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MrWendel

(1,881 posts)
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 04:28 PM Dec 2015

Bernie Sanders’ biggest limitation

Last edited Wed Dec 9, 2015, 04:58 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/bernie-sanders-biggest-limitation

By Alex Seitz-Wald

BALTIMORE – Bernie Sanders came to a poor black neighborhood here for a photo op. He left with a PR problem.

The Vermont senator and Democratic presidential hopeful toured the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood on Tuesday – where Freddie Gray was arrested earlier this year – to highlight racial injustice. “Anyone who took the walk that we took around this neighborhood would not think you’re a wealthy nation, you would think you’re in a third-world country,” he said.
Sanders spent about 25 minutes walking past boarded-up houses surrounded by an enormous mass of reporters who swarmed to capture images of the presidential candidate among the urban blight. But back at a community center, where Sanders met with black pastors before a press conference, what stood out from the day was the unusual request from his spokesperson: “Stay on topic,” Symone Sanders asked. “Don’t ask about ISIS. It’s not on topic.”

No one seemed eager to ask about the terror group (Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslim immigrants was the topic du jour). But now feeling compelled, a CNN reporter asked if Sanders was trying to avoid the topic. “You want to ask me about ISIS?” Sander bristled, flanked by black pastors. “We will talk about ISIS,” he replied tersely before quickly leaving the podium and ending the press conference.

Sanders’ flash of anger made headlines and threatened to overshadow the substance of the event. “Pastors wanted to make sure the topic of the day did not get lost. I asked press to stay on topic at a presser & they troll me,” Symone Sanders tweeted in defense.

Frustration with the press may be longstanding for Sanders, but it’s particularly acute now that the political discussion has moved to the less friendly terrain of national security, revealing the limitations of a candidate who has spent decades honing a single message he is reluctant to change. One of Sanders’ biggest strengths is his consistency, but it comes with an inflexibility that can makes him appear brittle.

Continued in link.
58 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Bernie Sanders’ biggest limitation (Original Post) MrWendel Dec 2015 OP
Great article - nails it MaggieD Dec 2015 #1
"Bubble Gum" :-) NurseJackie Dec 2015 #7
Post it far and wide then. Kalidurga Dec 2015 #29
Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2015 #2
Wow! I did not know that. NurseJackie Dec 2015 #5
This poster has been here many, many times..... CaliforniaPeggy Dec 2015 #10
Ahhh... I understand. (Thanks!) :-) NurseJackie Dec 2015 #23
Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2015 #24
Because no matter how nicely you start, it always goes bad. uppityperson Dec 2015 #30
Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2015 #41
Hope you have a good holiday season. uppityperson Dec 2015 #45
Collect different colors and designs of duct tape uppityperson Dec 2015 #8
Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2015 #43
I spoke to Me Wendel yesterday about this Trajan Dec 2015 #32
Oh, please, Bernie biggest weakness is also his greatest strength.... daleanime Dec 2015 #3
Jesus, Buddah and Allah....Do people need to keep harping on this stupid "incident"? Armstead Dec 2015 #4
They got shot down yesterday HerbChestnut Dec 2015 #6
It was YESTERDAY - meanwhile, we're still hearing about.... MaggieD Dec 2015 #16
Its mainly in defense angrychair Dec 2015 #31
He coulda have done all that without dissing Dems.... MaggieD Dec 2015 #49
You might not agree angrychair Dec 2015 #53
No he hasn't MaggieD Dec 2015 #54
Not so fast angrychair Dec 2015 #57
BTW... 99Forever Dec 2015 #9
We have about 30 Hillary supporters on DU. PowerToThePeople Dec 2015 #15
It's how they roll. 99Forever Dec 2015 #19
Make that about 31 and Lilith Rising Dec 2015 #56
so this the tactic used by HRC suppoters Truprogressive85 Dec 2015 #11
. MrWendel Dec 2015 #12
Got OCD? Armstead Dec 2015 #14
If I was WAAAAAY down in the polls... MrWendel Dec 2015 #18
Right on, Canada. Ed Suspicious Dec 2015 #28
Thanks! MrWendel Dec 2015 #36
No kidding!!! MaggieD Dec 2015 #17
Got ignore? Trajan Dec 2015 #33
Well this is like your fourth OP on it. And you're one of like five Clinton people posting it Scootaloo Dec 2015 #51
Burnie should go on these type of 'tours' without the press.Or take along 1 he trusts for exclusive Sunlei Dec 2015 #13
Great idea! Sort of like GWB doing all his interviews with Fox News... brooklynite Dec 2015 #20
LOL! MaggieD Dec 2015 #21
I meant trying to walk through a neighborhood with 100 reporters ready to troll for some drama. Sunlei Dec 2015 #22
LOL leftofcool Dec 2015 #25
Bernie wants to shed light on a little discussed epidemic. He wants the press in tow. Ed Suspicious Dec 2015 #27
Photo op Ed Suspicious Dec 2015 #26
A more astute candidate and/or campaign cosmicone Dec 2015 #34
K&R Cha Dec 2015 #35
Don't ask about the elephant! Whatever you do, wildeyed Dec 2015 #37
There ain't no fucking wound... 99Forever Dec 2015 #38
Post removed Post removed Dec 2015 #39
Well at least I can actually spell YOU'RE. 99Forever Dec 2015 #40
That's all you got? wildeyed Dec 2015 #42
It's all I need with the likes of you. 99Forever Dec 2015 #44
Okey doke! wildeyed Dec 2015 #46
Oh my! 99Forever Dec 2015 #48
OMG! He didn't pander to the press!! Tierra_y_Libertad Dec 2015 #47
By.... MrWendel Dec 2015 #50
Clear eyed observation. n/t 1StrongBlackMan Dec 2015 #52
The press was there because of the Freddie Gray trial MaggieD Dec 2015 #55
By Alex Seitz-Wald Or Alex Sez-Whut? nt. Juicy_Bellows Dec 2015 #58
 

MaggieD

(7,393 posts)
1. Great article - nails it
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 04:31 PM
Dec 2015

He is entirely unsuitable to be president. And I am gratified that the polls and endorsements show most people agree.

Response to MrWendel (Original post)

Response to CaliforniaPeggy (Reply #10)

uppityperson

(115,679 posts)
30. Because no matter how nicely you start, it always goes bad.
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 06:53 PM
Dec 2015

paint by numbers would be a more productive hobby

Response to uppityperson (Reply #30)

uppityperson

(115,679 posts)
45. Hope you have a good holiday season.
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 09:45 PM
Dec 2015

Last edited Wed Dec 9, 2015, 10:37 PM - Edit history (1)

Sometimes the whole cheerfulness thing is overdone, but be glad for who and what you have.

Catch you again, I am sure.

Response to uppityperson (Reply #8)

 

Trajan

(19,089 posts)
32. I spoke to Me Wendel yesterday about this
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 07:12 PM
Dec 2015

Different story, same fair use violation problem

Turned out that he obtained permission from the author to post the entire story, but it's apparent this poster doesn't understand Fair Use rules ..

daleanime

(17,796 posts)
3. Oh, please, Bernie biggest weakness is also his greatest strength....
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 04:34 PM
Dec 2015

he's not part of the system. But have a lovely day anyways.

 

HerbChestnut

(3,649 posts)
6. They got shot down yesterday
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 04:38 PM
Dec 2015

So now they have to make new threads hoping people won't bother fighting back. It's all about the narrative.

 

MaggieD

(7,393 posts)
16. It was YESTERDAY - meanwhile, we're still hearing about....
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 05:21 PM
Dec 2015

Hillary as the goldwater girl when she was in high school 54 years ago.

angrychair

(8,733 posts)
31. Its mainly in defense
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 07:07 PM
Dec 2015

That people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones when you harp on Bernie being an independent despite voting with Dems 98% of the time. In fact, in his career, he has voted in favor of Dem bills more often than most Dems.
That aside, Many Dems and Independents and teapublicans were one or the other at some point in their life. Including your candidate. Who alligned herself to more teapublicans that just Goldwater. She is likely the only person in modern times to run as a Democrat for the office of President that has also attended a RNC presidential convention as a Republican (in fairness, it was this event that caused her to leave the teapublican party for good).


 

MaggieD

(7,393 posts)
49. He coulda have done all that without dissing Dems....
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 10:31 PM
Dec 2015

... for 25 years, only to turn around and be a rank opportunist who all the sudden wants to be a Dem, because it's convenient to take advantage of the party system to advance his own agenda.

angrychair

(8,733 posts)
53. You might not agree
Thu Dec 10, 2015, 12:42 AM
Dec 2015

and you may not like his criticism of the Democratic Party but he has been a loyal Dem ally for decades. He doesn't pretend to like some DINOs in Congress. He isn't a DINO like Lieberman was or certain other "Democrats" who vote with teapublicians.

 

MaggieD

(7,393 posts)
54. No he hasn't
Thu Dec 10, 2015, 12:57 AM
Dec 2015

IMO, he's been a giant waste of time. He doesn't play nice with others, which is why no one will co-sponsor his bills, nor endorse him for president. And he has been hugely ineffective as a result.

angrychair

(8,733 posts)
57. Not so fast
Thu Dec 10, 2015, 01:49 AM
Dec 2015

"Despite the fact that the most right-wing Republicans in a generation controlled the House of Representatives between 1994 and 2006, the member who passed the most amendments during that time was not a right-winger like Bob Barr or John Boehner. The amendment king was, instead, Bernie Sanders.

Sanders did something particularly original, which was that he passed amendments that were exclusively progressive, advancing goals such as reducing poverty and helping the environment, and he was able to get bipartisan coalitions of Republicans who wanted to shrink government or hold it accountable and progressives who wanted to use it to empower Americans."
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/bernie-gets-it-done-sanders-record-pushing-through-major-reforms-will-surprise-you

 

PowerToThePeople

(9,610 posts)
15. We have about 30 Hillary supporters on DU.
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 05:20 PM
Dec 2015

There have been approximately 30 failed attempts to twist this issue into a negative for Bernie.

Lilith Rising

(184 posts)
56. Make that about 31 and
Thu Dec 10, 2015, 01:46 AM
Dec 2015

not only have I not made an OP on this subject (or any Bernie/Hillary subject) I haven't even made so much as a comment about this incident.

So, no, it's NOT just the way we roll.

 

Trajan

(19,089 posts)
33. Got ignore?
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 07:14 PM
Dec 2015

I do ... We discussed fair use yesterday, and you still committed the violation, after the fact ...

It's time for you to go ...

 

Scootaloo

(25,699 posts)
51. Well this is like your fourth OP on it. And you're one of like five Clinton people posting it
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 10:44 PM
Dec 2015

All multiple times.

You know that this isn't *chan board, and we can see that all these posts are coming from the same small group of people, right?

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
13. Burnie should go on these type of 'tours' without the press.Or take along 1 he trusts for exclusive
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 05:18 PM
Dec 2015
most of todays 'press' are just tabloid trolls/ bloggers needing content, they don't deserve open access to his every waking second.

Sunlei

(22,651 posts)
22. I meant trying to walk through a neighborhood with 100 reporters ready to troll for some drama.
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 05:34 PM
Dec 2015

Not republicans hiding from any public press questions like they ALWAYS do or only using fox- their RW TV.

 

cosmicone

(11,014 posts)
34. A more astute candidate and/or campaign
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 08:29 PM
Dec 2015

would have divided the time into the Baltimore topic and all other issues.

Say first 15 minutes about the event and anything goes thereafter.

Alas ....

wildeyed

(11,243 posts)
37. Don't ask about the elephant! Whatever you do,
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 08:58 PM
Dec 2015

don't ask my candidate about the elephant! And then, of course, that is all anyone wants to ask about. For what it is worth, I would have been happier if he HAD been able to talk about racial injustice. But this was a self inflicted wound.

99Forever

(14,524 posts)
38. There ain't no fucking wound...
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 09:03 PM
Dec 2015

... "self-inflicted" or otherwise, outside of Camp Weathervane's creepy imagination. Bernie put that punk Hillary plant in his place.

Response to 99Forever (Reply #38)

wildeyed

(11,243 posts)
42. That's all you got?
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 09:39 PM
Dec 2015

Fuck the press and spelling tips? Come on! You gotta hit harder than that for this to be fun. Oh well, try putting your back into it next time.

And it's smart girl, BTW

MrWendel

(1,881 posts)
50. By....
Wed Dec 9, 2015, 10:35 PM
Dec 2015

Last edited Wed Dec 9, 2015, 11:58 PM - Edit history (1)

showing up to a photo op in the first place? Lets be clear. He was there to shed light on a very important issue but lets not pretend that he doesn't pander to the media like everyone else in this election.

 

MaggieD

(7,393 posts)
55. The press was there because of the Freddie Gray trial
Thu Dec 10, 2015, 01:00 AM
Dec 2015

... for one of the cops. He scheduled his photo op for then because he knew he'd get the press because the national press was already in town. He's a politician just like any other.

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