Bernie Sanders is going to return to the Senate as an Independent

[Legends303]

Source:Heartstreet

By Emily Zanotti | 5:41 pm, July 27, 2016
The nomination was barely sealed up at the Democratic National Convention before Bernie Sanders, who had campaigned against Hillary Clinton for the party’s nod, went back to being an Independent.

Sanders, who considers himself, officially, an Independent in Congress because his views lean further left than the Democratic party’s platform, caucuses with Democrats. But until declaring an intention to run for the presidency in 2015, he had rarely, if ever, identified as a member of the Democratic Party (he’s been in politics since 1979).

And now, despite pleading with his base to support Hillary, even though they’re concerned that she’s too moderate, Sanders will return to Vermont and to his seat in the Senate, and he’ll do it with no official party affiliation.

Link: https://heatst.com/politics/bernie-sanders-leaves-the-democratic-party/

[shenmue]

1. Well

[ismnotwasm]

2. Wait, wut?

Well well

[LisaM]

3. He didn't even have the decency to wait until the week was out

much less the election season. Sigh.

[Little Star]

4. I'm shocked.......

shocked, I tell you!

[Walk away]

5. Can he go now? Can he take his delegates with him????

[FloridaBlues]

6. Shocked I tell you, no one surprised

[caquillo]

7. Remember when Weaver told Halperin in April that Sanders would remain a Democrat for life?

What an opportunist! And people find that admirable?

Bernie Sanders will remain a member of the Democratic Party after his primary election against Hillary Clinton, his campaign manager said Wednesday.

The independent Vermont senator’s congressional website currently notes that Sanders is the “the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history,” though he caucuses with Democrats.

“If Sen. Sanders is not the nominee, will he stay in the Democratic Party forever now,” Bloomberg Politics’ Mark Halperin asked.

“Well, he is a Democrat. He’s said he’s a Democrat, and he’s gonna be [supporting] the Democratic nominee, whoever that is,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told Bloomberg Politics’ “With All Due Respect.”

“But he’s a member of the Democratic Party now for life?” Halperin pressed.

“Yes, he is,” Weaver said. “Yes, he is.”

Sanders’ Senate office has identified him as an independent as recently as April 1.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-dem-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/04/bernie-sanders-democrat-independent-222228

[KewlKat]

18. I was just going to post that

disappointed..............

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/videos/2016-04-20/bernie-sanders-is-a-democrat-for-life-says-jeff-weaver

Bernie Sanders Is No Longer A Democrat #DemExit

[BlueMTexpat]

8. Personal anecdote from

today: I watched the speeches from Day 1 of the convention on C-Span.

During Bernie's speech, C-Span consistently identified him as Senator Bernie Sanders I-Vermont.

Was anyone watching C-Span Monday night who noticed that? It could possibly have been adjusted afterward, I suppose.

The timing of this news is truly uncool, IMO

[DesertFlower]

9. i don't understand why he's an independent. he caucuses

with the dems. does he remain "independent" just to be different? is it because he's a "socialist"?

i feel like he used the democratic party to run for prez and now he's abandoning them.

[Legends303]

10. I don't know

I read somewhere that he got fed up with the DNC that they didn't move left enough on some issues.

[DesertFlower]

11. he got 90% of what he wanted.

[Blue Idaho]

12. He has an empire to build when he is done with the convention.

Both he and Jane have made it clear they want to build something bigger from his campaign. I think it's easier for him to do that as an Independent Democratic Socialist.

[DesertFlower]

13. he could still be a socialist democrat.

being an independent means you'll vote for other parties. my friend howie is an independent. he voted clinton, bush and obama. right now he's having a hard time. he won't vote for trump but he believes the lies about hillary. i find he leans a little more to the right.

IMO the parties are so different. there are democratic values and republican values and of course there's the supreme court to think about.

[Blue Idaho]

14. True

But being an independent means he has no one to answer to. He can caucus with Democratic Senators, leverage his vote for seats on Senate committees, and negotiate funds to run for office all without helping Democrats do anything he's not interested in.

[DesertFlower]

16. i guess after being a life long dem (i'm almost 75).

it's hard for me to understand. i remember years ago michael moore said (paraphrase) "an independent -- whatever that is".

[Blue Idaho]

17. I get that...

This 64 year old life long Democrat is right there with you.

[liberalnarb]

21. He was elected by his constituents as an Independent.

And I can promise you, Bernie didn't vote for Bush or any repuke.

[LisaM]

15. I had a dream last night that they were building a fancy new house.

It was the strangest dream, they took me on a tour. It was huge, unfinished (in the dream), out in the woods, and there was wind whooshing through all the unfinished walls. The floors were unfinished too, there were big places to fall through. It was actually Jane taking me through the house. Odd dream.

[KewlKat]

19. So did the dems pay off his campaign debt?

or did he have funds? Is he not going to raise funds for the down ticket races?

[liberalnarb]

22. Yes he is.

He's going to be campaigning and supporting at least 100 Democratic candidates across the country. Though I'm not sure why we're talking about this, isn't this the Hillary Group??

[liberalnarb]

20. I thought this was the Hillary group??

[unitedwethrive]

23. Shocked, shocked I tell you

[bigwillq]

24. As he should

That's what he was elected as.

[Haveadream]

25. ...

I'm shocked! Never would have seen that coming.