Bernie Sanders will get my vote, but his movement will not get my respect...

[brooklynite]

Respect is earned. And in the field of electoral politics, respect is earned by showing the ability to win elections. Other than in safe D+12 districts, the left wing has continued to show an inability to either attract votes in the middle, OR attract new votes from the left, sufficient to win competitive races.

[RandiFan1290]

1. I've had to vote for many lame candidates that I didn't respect.

Join the club, pal

[brutus smith]

2. +1000

[Cha]

9. And, just who are these"lame candidates", Randi.. and

why didn't you "respect" them?

[TwilightZone]

10. Everyone but Sanders.

And because they weren't Sanders.

[Cha]

12. Yeah. No matter how Excellent they are.

[hlthe2b]

3. This exchange illustrates the anger and concern so many of us feel...

Link to tweet

[Cha]

11. Excellent obervation! So much for "unity".

[DownriverDem]

4. I do, but

I don't see Center/Left voters voting for Bernie.

[JoeDuck]

7. What about Bernie voters?

You seem to think center/left won't vote for Bernie, but does that mean you don't expect Bernie voters to vote for another candidate?

[Happy Hoosier]

8. What about them?

Sure they can hurt us. But Bernie has yet to demonstrate he can deliver a national winning coalition. In 2018, it was center-left candidates who won, not Bernie acolytes.

[JoeDuck]

13. I was just asking.

I've seen a lot of comments here that we lost in 2016 because the Sanders supporters didn't vote for Hillary Clinton. I don't know if that's the reason or not, but people are blaming that. But my comment was to a suggestion that Democrats won't vote for Bernie if he's the nominee. That attitude is the same as a vote for Trump. I will vote for the nominee, I would prefer to have a candidate more toward the left than toward the middle but any of the people running in the primaries are preferable to four more years of Trump.

[Happy Hoosier]

15. I don't think the suggestion is...

.. that Democrats would refuse to vote for Bernie. I think the idea is that moderate Independents would not vote for him. And I do think we’d see suppressed turn-out in some core demos like women of color.

If we look at 2018, we won not because of a huge turn out of Our Revolution types, but because center-left candidates won the burbs and moderate voters. That’s how we win.

[samnsara]

5. same here..if bs is the nom hell yes i will vote for him but NO support..No respect..

..i have never been in a position of voting for a candidate I dearly disliked..

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

6. You won't have to worry because

He won't be the nominee.

[padah513]

14. Not when hes too busy to go to Selma he won't

[Ninga]

16. Aren't they one in the same? You respect him enough

to cast a vote for him.

[Apollo Zeus]

17. Left v right is not the way I see the offerings

In 2008 Obama ran on Hope and Change because those words resonated with voters. He was painted as a "community organizer" with a muslim name who 'couldn't possibly win' Yet Obama defeated a person who was running their third national presidential campaign and had every legacy advantage.

Voters are even more desperate for change now. Biden is not running on "change" -- he seems to be saying the only real problem we have is Trump. Conversely the "attacks" on Bernie emphasize that Bernie IS change, perhaps 'too much change' but change and that is more popular.

[MyOwnPeace]

18. I always hope

to be able to respect someone when I vote for them. I certainly hope I'll be able to vote for a candidate that I truly like and respect this year.
That being said, THIS year I'm gonna' vote BLUE, no matter who!

[Act_of_Reparation]

19. I don't think they give a shit.

But whatever makes you feel powerful, I guess.