Will this be/IS it HRC's position,

[elleng]

undercover or not, about Bernie Sanders, the erstwhile Democrat? (from Anthony Weiner.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=437588

And what might it mean for MO'M? (a fair amount of stupid sneers from DUers. Too bad they won't discuss the MERITS!)

[Autumn]

1. I don't think those were stupid sneers from DUers

but Weiner's OPed was a trashy as he was when he was sending out his d**k pics. I for one saw no MERITS in what he did there. What merits did you see?

[elleng]

2. LOTS of merit, surely from a brother congress-critter,

and I didn't think it was trashy at all, but a fairly substantive even tho political critique.

A fair number of the 'comments' were in fact trashy and stupid, imo, tho not all of them.

[Autumn]

3. A brother congress-critter to who, Hillary?

[elleng]

4. 'While we were together in Congress,

if I was ever homesick for some five borough flavor, I didn’t need to get on Amtrak and have one of my constituents yell at me on Queens Boulevard. I could just light a Bernie bomb by prodding him about his party affiliation. The query always got a typically bombastic reaction out of Bernie.

Independent Bernie Sanders seemed to like this question. He probably got it a lot. He would tell me that I shouldn’t confuse the fact that our voting records generally matched with party agreement. He was a proud socialist and thought the institutional Democratic Party was too cautious and lacking imagination. As much as I prodded, I would never get him to think about joining the Democrats for a moment.
In fact, Bernie always got me fired up to make the fighting wing of the Democratic Party feistier. So much so, that I loved it when my less clever right wing opponents would decry Obamacare as “socialism”. Bernie and I would remind these blockheads that giving people tax credits to buy a product from a giant corporation is hardly socialist. . .

Many times over the course of his career Bernie has repeated the line that his independence made him more able to speak truth. He argued forcefully that being a Socialist was his identity and not function of political expediency. Well, duh, nobody chooses to be a Socialist to smooth their political path. Yet, as 2016 approaches, here he is filing papers all over the country presumably declaring himself a member of the Democratic Party.

Bernie is right about a lot of things. He is right that a Medicare for All health care program is a simpler, cheaper and more American solution to our health care needs than a jury rigged system that is better under Obamacare but still has too many gaps. And his battle cry on behalf of working Americans is almost as good as Hillary Clinton’s.

In spite of all this, if Bernie wants to lead this party, he needs to explain what he's doing here in the first place.'

[Autumn]

5. Well I'm not a democrat anymore so I have no problem with Bernie

not being a member of that party. As to your question, yeah this will be HRC's position. I didn't expect her top send out her surrogates this early in the game she waited until later to send them out against Obama. Bernie must have her worried.

[lovemydog]

6. Probably. It's a legitimate question.

I'm sure Sanders will get asked that question. I'm sure he'll reply. Whether his answer is sufficient is for voters to decide. For me, it's not an issue in whether or not I'll vote for him or O'Malley or Hillary.

[JustAnotherGen]

7. I think it's the tip of the iceberg

But I don't think Sanders is just going to roll over and take it.

Basically Clinton is doing what the Clinton machine does - and down the road she can't take this approach with O'Malley. She's going to try to paint him as inexperienced - and he can throw back -

Funny - wasn't your husband only a Governor when he was elected?

Truthfully - having Weiner make this argument hurts rather than helps - jmho. Personally - I think he's a pig from hell who needs a pause button.

[Raine1967]

8. I said much of the same thing back in May:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1281603#post17

Having said that, I will repost here what I posted to you query in another OP:

The only answer I personally see is that while Senator Sanders has been a mayor and a representative and a senator — and I say this with much respect for him… O'Malley was an assistant state attorney, a councilperson. a mayor and a governor.

Burlington and Vermont are far different from Baltimore and Maryland. I believe that on a local and State level — the things they dealt with were very different.

I am a member of the democratic party. I am not ashamed of saying that. Martin O'Malley has always been a member of the party I affiliate with.

Having said that, there is something that bothers me. While Sanders always caucused with Dems when he was elected to office as a representative and later as a Senator, he was never a part of trying to build the infra-structure of the Democratic party to what his vision is. He has always made it clear that he is not a member of the party. The party has been very happy to have him caucus with us, but…

He has not helped with the legwork in building the party platform.

He is reaping the gains of the party without having contributed to the party as a member. Just to be clear, I am talking about PARTY politics. If anyone wants to know why party partisans are reluctant to say that he is a viable candidate, I think it's because he has never been willing to say he is a Democrat. I respect that. He's not.

Right now, to the best of my vision, he is running as a Democrat because that is his best chance to be elected on a national scale. I think this is the first time he has ever run as a Dem — and he still is not a member of the party.

That is not a slam, this is a fact.

Considering we have O'Malley, I feel a little uneasy about a man that is running for the nomination of the Democratic party. Martin is a life long member of the Democratic Party.

He has a track record with working across party lines to get things done. I like that. I appreciate that. I want that in a president.

Martin O'Malley is a life long member of the Democratic party. He worked to get the longest serving female senator elected. Heck… His mother still works for Barbara Mikulski.

It's not incumbent for O'Malley to slow down anything. (you mentioned that is the thread I resounded to, you wondered how 'Malley would slow down Sanders. )

It is for o'malley to move forward with his ideas and his record.

Going back to your question, I have a feeling, and this is nothing more than a feeling that his not being a part of helping to build and change the Democratic Party platform will become an issue for people who are Democrats. I agree with everything that Bernie says; Most Dems do — but he never wanted to be a part of the party I am in. Now he wants my vote. I don't know if I like that.

I am a liberal.
I am a progressive.
I'm a member of the Democratic party and I am looking forward to our primaries.

People can despise the messenger, but I know I said it long before Weiner. And I — as a member of the party — and that is key here, wonder the very same thing.