Bill Press - Bernie Sanders Has Already Won

[totodeinhere]

As I detailed in my memoir, “From the Left,” Sanders’s primary motive in entering the Democratic primary in 2016 was to champion progressive issues he knew Hillary Clinton would never raise on her own. And he’s succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He’s changed the entire direction of the Democratic Party. His agenda is now the Democratic Party’s agenda.

With only slight variations on a theme, every single Democratic candidate in 2020, left or center, ran on the Sanders platform. Even Klobuchar. As David Leonhardt wrote in the New York Times: “She wants to raise taxes on the rich, break up monopolies, vastly expand Medicare, fight climate change, admit more refugees, allow undocumented immigrants to become citizens, ban assault weapons and require universal background checks.”

So, among Democrats, the battle over ideas has already been won. By Bernie Sanders. Now it’s a battle over electability. The only question facing Democratic primary voters today is the most important question of all: Which candidate, Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders, has the best chance of beating Donald Trump?

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/486711-press-bernie-sanders-has-already-won

[Happy Hoosier]

1. Fine. Take a victory lap....

Last edited Tue Mar 10, 2020, 06:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Around the lake your vacation is on, Bernie.

[mikelgb]

18. can't type the snark fast enough eh?

[Happy Hoosier]

20. Nope!

[LanternWaste]

33. Much as the author of the editorial can't type his rationalizations fast enough.

[SCantiGOP]

35. A lot of my fellow Biden supporters

Don’t understand the phrase “gracious in victory,” and I just hope it doesn’t come back to haunt us all as Democrats.

[msongs]

2. like nobody in human history has had any of these ideas except....Him nt

[Todd79]

9. Castro

[NYMinute]

23. Easily forgotten

Universal Health Care was Ted Kennedy's baby from the 70's and he nearly got Nixon to sign off on it.

College Tuition breaks were championed by Mondale and Gore

Climate Change was addressed by Obama (he actually called it a Green New Deal)

[LisaM]

3. I used to like Bill Press.

Unfortunately, I don't anymore. I'm tired of being accused (by association at least) as not being progressive, and having the candidates I prefer be dismissed as not being progressive.

It's not true, and I'm tired of hearing it.

[left-of-center2012]

5. "I used to like Bill Press. Unfortunately, I don't anymore."

Yeah. I used to listen to his radio show, but drifted away.

[BlueWeirdo]

4. Agreed

And this is very meaningful. Sanders has helped change the conversation.

[pecosbob]

6. deleted

[DBoon]

34. Yes

He moved the "center" just a bit left

[evertonfc]

7. free cake on Tuesdays

[pecosbob]

8. This is why I voted for Sanders in the primary in 2016 and for Warren in the primary in 2020.

To move the party platform to the left. If the party does not eventually move left with us it will be left behind.





I'm not Undecided...I voted for Warren.

[TwilightZone]

14. The 2016 Democratic Party platform was the most progressive in history.

The platform is irrelevant. What can be done and what is done are what's important. Talk is meaningless if nothing is accomplished.

Democrats have been fighting for the issues Bill Press wants to grant exclusively to Sanders for literally decades. Many have made much more actual progress on them than Sanders has. He has yet to convince his colleagues to support his grandiose ideas even though he's had decades to do so. Actual progress outweighs lofty goals that are never achieved.

[Demsrule86]

24. until there are more of you...enough to win elections...the party can't move forward...

[George II]

10. That's simply not true. I love how everyone attributes policy opinions of candidates to....

Sanders. It's as bad as Sanders taking credit for Amazon raising their minimum wage. They did that in SPITE of Sanders, were probably planning it anyway.

[TwilightZone]

11. None of those ideas are exclusive to Sanders. None of them started with Sanders.

I don't know what it is about Sanders that causes otherwise intelligent people like Bill Press to completely ignore context, completely forget political history, and completely ignore that Democrats other than Bernie Sanders have been fighting for the same issues for literally decades. But it happens all the time.

[dalton99a]

16. But he's the most original thinker/political philosopher EVER

[Laelth]

29. Elizabeth Warren comes to mind. n/t

-Laelth

[TwilightZone]

32. Exactly.

She's been (unfairly, in my opinion) lumped together with him for years in part because they highlight many of the same issues.

[Mme. Defarge]

12. Nice try.

Declare victory and withdraw the troops. That was tried in the early’70’s.

[redstateblues]

13. Some good ideas- divisive messenger

Bernie just couldn't get above 30% and that will never win much. Fortunately Democrats closed ranks to avoid having a Socialist at the top of the ticket. We now have a decent chance to re-take the White House and the Senate.

[showblue22]

15. Everyone gets a prize..

Like someone here said in another thread about kids who play soccer. Lol

[NurseJackie]

19. Youth Soccer... "If you had fun, you're a WINNER!"

Youth Soccer... "If you had fun, you're a WINNER!" No need to keep score! Everyone gets a trophy!

It's the Oprah generation!

[showblue22]

22. Yep. Ok, now I know it was you.

[democrattotheend]

17. This is how I feel

This is why I supported him in 2016 and to this day I'm proud to have been a part of it. I think he changed the Democratic Party for the better. But he squandered some of that by being a bit of a sore loser in 2016. I hope he does not repeat that mistake this year and will bow out graciously if he doesn't win. Based on what he said on Rachel Maddow last week, I'm highly optimistic that he will.

[Turin_C3PO]

21. I have zero problem with his ideas.

It’s his rigidity and lack of ability to build coalitions that excludes me from being a supporter. That and the fact that Biden will have much longer coattails up and down the ballot.

[ehrnst]

25. Because of course he has...

[Renew Deal]

26. Whatever makes him feel better

[at140]

27. Yes, Sanders is having a great influence in moving the party in his agenda direction

so it can be said he has succeeded in some ways.

[Laelth]

28. I'm cool with that.

So long as we understand that Joe Biden will be our nominee this year.



-Laelth

[walkingman]

30. The entire country is moving to the left with the exception of old white males. Enough of

this right-wing ignorance.

[MLAA]

31. I appreciate that Bernie and team have brought/highlighted

very progressive issues to the forefront. I believe he has made some of these issues more palatable to a broader audience than democrats, softening the ground.

Thank you to him, his team and followers.

Now let’s win the general election together!

[CatMor]

36. So according to some ....

even though Biden is getting the votes Sanders is the winner. Its kind of like 2016 when Hillary got the votes but trump was the winner. So when we vote for someone they lose. Can't get much more crazy than that.