Lets play a game here: If Bernie racks up the miles

campaigning for Hillary all the way thru Halloween, whats the possibility of quid pro quo?

What does Bernie get in return? Whats fitting for a man who now has a national constituency and is no longer just a Senator from a small state...?

Keep in mind that Bernie is the ranking minority member of the Senate budget committee, so if the Dems win the Senate back the next budget will go thru Bernie. I would love to see Bernie as the most powerful person in the Senate, but I think by the rules Bernie would have to be a registered Dem to be the Senate Majority Leader. I truly think that at the end of the day Bernie's endorsement of Hillary doesn't mean much, and by campaigning for Hillary and racking up the frequent Flyer miles thru Halloween, Bernie gets something, after all Hillary got the SOS slot from Obama.

So the rules of this game are that you have to provide a scenario that plays out thru the next congress, at a minimum all the way thru January 2017. How much does Bernie do for Hillary, and how much does Bernie get in return. You will be disqualified if your scenario falls short of February 1st 2017.

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Pricknick's picture

Just my honest opinion because I don't trust a liar.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

lunachickie's picture

If nothing else, with Bernie as Majority Leader--and yeah, I'll bet he'd formally become a Dem for that, if he wanted the job--you would see movement on a lot of things. Mind you, it wouldn't necessarily be complete movement of anything, but you can bet more actual lawmaking would get done than we've seen in....well, eight years. Sanders is a master at brokering deals--it was he who broke the logjam on Veterans benefits recently--so we'd see before too long if Madame Grifter is really as "progressive" as she's promising, now that she wants Bernie's voters. Interesting to consider!

PS, she can do all of this without my help, I will still absolutely not vote for her. #NonNegotiable (just sayin', there, for the record and all)

PPS can we ignore the real obvious here? Please and thank you Smile

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WindDancer13's picture

when his state does not have party registration.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

lunachickie's picture

I would see a reference every so often to the effect of "Sanders joined The Party" during the primaries, and I never did actually *see* where he did that, and believe it hasn't actually happened, despite its persistence as a talking point.

So if it hasn't, what do you suppose was the purpose for such a zombie lie? I've thought about that a few times, and I'm just not finding an upside to it.

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WindDancer13's picture

an (I) after his name. One of the HRC horde talking points was "He is not really a Democrat" (pushed by herself, of course) because he does not have the almighty (D) label. The lie may have been to distance Independents from him..."see, he is really not of of you." It is one of those eat your cake and have it too things that the HRC campaign did to make our heads spin.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Lady Libertine's picture

I saw some interview video sometime in the past few weeks, no idea who/where. Bernie was asked something relating to that and he answered that he is running in this primary as a Dem, in the D Party but that he was elected in Vermont to Senator as an (I) so therefore he is still {governing?} acting as Senator as an (I) in effect, because Vermonters elected him as such. My paraphrase but it made a lot of sense to me, enough so that I remembered it!

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This is something I have thought of recently. Many people are talking about leaving the Democratic Party, but they are not really party members. When you register to vote in some states, you are asked to list a party, that is stating how one intends to vote in elections. In Britain, people can be party members, they pay yearly dues to the party, and they take part in their elections. The government has no involvement in party elections.

How one votes is a private matter, the state should not be asking anyone how they intend to vote--there should be no party affiliation on your voter registration. This is something the American voters have allowed the politicians to get away with, when is someone going to challenge this in the courts?

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It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back. Carl Sagan

Roger Fox's picture

rack up the miles for Hillary, it means he got next to nothing from her.

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FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

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The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

So no, Bernie won't get minority or majority leader. He'll be lucky to get a firm handshake.

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lunachickie's picture

I keep hearing that discussion go back and forth (he is/he's not). Would Sanders not be second, then?

Agreed that if he doesn't, he wouldn't even get a firm handshake. But I don't think the "endorsement" is really helping her much, so they might need him for more.

Is fascinating to think about--it's also a good way to look at a potential "long game" for all participants. YMMV, of course....

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Bollox Ref's picture

at the entrance to the WH?

He's not going to get anything useful. Frankly, if I was 74, the idea of crossing the country 'supporting' HRC would be a thing of nightmares. I'd sooner retire and endorse Jill Stein.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

No way in hell. It's Schumer.

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The way that the Tammany Hall Democrats are eating their own these days is reminding everyone why they are natural minoritarians.

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WindDancer13's picture

to lead Health, Education and Welfare.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Roger Fox's picture

Well he was Chair of the VA 2013-2015.

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FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.

lunachickie's picture

recently as well, about Schumer making note of his desire to be offered a post (something along those lines)...

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WindDancer13's picture

but I do not think I bookmarked it and cannot remember who the interviewer was. I just remember that it was recent, and I made a mental note of his reply.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

And she will give nothing in return, especially if she's taken everything there is to take.

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Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.

vtcc73's picture

Back up answer is the square root of fuck all.

Another question that has me befuddled: If a frog had wings would he still bump his ass when he hops?

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"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."

WaterLily's picture

Thanks for the much-needed giggle-snort.

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Bernie and his voters will get blamed. It could happen. If only she could lose the general election to Jill Stein!

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"We've done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

TheJerry's picture

Everyone who has done sales for any length of time knows that:

"If you are selling a bad product, you cannot blame the customers if they refuse to buy it. You blame the product."

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____________________________________________________________________________
"I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it. "
-Niccolo Machiavelli

"Sorry Hillary"
-TheJerry

WindDancer13's picture

There is a good possibility that neither one wins and the president is chosen by Congress. The Republicans would have to choose very, very carefully. Meanwhile, we will be too busy to care. = )

While Stein would be nice, the voting machines won't allow it.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

lunachickie's picture

we can be in a good position to call out those voting machines that are FIXED, once and for all.

I'm sick of this shit. I had a good long think about this, because at one point, I was convinced that since the machines were rigged, I had to vote for Trump because I decided that GOP votes had a better chance of counting than any "other" party's votes (besides D, of course). But that was before he put Mike Pence on his ticket. That can't stand, if Trump wins and quits (or steps down, or is driven out, or what-have-you), then Pence becomes POTUS. That sure as hell can't happen.

We have to vote not Blue, not Red, but GREEN. We have got to quit giving in to their malfeasance. Every time you do that, THEY CONTINUE TO WIN. They're not going to stop on their own, that's for damned sure. We have to put forth the effort, and if enough of us do, they'll have a way harder time fixing it and actually getting away with it.

GREEN. NOW!

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WindDancer13's picture

resigned a year before Nixon.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

If she loses big in multiple states that she should have won, there's no way that they can blame it on the disgruntled left. The "Nader" argument only works because the margin in Florida was so close. I would rather see a massive Trump win, if things must go that way, instead of a narrow victory.

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Wink's picture

he would bother to rack any miles for Her Highness. He doesn't need her or them. As you pointed out he has a national following. I would flip her off with a big "Fuck You, see you in four years for the rematch. You won't be able to rig enough votes... "

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

divineorder's picture

and only then, will we be able to begin to ascertain anything factual about his following imo.

Surely the youngs have moved on after he endorsed?

Will he slide back return to his former status as a respected progressive Pol from a small state?

How strong will support for Jane's and his new organization be?

Any polls since the endorsement?

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

My personal feelings are BFD, not another do nothing for the veal pen. MoveOn moved on to Hillary so fast they made everyone's head spin. PP sold out their endorsement. The unions, pfft, supported another Trade Hawk. I have as much use for the professional left as I do the Democratic Party. They are one and the same.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Wink's picture

Torches? Pitch forks? I believe Bernie fucked up by "endorsing" Her Highness so soon - should have held out until after the convention corronation - and I'm not happy that it's been left to me to save the world, but there it is. if not us, who? Most 'mericans have no idea how dire straits have become. Hell, most of my fellow slave wagers believe el Rushbo and the Repubs and Austerity and Trickle Down and Calgary Cruz and The Donald are the way (and the light) out of their plight for christsakes. "Wink, you need to trust the Repubs. Do you want Them (people of color) running this place?" Jesus H. Christ. They Should be making slave wages. Yes, it's sad, but we're it. As Garcia once said, "I can't believe they left it up to us... " Me neither, but if not us who?

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

I'm pretty sure that this is how negotiations went:

Look at where we're at. She gave Bernie practically nothing. He couldn't get anti-TPP language into the worthless platform. He isn't even the main speaker on day one. The coalition is fracturing and starting to move on. If nothing happens at the convention, whatever Bernie wants will be largely irrelevant. Voters have started to make up their own minds already unless something changes the equation.

Like everyone else said, even if Hillary made promises behind closed doors, her word is worth zilch. You cannot trust a pathological liar to fulfill their end of a bargain, especially when the details are being kept private.

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Wink's picture

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the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

Thaumlord-Exelbirth's picture

Probably food that isn't laced with a difficult to trace toxin that causes a heart attack. And that's about it. Just trying to think like a Clinton would.

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Job 1 of the "new" Senate will be to attempt to strip Bernie of all of his committee assignments, then continue kicking the Progressive Caucus in a thousand different petty ways.

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lunachickie's picture

continue kicking the Progressive Caucus in a thousand different petty ways.

Frankly, their way of working and their threats are pathetic, whether they end up being effective or not. FWIW, I would like to see them try to strip Sanders of committee assignments, too. I'll bet they can't keep it secret when they do, and then they'll just piss off a whole bunch more people in time for the mid-terms.

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