Inside Bernie-world's war on Beto O'Rourke

[RandySF]

WASHINGTON — Forces loyal to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are waging an increasingly public war against Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, the new darling of Democratic activists, as the two men weigh whether to seek the party's presidential nomination in 2020.

The main line of attack against O'Rourke is that he isn't progressive enough — that he's been too close to Republicans in Congress, too close to corporate donors and not willing enough to use his star power to help fellow Democrats — and it is being pushed almost exclusively by Sanders supporters online and in print.

It's been the first flashpoint in what promises to be a politically bloody primary — one that has drawn responses from foot soldiers in the Obama and Clinton wings of the party — as Democrats begin to focus on who has the best chance to deny President Donald Trump a second term in the Oval Office.

Nomiki Konst, a progressive activist and 2016 Sanders supporter who is now running for public advocate in New York City, said liberal activists mostly kept quiet about their concerns over O'Rourke's record, including the backing he got from the centrist Blue Dog Democrats, before he lost a Texas Senate race to Republican Ted Cruz in November.

"They sucked it up while he was running" because they wanted him to win, Konst said. "But now it’s a different story."


https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/inside-bernie-world-s-war-beto-o-rourke-n951016

[LonePirate]

1. It's 2016 all over again. Bernie supporters tear down the party if their man doesn't win.

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. and even if he does

[we can do it]

8. I'm really tired of BS and his perfect followers.

[msongs]

3. BS article names what, 2 ppl? just made up crap. twitter fodder nt

[RandySF]

4. The Twitter war against Beto is real.

[11cents]

7. It's not.

Well-known Bernie supporters, e.g. David Sirota, have been all over online and print media with focussed attacks on O'Rourke. Whether you think it's justified or not, it's something that's happening.

[11cents]

9. Oops. "It's not" meaning the article isn't bs.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. The purity test.

This isn't the first time a candidate and his supporters from the left lumped everyone to his right as republican clones. If Dennis Kucinich had more charisma and stage presence he'd still be throwing wrenches into the spokes of the Democratic Party.

For the record, I like both men and always have, but they are unelectable by the majority of Americans. At least right now.

[Sinistrous]

6. ...and the fervid anti-Bernie-bunch arises anew...

[Gothmog]

10. CNN-Bernie Sanders supporters should worry about Beto

Harry Enten has some good analysis https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/14/politics/bernie-sanders-beto-orourke-supporters-2020/index.html

The Beto O'Rourke 2020 train seems to be gaining steam. Those backing other potential candidates want donors and pundits to slow their Beto roll, however.

Among the most prominent critics are supporters of Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders who believes the Texan isn't progressive enough.

Sanders fans have at least some reason to worry. O'Rourke or really any other candidate with outsider appeal could eat into Sanders' base of young, independent-leaning voters.

If Sanders is going to win in 2020, he'll need to hold onto his support from 2016. He won more than 40% of the national primary vote, though he lost by low double-digits to Clinton national