Had it not been for Hillary Clinton, Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders would never have been in the 2016 Democrat primaries.
True that the then 75-year-old Sanders would have been the same old, same old Vermont senator spouting off his crazed Socialist ideas from Senate back benches, but he became Clinton’s straw man in 2016 primaries—to keep anyone with a better chance of winning DNC sanction—leaving the coast clear for a soon-to-be-defeated Hillary Clinton.“Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton formally made peace at a New Hampshire unity event in July 2016 where the two rivals sought to put the acrimonious Democratic primary behind them. (politico.com) “Clinton staffers, however, weren’t party to that agreement. And now that Sanders is embarking on a second run for president, they’re making their true feelings about the Vermont senator known.”
“Both on the record and on background, on Twitter and on cable television, Clinton’s former aides and allies are taking pains to lay out what they see as all of Sanders’s flaws, imperfections and vulnerabilities — much as he once did to their ex-boss during a primary that saw mud flying on both sides. (politico.com) “I would say — and for all I know, the Sanders people might take this as a compliment — among a lot of the major donors in the party, there’s concern that he could emerge,” said David Brock, a longtime Clinton ally who founded a pro-Clinton super PAC in the 2016 campaign and later authored a public apology to Sanders for some of his bare-knuckled criticisms during the primary. “There are some very dyed-in-the-wool Democrats that wouldn’t at all be enthusiastic about supporting him in a general election.” “Brock said Sanders would be hard-pressed to unite the different wings of the Democratic Party, and his ability to raise vast sums of money through small donations could ultimately result in him staying in the race past the point when he can win, which “is not necessarily good for the eventual nominee and therefore could be helpful for” President Trump. ”It’s a familiar grievance, one that many Clinton allies lodged against Sanders in 2016, when he refused to concede even after it appeared he had little mathematical chance of winning the party nomination.”The same could have been said of Hillary Clinton, if the truth mattered any to the DNC.
“The attacks come as Sanders is in the midst of a successful rollout, raising $10 million less than a week into his 2020 candidacy and attracting a combined 25,000-plus people to his first two kickoff rallies. (politico.com) “When Sanders pulled in $1 million in the first three-and-a-half hours of his campaign, Adam Parkhomenko, the former director of grassroots engagement for the 2016 Clinton campaign, tweeted, “Only half were named Vladimir.”Unless you’re conservative, you can post anything you want in a Tweet these days. Ditto for manufactured slime in a debunked Dirty Dossier.
“Sanders, all too aware of the knock from Clinton’s supporters in 2016 that his fans were abusive online, has sought to encourage party unity. He sent an email to more than 100 surrogates last month calling on them to “engage respectfully” with other Democratic contenders in 2020. (politico.com) “As we engage with our opponents in the Democratic primary, we will forcefully present our views and defend ourselves against misrepresentations,” he said. “But, let us do our very best to engage respectfully with our Democratic opponents ― talking about the issues we are fighting for, not about personalities or past grievances. I want to be clear that I condemn bullying and harassment of any kind and in any space.”His advice seems to have left no impression on his protégé Bully Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, now operating from a ‘Moderate’ Dem hit list.
“Still, Sanders doesn’t pretend he and Clinton are pals.” (politico.com)Could that be because he’s so busy trying to drive home the point: “Me and Hill ain’t in the same boat?”
“I don’t know who our nominee is going to be but I am damn sure that beating Trump & getting America back on the right footing is going to require a unified Democratic Party, so crap like this 613 days before Election Day is irresponsible, counter-productive, & sets us all back,” tweeted Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill. (politico.com) “Perhaps the biggest attack launched by ex-Clinton staffers so far came recently in POLITICO, where a number portrayed him in unflattering terms for using private jets while campaigning for Clinton after she won the Democratic nomination.)Does anyone remember complaining about the Senator campaigning via private jet, back in 2016? Anybody? Didn’t think so.
“While Sanders’ team contends the senator kept to a rigorous schedule of 39 rallies in 13 states in the homestretch of the 2016 campaign, the argument isn’t convincing in some pro-Clinton quarters. (politico.com)
“I’m not shocked that while thousands of volunteers braved the heat and cold to knock on doors until their fingers bled in a desperate effort to stop Donald Trump, his Royal Majesty King Bernie Sanders would only deign to leave his plush D.C. office or his brand new second home on the lake if he was flown around on a cushy private jet like a billionaire master of the universe,” Petkanas said.The same could be said of many of the roomful of Democrat presidential hopefuls today.
“In the event that Sanders doesn’t win the Democratic nomination in 2020, he has repeatedly promised to campaign for the person who does. “I look forward to winning the nomination. If I don’t, I will support anybody else who’s out there to defeat [Trump],” he said in an interview on "The Breakfast Club.” “This guy cannot win another term.”Street Theatre backbiters Clinton and Sanders will both put all their surrogates, money and media power behind anyone who takes President Trump on, perhaps even including Michelle Obama and her bound-to-be VP, Barack. An unwitting truth comes from Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell:
“Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a staunch Clinton supporter, expects that by November 2020, any bad blood between Clinton and Sanders forces will be sublimated in the all-out effort to oust Donald Trump from the White House. (politico.com) "I think the desire among Democrats of every stripe, of every ideology, whoever they supported in the past, their desire to defeat Trump is so strong that they'll unify behind whoever the nominee is,” he said.In that regard Bernie Sanders is still Hillary Clinton’s straw man. I rest my case.
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Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience in the print media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.
