Why is Bernie Sanders a hated figure on DU?

[portlander23]

It's remarkable to me that in a time when few people are offering strong leadership, or even just simple direction, to fight Trump that many are still fighting a primary contest that has long since passed.

What is it about Bernie Sanders that makes him such a hated figure on DU? Given the state of the country and the party I don't see how we have the luxury of attacking ourselves.

[Xipe Totec]

1. scapegoat

Lev. 16:8,10,26.


The Lord said to Moses: 2 "If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, 3 or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— 4 when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, 5 or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering. 6 And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. 7 In this way the priest will make atonement for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty."

Leviticus 6

[LWolf]

2. Because

it's too bitter to admit that we were correct when we said he'd have a better chance beating Trump; because the Queen not only lost, but hasn't led the response from the left; because he's a beacon for the people. Because it was never about issues, but always just identity politics, and when the neoliberal identity politics regime failed, that failure engendered even more hate for those who were right all along.

The bottom line? DU is, and always has been, quite openly, a partisan and censored site; party has always trumped issues. The party doesn't have to be on the right side of issues; it just has to have enough might to win, because might makes right, and when it's not mighty enough, it's everyone else's fault.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. Ding, ding ding!! We have a winna!! Imagine if Hillary had not takin Bernie's supporters for granted... we'd be callin her Madame President right now!

No acknowledgment that this was a major miscalculation... and it continues to this day!

[TexasBushwhacker]

18. Hell, all she had to do was listen to the DNC

They were telling her that the rust belt states that went for Obama were in trouble but she IGNORED them. Yes, the same DNC that helped her disproportionately during the primaries.

http://www.usnews.com/news/the-run-2016/articles/2016-11-11/dnc-staff-arrogance-cost-hillary-clinton-the-election-vs-donald-trump

I can't even go to the Postmortem board anymore. I've yet to see her or any of her supporters take 1% of the resonsibility for her failure. They just want to point fingers. I just wish she would sit down with Oprah or somebody and say "I blew it".

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

19. haha, well THAT'S neva gonna happen! But, if Bernie runs again - after all, it is his turn! - betcha he won't be making that mistake & takin ANY votes for granted.

[kenfrequed]

22. Agreed.

They really need to bury the post mortem thread.

[Sherman A1]

4. Precisely

and eloquently stated.

[TCJ70]

21. This is pretty much it...

...admitting you were wrong is hard. It's easier to blame the other side. My favorite part is the ample evidence that she wasn't the right choice. The polls (not the later polls, but the ones during the primaries) indicated the results would be within the margin of error should Hillary be the nominee. Those same polls gave Sanders a much better chance of winning. Maybe they (Hillary primary supporters) should have listened.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

5. Not from me!

I didn't vote for him in the Ohio primary (or anyone since I skipped it this year), partly because I bought the neoliberal argument that progressives like him "can't win."

The most economic progressive/grassroots/populist candidates that I supported in the past didn't survive the Democratic primaries either, so I didn't get too excited this time around. Well, except for Obama... and he only seemed slightly more grassroots than Clinton in 2008. He still took in lots of money from bankers and investment firms.

Anyway, I'm actually MORE excited by Bernie now! I'm back in the progressive fight!

I certainly don't blame him for Clinton losing the electoral college. She's the one who decided to raise money from wealthy fat cats. She's ultimately responsible for having a private email server too. By the way, I still voted for her ASAP in the GE... not because she really excited me beyond possibly being our first female President, but mostly because she was running against a lying sociopath in Trump!

[pennylane100]

6. I still love Bernie

and Hillary ran a good campaign. We have to stop fighting over this and unite in destroying the Trump presidency and republican control of the house and senate. These are our real problems.

[portlander23]

7. I think I'm close to done

Nearly ever Sanders related piece, and a few trade related ones, I've posted have been alerted on. It's mind blowing, because not only are the primaries over, Bernie lost. Posting that Sanders is working hand in hand with the Democratic party to fight Trump is verboten.

I thought Sanders was included in the rule about not bashing Democratic figures? Is that not the case?

[LongTomH]

8. The only thing you can do is put the consistent Bernie haters on ignore!

The only time I put someone on ignore is when I think that person really has nothing to contribute to the discussion; so many of these people contribute nothing but variants on the argument ad hominem.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

10. Deleted my post above because...

... discussing it might be against the rules too? I'm not sure how to interpret it!

[MelissaB]

11. He's supposed to be included, but it isn't enforced.

The alert stalkers are out of had, but it may be that's they way the owners want the site to be run. I don't know anymore.

[QC]

26. I think they quit caring about this place a long, long time ago. n/t

[Arazi]

16. I love your posts. Bernie's more Dem than most who have that "D" after their name

I'd certainly understand if you stopped since the Bernie haters have made it their mission to attack everything he does, but I'm at the point that your posts are the only thing worthwhile here anymore.

Hillary has shown she's not going to lead the fight against Trump so bring on Bernie and Elizabeth Warren and any of the others taking up the banner.

[JudyM]

20. That is the case and here's the language and the link. We need to keep quoting this!

Don't bash Democratic public figures
Do not post disrespectful nicknames, insults, or highly inflammatory attacks against any Democratic public figures....
Why we have this rule: Our forum members support and admire a wide variety of Democratic politicians and public figures. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but our members don't expect to see Democrats viciously denigrated on this website. This rule also applies to Independents who align themselves with Democrats (eg: Bernie Sanders).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=termsofservice

I posted an "Ask the Admins" suggestion that the admins reemphasize this when they close the Postmortem. Haven't heard back yet. The intolerance here re:Bernie is over the top and IMO, really destructive.

Please keep posting, portlander23, there's strength in our numbers. I've been fighting back against the worst of their comments, including in your threads. We need to stay positive, and keep following sanders' lead. In time it'll be clear how valuable he is.

[riderinthestorm]

24. +1 nt

[TexasBushwhacker]

23. They'll say he's "not a Democrat" and therefore bashable

I'm sick of all the bashing of the JPR site as well. It was created BECAUSE of intolerance on DU.

[marlakay]

12. This site has changed a lot

Even in the past when we wanted different people to win we had fair disagreements about it.

Now it has turned nasty and it feels like a bunch of people are putting down all sorts of progressives. Michael Moore, Bill Maher, Cenk, etc.

I don't agree with all they do but their goal is for liberal values. All of them want peace, universal health care, clean environment, all of them want us to be equal.

Just like Bernie.

Ever since Hillary won primary it feels different like a take over of intolerance, and its really sad. This place used to make me feel better after listening to news. I keep checking back hoping it will change but anger at her loss is now being taken out on each other.

[MelissaB]

13. I couldn't agree more, especially with you last sentence.

[marlakay]

14. I don't have a high post count

but came here in 2004 when I was working on Kerry campaign registering voters. It was actually a link on Michael Moore's site that got me here.

[DemocraticWing]

15. I think there is a clear contrast between liberal and socialist/progressive beliefs.

There is a fight over which beliefs the Democratic Party will stand for. The liberals have held power for a very long time and do not want to change things because, on the whole, their lives are going quite well.

A lot of people think we can't win without the backing of many wealthy people (the 1%). Some of the rest of us think, in general, wealth is a big part of the problem. That comes off as dangerous to a lot of people, and frankly I guess it kind of is. But there's the distinction and Bernie's side isn't going anywhere.

[potone]

17. The so-called liberals...

aren't. They are supporters of the neoliberal economic order which has impoverished people around the world. If we can't take back the word "liberal" than we need to abandon it. But i will never call someone who supports that system a liberal.

[JudyM]

33. +1. Same for the word progressive.

[DeeDeeNY]

25. Bernie has always shown himself to be sincere and a leader

The venom and sarcasm expressed against him during the primaries and afterwards is irrational. It's distressing to see such comments on DU.

[QC]

27. Because this place has become Free Republic for conservative Democrats.

Harsh, but there's no other way to say it honestly.

A loud faction that is allowed to get away with absolutely anything has decided that all they want to discuss here is how Bernie sucks, people who support Bernie suck, working class people suck, rural people suck, displaced blue-collar workers suck, the upper Midwest sucks, religious people suck, etc.

No freeper ever hated progressives any more than the loud crowd here does.

[Autumn]

28. Some are currently upset because Bernie didn't stand up with the CBC to protest Trump.

Of course they ignore the fact that not one damn so called DEMOCRATIC senator was there, it's all on Bernie. His fault. Their hatred run deep. To tell you the truth I'm enjoying watching them it's very revealing, in so many ways.

[portlander23]

29. I'm not happy Trump won either

But the contempt for the poor, specifically those that were are the "losers" of globalization is really ugly.

[MelissaB]

32. Amen!

[LongTomH]

30. The hateful comments against Bernie just keep coming!!!!

The venom just seems to keep getting worse. If it wasn't for my fellow Bernie supporters here, I would have left already.

[marlakay]

31. Same here about fellow Bernie people

And the ones who are peace loving and not causing problems that supported Hillary.

[JudyM]

34. It is a hate fest. They don't see that they are acting like the people they despise on the right.

There is nothing redemptive in any way, they are keeping the standards here at the lowest they've been in my 12 years here. They take the "progress" out of progressive.