Bernie's brilliance now penetrates my thick skull

Bernie knew from the start that he was going to have a difficult, if not impossible task of beating the Clinton political machine.
But he campaigned as a Democrat in an effort to reform the Demonic Party from within.
This, I knew from the start would probably be an impossible task. His political demise was engineered by the malignant Democratic corporatocracy.
We progressives reacted to his tepid "endorsement" of Medusa with either outrage or resignation, perhaps both.
What we did get from his campaign, no one else could have produced. I'll probably leave some things out, but not on purpose.
1. He educated the public (at least those interested in politics) about the rampant, pervasive corruption in politics
2. He exposed the Duopoly for what it is, and has been for decades, two branches of the American Business Party
3. The crushing of the 99% via unfair taxation and legislation
4. The job killing by NAFTA, CAFTA, TPP, TTIP.
5. The growing numbers of impoverishment.
6. The widening wealth gap between the 1% and everybody else
7. The motivation for true progressives to run for elective office--from dog-catcher to Senate.
8. Proving that big money donors did not have to be pandered in order to win a viable national campaign--and all that this means for state and local campaigns
9. Proving that if there is incentive for real change, masses of people otherwise indifferent to politics, will be energized and participate
10. Proving that honesty in politics is a rare treasure, but that it does exist
11. Proving that even a losing campaign (losing only due to theft, cheating, etc.) can exert some immediate change in the system--e.g., DWS getting kicked out of the DNC and booed out of Florida's pre-convention caucus.

Those, and others, such as bringing attention to climate change, are examples of what Bernie did.

But those items, listed above are not what penetrated my thick reptilian skull.
1. He bluntly told Medusa that he couldn't guarantee the vote of his followers--she would have to earn that vote. And he damn well knew that many, if not most of his supporters would never do so.
2. He DemExited on July 29, just as did thousands of his supporters (proudly including me).

Why is number 2 so important? First, those of you who DemExited have felt an exhilarating sense of freedom; a heavy burden lifted from our backs--especially those of us who vainly believed the Demonic Party could be altered from within (no offense to anyone, but I never thought that tack would work). So imagine the relief--and it must be great relief--that Senator Bernard Sanders will proudly return to the Senate as I-VT.

Second, as to why Bernie's DemExit is so liberating is that Bernie can now devote full-time to support Berners running for public office, of whom there are a growing number.

Point of essay: Because Bernie is no longer a Democrat, he is free to not engage in any type of meaningful support for Medusa. All he has to do is, when asked by the MSM meat-heads if he supports Hillary, he can softly mumble: "I think so".

Wait! There may be more. I think Bernie can now work behind the scenes to send all the support he can Jill's way. I hope he does. Greener pastures are inviting me also.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

boriscleto's picture

It's all about Israel. He has chosen to support Hillary and in doing so became just another useful idiot.

My bad. The meme is a fake quote. It was from Stop The World the Teabaggers Want Off.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/may/28/teabagger-gr...

But the fact remains that Bernie goes before the media and proclaims Hillary the "superior" candidate if you look at the issues. Total sell out. I'm not sure he wasn't a Judas Sheep from the start.

up
0 users have voted.

" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "

Bisbonian's picture

Well, he had his chance.

Edit: yeah, it seemed really unlikely. Several times during the campaign, he said that we would need to deal fairly with Both Sides, in order to reach a solution. I assume he still feels that way.

up
0 users have voted.

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

detroitmechworks's picture

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih2xubMaZWI]

Sorry, OMFG, and I just had to post the song that exemplifies that reaction...

Really? You're really going all in on Israel? A War Vote? Fuck off Bernie, you just burned your bridge with me.

Edit: I will not retract my words, but wish to redirect them to the Brock-inspired asshat who came up with this. It unfortunately pushed my rage button, and I leave my words here as a reminder that even I can make a rash decision when my anger is tapped.

up
0 users have voted.

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

What to heck am I missing here?? Is there a comment that has been redacted??

up
0 users have voted.

Report of a Brock smear caused someone to be triggered and believe it true. All sorted out now, though.

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Thanks Ellen! I thought my reading comprehension had suffered the effects of too many of something ;-0

up
0 users have voted.

Cool! If you're still good to go, then would you mind having a few of something or other for me? I quit drinking due to health issues a while back, but could have used quite a bit of something by the end of this primary; would really appreciate a few by proxy!

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

featheredsprite's picture

and the rift seems to go deeper than the rest of us can understand. You and I cannot fix it.

up
0 users have voted.

Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.

did Sanders say this?

up
0 users have voted.

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

Cassiodorus's picture

Anyone have anything?

up
0 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

Dhyerwolf's picture

I google the first part of the quote and Bernie Sanders and I didn't get any relevant results.

up
0 users have voted.
Dhyerwolf's picture

SO FAKE.

From the fb page credited with the image...

"knows Jill Quakenstein is nothing more than a Trump surrogate. She hopes the Orange Buffoon wins because, in her twisted little anti-vaxxer mind she thinks it will lead to a "revolution" where she and her band of tree-hugging, ISIS-loving, Monsanto-fearing yokels will end up on top. Most likely the only the thing they'll end up on top of is a mass grave."

up
0 users have voted.
detroitmechworks's picture

My reaction was based off the assumption that the quote was sourced.

This is how I react to anybody who shills for war, and that quote was a direct shill for war.
I apologize for the fuck off to Bernie, but wish to redirect that to the asshole who made up the fake quote.

Congrats, the asshole pushed my button.

up
0 users have voted.

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

The idea has been planted in our minds. With the added impact of a visual picture of scowling Sanders, it's very hard to shake off the idea.

I hate this shit.

However, it's a good object lesson for us all. Question everything. Make sure something is "real" (whatever that is - hecate?) before passing it on.

up
0 users have voted.

Only connect. - E.M. Forster

detroitmechworks's picture

Because I do admit when I'm wrong.

As I said many times before, Bernie was the Democrat's LAST chance to gain my vote, and after his failure to do so, I admit I've been a bit primed to push back against further attempts to gain my vote through guilting.

War is my big issue, and probably will always be.

up
0 users have voted.

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Is exactly how Brock works. I would like to see a link to that statement, a video, or some relatively reliable reporting-preferably two sources before I believe that. Bernie has been pretty good on Palestine, and in fact, his delegate to the platform committee, Dr West, made a beautiful speech about that very issue, and abstained from giving the platform a passing vote.

up
0 users have voted.

is being asked for the source and gives unresponsive answer.
https://www.facebook.com/StopTheTeaParty/photos/a.502129386487003.924496...

up
0 users have voted.

Maybe they'll "fact-check" The Onion next? What a wacky world we live in...

up
0 users have voted.
detroitmechworks's picture

It needs to be fact checked.

This type of "humor" was pioneered by alt-right assholes who attribute Far right quote to celebrities in the hope that it will be picked up by media and used to push their agenda.

up
0 users have voted.

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

SnappleBC's picture

Man I love posting on a site where people make corrections when it turns out they happened to get something wrong. Hard to believe it's happening on an American political site Smile

up
0 users have voted.

A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

JekyllnHyde's picture

It was a masterpiece.

up
0 users have voted.

A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

Wink's picture

It was.

up
0 users have voted.

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.

Lookout's picture

up
0 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Bisbonian's picture

and Jane Sanders talked about it in the Rolling Stone interview. His words: "I was elected as an Independent, and will serve out my term as one."

up
0 users have voted.

"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

riverlover's picture

up
0 users have voted.

Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Bernie ran as a Democrat because that was the only way that he could get traction in our broken political system. However, he's admitted multiple times that he did much better than he ever thought that he would. I think that is the key thing to consider here. When he started his campaign, he didn't plan to win. His goal was to push Hillary to the left and talk about issues that were being ignored by her right leaning neoliberal platform.

When he started to gain traction months before Iowa and he was beginning to look like he could be a strong contender for the nomination, he campaigned even harder against her (the establishment), forgetting his original goal. In doing so, I think that he unintentionally highlighted the ugliness of her campaign and showed how she was running on a record that is antithetical to progressive ideas. It's not that Bernie necessarily intended to expose these things to us. It's that they were made manifest because that's who the Clintons are. They don't know how to run a clean campaign.

After NY and California, when it was clear that he was cheated out of the nomination and had no chance to win, he was stuck. He had essentially run his entire campaign against Hillary. It was no longer about simply pushing her to the left as originally intended. The problem is that from the beginning, Bernie said that he didn't want to be a spoiler. To him, that means that the two-party system cannot be challenged by an underdog this late in the game, no matter what the level of discontent, and that he, as the loser, would have to back the winner in the general election. Personally, I think he's wrong, but that's likely what he believes. He was faced with the choice of either being the spoiler that he said he would never be or throwing his full support behind a politician that was his complete opposite. There were no good options, and he chose what he saw as the more productive path, where he could at least extract some concessions.

I don't think it was brilliance per se, but rather just the way that things turned out. While I don't think that he was as firm in his convictions as he should have been, I don't consider him a sellout. Again, I think that much of what he managed to do was largely unintentional, and that it really developed organically as a result of not just the process but the hard work and dedication that those of us that support him put into the primaries. If we hadn't supported Bernie as strongly as we did, we never would have seen the depths to which the DNC and the Clinton camp had rigged the process. As he said, it wasn't him, it was us.

up
0 users have voted.

Actually, Bernie took a fast tour to see if he had support and a chance to win before officially announcing his run. And he did, as usual, come up from behind to win, despite everything.

Bernie is a brilliant strategist and has fought hard his entire life to make things better especially for the most vulnerable. The Clinton's campaign, coordinated SuperPacs and corporations/billionaires certainly didn't underestimate Bernie, or the astoundingly epic levels of blatant voter suppression, propaganda and electoral cheating wouldn't have set records for obvious electoral corruption.

up
0 users have voted.

Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Remember When Reporters Said Hillary Was Winning ‘Fair And Square,’ Because Sanders’ Supporters Will

For months, though Bernie Sanders’ supporters were saying that the DNC nominating process was rigged, reporters and pundits asserted that Hillary Clinton was winning or had already won “fair and square.” She didn’t, though. By now, the general public knows that the process was rigged in Hillary’s favor. More than just superdelegates (who cast their votes at the actual National Convention and not before) stacking the deck from the beginning, the DNC showed favoritism towards Hillary Clinton, according to the emails released in the WikiLeaks dump just days before the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Do you remember when Daily Koz [sic] wrote that Bernie Sanders was closing out the primary season in a “cloud of whining, conspiracy mongering, and blame casting” and that Hillary Clinton won fair and square? Sanders’ supporters remember, and they are leaving the Democratic party.

I loved it that Markos gets called out in the second paragraph.

All of those articles claiming that Hillary Clinton won fair and square might have been awfully fun to share by people hoping to belittle Sanders’ staunchest supporters. They probably even made for an easy day’s work on the part of the people being paid by Correct The Record to get online and make it look as though Hillary Clinton had stronger social media support than actually existed.

Yet, even now, Hillary Clinton’s establishment Democrats claim she won fair and square, as if rigging a system is fair and square.

Remember these continued insults in the coming months. Remember all of the times Sanders’ supporters were mocked, shamed and told that Hillary Clinton won fair and square, because those words are “berned” into Sanders’ supporters memories.

Sanders’ supporters are leaving the Democratic party. Elizabeth Warren couldn’t stop them. President Obama couldn’t stop them. Vice President Biden couldn’t stop them. Not even Sanders can stop them.

Fittingly, the DNC has only themselves and the media they tried to puppeteer to blame.

The first quoted section is the intro, the second quoted section is the conclusion, but there’s a helluva lot more in between.

up
0 users have voted.
Meteor Man's picture

Good Old Joe is young at heart, just might run again: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_579e085fe4b0693164c1926d

up
0 users have voted.

"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

riverlover's picture

More international fingers.

up
0 users have voted.

Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

According to Bernie's photographer, MikKi Willis, Bernie is playing chess:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3CxD5mQTXg

up
0 users have voted.

Love is my religion.

jwa13's picture

who "elected" to sacrifice several years of his life to exposing the totally corrupt Duopoly that essentially runs the Western world just now (the "1-Percent" and the "We Sort-of Are Opposed to the 1-Percent [Although We Take Their Money]").

Hope Bernie can go on to a long, relaxing post-politico life with the grandies --

up
0 users have voted.

When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.