How does Bernie feel about political dynasties now?

[pnwmom]

Is he going to oppose the political ambitions of his step-daughter and son?

FYI, Levi doesn't live in the district where he wants to run, and there is already at least one Bernie-supporing candidate in the race.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/1/17059670/levi-sanders-bernie-sanders-new-hampshire-congress-first-district

Two years ago, Bernie Sanders wasn’t heading a political dynasty. Indeed, his presidential primary campaign against Hillary Clinton picked up steam in large part out of a fear of dynastic politics, of a Clinton or Bush returning to the White House once more.

That was 2016; this is 2018. Now, two separate Sanders relations are running for office, using that tie as a central part of their messaging. First, Carina Driscoll, Bernie’s stepdaughter from his wife Jane’s first marriage, jumped into the race for Burlington mayor, a position Bernie himself held from 1981 to 1989. Running as a member of the Progressive Party (a left-wing Vermont third party formed by Bernie Sanders’s supporters in the 1990s), she faces incumbent Democrat Miro Weinberger and independent candidate Infinite Culcleasure on March 6.

Now Levi Sanders, Bernie’s son by his ex-girlfriend Susan Campbell Mott, has entered the congressional race for New Hampshire’s First District. The seat, which is being vacated by incumbent Democrat Carol Shea-Porter and is rated as a “toss-up” by most House election observers, was already attracting high-profile candidates, with both parties facing contested primaries. Now Levi Sanders (pronounced LEH-vee, not LEE-vie) is set to offer a populist alternative to the leading Democratic contender, Executive Councilor Chris Pappas, in what is sure to be cast as a smaller-scale echo of the 2016 presidential primary.

Almost as soon as he announced his campaign, though, critics began digging up old tweets of Levi’s that are likely to complicate if not entirely derail his run. The younger Sanders is not a fan of “identity politics” (at least as practiced by MSNBC host Joy Reid), thinks that criticisms of “white privilege” are ill-advised and turn off “working-class” voters, says he doubts the working class would care if Donald Trump were caught on camera calling people “niggers,” worries that eliminating Confederate flag license plates “hurts people’s rights,” and (you saw this one coming a mile away) has expressed exhaustion over Chelsea Clinton’s continued public presence:

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2Fpolicy-and-politics%2F2018%2F3%2F1%2F17059670%2Flevi-sanders-bernie-sanders-new-hampshire-congress-first-district

Just when you thought you had seen it all, there is more from another Clinton.

[Dawson Leery]

1. Perhaps Mueller needs to look into Jane Sanders land deal.

[R B Garr]

14. + Tad Devine.

Worked with Manafort

[Dawson Leery]

23. Certainly.

[George II]

41. More than that, perhaps her relationship with "Old Towne Media LLC"!

[LisaM]

2. I know; I laughed when I saw they were all running for office.

Isn't Carina the recipient of the big woodworking payout from Burlington College?

[pnwmom]

4. I think so.

[Me.]

6. To THe Tune Of $500,000

[sheshe2]

11. Yes. nt

[George II]

42. About $500K over three years, as Burlington College was floundering and about to fail.

[bettyellen]

44. Her pay was equal to HALF the total tuition received every year. Crazy stupid greedy.

[grantcart]

98. Yep, final nail in Burlington coffin.

[ProudLib72]

3. Levi Sanders sounds like a nice young man

Look, it should not matter if a relation goes into politics. If that person is capable and has integrity, then go for it. But this asshole Levi is in serious need of a smack down.

[msongs]

5. tread carefully boys and girls nt

[Cha]

7. That would be a good question for

Last edited Sat Mar 3, 2018, 01:15 AM - Edit history (1)

Vermont Digger and M$M to ask him.

He and Jane need to Address that NOW.. 2018.

ETA~ "Bernie Sanders Political Dynasty? Senator's Son, Stepdaughter Run For Office"

https://www.npr.org/2018/02/27/589279597/bernie-sanders-political-dynasty-senators-son-stepdaughter-run-for-office

[leftstreet]

8. Ask him after he's been POTUS

It's not really a 'dynasty' yet

[emulatorloo]

9. There wasnt really a Clinton dynasty either though. Hillary wasnt Bills daughter.

Was Poorly characterized as a “Dynasty” to score cheap political points. Bush Dynasty, Kennedy Dynasty, that’s accurate. A better description of the Clintons would have been “power couple” lol.

[LisaM]

17. Yes, that was so misused.

Drove me nuts.

[R B Garr]

18. Excellent point. Thank you. nt

[EffieBlack]

19. Can you imagine what folk would be saying if Obamas or Clintons out-of-wedlock son ran for office?

Of course, that wouldn’t be an issue since, if either of them had a child outside of marriage, they probably wouldn’t have been allowed to get very far in politics.

White maleness has its privileges.

[lunasun]

25. Same -I'm thinking all this above going down the thread but not just if he had a kid out of

wedlock but even for her if she had been married before with a child I bet

[EffieBlack]

48. Eyup

[yardwork]

73. Or not married and had a son.

This is the first I've ever heard that Bernie has an illegitimate son - and it doesn't matter to me at all, it has no relevance to his abilities - but can you imagine the attacks on Hillary if she had had an illegitimate child from a previous relationship?

The double standards and hypocrisy.

[lunasun]

77. I never heard this either . Something repugs would have jumped on if he was nominated

Trump would brag hey at least I married three times .....

[R B Garr]

61. Excellent points. I have wondered those same things. nt

[George II]

43. And the Clintons' daughter never dissed Sanders' offspring.

[NurseJackie]

10. Very interesting ... Thanks for sharing this.

[jimlup]

12. Really? You can't stop fighting the last democratic primary huh?

I'm sorry and this is why we fail by the way.

[pnwmom]

13. This has to do with CURRENT politics, not the primary. Bernie has always been opposed

to political dynasties, not just in the 2016 primary. And that position was in keeping with his other views.

So I"m wondering how he feels now that his personal situation has changed.

[NurseJackie]

15. Perfect explanation of why it matters.

[sheshe2]

20. This is from the news today. 2018

Why do you wish to make it about 2016 when clearly it is not.

[NurseJackie]

21. Because: deflection?

[sheshe2]

24. Sounds about right, NJ.

[emulatorloo]

22. ...

The “Stop refighting the primaries” canard is getting really tiresome when things are clearly about current events. It has become a way to try to shut down discussion. This is not going to work anymore.

[sheshe2]

26. So true, emulatorloo.

This is current news yet some just want to take us back to 2016. Sad.

Me, I am going to go back to our Nor'eastern here...will be digging out in a few hours.

[emulatorloo]

27. Oh my goodness! Stay warm and safe!

[sheshe2]

30. We are use to it.

However, the older you get the harder it is. I have to be out of here at the crack of dawn. Sigh.

Thanks

[pnwmom]

35. Good luck, sheshe2!

[sheshe2]

37. Thanks, pnwmom.

[Cha]

53. "Bernie Sanders Political Dynasty? Senator's Son, Stepdaughter Run For Office"

https://www.npr.org/2018/02/27/589279597/bernie-sanders-political-dynasty-senators-son-stepdaughter-run-for-office

This is about now.. 2018.

Is there some reason you don't want this addressed?

[Honeycombe8]

56. The OP isn't about a "we." Did you notice they are running AGAINST Democrats?

They are not part of "we."

[Cha]

63. Good point!

[Hekate]

81. Oh snap. I wondered if they were Dems, but didn't care enough to look further. nt

[Voltaire2]

88. Levi is a Democrat running against other Democrats

in a Democratic primary. That is how primaries work in most states.

[Honeycombe8]

90. Oh, sorry. It's the DAUGHTER who is not a Democrat. nt

[lapucelle]

102. We had Republicans running as Democrats in Democratic primaries

in my state this year.

[yardwork]

74. Good question. Why is Levi Sanders attacking Chelsea Clinton?

That does seem petty and vindictive, to me.

[sheshe2]

32. how so?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. What really matters is what the voters think.

I'm not crazy about political dynasties and I would never vote for someone just because of their family connections. I don't someone is entitled to special consideration by virtue of being the spouse, child or other relative of some famous politician, which is why I kind of went meh when folks recently fell all over themselves about the latest Kennedy - he gave a good speech, and OMG he's a Kennedy!! Well, as far as I'm concerned he'd better be able to do something besides marinate in Kennedy DNA. But on the other hand I would not reject a well-qualified candidate just because they were, say, a Kennedy. Levi Sanders strikes me as a bit of a jerk, and if I lived in his state I probably wouldn't vote for him in a primary if an equally-qualified but less-douchey candidate were available - irrespective of who his father is. Maybe candidates should run under stage names so nobody would like them more or less because of their family connections.

[pnwmom]

31. I don't remember the name of this person, but I read somewhere that there already

is a strong candidate in the race who was a Bernie supporter. He's not the mainstream's preferred candidate, he's a Bernie guy. So what would Levi offer beyond the Sanders name? I agree with you that he comes off as a jerk.

And that gratuitous tweet about Chelsea really annoyed me. He's about to run for Congress, but he wants her to hide out and never get any media attention for any reason for the rest of her life.

[NurseJackie]

33. That's a good question...

... I think you're onto something.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

34. I haven't been following this at all, so I really don't know.

But I stand by my original point, which is that a candidate had better be able to stand on his/her own regardless of who they're related to. Levi sounds like kind of a dick as a person but I don't know anything about his experience or his professional qualifications.

[pnwmom]

38. His professional qualifications, from the link at the OP:

Per his LinkedIn page (where his profile photo shows him with his arm around Barack Obama), he graduated with a degree in history from the University of Oregon in 1992, worked for a Burlington-based food pantry from 1994 to 2000, and since 2000 has worked as a senior paralegal at Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services in Massachusetts, where he represents and advocates for applicants and recipients of the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs.

[yardwork]

75. And he served as a senior advisor for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign.

[bettyellen]

45. I saw an interview where he listed his issues- free healthcare and college and income equality.

Sounds like a really lazy bastard to me, LOL. That was literally his entire sales pitch!

[NurseJackie]

52. ❤️

[bettyellen]

57. 💜👊💜

[Hekate]

36. It's too bad Bernie framed it this way in the first place, both to his family and to the country...

What a nasty thing for Levi to say about Chelsea. Makes you wonder what got said about her mother within the Sanders family, doesn't it?

"Political dynasty"? How about "Family business," as in, "My kids are going into the family business and I'm so proud of them." Children of politicians, like Nancy Pelosi and gods know how many Kennedys, grow up around all kinds of conversations that most of us don't have exposure to. Some of them get totally turned off and want nothing to do with elective office. Others are attracted to it, and they start out already knowing more about it than the average person.

If Bernie (and now apparently the rest of his family) hadn't been so dismissive and mean about Hillary having ambitions of her own, all I'd ever think about the Sanders offspring is that okay, they are going into the family business. Just sayin'

[pnwmom]

39. I agree. And Chelsea isn't running for anything. But Levi can't stand that she still gets attention.

Jealousy is always an unattractive feature.

[betsuni]

47. I agree.

Sounds like those who believed the fake news version of the Clintons and said terrible things. An apology would go a long way.

[Skittles]

40. who cares

[Brogrizzly]

46. Yeah same sentiment

[pnwmom]

49. I do. I don't think people should be ruled out as candidates simply because they have a relative

who was or is in politics.

And many of Bernie's supporters are influenced by his opinions, so I wondered if those opinions have changed.

[Skittles]

51. that's not really the explanation for my sentiment

but, ok

[Glamrock]

54. Perhaps not Skittles.

But it's mine. Regardless of the reason, we both agree on who gives a shit.

[pnwmom]

59. What has Levi done that he has a right to criticize Chelsea for daring to show her face in public?

[Glamrock]

62. Beats me. Nor do I give a crap. I can't vote for him or her.

But I'm not going to judge someone based on what someone else says. Trumps an asshole. His sons are assholes. His sons being assholes are not what make Trump an asshole. Or another example.....Jessie Jackson not corrupt. His son, convicted of corruption. Does not make Jessie Jackson corrupt.

[melman]

64. Seriously

Can you imagine what it would be like to be so full of hate for someone that it fills your every waking thought? It's almost kind of sad. I mean, I almost would feel kind of sad for such a person...if people like that weren't...you know...so hateful.

[Glamrock]

65. Agreed

It's sad. To waste so much of your life hating someone....
I can't imagine. Except for Trump...AND CHENEY!

[yardwork]

76. I'm wondering that about Levi, as I read his hateful tweets.

He takes a gratuitous swipe at Chelsea Clinton for doing charity work. I mean WTF.

He takes gratuitous swipes at Planned Parenthood for existing.

But the NRA and Trump are wonderful, according to Levi.

[MrsCoffee]

82. +1

[pnwmom]

66. I'm judging Levi for what Levi says. And one thing he said (besides being nasty about Chelsea)

was that he and his father have all the same policies, except Levi's a vegetarian. He's tying himself to his Dad. And both of them have criticized, directly or indirectly, political dynasties.

If Bernie wasn't preparing to run again in 2020 I wouldn't care. But since he is, I'd like to know what his opinion is about political dynasties. Is he going to criticize Joseph Kennedy, for example, because his grandfather was Attorney General?

[Glamrock]

71. Understood

But, and no offense or snark intended, trying to convince me to care isn't going to get you that answer. Call his office and ask the question.

[Honeycombe8]

55. Notice that both kids are running against Democrats. They are anti-Democratic Party.

And a derogatory tweet about Chelsea Clinton, of all people (someone who has never hurt anyone in politics, that I know of, much less the unknown Levi). Someone using twitter to attack someone for no reason...hmmm...what does that remind me of?

[NurseJackie]

58. Many have noticed the similarities.

[R B Garr]

60. Yes, a very recognizable family formula.

I wonder if they doubt they can make it on their own.

[grantcart]

100. Don't like Levi but to be fair he is running for an open seat.

[Honeycombe8]

110. Yes, someone corrected that elsewhere. It's only his daughter that's not in Dem Party.

I didn't remember I did another post saying that. Sorry.

[Hav]

67. It was a dumb talking point from the beginning

It should be about the qualifications of the person, based on merit. Does anyone want to question Clinton's qualifications? It was a desperate move to rile up the masses and it was a welcome addition to the cries of oligarchy and other nonsense. It's unfair, dishonest and stupid trying to disqualify someone just because a family member held public office as well. A qualified person should take a backseat because of another person in the family? Where is the logic in that?

[yardwork]

79. There was never any logic in it. /nt

[G_j]

68. Perhaps if you would define dynasty

from the comments, I’m not sure exactly what people’s definition of that is.

[pnwmom]

80. That's because it's so flexible. It's used against whoever your opponent is when there

is more than one relative in politics.

That's why Hillary could be accused of being part of a dynasty, even though she was fully qualified and wasn't a descendant of Bill's.

[left-of-center2012]

69. Oh geeze! Another attack on Bernie?

DU needs a forum devoted to threads attacking Bernie Sanders.
It would give all the Sanders haters a place to congregate.

[pnwmom]

70. It's a question. Does he agree with his son? His son claims they agree on everything

except Levi is a vegetarian and Bernie isn't.

P.S. How come you don't care about Clinton hate? Levi thinks Chelsea should go crawl under a rock somewhere because she's from a political family. And he makes that remark while he's preparing to follow his father into politics. Irony isn't his strong suit.

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democraticunderground.com%2F%3Fcom%3Dview_post%26forum%3D1002%26pid%3D10312233

[GaryCnf]

72. WHAT Clinton hate is posted HERE?

[betsuni]

78. Here you go, the latest that I saw:

"The deplorables comment was Hillary's 47%. ... I remember an episode of Shameless where ... one of the female members stated 'We either supported Jew grandpa or the pussy grabber. The other one? Deplorables? Fuck her!' That scene sums up the thoughts of millions of voters."

"Fuck her" is hateful.

[GaryCnf]

84. You saw those HERE

and in the last, say, 4 months?

Give me a link and I'll be glad to alert.

[betsuni]

91. Obviously, I said here and I just saw it, the third of March. Already alerted.

Not giving link. Don't want to be alerted on.

[melman]

92. That's not why you're not providing a link

[betsuni]

93. Oh, melman.

You think I'll get all mad because you're calling me a liar?

[melman]

96. Three responses

suggests otherwise. And I didn't call you a liar. I said that's not why you didn't provide a link. And it's not.

[betsuni]

94. Here then, knock yourself out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10312832

[betsuni]

95. Cat got your tongue?

[GaryCnf]

97. While I think what the people interviewed said was disgusting

the post does nothing more than report it. It doesn't approve of what they said in any way shape or form. It was offered to support the argument that the "deplorables" comment (which, btw, I ALSO disagree with -- anyone who was offended by that comment was already "offended&quot was a turning point in the GE cycle.

And THAT is the best you can come up with? Arguing (even incorrectly) that the "deplorable" comment hurt our candidate is "hate?"

C'mon, just one post, one post where a DUer spewed "Hillary hate" in the last 4 months.

[KTM]

106. That's a quote from the TV scene the poster was describing.... not something stated here.

That poster quoted a scene from the US version of the TV show Shameless (Season 8, Episode 4, "F*ck Paying it Forward" ) - they didnt make any kind of statement at all. You are pointing to a quote and claiming you saw "hateful comments" made here, but that "hateful comment" was made by a fictional Kentucky hillbilly on a TV show.

I see no reason for that post to be alerted upon - it looks like the jury got that one correct.

All the poster did was say that scene "sums up the thoughts of millions of voters." As much as we all hate it, that statement is true.

[emulatorloo]

83. You are going to need to develop a thicker skin by primary 2020

Bernie will be asked to clarify past statements, as will all the other candidates. He will be asked to articulate policy and answer constructive criticism if he gives answers about implementation that aren’t substantive . As will all the other candidates.

If you continue to perceive any questions to Bernie as “attacks”, then by the end of the primary you are going to be frazzled.

[LexVegas]

85. ...

[NurseJackie]

86. Exactly!

[Cha]

87. "Bernie Sanders Political Dynasty? Senator's Son, Stepdaughter Run For Office"

https://www.npr.org/2018/02/27/589279597/bernie-sanders-political-dynasty-senators-son-stepdaughter-run-for-office

Sorry, it's in the news.. you're just going to have to deal with the reality.

Besides, BS is the one doing the attacking.

Politico: Bernie blames Hillary for allowing Russian interference

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/21/bernie-sanders-trump-russia-interference-420528

Sanders promoted false story on reporting Russian trolls

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1996856

[enid602]

89. Appoint

Can't wait 'til he becomes Prez and appoints Jane as Secy of Treasury.

[Blue_Tires]

99. Levi is batshit insane

even in VT I don't see him having an easy victory no matter how much he scrubs his twitter history

[Retrograde]

107. That may be why he's running in New Hampshire

Of course, when Clinton did something similar (i.e, run for Senate from New York) it was called "shopping for a seat" by some.

[MrsCoffee]

113. Hillary scrubbed her twitter history of attacks on the Democratic party?

I had no idea.

Oh, I see what you did there.

[Willie Pep]

101. I never understood this line of argument from the anti-Clinton people.

Yes, the Clintons are a politically powerful family but so were the Kennedys and Roosevelts. Bernie and his supporters are big fans of the New Deal. Would they have opposed FDR because he came from a political dynasty?

I don't care about political dynasties. I would vote for the scion of a political dynasty if I liked their policies. Levi looks silly for complaining about Chelsea Clinton and then getting into politics himself.

[kimbutgar]

103. Saw him on a show

Was not impressed and he sounded kind of like a right winger.

[Orsino]

104. I don't like dynasties.

But the Burlington mayoral race? I can't get too overwrought about it. I think that most politicians ought to start locally.

A leap into the US Congress by someone who's never held an elected office is more troubling.

[pnwmom]

105. Bernie and supporters referred to Hillary potentially following Bill as a dynasty, even though she'd

been a Senator and a Secretary of State first.

[Orsino]

111. She did ride coattails there.

But I don't resent her for it. The usual doors available to men were closed to her, and she did a generally good job in the Senate and as SoS

I object to dynasties in principle because they enable the worst abuses (c,f, Bushes), and because potentially better candidates are sidelined. I don't have a solution, though, other than trying not to just vote for famous names.

[pnwmom]

112. It's not riding coattails when there's a gap of so many years and you've made

your own record of accomplishment.

[Orsino]

114. She rode coattails into the Senate and SoS, but not without her own merit.

In her case, at least, it's nothing to be ashamed of. She put her own career on hold long ago to be First Lady in Arkansas and for the nation, but made First Lady mean more than it ever had, and was able to leap into the Senate and do a good job (in spite of my reservations about carpetbagging).

It is not her fault that we made her take a roundabout path toward being the most qualified presidential candidate in about ever. She is an exception to any qualms I have about dynasties, and exceptional in most other ways, too.

[gyroscope]

108. Says alot about posters

who spend all their time attacking Bernie Sanders instead of Dump.

[pnwmom]

109. Oh, yeah, that's all I do.

But even this OP wasn't an attack on Bernie.
It was a simple question asking if he'd changed his mind.