The establishment is so scared of Bernie because they worked on the Mondale and Dukakis campaigns

[Recursion]

Because they came of political age in a time where American society was moving to the right pretty steadily, and they saw the left of the party push forward candidates who got absolutely destroyed.

Times have changed since then. We've had a Republican president (W) who oversaw the largest expansion of Medicare to date. My guess is that the trajectory is leftward now, whereas when the current Democratic establishment were cutting their teeth it was rightward. But the primal gut terror that strikes at the party leadership is "we're going to do this again":

[merrily]

1. Reagan was unbeatable for many reasons. Dukakis did not run a good campaign at all.

Last edited Wed Apr 29, 2015, 12:32 PM - Edit history (2)

The notion that only centrists can win elections is propaganda, disproven by poll after poll over a period of years.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12777036

And, if there is any comment on the alleged electability of centrists, take inventory of who is holding offices today, local, state and federal. Almost every one of those Republican officeholders--the most in Congress since 1928--defeated a centrist.

Bernie has run as an independent all his life with no major party behind him and has never been defeated, even when Republicans and Democrats joined hands to defeat him. The DSCC has given up trying to defeat him.

("You is used generically and not to refer to the OP.) You can say all you want that "Well, Vermont" but people in Vermont have the same blood and bones and heart and hopes and needs as people in Wisconsin. So, which memes you latch onto all depends what you want you want to spin and why. How one campaigns and presents ideas and solutions counts for a lot.

It's also interesting that nothing bad or defeatist is supposed to be said on DU against one people would like to vote for for the Democratic nomination--except for O'Malley, Sanders, Warren and Webb. (To be clear and fair: I have not seen the OP make that claim that only Progressives say negative things about the candidates but heaven knows, others have).

[Hutzpa]

13. In the general elections presentation is the key

and unfortunately there have been times when I've seen a touch of aggression from Bernie when making his presentation, this
should not be seen as a swipe at him, I just don't want us to have another Dean moment that will be hard to recover from.

The goal which I'm sure is the goal of everyone posting on DU is to ensure we retain the White House.

[merrily]

14. Few things.

The Dean moment was manufactured by media It was simply a "wooo" that he was giving "his people" to keep them fired up. Big whup, literally and figuratively. It had nothing to do with whether Dean was liberal or not. Nothing to do with whether he was unbalanced or not, either, yet that is how I heard that video being introduced by Katie Couric on the Today Show, the first time I saw it. And media showed it hundreds of times, as though it were the most significant thing that happened on the planet that week.

Because of media's shameful treatment of it, the Dean moment did hurt Dean. It did not hurt the Democratic Party, let alone hurt the Party to an extent from which the Party was unable to recover. However, that was the primary.

I get that you are saying you don't want to see anything similar happen in the general. No one can prevent that entirely because, as I said, the Dean moment was media, not Dean, much like the Swiftboat moment. Apart from the unpreventable, I don't see aggressiveness (assertiveness?) in the general as a realistic problem.

If Sanders wins the primary, that will likely mean this is not a disqualifying issue for voters. One person's "aggressive" guy is another's fighter. Or, it will mean that Bernie has conquered it.

By the time the general begins, he will have behind him all the money and advice and consultants any human needs and then some. Handlers can and will help him with presentation in the general, if not well before that.

[geek tragedy]

2. the establishment is not scared of Bernie.

Now, if they start perceiving that he has a chance to defeat Clinton, that would be different.

Let's have a good, clean debate of the issues.

[cali]

3. I wouldn't use the word scared, but they don't want

to see a couple of things: HRC pushed so far left in the primary that she can't pivot in the general, and put on the spot by Bernie.

[geek tragedy]

5. Clinton has a lot less to be worried about from Bernie than Jeb/Walker/Rubio have to be

worried about coming from the wacko birds Cruz and Paul.

[cali]

6. for sure

[Cosmic Kitten]

7. What? The Republicans are all birds of a feather.

The republican Establishment "wins"
with ANY of those candidates.

The 3rd-Way/DLC Establishment
has a lot to fear from Bernie...

Common sense says the opposite
of what you suggest.
Hillary will be put in the hot seat
by left of center candidates.
There is no reason to think that isn't
a real concern for Hillary.

[Recursion]

10. Republicans sure don't think so

Republican activists lament daily how they were sold out by "RINO" Quisling liberals-in-conservative-clothing like George W. Bush and Mitt Romney (sic). Though that does get to one of my points: people elected George W. Bush expecting what they thought of as conservatism and got the biggest increases in Federal health care and education spending to that point.

[JaneyVee]

11. Difference is Republican activists WILL VOTE FOR REPUB NOMINEE.

The same can't be said about liberal activists who have vowed not to vote for HRC.

[Cosmic Kitten]

12. Yes, But they will reliably vote Republican.

Right-wingers will NOT stay home in 2016.
The Gays, Guns, God, and Girls issues
will get them to the polls regardless.

Republicans are far more reliable on
election day than Democrats.
Just look at Congress and the state legislatures.

The Republican voters will hold their noses
and vote because....Hillary!!!1!!!11!

And Wedge issues!
Once Hillary starts talking gun control
abortion rights, and clinging to bibles...
game over, she mobilizes the Republican base

[CANDO]

4. They ran as weaklings.

The electorate respects a candidate who strongly stands on his principles. Bernie takes shit from no one. I'm not saying he can beat HRC, but he'd be a strong candidate in the general.

[MineralMan]

8. Nobody is "scared" of Bernie.

He'll be another primary candidate, that's all. If he garners enough support, he'll win primaries. If not, he won't. Now is the time for his supporters to begin promoting his candidacy, since he's much less well-known than Hillary Clinton. If he wins enough primaries, he could be the Democratic nominee, in which case, he will have my non-stop support for the general election.

If he does not get that nomination, I'm quite certain that he will enthusiastically endorse whoever does get the nomination. He understands the danger of Republicans in control of all three branches of government.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Bernie changes the National Debate.

If one looks at what is and what isn't. First,M$M has set up the next Presidential Campaign as some hard right Rethug vs Bush and Bush wins. Second it was to be a total daily rerun of the Blue Dress,but,Bernie just sideswiped this suckers,now they have to rearrange their hit pieces,look for the word Commie to be used to describe Bernie.

[MineralMan]

15. He changes it slightly.

Republicans aren't going to waste any time or money on Sanders unless he wins some primaries and looks like a viable possibility for the Democratic nomination. Sanders supporters need to put all their energy into helping him win early primaries, not into worrying about what Republicans will do. Unless he does well early in the primary season, he won't have any chance at all. And doing well means actually winning some primary elections. Coming in second or third with a wide margin isn't going to cut it.

In Minnesota, we've moved our caucuses from early February to Super Tuesday. Those caucuses aren't binding, but they will play in determining who has a real chance of advancing in the primaries. If Sanders isn't polling very well by Super Tuesday and hasn't won at least a couple of primaries, he's going to be out of the race.

Time for Sanders supporters to get to work.

[Wellstone ruled]

16. Bernie will do okay in Minnesota and how well that is the question.

What I was eluding to was the National Press and the Games of Names they love to play. Koch Bothers are going to run told you so adds as pay back for his challenges toward them. Some one referred to Mondale,well that was a very interesting campaign. The Media did not have a clue as to what Mondale's message was and they could have cared less. Wall Street was totally scared of Mondale and there in lies the end results. With Bernie in,more people become interested,and that in it's self is great.

[RandiFan1290]

17. Fuck the Reagancrats

[Paladin]

18. Yet another McGovern '72 effort? Thanks, I'll pass. (nt)