2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: The DNC establishment is going to escort Bernie to NH SOS on Thursday to get his name on the ballot. [View all]VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)He says so himself
He was, when he arrived in Washington, the only one of the 535 members of Congress who didnt identify as either a Democrat or a Republican.
I am extremely proud to be an independent, he told the Associated Press seven months into his congressional career. The fact that I am not a Democrat gives me the freedom to speak out on the floor of the House, to vote against both the Democratic and Republican proposals.
The flip side at first was this: He screams and hollers, Rep. Joe Moakley (D-Mass.) said to the AP at the time, but he is all alone. Rep. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) called Sanders a homeless waif. Said Rep. Barney Frank, in 91: Bernie alienates his natural allies. His holier-than-thou attitudesaying in a very loud voice he is smarter than everyone else and purer than everyone elsereally undercuts his effectiveness.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/bernie-sanders-2016-democrats-121181#ixzz3qI2ZzHiI