Barney Frank: "Bernie is the nominee of the caucuses and HRC is the nominee of the primaries"

[book_worm]

Isaac Chotiner: What do you make of Bernie Sanders’ success thus far, even if he is likely to come up short in terms of delegates?

Barney Frank: Remember he’s way behind not just in delegates but in votes.

Yeah I know, but still—

It’s ironic that we complain about voter suppression and shortened voting times and then we have so many caucuses. The caucuses are the least democratic political operation in America. They cater to the people who have a lot of time on their hands, and what’s interesting is Sanders is the nominee of the caucuses and Hillary is the nominee of the primaries.

I am disappointed by the voters who say, “OK I’m just going to show you how angry I am!” And I’m particularly unimpressed with people who sat out the Congressional elections of 2010 and 2014 and then are angry at Democrats because we haven’t been able to produce public policies they like. They contributed to the public policy problems and now they are blaming other people for their own failure to vote, and then it’s like, “Oh look at this terrible system,” but it was their voting behavior that brought it about.

So it seems like you’re saying Bernie’s voters have a slightly unrealistic sense about the political process. And that this is driven—

I didn’t say slightly.

OK.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/interrogation/2016/03/barney_frank_is_not_impressed_by_bernie_sanders.html

[yardwork]

1. "...particularly unimpressed with people who sat out the Congressional elections of 2010 and 2014.."

Right on, Barney.

[Skink]

2. She did well in the South

Not so well in NH

[Trust Buster]

3. Barney is smarter than Bernie. We've been pointing out this caucus anomaly for months.

And he's right, Democrat turnout was awful in 2010 and 2014. Some Democrats expect dramatic change with little effort. That's a pipe dream.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Some States count, others do not. This is the exact opposite of what Camp Clinton was pushing after

her big wins in the South. 'Not real elections, defective voters, they don't count'.
In 2008 it was Obama who was taking all the caucuses, apparently Barney thinks that election was not valid. Heck of a statement.
I dislike caucuses but voters in caucus States should not be excluded because I dislike their choice of election methods, I do not care for the methods used in virtually every State, voter ID laws, scarce polling places, long lines, purging the voter rolls...
Barney specializes in exclusionary rhetoric as his betrayal of the transgender community over his non inclusive version of ENDA so clearly demonstrated.

[CalvinballPro]

5. Remember IA? And NV? And how after Bernie lost two caucuses, his supporters couldn't deal with it?

I recall hearing that all caucuses are corrupt, and anything other than a primary vote was disenfranchising Americans!

And now they LUUUUUV caucuses, don't they? Now that Bernie's won 10 of them, of course they do! (Nevermind all those primaries he's lost.) And these hypocrites wonder why no one in politics supports what they do.

[morningfog]

7. You are so nasty. Caucuses are undemocratic and should be done away with.

As a Bernie supporter, that has always been my position. Your broad brush missed me.

[stone space]

10. I remember the Iowa Caucus.

Remember IA?

It was fun!

[Skink]

6. I wonder how big his victory in Washinton would have been

If they held a primary. Huge would be my guess.

[choie]

8. Oh you mean

Barney Frank the bankers' friend and sell out?

[stone space]

9. I actually enjoy our Democratic Caucuses here in Iowa.

I don't have time to stand in line for 5 hours just to pull a damn lever, like folks have to do in some primary states.

If all you want me to do is to pull a lever, then make it quick.

Otherwise, I'm going to find the whole experience excruciatingly boring, even if I did have the time for it.

[Bad Thoughts]

11. Standing in line for 5 hours is democratic?

I would prefer primaries that allowed people several days to vote and required employers to credit employees the time to vote, but the primaries and caucuses are both undemocratically constrained by unnecessary time limitations.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. First he complains about caucuses and then blames the voters.

Typical establishment politician.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

13. opinions of bank lobbyists don't really impress me