How’s that saying go? You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That’s what seems to be happening to Bernie Sanders over an issue that only the progressive Left would find problematic. It’s not that he betrayed the movement and go in with Wall Street. It’s not over the fact that he’s a socialist who’s also a millionaire with three houses. It’s not that he favors corporate tax cuts. None of that happened. He’s not working hard enough to turn Joe Biden into a communist pretty much (via Axios):
Some progressives are distancing themselves from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — leader of their revolution.
The big picture: Three factors are fueling the shift. Some feel he's not pushing President Biden far enough to the left anymore. Some believe his time as the movement leader has simply passed. Some fear tying their brand to Sanders is a gift to opponents to weaponize in crowded primaries or in general elections — and they're instead weighing the merits of aligning more directly with Biden.
Driving the news: Even some of Sanders’ closest allies — like Nina Turner, his 2020 campaign co-chair, who's running in a hotly contested Aug. 3 Democratic primary for a special election for Ohio's 11th congressional district — haven't been running with his endorsement front and center.
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Jeff Weaver, a longtime Sanders aide and consultant to Turner, said in a statement: "The progressive movement is in a period of maturation. Progressives have shown they can inspire voters and win in state after state — as Bernie did in 2016 and 2020. Now, they are showing they can govern in an effective and principled way in coalition with more conservative elements of the party."
The big picture: Several progressives in Congress and on the outside lament Sanders’ unwillingness to “raise hell” now that Biden is in office and begging for party unity.
They want Sanders to be the liberal lightning rod he was before dropping out of the race and joining Biden task forces.
The point here is that you can never make the radical Left happy. Being miserable is a hallmark characteristic of leftism. That’s their energy. Just look at them. From peddling fake narratives about race, speech codes, and other historically illiterate fairy tales, the goal is to make everyone as miserable as they are—that’s the only equitable thing about leftism. It’s got to the point where these folks, usually white liberals, are making up problems. And now, for some, Bernie Sanders has been added to the list. Like Stalinist Russia, you’re on top until you’re not.
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