END TO END BERNERS: The Official Bernie Sanders 2020 Crew thread

I continue to assume Krystal Ball is a fake name

krystal ball and buck sexton

I find that level of deep, personal butthurtness over a politician's totally predictable and sensible decision to be pathetic.

In a certain sense, I do see that there's a dilemma for *the left* -- if everyone falls in line easily, it feels like giving up leverage. But I'm also skeptical that withholding their precious votes is going to give these people much leverage anyway -- there is no scenario in which the democratic party one day says "Hey, we've gotta stop alienating the Bernie-or-bust crowd, let's tack left for real." That will never fucking happen. A Bernie type candidate will only ever be able to function within the party as an insurgent, unless somehow an insurgency takes over the entire party apparatus.

re: Krystal Ball. I am pretty convinced that "Chad Wolf" is a fake name, and it may lend credence to the theory that we are, in fact, in a simulation.

"Chad Wolf" is not a person. He's the jock in an 80s movie who stuffs a nerd in a locker. Of course he will go on to be a frat bro, a Young Republican, then a major GOP donor; that's to be expected if you're of Tribe Chad.

But it's a little to glibly obvious; a bit too Central Casting. Surely this is not a real thing.

And yet.

https://www.npr.org/2019/11/01/775273534/white-house-to-name-chad-wolf-as-acting-homeland-security-secretary

The dilemma isn't really one - Bernie's time is over. He is no longer the head of a national movement in any meaningful way - he's not going to run in 2024, he doesn't have a successor on the national stage to pass the baton of 1950s European social democracy. How Bernie chooses to play politics should, at this point, be irrelevant to people who supported him or voted for him in 2016 and 2020 going forward (unless they're... from Vermont I guess? though he shouldn't run again there either).

Bernie only has the power where Biden has to pretend to involve him because Bernie voters aren't beholden to what he tells them to do - all the "vote for Joe, he's a good man" in the world aren't going to convince a significant portion of Sanders voters without selling a real conviction on Biden's part in some of the policy goals Sanders represented.

'The left' is in the same position either way - letting centrists prove they're content to lose forever, or just helping elect them forever - so it doesn't make sense to give up that potential leverage.

I don't think Bernie is the point -- there could be a "bernie-type candidate" that emerges in four years. AOC could eventually run for president. Whatever. The question is whether a there would be anything for a left block of voters to gain by simply refusing to vote for mainline democratic candidates like Biden. I think there probably isn't, because I think the forces in the Democratic party that prevent the party from every truly catering to the left are much stronger than any concern about losing that small block of voters will ever be. I think a lot of people will choose not to anyway but it will be for reasons that stem more from fantasy or individualism than any collective strategy.

I think there probably isn't, because I think the forces in the Democratic party that prevent the party from every truly catering to the left are much stronger than any concern about losing that small block of voters will ever be.

The leftward transformation of Virginia since President Trump was elected crescendoed over the weekend, with the governor signing into law protections for L.G.B.T. residents, gun background checks, no jail time for simple marijuana possession and early voting.

The flurry of new measures enacted by Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a Democrat, came five months after members of his party took control of the Legislature back from Republicans for the first time in more than 20 years. Mr. Northam had been facing a deadline of midnight Saturday for signing bills into law.

In Virginia, Democrats have developed a political advantage in the heavily populated northern suburbs of Washington, where Hispanic and Asian voters make up a growing part of the electorate, as well as in places with a significant African-American population like Norfolk.

Democrats have used that upper hand to remake a state that was once the seat of the Confederacy and known as a conservative bastion, one that the political scientist V.O. Key Jr. described as “political museum piece.” He wrote that, by comparison to Virginia, Mississippi was “a hotbed of democracy.”

With the governor who wore blackface in his youth

Sorry -- I italicized the first graf.

Bernie's the person telling everyone to fall in line (as everyone who voted for him should have expected).

What is there to gain for a left block to vote for centrists over and over, as it has been told to do for the last forty years? If you're a guaranteed vote, they don't have to give half a shit about you.

The reason Biden is bothering to do livestreams with Bernie and making an attempt to mouth some good words is the knowledge that he got his ass handed to him by everyone not within spitting range of Social Security and that those people may not vote or may not vote for him. The power of their votes is the only reason the centrists have to make even a token show of incorporating their beliefs.

Centrist Democrats would love it if they could build a coalition entirely around middle and upper-middle class suburbanites - whether that's possible remains to be seen.

"Socially liberal and economically moderate" isn't exactly breaking new ground in Democratic politics and, uh, we were like two states away from Republicans being able to call a new Constitutional Convention.

Here's a winning strategy! Let's form all the currently progressive minded adults into two separate antagonistic blocs, one made up of non-voting hard leftists and the other made up of whatever weakened rump of moderates and liberals remain after the leftists break off.

That way the moderates and liberals will be unable to effect any kind of opposition to conservative Republicans at the national level and in the great majority of the 50 states. This may even weaken the opposition sufficiently to allow the Republicans to pass any hare-brained constitutional amendments they want. Things might even get so bad that moderates and liberals begin to regret how weak they've become since the hard left stopped voting.

The win? Ample flowing of lib tears! Boom-chaka-laka! The hard left triumphs.

As long as nobody ever brings up RUSSIA RUSSIA again amirite

Let's form all the currently progressive minded adults into two separate antagonistic blocs, one made up of non-voting hard leftists and the other made up of whatever weakened rump of moderates and liberals remain after the leftists break off.

Who said non-voting? You ran with this schtick a couple of days ago - no one has said a word about anyone 'not voting.' The idea is that this left block's votes should be for sale. Biden seems to think they are

If the 'weakened rump of moderates and liberals' in your hypothetical was, in fact, content to lose forever because the thought of moving left was such anathema... that seems like they're more comfortable with the fascists than the socialists. Strange you'd blame the left.

Biden eating shit in November wouldn't stop the cries of RUSSIA RUSSIA and we all know it. "VLAD POISONED HIM AND MADE HIM SENILE"

One would think you’d be quicker to detect when you’re being trolled

The left block's votes should be for sale and Biden should be able to buy them with policy that the left wants this is how politics works.

I agree and it's really just a Catch 22 applied to anyone to the left of John Kerry.

If the desire is framed as a need for Democrats to be better of their own volition, leftists are silly children for not recognizing the ways of the world and the fait accompli of moderation, here's three tweets from Matt Yglesias about why better things aren't possible.

If the desire is framed as a calculation that the left is needed for Democrats to win and should be encouraged to shrug off the emotional abuse of their singular culpability for the losses of Democrats now and in the future, leftists are silly brats for not accepting the fait accompli of moderation so they can be inside the room to complain when Biden's entitlement reform grand bargain is hammered out with Mitch McConnell. Biden bargained him down so that hedge fund CEOs are only allowed to harvest the skin of one person on Medicaid every quarter instead of two - how can you be mad at that?!

Old dog tomboto learning new tricks here is another shitty tweet:

wisconsin, which just held an in person election, has the same population size, density, and demographics as minnesota. practically identical.

they also have twice as many confirmed COVID cases and deaths.

wonder what that's about.

— isi breen (its pronounced ‘izzy’) (@isaiah_kb) April 15, 2020

Well shit, Uncle Joe said the magic words. Clearly he has embraced progressive policy after decades of opposition, the Overton Window is permanently shifted hallelujah hallelujah

lmao pic.twitter.com/Alh5hxqtmB

— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) April 13, 2020

I guess "the left" can only be "a block of votes for sale" through organization is the thing. DSA sort of does this, but they spread their endorsements and resources judiciously in a way that I think totally makes sense for an organization of their relatively limited size and reach. I think what I am objecting to is more the sort of atomized, individualized sense of "Oh my personal disgust at Biden! The Democratic party will never get MY vote!" as though the Democratic Party is going to count up people on twitter who say that and give a shit. What I guess could be more effective is, e.g., the Bernie campaign organization agreeing to actually put manpower behind Biden in exchange for concessions, which may already be happening.

i think it is happening

I'm sure they're thrilled

No one can have a reaction but 'they'll never get MY vote,' that's the only one you get to cast.

(Unless you're in Chicago.)

And, as above, Bernie can do whatever he wants but he (literally) can't guarantee all of those individual votes for Biden. He can push Biden to make the policy concessions that will bring all of those individual votes and voters into the fold.

Khsama Sawant('s byline(?)) on the end: https://www.socialistalternative.org/2020/04/09/sanders-suspends-campaign-working-people-need-our-own-party/

SERIES PITCH: Well-meaning social democrat befriends a pro-segregationist accused of sexual assault, sharing the wackiest townhouse in DC. The thing writes itself. pic.twitter.com/a6eAwsnvyI

— Dennis Perrin (@DennisThePerrin) April 16, 2020

well, Perrin does to no audience.

lolol

Bernie Sanders, the liberal figure best positioned to push for concessions from Biden, so far has declined to support Elizabeth Warren as VP despite their ideological alliance, according to three people familiar with his conversations with Biden. https://t.co/fezwkouZgz

— Matt Viser (@mviser) May 5, 2020

don’t Biden and Warren hate each other?

I looove Beltway stories!

Hard to say if Bernie has enough leverage to strongly influence Biden's veep choice. I'd doubt he has much pull there. Policy concessions can be set aside after an election, but a veep is forever. plus, most prez nominees like to think their veep choices are a big factor in a winning election strategy, so Bernie could only 'win' by agreeing with Biden's personal choice.

Joe calls Michelle once a week to ask her to be VP forgetting she turned him down the first three times and now she just lets it go to voicemail.

https://i.imgur.com/XIm1PMC.png

NPG and the red hot chili peppers

we wanna change the world, the only thing that's in our way is anthony kiedes

😭😭😭

The richest 400 Americans sit on $3 trillion—the size of the entire UK economy.

The billionaire class now pays a lower tax rate than people living paycheck to paycheck.

The looting of America has been going on for over 40 years—and the culprits are the ultra-rich.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 1, 2020

and I oooop

Can we all just admit this: The transformational changes that covid, the economic crisis, police brutality and racial turbulence will force are precisely some of the things Bernie Sanders was talking about but may have sounded too extreme to some just months ago.

— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) June 8, 2020

The first response is from a Warren cultist, who have become the most predictable people on Earth.

this is the first response I saw:

I don’t recall Bernie discussing police brutality as systemic in the black community. In fact, he had racial blind spots and wanted to pivot to economic vs race...and oh btw, Seth Rogan. So, I don’t see it.

— zzmama1 (@ZZMAMA1) June 8, 2020

(shh, don't tell him, it's funnier)

Idg the Rogen dig

I don't think there's any question Bernie would not have done the "shoot em in the leg" bit but police violence wasn't in the forefront of the zeitgeist like it is now.

This was the idiot in the lead before, instead of that idiot.

No. Bernie never discussed race as a specific issue. Bernie's entire philosophy is about economic class issues. That was his fix for everything. Warren was better at incorporating both issues.

— Anita Paul (@apawlh) June 8, 2020

the commenter had the wrong rogen/rogan

Criminal justice reform was a big part of his platform. Police brutality itself was touched on in the "racial justice" section of his platform (which def existed and is still viewable: https://berniesanders.com/issues/racial-justice/) but in v broad terms. He also talked about it with Cardi B here, ha, mostly coming down to: police depts should look like the communities they serve, Dept of Justice should investigate police killings, scale back militarization of police
https://youtu.be/p1ubTsrZFBU?t=84

xp yes, I think everyone noticed

Not as much to do with Bernie as the protests, but I'll put this here:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/jamaal-bowman-blm-booker-protests/613432/

Really good to see.

The numbers are coming in.

What’s going on in Kentucky, you ask???

Something big.#ShockTheWorld pic.twitter.com/RD7kVaXzgQ

— Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) June 25, 2020

Bill Clinton explicitly thanks James Clyburn "for ending, with a stroke of his hand," the Sanders campaign.pic.twitter.com/6lxMoeN0pH

— Thomas Neuburger's errant politics (@Gaius_Publius) July 31, 2020

primary = "intra-family fight"

fuck this guy and the pedo-shuttle he flew in on

God bless our democracy

Clyburn's endorsement of Biden earned him some very big chits he can redeem later on. I hope he calls them in wisely in the service of obtaining real benefits for his constituency and beyond.