Bernie is very upset that people blame Bernie for Bernie Bros. behavior:Here's Bernie Sanders press secretary Briahna Joy Gray on CNN comparing demands for Sanders's medical records to birtherism and dismissing them as "a kind of smear campaign." pic.twitter.com/rZOm4a3Rg8— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2020
“I will condemn absolutely anybody, including my campaign or any other campaign, that makes vicious personal attacks against people,” said Sanders. “What our people are involved in — we are a campaign which believes in compassion, which believes in justice. So I don’t tolerate ugly attacks against anybody. But let me just say this. Talk to the people in my campaign, often the African-American women in this campaign, talk to my wife about the kind of ugly attacks that have come in to us. So right now, which is a very serious national problem, we have an internet which is essentially the Wild West. Somebody could say, ‘hey, I’m Anderson Cooper’ and zippo, say some ugly things, and right now that cannot be stopped.”
“So, yes, I want to have this campaign focus on the important issues facing the American people,” continued Sanders. “I have just said a moment ago, as I’ve said many times, I’m going to support — if I don’t win this thing, I’m going to support somebody else who wins it. All right? And I don’t want to see terrible personal attacks. We can disagree on the issues, not personal attacks. But that is not just my campaign. We’ve got millions of supporters out there. We’ve got millions and millions of supporters and I dare say, 99.9 percent are people who would never, ever do that. And I urge other candidates also to be mindful of these ugly personal attacks that have come into my campaign.”
So, he doesn't tolerate "ugly attacks against anybody." Why not? Because he's a victim, too!
"Talk to the people in my campaign, often the African-American women in this campaign, talk to my wife about the kind of ugly attacks that have come in to us. So right now, which is a very serious national problem, we have an internet which is essentially the Wild West. Somebody could say, ‘hey, I’m Anderson Cooper’ and zippo, say some ugly things, and right now that cannot be stopped.”
Two ways to read that last sentence: a) he can't do anything to stop the Bernie Bros.; b) we need laws to stop the ugly things being said on the internet. Of course, ugly things have always been said; the internet just makes them nationally, or internationally, accessible. It seems like a huge difference, but it's actually a small one. What's changed is how much harder it is to hide from how nasty we all are to each other. But that's not Bernie's concern; his concern is how nasty you are to him:
"We’ve got millions and millions of supporters and I dare say, 99.9 percent are people who would never, ever do that. And I urge other candidates also to be mindful of these ugly personal attacks that have come into my campaign.”
Quit talking about what other people are doing in my name, and focus on what other people are doing to me!
And so this morning his own campaign representative declares demands for Bernie's health records is the new birtherism, because why would be want to know?
What’s the life expectancy of a seventy-eight-year-old man who’s had a myocardial infarction at that age?— George Conway (@gtconway3d) February 19, 2020
Not a rhetorical question. https://t.co/BC63YEpqFp
Age is a factor here:
Pete Buttigieg could run for President in...— Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) February 15, 2020
2024
2028
2032
2036
2040
2044
2048
2052
2056
and
2060
And still be younger than Bernie Sanders is today.
But questioning Bernie's health is like being a racist:
This is just completely unacceptable and indefensible. Sanders needs to provide comprehensive medical records. If he refuses to do so, voters should draw a negative inference that he is hiding something serious. https://t.co/l1Sz8LVZ0Q— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) February 19, 2020
And the difference between Trump and Bernie is?
It makes me more convinced than ever that the difference between the far right and the "far left" has never been that much. Sanders is a disaster, his supporters, at least the hard core of it, is a bigger and ever recurring disaster. We have to build a real left that intentionally and explicitly keeps them out of it.
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