Democratic Socialists of America back Bernie: 'The best chance to beat Trump'

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Democratic Socialists of America back Bernie: 'The best chance to beat Trump'

The group helped leftwing candidates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib win long-shot elections to Congress in 2018

Adam Gabbatt in New York
Fri 22 Mar 2019 02.35 GMT

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has officially endorsed Bernie Sanders for president, with the organization throwing its growing political clout behind the Vermont senator ahead of the 2020 election.

The DSA’s National Political Committee leadership team voted to back Sanders during a meeting on Thursday night, after the rank-and-file membership had earlier overwhelmingly pledged their support.

The backing of the DSA will provide a further fillip to Sanders, who quickly outraised most of his rivals for the Democratic nomination. The DSA endorsed Sanders in 2016 and helped the leftwing candidates Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib win long-shot elections to Congress in 2018.

“He has the best possible chance of the Democratic field to beat Trump,” said Jeremy Gong, a member of the NPC who voted to endorse Sanders.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/21/democratic-socialists-of-america-bernie-sanders-2020

[LongtimeAZDem]

1. Now if we can jest get the Communist party to endorse him, we're all set

[TheSocialDem]

2. Wow great joke

[LongtimeAZDem]

3. It's not a joke. I wish it was.

[TheSocialDem]

5. The communist party? Who is that in America and how many members?

[LongtimeAZDem]

7. You don't get it. The terms "socialism" and "communism" are equivalent to a large swath

of the American electorate. I know they're different, everybody here knows they're different, but that doesn't matter.

An endorsement by the "Democratic Socialists of America" is poison, and it takes a staggering amount of political naïveté not to realize that.

[TheSocialDem]

9. I'm thinkAOC and the other progressives

They helped get elected would disagree

[LongtimeAZDem]

12. AOC was elected by the same number of people that show up to a Cowboys home game

To extrapolate a small liberal district in New York to the American electorate at large requires, again, a staggering amount of political naïveté.

Edited to add: You can't even call AOC's election an endorsement of Democratic Socialism. She got the nomination because her opponent blew it off, and her district would have elected a potted plant if it was the Democratic candidate.

[Kahuna7]

27. LOL! nt

[David__77]

32. I think the Communist Party will largely support the Democratic nominee.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-31/communist-party-leader-voted-for-sanders-will-back-clinton%3fcontext=amp

[RandySF]

4. I didn't see THAT coming.

[still_one]

6. no matter how one views socialism, the fact is, Sanders is going to be asked about his position on

it during the campaign, and that is a double edged sword.

If the campaign becomes a classroom to explain the virtues of socialism, you have already lost

[NurseJackie]

8. I'm very glad to see this.

If the campaign becomes a classroom to explain the virtues of socialism, you have already lost

Exactly.

[still_one]

11. Thanks Jackie.

[dalton99a]

10. +1

[Ghost Dog]

13. Easy. Just explain that there already is socialism but it's mostly spending on the military

& military suppliers instead of on more useful stuff.

[namahage]

14. Paint vets as socialists wanting handouts

instead of spending on more "useful stuff."

Winning message there, for sure. You'd think the DSA would be a political powerhouse with messaging like that.

[still_one]

16. It's a quagmire. One starts treading into this, you'll never get out. It will open a whole bag of

worms that campaigns don't have the luxury to deal with

[Mr Tibbs]

20. Sanders will embrace it and run with it

[still_one]

22. and lose

[Mr Tibbs]

23. The 50s ended

https://www.collegemedianetwork.com/gen-z-alongside-millennials-prefer-socialism-than-capitalism/

[still_one]

25. yeah, you go with that and see how that works out for your candidate

[Mr Tibbs]

26. And that's exactly what we are doing

[still_one]

28. I am bookmarking this

[Mr Tibbs]

29. Good luck going at him on this issue

While Trumpers are doing and saying the exact same things about him.

[still_one]

31. It won't be me bud, and don't associate me with trump or his supporters

[Talking Tom]

15. Schocker

I thought they would endorse a capitalist.

[DanTex]

17. Good that they see the importance of beating Trump. The important thing is...

If Sanders is not the nominee, which he probably won't be, will they keep sight of the most important thing, beating Trump. Or will they do something stupid like back Jill Stein.

[Uncle Joe]

18. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread Eugene.

[NastyRiffraff]

19. Shrug

I'd be surprised if they didn't endorse him. He's one of their own. Not that it means much in the long run.

[susanna]

21. Except Tlaib's election was not a long shot.

If she had an (R) by her name in this district, THEN it would have been a long shot.

I know, because it is my district. It is beyond liberal...no one but a Democrat stands a chance here.

Congresswoman Tlaib did beat a more traditional D in the primary, but this is why: she knocked on doors and she has been doing so for years. I never saw the other candidate once. I've talked to Congresswoman Tlaib many times over many election cycles. She leaves me notes on my door when I am not at home

In other words, she earned it with years of preparation. I doubt the DSA did anything for her.

[Celerity]

24. Once Bernie drops out, hopefully the DSA goes away and plays with their Putin shill Stein

I love, LOVE AOC but she needs to distance herself as well from them.

Neither she nor Sanders are even socialists, democratic or otherwise.

They are bog standard social democrats.

Not clever to self-label incorrectly in reactionary America. And, nope, they cannot re-define a globally accepted term that has been around for 200 years in its modern form. It just the RW fuckers easy ammo to false smear our whole party.

[Mr Tibbs]

30. I don't think labels will be very potent this time around

For a few basic reasons