So Bernie, how you doing?

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Bernie is the draw because of his track record not some backroom hack.

Something is better than nothing. Realistically going outside the Democrats will ensure the GOP retains control. Much, much better to do what Bernie has done, and continues to do.

..it was the movements that made bernie not his track record..and his decision to run against hillary of course. same with corbyn.

..i believe capitulating to fear is what got us to this place. always the fear of the boggy man that keeps us from doing the work that needs to be done. election after election fear has been the tactic used by the democrats. time for a change because that is the only option left. 

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You never get everything, and yes it can be discouraging, but politics is the art of compromise. Look at Ryan & Trump today. The GOP controls all the levers of government and they still can't get their healthcare legislation passed. They probably will tomorrow but it has not been easy for them to say the least.

..power is the ability to buy politicians. thus power creates it's own politics.

..power controls the majority of politicians which you don't deal with. you just move along as if this is all about compromise when the fix is in.

Nikki Ashton fancies herself as one.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois also had positive things to say about Bernie at his press conference. I don't think that it pertains to a particular plank in a platform, but the kind of movement the Bernie phenomenon created, which was such a breath of fresh air in the US. 

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/326820-sanders-defends-...

http://cw39.com/2017/04/01/sanders-criticizes-clinton-campaign-democrats...

Bernie lost all major battles for power in the DNC, at this point he is outside the system.  Anything he says is falling on deaf ears at the DNC.  I hope bernie does waste his next 3 years trying  to change the Democratic party by talking tough.  I personally doubt Bernies comments will help his relationship with DNC.  I am sure bernie  has lot more info then rabble posters but I question that DNC will change just because says they should.  I wonder when he will recognize that the DNC dislikes him more than they dislike Trump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzw3xko-7_Q

Bernie TV is kicking butt.  Never heard of this thing.  Appearently 160 million video views since the beginning of the year on his facebook page.  The Young Turks have all the interesting statics in the above video. 

Well, one thing Sanders won't do is die young. 

Personally, I think he could have contributed to making a huge difference in terms of founding something akin to the public health systems in other developed countries, which would have been huge. 

But a late prof of mine, who really appreciated Jimmy Carter including his efforts once out of office, said that signing up for the US presidency is like joining the Mafia (prof was Sicilian); you have to take part in violent criminal actions on the international level. Because the Prez really isn't in charge there; powerful "military-industrial complex" interests are. 

NorthReport wrote:

Not holding my breath, but also not necessarily a moot point either however, as maybe this will inspire the Democrats to choose a younger Bernie next time around, eh! 

 Tom Frank: Would Bernie Have Been Able to Beat Trump? Hell Yes!

https://www.thenation.com/article/tom-frank-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/

Or Bernie himself.

Still impossible to say if he would have won.  Would have gained a lot of those Obama-Trump voters in the Midwest.  But would have lost a lot of those Romney-Clinton voters in the upscale suburbs.

Robby Mook was a disaster.  But the real problem was the candidate.  

In an election that close, anything could have tipped the scales.  But had she run a better campaign, or better yet, had the Democrats had a different candidate, it wouldn't have been close enough for Comey and/or the Russians to make a difference.

NorthReport wrote:

Hopefully Tulsi Gabbard is involved as well

Tulsi is to busy fighting DNC trolls with are trying destroy her political base.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1oECQ6r6do

Fake News????-  Howard Dean -- Fromer leader of DNC is calling Tulsi what accounts to being a traitor because she questions the Syria story the media is spinning. 

I have come to the the conclusion whatever factual reporting that you don't like to hear NR you file it internally as fake news and just move on.

Yes I think she has problems with the establishment, but of course the establishment also has serious credibility problems with its base.  I think Howard Dean was over the top in his criticism.  Is it wrong to demand the WH back up its claims?

..another point from the same democracy now piece. sanders needs to take more care lest he loose the support he has built. west didn't really have a answer to the question.

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AMY GOODMAN: Well, Professor West, there has been some interesting controversy. I wanted to ask you about Senator Sanders’ support of Omaha, Nebraska, mayoral candidate Heath Mello. Sanders spoke at a rally for Mello last week as part of the Democratic National Committee unity tour. While serving in the Nebraska Legislature, Heath Mello sponsored anti-choice legislation. He was endorsed by the Nebraska Right to Life group in 2010. In an article for Rewire, Imami Gandy wrote, quote, "Bernie Sanders and many of his supporters seem perfectly content to categorize reproductive rights and abortion access as a social issue—a distraction from economic justice and reforming Wall Street, which they deem the so-called real issues. And that simply doesn’t work, because reproductive justice and economic justice are inexorably intertwined," Imani Gandy wrote. Can you respond to this?

..txs josh. gonna keep digging to gain more understanding 

Omaha Mayoral Candidate Under Fire For Anti-Choice Past Vows To Protect Reproductive Rights

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PPVN, the political arm of the family-planning organization, pushed back on the claim that it gave Heath Mello a 100 percent rating. The group’s scorecard from 2011 shows Mello “voting against Planned Parenthood’s position on three votes ― all abortion related.” 

“Planned Parenthood Voters of Nebraska has never endorsed Heath Mello for public office nor has Planned Parenthood Voters of Nebraska given Heath Mello a 100% rating, as some media outlets have erroneously reported,” the group said in a statement.

“Heath Mello has introduced and supported anti-choice legislation during his time at the Nebraska Unicameral, and Planned Parenthood Voters of Nebraska strongly opposed him when he took such actions,” the statement continues. “Over the course of Heath Mello’s campaign for Omaha Mayor he has said loud and clear he supports Planned Parenthood and wants to protect the work we do. Although he has not started that conversation with us, our door is always open and we welcome the opportunity to start a productive dialogue on how Heath Mello can help us promote and protect access to women’s health care in Nebraska.” 

Mello confirmed in his statement that he is personally opposed to abortion rights in general. “While my faith guides my personal views, as Mayor I would never do anything to restrict access to reproductive health care,” he said in a statement.

It’s unclear if that distinction will help him regain the support of groups that have moved against him. It aligns with the position of some Democrats like Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who have expressed personal opposition to abortion rights but have promised not to legislate based on those views. Mello, however, has already legislated based on those views and is now pledging not to do so again.

"Days after defending Ann Coulter at Berkeley, Sanders condemns a genuinely progressive form of political speech."

https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/858532732426752000

..moving beyond bernie

Is This Small City the Future of Democratic Engagement in America?

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 The organization, Hines explains, is a way for people who are sick of the status quo “to come together, to get plugged in.” It’s a polite and strategic description, but there’s plenty more to say.

Founded in the wake of Trump’s victory and led by a 12-person leadership committee, Lancaster Stands Up aims to upend politics-as-usual in this central Pennsylvania city. It wants nothing less than to break the stranglehold of both the Democratic and Republican establishments here and replace them with a progressive multi-racial political force beholden to the people alone. And it is using the tools of long-haul grassroots activism—canvassing, vetting candidates, bird-dogging political foes, forming unlikely alliances, training leaders, convening meetings—to build its constituency.

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“After Trump’s election, I knew I had to do something,” says Eliza Booth, a 39-year-old black woman, lifelong Lancaster resident, and member of the group’s leadership committee. “I needed to get involved and plug in instead of staying at home and being depressed.”

A passionate Bernie Sanders supporter, Booth worked on his campaign during the Democratic primary and says she still believes he would have beat Trump in the general election. But Sanders didn’t make it that far and Trump, whom she describes as “a monster,” made it all the way to the White House. Like so many others, the outcome shocked and dismayed her.

A few days after the election, though, Booth saw a flyer announcing an emergency mass meeting in town. She decided to attend and found a huge turnout. At least 250 people were there. They had come to vent their anger and share their anxieties, to talk to their neighbors and plot a progressive comeback. It was the debut of Lancaster Stands Up, and Booth was smitten. Since then, she has spent 10, sometimes 20 hours a week volunteering for the group on top of her full-time job.

“It makes me feel so inspired every day,” she says. “It makes me feel less alone in the fight.”