Bernie for Senate Chair!

[bmstee01]

Listen, I know it isn't as sexy as President. However, in the words of Joe Biden... " This is a big fucking deal!"

I am proud to vote for Hillary for President, as I was to vote for Obama.

However, I strongly believe that Bernie is too great to be constrained by the office of the Presidency! We need him in the Senate and we need him to be the chair of the Budget Committee!

You want to continue the Revolution? This is how it is done friends! We Elect a Democrat to the White House and get a Democratic majority in the Senate and we push like hell to make the most progressive party platform a reality.

I love Hillary and always have. And as a Democrat I don't stand by and just say my Democrat President is infallible. No! We are better than that, we are smarter than that! We are about the progress not the person! So yes we will hold her feet to the fire bc as Democrats that's what we do. Democrats care about America and Republicans care about Republicans.

So I hope everyone on DU will RISE UP. Don't just VOTE! Volunteer! Take Bernies Passion and Hillarys Pragmatism and mold it into a movement that will make our great country even BETTER!!!

[chillfactor]

1. no argument there....

Bernie would be great in that position.

[msanthrope]

12. What committee chair experience does he have that leads you to that

conclusion?

[Glassunion]

20. He is currently the ranking member of the committee.

[OnDoutside]

21. Tsk, tsk ... Stop making sensible points ;)

[msanthrope]

23. It might be a sensible point if it had included an answer. nt

[msanthrope]

22. Which committee? nt

[Glassunion]

24. The one the OP mentioned.

From the OP: "We need him in the Senate and we need him to be the chair of the Budget Committee"

http://www.budget.senate.gov/

[msanthrope]

25. Again....you have not answered my question. I asked you which chairmanship position indicates

Sanders is capable of leading Democrats.

My suggestion is that you look at his record.

[Glassunion]

28. I think you may be confusing folks you are replying to.

The OP mentioned that they would like to see Bernie the Budget Committee
- Then chillfactor stated that Bernie would be great in that position.
-- Then you asked what committee chair experience does Bernie have that would lead chill to that conclusion.
--- Then I simply interjected that Bernie is currently serving as the ranking member in that committee, implying he's qualified to lead.
---- Then you asked what committee
----- I clarified the Budget committee in the OP

Now you are asking which chairmanship position indicates Sanders is capable of leading Democrats. Sitting as the Ranking Member of a committee is a leadership position. He has been exemplary in the position since appointed. Has there been an issue with Sanders leading Democrats in this committee for the past couple of years, or when he led Democrats on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs while he was the Chairperson, or when he led Democrats on the Primary Health and Retirement Security subcommittee?

I feel Bernie is already well placed in the Budget committee, and if the Dems take back control of the Senate, he will do just fine as Chairperson.

[msanthrope]

30. I'm not confused at all... Merely reminding you of his disastrous tenure

At the head of the veterans committee. Now granted he has apologized for that Fiasco and he said that he's learned from his mistakes, but I see no reason to give him the reigns over the Democrats in the Senate. Chuck Schumer is a worthy Senator and frankly so is Elizabeth Warren long before we ever consider giving it to Bernie Sanders.

Bluntly I am uncomfortable even considering someone who is not only not released his taxes but has apparently extended his Senate disclosure form to well past the election. This is not bashing Bernie, this is absolute fact, I want to see those tax returns before I would elect him to dog catcher

[Glassunion]

35. Should we pull Sanders from all committee assignments?

King as well? Neither are members of the party.

[CentralMass]

2. He would be an outstanding choice.

[msanthrope]

13. Kindly tell us what part of his resume you would point to that would place

him above Chuck Schumer or Elizabeth Warren.

[WhiteTara]

3. Sorry to burst the bubble

but Chuck Schumer is taking Harry Reid's place.

[Monk06]

4. Yes, I like Bernie but putting your primary rival in place as the tie breaker in the senate

would be foolish and naive

Senate ties are rare but with key legislation and supreme court appointments the idea would be needlessly asking for intra party conflict

[Jim Lane]

18. Ties in the Senate are broken by the VP.

The OP was celebrating the prospect of Bernie as Budget Committee Chair. Some responses misinterpret the OP as calling for Bernie to be Majority Leader or Minority Leader, depending on whether the Democrats take control of the Senate. Those last two positions aren't called "Chair" so that's clearly wrong. At any rate, none of these three positions carries tie-breaking power.

[Monk06]

19. Correct Posted before reflecting Still as majority leader? Too powerful a position for a rival

Can't see it

[sheshe2]

5. Bernie has said he will serve in the Senate as an Independent.

He does not get a seat as chair person.

As for holding her feet to the fire? I have listened to that here for years about Obama, well.. holding ones feet to the fire does not mean burning them off. You are new here. Perhaps you should read how Dems at this site use to call for that. It was not pretty.

Holding a President accountable is one thing. Understanding a congress and senate's obstruction is another. One needs to be clear who they are holding accountable and why. Why is it the GOP never has had their feet held to the fire by Dems?

[msanthrope]

7. Exactly.....we aren't falling for the feet to the fire Bullshit again. nt

[sheshe2]

8. Thank you!

[msanthrope]

9. Especially when the denizens of JPR saunter back here to make OPs demanding such. nt

[sheshe2]

10. Yup!

Feet to the fire! Feet to the fire!

[msanthrope]

11. It's a tell....the concern that the "Revolution" continue nt

[sheshe2]

14. Yes.

A revolution!

[Jim Lane]

17. Bernie has always caucused with the Democrats and they have reciprocated

He's currently the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee. If the Dems (i.e. Dems plus Bernie plus Angus King) take the majority, he'll probably become Budget Committee Chair, although it's not certain. Someone with more seniority might bump him. For example, Ron Wyden is on the committee and has more seniority, but he's currently Ranking Member on the Finance Committee, and will probably (though not necessarily) take the Finance chairship.

The Senate calculations that I've seen all assume that King and Sanders will continue to caucus with the Democrats. It's not at all impossible that the Democrats (excluding those Independents who come in for so much abuse in this thread) will have only 48 or 49 seats. It will be King and Sanders that give the Democrats the majority.

Apparently you want the Democratic Party to say, "Thanks for helping us get control of the Senate by caucusing with us. Now buzz off. We're going to depart from longstanding tradition and not accord you any of the benefits of caucusing with us." That will be a strong incentive for independents to decide not to caucus with the Democrats ever again.

[democrattotheend]

29. Wrong

He caucuses with the Democrats and as part of that he gets committee seats and chairmanships if the Democrats are in the minority the same as any other member of the caucus. I believe the Senate Democrats could punish him for being an independent by stripping him of his committee assignments, but that would be stupid because they need him for the majority more than he needs them to get re-elected with an 80% approval rating. Plus, after all the campaigning he's done for Hillary and Democratic Senate candidates I would say he has earned it.

Right now, he is in line to be chair of the budget committee if the Democrats take the Senate, but I believe he has indicated that he would prefer the HELP chairmanship. I am hoping he gets that so he can work with President Hillary Clinton on their joint education plan and to improve the ACA.

[msanthrope]

6. Absolutely not. He has said he is remaining an Independent. Democratic positions for Democrats.

Welcome to DU.

[Exilednight]

34. He's an independent that caucuses with Democrats. if he were

a true independent you would have a point, but he's not and you don't.

[sheshe2]

15. No.

Bernie is not a Dem. He stated he goes back as an Independent. That is his choice. It is his decision. He will not he a Democratic Chair.

Me I will take Hills passion and pragmatism any day. She is our candidate and she is awesome. She will rock you!

[BainsBane]

16. You mean Senate Majority (or minority) leader?

No. That position isn't about whose ideas or speeches you like best. It's about getting senators to support legislation, organizing the Democratic caucus. There is no indication that Bernie has those sort of skills. Besides, he remains an independent. The position is for a senior Democrat. It will be Chuck Schumer.

[bmstee01]

26. Let me respond:

Let me start by saying that my intention when writing this was to get people excited about the idea of taking over the Senate. I think there are a lot of Bernie supporters that probably still feel disappointment over the primaries. It's understandable. I was trying point out that he stands a strong chance to become the chair of the budget committee. I was inspired to write this after Paul Ryan tried to sound the alarms about this possibility and in my head I thought, well shit, that sounds great!
Secondly let me add that right now we are 3 weeks from an election and we should be united and amping each other up rather than trying to pick apart people's comments. I believe we can respectfully disagree and make points about things without trying to make people feel stupid or naive.
I am a proud democrat and I vote every election. I enjoy politics very much and I like what this forum offers for someone like me, but if people are going to be rude and snobbish I will take my opinions somewhere else.

[SammyWinstonJack]

32. +1

[KittyWampus]

27. you must be joking. The man doesn't work well w/ others. What part of that fact

didn't come across during the primaries.


NO ONE LIKES WORKING WITH HIM

[dembotoz]

33. Hrc will want her own pet lapdog

I don't expect a progressive