My detailed take on WHY Bernie Sanders:

[LWolf]

1. HE'S NOT A NEO-LIBERAL. This one reason trumps everything, but I promised detail, so I'll go on.

2. He's practical, as evidenced by the way he has worked with others to get things done in congress. He's got a great record working to get things done.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernie-gets-it-done-sanders-record-pushing-through-major-reforms-will-surprise-you

What his colleagues have to say about his work ethics:

3)
Senator Richard Burr — Republican, North Carolina

“ one who’s willing to sit down and compromise and negotiate to get to a final product.”
* *

4)
Senator Roger Wicker — Republican, Mississippi

“I learned early on not to be automatically dismissive of a Bernie Sanders initiative or amendment… He’s tenacious and dogged and he has determination, and he’s not to be underestimated.”
* *

5)
Senator Sherrod Brown — Democrat, Ohio

“ would call them ‘tripartite amendments’ because we’d have him and he’d get a Republican, he’d get a Democrat and he’d pass things.

He’s good at building coalitions.”
* *

6)
Senator John Mccain — Republican, Arizona

“, I found him to be honorable and good as his word.”
* *

7)
Senator Chuck Schumer — Democrat, New York

“He knew when to hold and knew when to fold and, I think, maximized what we could get for veterans.”
* *

8)
Senator Jack Reed — Democratic, Rhode Island (again)

“Frankly, without him, I don’t think we would have gotten done…

It was a great testament to his skill as a legislator.”

* *
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/2/10/1482833/-8-Quotes-From-Congress-About-Bernie-Sanders

3. He's the epitome of democratic. He's all about us, about we, and not about himself...unlike his opponent. He listens. He builds coalitions. He wants to correct the disastrous course we've been stumbling down by getting rid of the oligarchy and returning the nation to the 99%. That's as democratic as it gets.

4. And that leads to a revolution. We've had several; we're over-due for another. I, frankly, wasn't happy with the Reagan Revolution. Nor was I okay with the "bloodless coup" within the Democratic Party enacted by Al From and the Clintons, among others. We need fundamental change. And those changes will be democratic, and will build upon democratic successes of the past.

5. Sanders' agenda is both broad and deep. He addresses economic and social justice as well as environmental issues. He's not all that radical; I am more radical than he, but he's focused on moving in my direction.

6. His life, in and out of politics, his character, and his record generate my respect and support. He stands his ground, he does so with dignity, and he sticks to the issues. This is what I've wanted from politicians for all of my adult life. I'm 55.

That's my take, and he's got my full support all the way to the WH.

[beam me up scottie]

1. Bravo!

[cantbeserious]

2. When We Stand Together - No Citizen Need Settle For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils - Go Bernie Go

eom

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. KnR

[Admiral Loinpresser]

4. KnR! n/t

[jeff47]

5. Before the label crowd gets here, I'd like to point out the lower-case 'd' in those democratics nt

[LWolf]

6. Yes.

That's on purpose, responding to the small d "democratic progress" he's been accused of undermining.

That, and my perception of Sanders is that he truly supports small d democracy.

[jeff47]

8. Yep, just anticipating the attempted subject change.

Good post, btw.

[LWolf]

9. I'm thinking about that small d,

and about how determined the Democratic Party and the Clinton supporters are to defeat the small d with super-delegates; how they feel the need to protect themselves against small d democracy and defeat it when it becomes a threat.

[tokenlib]

7. The Third Way be damned...Go Bernie!

Good post...

[LWolf]

11. That's it...in a nutshell.

The neo-liberal takeover of the party must come to an end.

[tokenlib]

10. Kick and rec

[99th_Monkey]

12. Well put LWolf. K&R n/t

[daleanime]

13. Massive K&R.....

[UglyGreed]

14. K/R

[paleotn]

15. +100,000

...Bravo! My feelings, exactly!

[citizen blues]

16. Completely agree that he's not a NEO-Liberal or a radical

He's a New Deal Democrat. He sounds a lot like FDR to me. It's about time we had one of those come along.

[LWolf]

26. Long past time, imo. nt

[zalinda]

17. Love it, love Bernie...........that is all. n/t

[amborin]

18. K&R

[ChiciB1]

19. Great Post & VERY CLEARLY Presented, THANKS!

The simplicity of who he is and what he stands for is the REASON WHY! The reason WHY on so many issues, but mostly because off his AUTHENTICITY and INTEGRITY!

Almost EVERY PERSON connected with TPTB has thrown despicable CRAP at him from DAY ONE and he's STILL STANDING! Just that alone is more progress than I've seen from THIS Democratic Party who for the most part have been TOO AFRAID to color outside the lines in their coloring book. I firmly, firmly believe that even IF they didn't hold both the House & Senate, they SURE COULD have come out on a regular basis and cried foul much more LOUDLY & CLEARLY than they have for way too many years!

But no, their FEAR hasn't been from "we the people" it's been from those who have BUTTERED their bread for too, too long! They've become complacent and ignorant and most importantly forgot that IF THEY WOULD FIGHT for us, WE WOULD HAVE HELPED much more!

BUT THEY HAVEN'T!

[LWolf]

20. You're welcome, of course!

I'm listening to Bernie right now, reminding us that while he needs our help to get the nomination, to be elected, he'll need our help even more the day after being elected.

He's putting reality on the table, and showing us the way.

[ChiciB1]

21. So Very Correct! Was Going To Say Right, But You Know...

not the word I wanted to use.
LOL

[steve2470]

22. #7 - He is able to be friends with a hard-core conservative like Jim Inhofe

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-bernie-sanders-fundraising/

Oklahoma Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, National Journal’s 2009 Top Conservative in the Senate—the man who, in February, tossed a snowball on the floor of the chamber to assert that global warming is a hoax—calls Sanders one of his best friends in the Senate. “Bernie Sanders is unique,” Inhofe says, “in that most of the Democrats I know in the Senate vote liberal and press-release conservative. Not Bernie. He’s a proud, in-the-heart, sincere liberal. I’ve never heard him once say something that didn’t come from his heart. That’s not true with all the people running for president, Democrats and Republican. I hold him in high regard.” Sanders and Inhofe met in the early ’90s, when they were both representatives, and Sanders was proposing an amendment hiking taxes on the oil and gas industry. Inhofe rushed to the floor, debated him, and won the vote. Afterward, Sanders thanked him for offering a thoughtful, fact-based exchange.

Despite 25 years of friendship, Inhofe doesn’t know much about Sanders personally. “With everyone else in the Senate, they’ll discuss the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game,” Inhofe says. “But not Bernie. I don’t think he has any other interests. I really don’t. I’ve never heard him talk about anything besides something legislative he’s all wrapped up in. It’s very unusual.” Inhofe pauses. “I, to this day, don’t even know if he has grandkids. Or even a wife.” The two have never gone to dinner or lunch. “I don’t know what we’d talk about,” Inhofe says, before remembering that, of course, Sanders would talk about wealth inequality. “You can’t have a whole dinner talking about that.”

Some of you may regard this as a weakness. I do not. It shows me that he is able to deal with people who are his polar opposite in politics and have a friendly, if not formally cordial relationship. He will have to cope and deal effectively with many Republican troglodytes as President, so I think this is good evidence he will be able to, as well as anyone humanly can.

[LWolf]

24. I agree.

We know we can't move forward without a way to get things through Congress. I think he can do it as well, and maybe better, than any.

Thanks for the link; I read it, and enjoyed it, all. In pointing out how truly different Sanders is from the traditional politician, the article highlights many of the reasons I support him. I particularly enjoyed this piece:

For an angry, self-righteous Post-it note, Sanders is pretty likable. He’s warm, thoughtful, self-aware, brave, funny, and—in that way that hippies don’t care what people think of them—cool. Sitting near a provolone-filled refrigerator in the cafeteria kitchen at Plymouth State University, he roughly pulls his sweater vest over his head, to look more formal, maybe, or to stay cool, or to achieve his hairstyle. He approaches his son Levi, a paralegal at Greater Boston Legal Services, who is about to introduce him onstage. He picks a huge piece of lint off his son’s lapel and asks, “Is this what genetics is about? He has more crap on his suit jacket than I have on mine.”

Levi nods and says, “I’m trying to make you look good.”

It's part of what draws his supporters to him, the not caring what people think of him, not being caught up in the cult of personality, making his lifetime's work not about him, but about the issues of inequalities, about the people he's working for.

[TIME TO PANIC]

23. K & R!

[ybbor]

25. Hear, Hear!

Well said!