2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: What's with all the threads about Sanders? This is DU. He is NOT [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)We can have him (and his supporters) inside the tent pissing out, which is preferable to having them outside the tent pissing in.
So, he gets a little title (outreach coordinator), he gets to be close to the minority leader's throne, and his supporters get to see this and think "Ah ha--he's a big cheese now." In actual fact, the real big cheeses are the ones who stand for office within the Democratic caucus and get voted in by their peers. They're the ones who control how the sausage is made.
You keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say. Sanders knows that his input is welcome and he is encouraged to use his title to reach out to elements on the left, but if he strays too far from the path, should we ever regain the majority, he won't get a chairmanship with all the attendant perks (extra staff, extra budget, more clout, etc.).