Bernie Sanders solidifies lead with Nevada win

Initially this was going to be about how Donald Trump is destroying America, but Nevada happened.

If it isn’t clear now, after the Nevada caucuses, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Independent, Democratic Socialist, is the Democratic Party’s unequivocal frontrunner. Joe Biden is nowhere in the hunt, Michael Bloomberg is right next to Biden in that regard, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar only getting single digit support, and the only viable opponent to Sanders is the former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg.

What does that tell you, Democratic Party hierarchy, the “establishment” as Sen. Sanders and his supporters so derisively call the party leaders. The voters want a candidate who speaks to the base of the party, the people that are sick and tired of putting up the latest “Republican-lite” candidate for president. That we are tired of having to put up the latest candidate that might appeal to whatever disaffected Republican voters that might be out there — and the so-called “independent” voters who are basically Republican voters without the label.

What it says, DNC chairman Tom Perez, is that you and your fellow party officials better recognize who it is we the Democratic Party base are looking for in a candidate. As party chair it is your job to start pulling the party together, rowing the boat in the same direction so to speak. Build a coalition that will say loudly we, the Democratic Party will fully support our nominee and we are not going to look for an alternative for a possible brokered convention because as history shows us, brokered conventions lead to lost elections. And that means four more years of Trump.

It also means this, Senator Bernie Sanders and all his supporters, especially the angry little assholes that are spewing hate at everyone that questions the Senator, it’s time for you to reach out to the party hierarchy, the so-called establishment “corporate” Democrats and bring them towards your movement. Stop with divisive rhetoric against the party that you wish to represent in the next general election. You, Senator Sanders, have more appeal to Democratic voters than any other candidates. If you won Nevada, it is very likely you will win South Carolina and more likely you will win California and Texas, two of the three biggest delegate prizes left in the campaign.

If you, Bernie Sanders, want to be the Democratic candidate for president in the next general election then prove it. Stop running against the Democratic Party. Run in and with it.

In the Las Vegas debate Mayor Pete had a few good lines, none more so than this: “Let’s put forward someone who’s actually a Democrat. Look, we shouldn’t have to choose between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate who wants to buy this party out. We can do better.”

I agree. Former New York Mayor — and Republican — Mike Bloomberg is not the right guy. Well he is a right guy, but not in the right way. We need a candidate who has lived and breathed Democratic Party ideals for his entire career as a public servant.

That describes Senator Bernie Sanders. He doesn’t budge an inch off the ideals he espouses on the campaign trail, ideals just about every registered Democrat agrees with, starting with: health care is a human right and should not be a for-profit industry. That we are in a climate crisis and we need to do something to slow down this global warming, if it isn’t too late. Common sense gun laws, common sense changes to the criminal justice system, common sense immigration laws and legalizing marijuana throughout the entire United States.

When did common sense become an extreme position on anything? I guess when they are held by a Democratic Socialist who is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary campaign.

Many Democratic voters will coalesce behind a winner, the top vote-getter in the race and that candidate is Bernie Sanders. Bernie wasn’t my first choice for president — he wasn’t even my second or third choice. My favorites all dropped out already, except one, Senator Elizabeth Warren. That’s why I’m terrible at betting on the horses. I like the longshots.

Now that we have a leader, a strong leader at that, my choice for the Democratic Party candidate for president is the senator from Vermont. Supporting the Senator from Massachusetts is just a losing proposition at this point, no matter how much I like her as a candidate, liberal and person. She has great wit but she isn’t going to win the nomination.

Did you know Bernie appears to have the Latino vote? Yeah, the largest and fastest growing constituency in the U.S. is voting in large numbers for Bernie Sanders — as are union voters. You know how big that is going to be in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin? My home state, where I grew up and always dreamed of leaving — the Dairy State. All Bernie has to say is, “Remember Foxcon? How about American Motors?”

Yeah, we remember how Chrysler’s then CEO Lee Iacocca promised — PROMISED — the state of Wisconsin he would not close any American Motors plants in Wisconsin if Chrysler was allowed to purchase the fourth U.S. car company in America (at the time). After getting the millions from the state to purchase A.M. and closing the deal, Lee, a good buddy of President Ronald Reagan, announced he would be closing all of the American Motors plants in Wisconsin. Fucked in the ass by a conman — a Republican conman and his henchmen (Tommy Thompson, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, et. al.).

Tommy Thompson was the Republican governor at the time and he probably knew union employees in his state were going to get screwed. His deputy, James Klauser said Governor Thompson was “damn mad!” Uh-huh …

Usually I would suggest: Google James Klauser and see where he came from, but he’s low, below the radar low, even though he was the Deputy Governor of Wisconsin and a big supporter of former Wisconsin governor snake oil-selling weasel Scott Walker.

That’s how the Republican Party rolls. So, just click on this profile of Klauser from Marquette University. He ended up as a lobbyist for Wisconsin energy companies.

How did we get off onto a Klauser tangent? Oh yeah, Thompson and Iacocca screwing the auto workers of Wisconsin. Well, maybe Thompson and Klauser were damn mad … Believe what you like.

Wisconsin workers know all about getting the shaft, going back to 1982 when all the big factories and foundries began shutting their doors Bernie can also talk about this to Wisconsin voters: The Dairy State leads the nation in farm bankruptcies. Thanks to Trump’s trade and tariff policies.

And remind all voters Donald J. Trump and his henchmen in Congress want to slash all the social safety net programs, things we have paid for with our SSI taxes, like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

What some other people said as Bernie was winning the Nevada caucuses is very disturbing, starting with Chris Matthews of MSNBC. Did he really compare the Sanders win to the Nazi invasion of France? That’s a little over the top, even for Matthews. Actually, it’s way over the top. Sanders’ family fled Europe because of the Nazi and many that did not leave died in the Holocaust.

That’s the worst of it really. The melodramatic hyperbole by those looking for a viable alternative to Bernie Sanders just rolls out of the TV as the various pundits talk about the primaries to come: can Michael Bloomberg bounce back? How about Joe Biden? Both appear to have some support in South Carolina. Elizabeth Warren got a financial boost from her debate performance. Mayor Pete wants desperately to be the “Anti-Bernie,” even though he still lacks support from minorities. The other billionaire in the race, Tom Steyer, has won absolutely no delegates and he was on TV after the Nevada caucuses claiming his fortunes were on the rise … Hope springs eternal in the Steyer camp.

Now, the talk isn’t about beating Trump and flipping the Senate, it’s about beating Bernie Sanders. Why? If Sanders is getting more votes, why not accept more Democratic voters prefer him?

Before the Nevada caucuses the big union in Nevada, the Culinary Workers Union, sent out a message that Sanders would take away their health care, which the union had fought hard to secure. Bernie responded by saying he would not diminish their health care at all and the union’s rank and file responded by giving the majority of their support to Sanders.

Here’s the thing that will hurt Sanders the most. It isn’t the shaken pundit class, it’s some of Sanders’ own supporters who took to the internet to harass and threaten anyone one that disagreed or opposed Bernie. Their vitriol was focused primarily on two women of color that work for the union. Really, Bernie Bros, Rape threats?

Then there are the attacks on the DNC. Sure, many in the DNC hierarchy are aghast at the idea of Bernie being the nominee, but the hate-filled tweets won’t do anything to draw in more support. I was watching “The Circus” on Showtime and the hosts spoke with the two union women and Tom Perez, chairman of the DNC. Perez is a good guy and he’s not taking sides publicly. And let’s get this straight: the only people to blame for the shit show that was the Iowa caucuses are the leaders of the Iowa Democratic Party.

I don’t know who Perez prefers, although he shared an administration with Joe Biden, but I don’t care either. I want the primaries to be fair and I want the party to unite behind the nominee, regardless of who it is. Right now it looks like Bernie Sanders is that guy.

The pundits can sit on the sidelines and fret, but the Democratic base is speaking and at the moment more of them — across all demographic groups — want Bernie Sanders. They aren’t demonizing socialism and most aren’t even demonizing capitalism, they just want a more equitable society.

Sanders supporters don’t think the Democratic Party needs (or wants) another Republican-Lite nominee at the top of the ticket. They want an authentic liberal — or progressive, if you prefer — who speaks for them and right now Bernie speaks to that Elizabeth Waand he’s authentic..

Top photo of Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigning in Colorado is a YouTube screenshot