How Bernie Sanders Betrayed Progressives a Second Time!

This is a continuing sad tale.

The great Progressive hero Bernie Sanders, who likely and rightfully won the Democratic Nomination -- if all the Election suppression, coin-flips, poll closings, E-Vote cheating, and other visible gimmicks had been properly prevented (as they should've been), now has backed his truck up again, and turned his tail on Progressives yet one more time.

Right in the middle of a heated Primary battle for Florida's critical Congressional seat between the Wiki-Leaks proven crook and queen of DNC election corruption Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and the genuine progressive "no-PAC money" candidate Tim Canova ---- Sanders rejected Canova's requests for help and completely walked away from making any campaign appearances, or showing any public display of support for him.

Instead of Sanders using his great popularity, and huge base of voter support to excite and galvanize large voter interest, funding, and voter turnout for a genuine and true Progressive like Tim Canova ... and (just as importantly) against one of the most slimy, sleazy, crooked, corrupt dark forces of the DNC, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to ever come along..... Sanders instead decided he'd just sit the whole contest out ..... right when it counted. No appearances, no fundraising, no promotion, no help at all.

And to be clear, Sanders did not come down with some mysteriously health issue, or suffer from fatigue. After letting this DNC bitch from hell off the hook and prevail in the Florida race with zero help or support given to Canova, guess who he happily decided he would devote his time to, and actively campaigning with? That's right --- the Neocon Perpetual War Statist favorite, Wall-Street's backdoor gal, and the manifestation of all political corruption: Hillary Clinton.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2WnnEpt5I4 width:700 height:500]
Actions always speak louder than words .... don't they?
----

Sanders is doing his best to make the whole progressive movement now look totally weak and futile, and drive the whole progressive movement away. It almost makes you wonder whether he was just acting out some role the whole time (on behalf of CIA Research?) - with no commitment to his own words.

It's one thing to stubbornly cling to the myth that some non-binding, Democratic Platform paper which: a) no Democratic President ever paid any attention to ever before, and b) fails to even reject the TPP or support Medicare-For-All, is some sort of great step forward and "major victory" -- and by extension --- worth his endorsement of dedicated Corporatist Hillary Clinton (who I'm sure is laughing at him behind his back), and worth his rejection of the real Progressive movement alternative Dr.Jill Stein / Green Party.

But his rejection of Tim Canova in his hour of need (and his silent acceptance of the DNC Election thief: DWS) makes a total mockery of his "we need a political revolution", "establishment politics aren't good enough" talk -- and he has reduced himself now into just one more embarrassing puppet of a man who runs for cover right into the waiting arms of the crooked Establishment -- the same Establishment who stole the Nomination from him, along with the money invested of all those true progressives who donated to his Campaign.

In the last few months, Bernie Sanders has transformed himself into a man who may still talk the talk, but who clearly and decidedly will NOT walk the walk anymore.

If the 13 Million Bernie Sanders voters out there are smart, they will abandon any further loyalty to him and shift their investment and time and energy into building a Parallel Political Party .. and support Jill Stein / Green Party now and forever.

Sanders has proven that he simply no longer speaks for Progressives any more........
You cannot support both DWS and HRC after what they've done -- and then have any remote credibility left.

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MsGrin's picture

He stood up for us against more odds than we have any idea and he's the one frickin' person who really put his neck on the line for us - and if we think he did anything LESS than that, we are mistaken.

We don't know what was done to him, we do know it was SOMETHING. The longer this crap goes on, the more likely I think it is that the lives of those he cares about were threatened.

I am very disappointed about the Canova loss, but I do not know what happened. I am not alone in feeling confident that Bernie was told that if he did not do as he was told, he would be neutered in the Senate and stripped of any committee memberships he cared about.

There's a reason we are told to walk in someone else's shoes before we judge them.

We are ALL disappointed. More than disappointed. Our country is spontaneously combusting. Unless Clinton is knocked out of the race before the end of September and Bernie replaces her, we're going to have enormous messes to clean up in the coming years. TPTB throw around a LOT of weight.

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'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member

I don't doubt that Sanders may have been threatened in some way. But one of the reason why intimidation tactics work in the first place is because people do not immediately speak up about it, and expose the threat, and protest those actions (and seek protection if necessary).

In any case, simply helping out Tim Canova's campaign, I doubt rose to the level where that act alone would have put Sanders at any great risk. As you point out, he took far greater and more bolder and more solitary risks all throughout the year of 2015 and into the first half of 2016. So this was small potatoes compared to what he had already done previously.

And at the end of the day, you do have to still stand for something (otherwise you'll stand for anything!!).

A "progressive" cannot support both DWS and HRC after what they've done -- and then have any remote credibility left.
That is a bridge too far.

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faithsoasis's picture

Thank You MsGrin~
Brilliantly stated.
Bernie has been a template for light and virtue for a lifetime, in a sea of graft, corruption and selfishness.

He didn't turn into someone without ethics; over night; just to offer people a way to vent their pent up angst and disappointment at the unfairness of the 0ppressive PTB that we must Now face.

A dead hero . . . in a "weigh lifting accident" Serves no one.

#SoProudOfBernie

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Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” ~Benjamin Franklin

Roger Fox's picture

Yes. Thanks.

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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.

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

If he was threatened, and if he changed his whole endeavor due to it, then he will serve no useful purpose in public life. He spoke truth to power until he started speaking for power.
He will have shown the bullies he can, indeed, be bullied.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Unabashed Liberal's picture

as in threats of physical harm. I can imagine that the typical 'managing' of lawmakers (in this case, Bernie) may have been done by the Dem Party Leadership--i.e., withholding or reassigning committee chairmanships or seniority, refusing to fundraise or campaign for errant lawmakers, the threat of running a primary opponent against them, etc.

Bernie didn't just parachute into D.C. After 25 years, it is hard for me to believe that he didn't know the accepted parameters (that he had to negotiate), in order to avoid the wrath of his Leadership.

(Sorry--this portion of my reply should have been directed to MsGrin.)

Very valid points, OTC.

[Edited: To add 'as in threats of bodily harm,' and rephrase rest of sentence, appropriately.]

Mollie


“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit, and, therefore, to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)

National Mill Dog Rescue (NMDR) - Dogs Available For Adoption

Update: Misty May has been adopted. Yeah!

Misty May - NMDR

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faithsoasis's picture

Bernie recieved death threats~

Whether you buy in or not.

http://www.usasupreme.com/bernie-sanders-received-death-threats-philadel...

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Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” ~Benjamin Franklin

Roger Fox's picture

put Bernie in a very novel legal position, he was probably advised he should not campaign for Canova.

But thats just not as sexy as Bernie Betrayed us. So please continue with the theater.

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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.

elenacarlena's picture

candidates, and Tim Canova is on their list, https://ourrevolution.com/candidates

It's a 501(c)(4), contributions are not tax deductible. Are you thinking of a 501(c)(3), like the Clinton Foundation?

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Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.

snoopydawg's picture

If Bernie had campaigned for Canava would he had won?
Bernie always said that it wasn't about him but us, right?
I'm sure that enough people knew that DWS and the DNC stole the election from Bernie and us, so my question is why did so many people vote for her knowing how corrupt she is instead of voting for Canava?
Or is there another possibility that the DNC and DWS stole this election too?
I acknowledge that Bernie took a big risk for talking about and exposing how corrupt Hillary and the democrats are and that he possibly put his cabinet posts on the line.
I wouldn't be surprised if he was threatened in some way, but if it was only his position in congress I would have liked to see him run as an Independent and if he lost then why not retire?
But if his grandkids were the ones threatened then I understand why he is doing what he is doing.
Bottom line though is for some reason, Canava didn't get enough votes.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Roger Fox's picture

he wasn't even close.

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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.

I certainly remember an email from Tim saying he was only 8 points behind, and here's the poll.

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/217961-tim-canova-camp-cites-new-pol...

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...by attacking Bernie Sanders.

The Greens poll numbers have barely budged since July.One might think that in the wake of the most successful left wing campaign in recent memory large numbers of people would gravitate naturally to the Green party.But they haven't.Why is that?

Could it be that your message and history is not resonating with working class voters?

I would love to see a strong Green Party on the left but that will not be accomplished by piggy-backing on the success of the Sanders campaign or by tearing down Bernie Sanders.The Green Party is viewed with distrust even animosity by many working class voters.Something needs to be done to address that situation.

I wish I knew what that something was.I have been arguing in support of the green cause since before there was a Green Party,with limited success.People don't feel that Greens care about them or their jobs.It's may not be fair or accurate but it's how they feel.

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Solidarity

So why shouldn't a strong Green Party, which is all part of the same Progressive policy agenda, be piggy-backed off the success of the historic Sanders progressive campaign -- when all the same values, the same policy goals, and same critique of the Establishment here is at stake??? That was the logical development .... had Bernie Sanders not articulated a totally contradictory message -- for people to embrace one of the most crooked, bloodthirsty Establishment puppet-candidates in modern political history, and now apparently even her sleazy, corrupt inner-circle members (DWS) as well.

You may not like hearing that, but it is just the truth. I didn't lead a whole movement of 13 Million voters -- Bernie Sanders did that. So I have no "message" that pertains to any Green Party history... past or present.

But the simple fact is the Progressive movement, like any political movement, benefits from having charismatic leaders and frontmen -- which has been badly, badly missing. Sanders filled that rare role.

So obviously, it would've greatly helped, inspired, mobilized, and energized progressives into supporting and building this badly needed parallel political movement and counter-weight to the corrupt Establishment (D-Party) -- if the wildly popular Bernie Sanders, and hero of 2015, had continued to campaign for that anti-Establishment goal, and for that initiative. It would've also forced the News Media to cover Jill Stein a whole lot more -- with a big name like Sanders throwing his weight behind it, and spotlighting it.

I supported Bernie Sanders with my sweat and tears right up until mid-July. But now his recent abandonment of Tom Canova as well really can't be ignored here. For Sanders to have given his support now (implicitly) to the evil team of both Debbie W. Schultz, and to Hillary Clinton is something that is just fundamentally in conflict with his own "its too late for Establishment politics" message, and in conflict with any genuine progressive movement. Corporatists/Warmongers DWS and HRC have made their careers by snuffing out progressive policy (as well as your votes). You can't try and sugar coat that.

The contradiction is obvious for all to see. Pointing that out isn't what is either helping or hurting the Green Party. It is just a sad fact. Bernie Sanders possessed the massive Impact that could have been a truly transformative event, and really helped build this movement. It is his decision not to use his impact, and the lack of help, that hinders having any larger counter-weight to the crooked Establishment.

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let's get that right.

Like many people on the left I had a dream that Bernie would take the podium at the convention,give a barn-burning,blistering speech that called out the Democratic establishment,drop the mic , lead his delegates in a mass walkout,and announce an independent or third party campaign.But it was just a dream,and I knew it,because Bernie said explicitly and on multiple occasions that he would not go that route.Was I disappointed? Hell yes.We gave nearly 15% of our after tax income to the Sanders campaign.That money didn't come easy.

We all have to hear things we don't like.I don't take it personally as I hope you don't take my comments personally,but the fact is that as far as the Green Party is concerned the Sanders ship has sailed and it's not coming back.You don' like it,I don' like it.It's just the way it is.

I don't necessarily disagree with everything you've said but the fact remains that while Sanders numbers appear to be climbing the Green Party is struggling,after 20 years as a party, to reach 5%. It would seem obvious that the message does matter.This problem needs to be addressed in a serious way within the party.

I'm willing to support any organization that fights for the working class.It takes more than one finger to make a fist.

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Solidarity

Lenzabi's picture

In all honesty, it would not surprise me that the Lame-stream Media are sitting on better polling numbers for Jill Stein (who invited Bernie to join her) when it was obvious that vote rigging and other shenanigans were taking place, Thus negating any agreements with the DNC NOT to join a 3rd party arose.

Whatever the DNC did to Bernie, that he is using the same lame fear monger tactics to get Bernie supporters to support Her Heinous, (Sorry but she is a heinously corrupt person), using just the idea of Trump as President to scare folks makes him a sheepdog for the party, trying to herd us towards her final coronation. Also that the MSM is NOT pointing out that the Clintons and Trumps are in fact buddies? All of this smacks of set up and stage handling. This whole crap fest is a scripted fake show of "Democracy" and the world doesn't even take it seriously as foreigners see what bull we are witnessing and wonder why we do not simply make it easier to have multiple parties and do away with tour "All or nothing" approach that support the duopoly?

Oh right, because we have to then see we have 2 fake parties now and the Plutarchs pick our leaders more than we do.

Welcome to the Corporate States of Oligarchia people! Home of the paranoid and land of the afraid!

All elections are the property of the corporate plutarchy and licensed, any other product is not licensed and therefore void.

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So long, and thanks for all the fish

I think many of us, at some level, want a savior. Very few here at 99 want HRC as President, even fewer want DWS in any elected office. It is incredibly painful for me, to watch Hillary and her bff march back into office after so clearly outing themselves as self serving unethical assholes.

But it seems to me, many are chastising Bernie for being the person he promised he was all along. Bernie promised to work as a Democrat in this election. He promised to fight within the structure of the party and elevate progressive issues for discussion and hopefully implementation. Bernie promised to be, or work for, the primary winner to defeat Trump. He promised to devise a strategy to keep progressive issues alive and create a path for people to work on advancing this agenda.

I would encourage anyone that wants to criticize his Bernie's actions to reflect on what he has said and promised. We can argue about whether Trump or Clinton would make a better President. Personally, I think we're fucked either way. But there really is no argument about why Bernie is campaigning for HRC or what actions he will take now that he has been declared the loser of the primary. He spelled it out a long time ago...he does what he says he will do. That was all part of his remarkably strong appeal -remember ?

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Lenzabi's picture

I'm sorry, I am like Bernie in many respects, BUT all of my promises get null and void if A) I get back stabbed by those I am working within to help work things out with, and B) If I discover that those I made such a promise to cheat, lie, steal and act in an irresponsible and criminal manner. Once he even got a whiff of that during the primaries, that would have been the justifiable course of action to take. He kept rolling and was making strides and winning in a manner that must have scared the Established Elitists in the Democratic, Demonrat-like Party.

Then he had that secret meet with Obama and suddenly less fire, less word and less about his other promise to go for a contested Convention. Then he shows with a bruise on his face and says he is telling them to go Clinton? and now he supports a person who and maybe w/o knowing, maybe less likely I think she was made aware as it was "Her time" to get the nomination and he nearly ruined it. Now a pretty much about face and yes he said he would support the winner, but he handed her that win out of the blue instead of a "contested convention" thus breaking one of his promises.

And that he is so strident in his support behind her after what DWS/DNC pulled is unconscionable to me. He got pushed, and I believe he caved, rather than exposing to the light of day thuggery in the party he was going to work in side of rather than flee to the Greens and help Jill and say "You Lied and cheated and did criminal things,, you should be ashamed, and you made my promises no longer valid to keep by doing so!"

I was raised by a man who also grew up in Brooklyn, a man who instilled an integrity and honesty that tells me that something is rotten that Bernie flipped as he did, yes he kept certain promises, but left others by the wayside, at least he could have taken a silent route and say nothing to support Hellery and let her hang on her own petard.

Hence my own Demexit and vote for Jill, our Plan B

I happen to hate the Corporate States of Oligarchia, and am saddened that I lived to see this crap happen!

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So long, and thanks for all the fish

if he didn't get some platform planks, not if he didn't get the nomination. So yes I get it, the platform is worthless but that's what he said he was going to do.

His promises were not to Hillary and the DNC, his promises were to the voters. He knows he wouldn't have gotten anywhere running as an independent. In order to run as a Dem, you have to promise to be one...even Trump knows the value of at minimum, feigning party loyalty.

The idea that Bernie would run as a Green is a fantasy and it's definitely not his fantasy. They have proven themselves to be a disorganized bunch of idealists that don't have the chops to get shit done. He has every right to reject Jill's offer to run Green. That may have been borne of pragmatism or could simply be a personal beef he has with her...what do I know ?

As for his secret meet with Obama, I'm not biting. I don't have a clue what was said or promised and neither do you. He ALWAYS said he would support the nominee. He ALWAYS said Trump is the worst possible outcome of this election. Does it hurt to see him shilling for hill - oh yeah. But if elections are rigged as you say, then how would his running 3rd party result in anything different than what we are gonna get ?

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No one ever expected Bernie Sanders to do a complete DemExit and run as the Green Party candidate (with Dr. Jill Stein).

But he could have withheld his endorsement of HRC, and fought for a true contested convention, and continued to expose the cheating and suppression of votes in key Elections (California, NY, etc.) that should rightfully have disqualified Hillary Clinton. Obviously, he would not have won that fight -- but to go down fighting in public would have scared the crap out of Hillary Clinton and the Establishment. That in of itself would have kept the 13 million progressive voters engaged and mobilized --- instead of depressed, dispirited, and burned-out (very important if we want any progressive movement at all).

Then Sanders could have simply declared: "I remain a Democrat, who will work to improve the (corrupt) Democratic Party, but I encourage all my supporters to vote their conscience and vote for the candidate who best speaks to their issues -- whoever that may be". And this is entirely consistent with his original message -- that the Election was NOT about either him, or Clinton, or Trump ... but about the people themselves, and their needs.

He could have also made some glowing and encouraging public remarks about Jill Stein -- so it would have been obvious that his official loyalty to the Democratic Party candidates was mostly a wink-wink nod at the Establishment, while actually helping to begin the important process of building a badly needed parallel Party movement.

In any case, he certainly could have publicly supported Democrat Tim Canova easily ... no matter what else he did.

There is no reason to have such low expectations for Bernie Sanders. He is a talented man, who ran such a bold, and courageous campaign all throughout 2015 and half of 2016. He proved that he could achieve high goals, that once appeared out of reach. The expectations for Sanders therefore did not have to just drop off a cliff altogether. There is some practical middle-ground here.

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MsGrin's picture

...and then he seems to have gotten roughed up. And he cut a deal where Clinton pretended to take up someone of his issues. I believe he did the best he could do.

We never have heard how he got that cut on his cheek we saw when the delegate vote was counted.

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'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member

Unabashed Liberal's picture

the vow to contest the nomination was dropped. Then, a couple of weeks before the Convention, the MSM reported that his Campaign would not be contesting the negotiated Party Platform/Planks--including the fact that there was no anti-TPP plank, etc.

(He was regularly asked about this, on the Sunday political shows.)

Mollie


“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit, and, therefore, to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)

National Mill Dog Rescue (NMDR) - Dogs Available For Adoption

Misty May - NMDR

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lunachickie's picture

But he could have withheld his endorsement of HRC, and fought for a true contested convention,

He DID that until the Monday night of the convention.

Something happened to him that night. That is so goddamned obvious.

Obviously, he would not have won that fight -- but to go down fighting in public would have scared the crap out of Hillary Clinton and the Establishment.

WHY do you think The DNC and the Clintons did what they did, full steam ahead and damn the torpedoes? Because they were scared crapless.

Are you kidding me??

to go down fighting in public

That in of itself would have kept the 13 million progressive voters engaged and mobilized --- instead of depressed, dispirited, and burned-out

That's not what happened here. Sanders went down fighting. And when he went down, those 13 million progressive voters were depressed, dispirited, and burned-out. They became that because he went down fighting. Not because he saved his own ass once he was down.

I'm getting really sick of the Blame Bernie motif. That's just bullshit.

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faithsoasis's picture

T~H~A~N~K Y~O~U
lunachickie!!!
People who have no idea what or how Bernie was threatened with, sit in their safe little zone and demand he risk some more.

Like the same PTB who took out JFK and MLK moved to Antarctica and opened an art supply store.
Like all those incidents of the clinton body count and weight lifting accidents and "muggings" where wallets were not taken;
are fairytales.

Bernie has spent a lifetime living his irreprochable ethically unblemished record of Public Servanthood . . . up to and including this election fiasco. But that is not good enough for those people who are incapable of processing their own disappointment, without having someone to blame . . .
Even if it's aimed at the. only one who was willing to take on these psycos who have a long record of lying, cheating, stealing and killing.
So freaking sick of people who have no idea of the actual risks Betnie has been taking. . .
for them.
Talk about pathetic.

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Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” ~Benjamin Franklin

Monday Night was the very, very first day of the Democratic National Convention week. So saying he fought until Monday (with him switching to endorse HRC so quickly) is not fighting in public at all.

Not when the whole roll call vote drama was going to take place 2 days later! Fighting means you declare yourself as the candidate (for the whole week) and you do not endorse somebody else before the final voting begins!!! I hope that is clear enough.

So nothing precluded him from having done the straightforward things that I suggested: a) speaking out against the stolen elections, and contesting all the election corruption and gimmicks, and declaring himself the only honorable choice, b) taking the roll call vote seriously, and competing for super-delegates, and the Nomination in ernest right up until the very end of the Wednesday night vote, c) embracing a parallel political party movement in order to keep the progressive agenda visible, d) using his political clout to show public and aggressive campaign support for Tim Canova (and visibly against Debbie 666 Schultz).

Would he have been assassinated for doing that? Is that your argument? Well, I seriously doubt it -- because what he had already done all throughout 2015 and the first half of 2016 in slamming Hillary Clinton, and building a huge progressive movement was far, far more bold, and courageous, and difficult to pull off. But he did it. The Establishment wanted HRC to have an uncontested election, yet he was able to beat her like a drum from 18 months. So like I said Bernie Sanders is a talented man. He did so much and so well for 18 months (to his credit). Clearly, by his own standards, he not only has under performed from July onward, but he has embraced the establishment politics that he and we all loathed. It didn't have to be that way.

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