he'd make a poor president in these politically polarized times. Then yesterday, author Ta-Nehisi Coates criticized Sanders for proposing utopian prescriptions on economic matters (single-payer on health care, breaking up the big banks) but not on race (reparations for slavery). And last night for the attempted coup de grace, Democratic politicians ran to the New York Times to tell the paper that Sanders would damage the party at the top of the ticket because he's a democratic socialist. Some of the juiciest quotes:
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon: "Here in the heartland, we like our politicians in the mainstream, and he is not he's a socialist."
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN): "It wouldn't be helpful [on downballot races] outside Vermont, Massachusetts, Berkeley, Palo Alto and Ann Arbor."
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO): "The Republicans won't touch him because they can't wait to run an ad with a hammer and sickle."
(And then don't miss David Brock on Bloomberg last night, labeling Sanders a "socialist He's got a 30 year history of affiliation with a lot of whack-doodle ideas and parties. Think about what the Republicans will do with the fact that he's a socialist in the fall."

As the political-science crowd might say, this is "The Party Decides." Of course, it hasn't worked -- at all -- on the Republican side against Trump. So, did Team Clinton ever think it would have to come to this -- trying to destroy Bernie less than two weeks before Iowa?
<snip>
Link: http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read-it-s-panic-mode-democratic-establishment-n500291

19 replies
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They should proceed at their own peril. I for one would not take that lying down.
onecaliberal
Jan 2016
#1
Ezra astonished me yesterday when he said 'Democrat party and the Republicans'. Astonishing
roguevalley
Jan 2016
#8
The Dem Establishment Liked Bernie When As An Independent He Voted With The Dems....
global1
Jan 2016
#4
Almost every single Hillary poster here now were UUUUUGE fans of Bernie when...
ChisolmTrailDem
Jan 2016
#17
Just turned on MSNBC and Andrea was talking about the Claire McCaskill quote.
MoonchildCA
Jan 2016
#6
Clinton's reversal on Single Payer broke the camel's back. A level of hypocrisy unrivaled! nt
TheBlackAdder
Jan 2016
#7