Bernie Sanders wants to steal the spotlight from Stacey Abrams tomorrow night... *EDITED*

[scheming daemons]

....instead of letting the Democrats speak with one voice tomorrow, he has decided he will give his own rebuttal to Trump.


That only makes sense if Bernie Sanders is NOT a Democrat.


Oh, wait.



ON EDIT: Chris Cilizza of CNN explains why this is a problem better than I can.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/bernie-sanders-state-of-the-union/index.html

[JCanete]

1. no...it makes sense if he has a different base of listeners. Last time, there were numerous

responses to Trump, formal and informal. One of the most powerful was AOCs. There are plenty of things to say, and some of us have the bandwidth to hear more than one good critique of the President.

Is this really worth getting up in arms about?

[scheming daemons]

2. Yes. He should leave the spotlight to Stacey Abrams *ONLY*

Stacey Abrams should have America's *UNDIVIDED* attention when speaking for the opposition.

[JCanete]

6. dude....really? You do understand that most people aren't literally going to have to choose who to

tune in for right? There's no such thing as magically getting undivided attention in the day of unprecedented access to all forms of media. People who want to tune into Abrams rebuttal will do so. I very highly doubt there is such a person out there who is going to be all...uh...."was going to listen to the Abrams rebuttal but now I heard Sanders is doing one...oh what a decision I have to make here."

He's stealing nobody's thunder with this.

[scheming daemons]

8. Yes, he is.

The reporting post-SOTU will be Trump's speech... and then a split narrative on the left.


He could let her have this freaking moment. At the very least, let the Democrats speak with ONE voice for a night - it has more power that way.

[NurseJackie]

11. On the bright side... obvious "don't forget me" efforts are largely seen for what they are.

[fleabiscuit]

99. Very true. We'll see Stacy Abrams deliver a true Democratic progressive response.

The other will be by an anti-capitalist.

[George II]

261. Indeed.

[JCanete]

14. How? it doesn't reach the same people. No matter how hard you want to try and pretend we're all

glued to channel 4, unless somebody's suddenly on channel 5, that's not the way of the world. Sanders will reach people who don't even hear Abrams, and vice versa.

[scheming daemons]

16. If Bernie really is caucusing with the Democrats, then he should be part of ONE message

...and defer to Abrams for a night.

Link to tweet

[still_one]

153. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[NurseJackie]

338. Exactly! Thank you! That's what an ally would do.

[Voltaire2]

359. Like Harris?

Or just Sanders has to obey your non-existent and sort of silly rules.

You do know Sanders is on social media, not broadcast tv, right? That this is pretty much a different audience? That he is the Outreach Chairman for the Senate Democratic Caucus? That this is more or less *his job*?

[scheming daemons]

361. Speaking before the speech and speaking after the speech are VERY different

Chris Cilliza sums it up nicely:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/bernie-sanders-state-of-the-union/index.html

[Voltaire2]

366. Yes it is before not after.

I see how that makes all the difference.

Not.

[mcar]

52. Then perhaps Sen Sanders should encourage

his separate supporters to turn into all the channels to see the rebuttal by this solidly Democratic, very liberal, up-and-coming star.

That would be inclusive. What he's doing is divisive.

[Cha]

70. Exactly, mcar.

Link to tweet

[JCanete]

201. no it isn't. What you're doing is divisive. nt

[mcar]

242. Me? I'm not holding a second rebuttal when one would do

[JCanete]

296. the only people this is pissing off, is people who are pissed off at anything Sanders does. That's

not him being divisive.

[ehrnst]

311. It seems like it's you now not bothering to back up statements.

[JCanete]

313. that's a fair point. This is me sticking my ass in the wind. Show me the people who like Sanders

(like most of America) yet are tweeting how disgraceful this is. My educated guess is that this is mostly coming down to people who already like to react breathlessly to anything Sanders does. If somebody can make a case that that isn't true, I'll eat crow.

[ehrnst]

315. Proving non-existence fallacy.

Description: Demanding that one proves the non-existence of something in place of providing adequate evidence for the existence of that something. Although it may be possible to prove non-existence in special situations, such as showing that a container does not contain certain items, one cannot prove universal or absolute non-existence. The proof of existence must come from those who make the claims.

https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/145/Proving-Non-Existence

See how I backed that up?

[Voltaire2]

367. You left out the prebuttle.

Certainly Harris also deserves your outrage

[NurseJackie]

341. "What he's doing is divisive." -- It perpetuates the idea of separateness...

That would be inclusive. What he's doing is divisive.

It perpetuates the idea of separateness and it helps to emphasize and highlight to everyone of his belief that the Democratic response "isn't good enough" so he must get in on the action. It's a passive aggressive way of saying that he doesn't approve.

Ultimately this is just a way to effectively steal the spotlight from Ms. Abrams by "fixing" or "correcting" or "doing-over" what she says on behalf of the Democratic party.

Ultimately, it's just a way to spoil her moment and put his own spin on it by having the last word. It's disrespectful and it serves no good purpose.

Ms. Abrams speaks on behalf of the Democrats. On whose behalf is Bernie speaking?

Oh the unity! Can you feel it?

[Mr.Bill]

127. How?

It's called a DVR.

[ehrnst]

316. Why will they "not hear Abrams?" (nt)

[JCanete]

319. maybe because the only reason somebody hears sanders is because they subscribe to his channel

, they get a notification and click on the link. I'm not saying htere are people who don't want to or refuse to hear her. I'm saying, some might literally come into contact with Sanders rebuttal but not Abrams.

[ehrnst]

320. People who would subscribe to Bernie's channel, but would not otherwise

hear about SOTU or the Democratic response.

But not because "they don't want to or refuse to hear her."

[JCanete]

321. People have busy ass schedules. Not everybody is glued to politics. What point do you think

you're trying to make here?

[ehrnst]

323. Not "glued to politics" but subscribe to a politician's feed.

OK.

[NurseJackie]

325. Good catch. It also perpetuates the idea of separateness and...

Good catch. It also perpetuates the idea of separateness and it reinforces his belief that the Democratic response "isn't good enough" so he must get in on the action.

Ultimately this is just a way to steal the spotlight from Ms. Abrams. It's just a way to spoil her moment and put his spin on it by having the last word. It's disrespectful and it serves no good purpose.

Ms. Abrams speaks on behalf of the Democrats. On whose behalf is Bernie speaking?

Oh the unity! Can you feel it?

[dawg day]

360. Maybe he should encourage his supporters to listen to someone who will long be a leader in the party

But of course, he's not a Democrat, so what does he care about the future leadership of the party-- which is not going to be old white guys (entirely, anyway).

[cwydro]

21. Hey, she is a WOMAN and a person of COLOR.

Not surprised at Bernie’s lack of respect here.

Not at all.

[ismnotwasm]

25. +1

[mcar]

51. +1

[Blue_true]

53. So much for his outreach to AA primary voters.

He just not help elbowing a talented Black woman aside.

[NurseJackie]

162. It's an insult. It's divisive.

Does he believe she's not good enough? It's a legit question that deserves an honest answer.

[JCanete]

202. Its neither. Hey look. I can put words together into a sentence too. I'm not going to bother making

an actual case any more since nobody toting this crap is bothering.

[NurseJackie]

245. Uh-huh. Whatever.

[JCanete]

200. lack of any context to your comment. Sanders also responded to Trump's last address, which

was officially responded to by Pelosi and Schumer. Why make shit up out of the blue like you just did?

[cwydro]

224. "Make up shit" - Wtf are you on about?

She IS a woman and a person of color, so I fail to see what “shit” I made up lol.

And it’s my opinion that Bernie is showing a lack of respect, obviously shared by many here. This IS a discussion board, you know...

[JCanete]

227. you are suggesting it has to do with either gender or color or both, that Sanders is speaking

AFTER Tracy Abrams, a gubernatorial candidate he literally endorsed.

And you are suggesting this inspite of there being a traceable history of previous rebuttals Sanders has given(not to mention others like Maxine Waters), that were not the official DNC response to POTUS, which could not be arbitrarily claimed to be the result of him having no respect for a woman of color. Yet you thought it wise to throw shit at a wall and see what stuck. Yes, it is a discussion board. Be prepared to be challenged when you offer paper thin speculation. Maybe, if the mood strikes you, be prepared to actually make a case for your claim. But for the love of God, don't just double down.

[cwydro]

232. Lol.

Bernie’s history with minorites speaks for itself.

[ehrnst]

240. .....

[ehrnst]

237. "Yet you thought it wise to throw shit at a wall and see what stuck."

"But for the love of God, don't just double down."

People in glass houses.....

[JCanete]

292. I feel like there was a time where you used to at least attempt to back up your claims with evidence

Haven't seen that in a while.

[ehrnst]

309. I guess you weren't really paying attention.

[mcar]

243. Stacey

Stacey Abrams.

[JCanete]

300. oops, thank you. nt

[George II]

270. Last I heard was Nancy Pelosi is a woman.

[namahage]

297. Who is this Tracy Abrams that Bernie endorsed? n/t

[George II]

306. He's assuming in advance that her address isn't going to cover all the issues satisfactorily....

....it's not going to be "good enough". Otherwise, what could he possibly add to the discussion?

[JCanete]

307. no that's nonsense. He's assuming that he has a different perspective. He does. AOC had a different

angle and perspective than Schumer and Pelosi when she was on to take Trump's words to task after his last address. It didn't cover what Pelosi and Schumer covered and they did not cover what she covered nor how she covered it.

[Apollyonus]

345. What different perspective?

He will have the same old tirade containing rants against one or more of millionaires, billionaires, oligarchs, plutocrats, establishment, corporations and wall-street, with some hints of legislation (which will never pass) thrown in, to people who hate rich people and are struggling. There will be some pie-in-the-sky for dessert and something akin to "I alone can fix it" for coffee. (Where have I heard that line before?)

If it were easy to pass universal health care legislation as easily as naming post offices, someone would have done it already.

Sanders has a lot of pipe-dreams which are popular but no real visionary solutions. (Reference- NY Daily News interview from 2016) But then, I once believed in alchemy too and I don't blame people who want their own beanstalk in the back yard or a flying carpet or a magic lamp.

[TCJ70]

248. Hey, Joe Kennedy is a MAN who is WHITE. He gave the official response last year...

This is the third year Bernie’s done this kind of thing. He also endorsed Stacey Abrams in her run. Maybe you’re connecting dots that don’t exist?

[kstewart33]

120. He is incapable of stepping off the stage.

For just one time, let Ms. Abrams speak for the Democratic party, a party that he refuses to join but seeks to lead.
But nope, not going to happen.

[ehrnst]

318. +1000. (nt)

[Gothmog]

40. Luckily, no cable channel will be covering sanders or his response

It appears that you have to go to youtube or face book to listen to sanders. I will not bother. I am far more interested in Stacy Abram's response

[Kurt V.]

69. +1

[NurseJackie]

165. It's like self-publishing.

[Gothmog]

178. Agreed

[George II]

271. And buying one's own books in bulk.

[Apollyonus]

346. and then giving them away to people who attend rallies n/t

[JCanete]

199. wow...isn't that weird. Luckily...whew, we dodged that erm...what ?

[Gothmog]

246. I will not waste my time on sanders

[George II]

258. Dude. If someone has a television or a computer, he/she can tune in to Stacey Abrams.

It's not like anyone can ONLY watch Sanders but not watch Abrams.

[JCanete]

288. wait...who's side are you arguing here? So then, whos toes are being stepped on? Who is being

divisive? Is Sanders giving a rebuttal to the rebuttal? No? No shit?

[NurseJackie]

277. "He's stealing nobody's thunder with this." --- Of course it is.

He's stealing nobody's thunder with this.

Of course it is. It's the equivalent of telling Ms. Abrams that HER response isn't good enough and that someone ELSE needs to come in and "fix it for her."

It's a slap in her face. It's an insult. He already has a difficult enough time getting solid support from POC, this doesn't appear to be helping any. (Many believe will backfire, if it hasn't already, and judging by the honest and uncensored comments on Twitter, it seems to be clearly headed in that direction.)

Fact of the matter is that Ms. Abrams' is the one who is speaking for Democrats. That makes me wonder, who is HE speaking on behalf of? At this critical juncture when everyone on the left needs to be united as ONE VOICE in opposition to the GOP and Trump, this publicity stunt certainly isn't conveying the idea of unity.

More's the pity.

[JCanete]

305. He's not giving a rebuttal to the rebuttal. He's got his own words to say about what Trump is saying

Last time plenty of democrats and liberals had their own words to say about what Trump said re his fucking wall. And damn straight every one of them was valuable, and none of them undercut the others. That's not a thing. For a fuller perspective listen to ALL rebuttals. I listened to a few last time and more than one was powerful.

wow honest uncensored on twitter? come on. Yeah, people have opinions about sanders in the world. Some of them are going to tweet. Using DU as a microcosm, its pretty obvious that those who don't like sanders react negatively to anything sanders does and are very vocal about it. I think the case for that outrage is still weak here, but I do appreciate you at least attempting to explain it.

[NurseJackie]

322. You know good and well that's not what I said.

He's not giving a rebuttal to the rebuttal.

You know good and well that's not what I said.

Clearly he doesn't trust that Ms. Abrams can do a good job. He's coming in behind to "fix up" her delivery of the Democratic response. He wants to steal some of her glory and have the "last word" for some inexplicable reason.

It's a shame that he feels like he has to "get in on the action" at the expense of a unified message from a single voice. It really serves no good purpose. It certainly doesn't promote unity.

its pretty obvious that those who don't like sanders react negatively to anything sanders does and are very vocal about it.

And vice versa, eh?

but I do appreciate you at least attempting to explain it.

Oh brother! GMAFB, will ya? Enough with the personal swipes and veiled insults. I'm sick of it. Listen, I don't do that to you. Why do you feel the need to say things like that to me?

[JCanete]

324. What I meant is that you attempted to explain your persective to me.

I don't agree with your argument but I genuinely thank you for making one. You didn't just keep repeating "its divisive." I'm sorry that how I acknowledged that originally came out as a backhanded compliment. .

I know I get fed up and I dived into a thread testy and irritated by a post/posts and then I get eight responses in contest, and I get into pugilist mode, and I don't always ensure that I'm taking each post on its own merits or tone, nor is my tone in any way conciliatory, since too many of us already have a history of these confrontations with one another, and it feels like picking up where we left off.

Maybe I'll let a post sit before I send it next time. I'd rather we have better conversations here and less horn-locking, but its been a long time since I myself approached a thrad with that in mind.

[Apollyonus]

347. So he is going to rebut Stacey Abrams?

[Gothmog]

363. I trust Rev. Al on this

Link to tweet

[Glamrock]

203. He is

He won't be on television and he won't be on until after her. This place becomes absolutely Pavlovian at the mere mention of his name.

[JCanete]

204. It is pretty damn embarassing. nt

[Rhiannon12866]

332. His response will follow hers and Senator Harris will precede the SOTU. n/t

[trueblue2007]

340. Bernie will NOT steal her spotlight. Tell you the truth, I don't find his message exciting anymore

Stacey Abrams is a star!!!

[trueblue2007]

343. She is a star. i so admire her.

[appal_jack]

30. This, exactly.

If a certain wing of the Democratic Party would spend half as much energy engaging Bernie Sanders' IDEAS as it does worrying about what Sanders does as an INDEPENDENT who consistently supports the best Democratic initiatives, we could be moving forward a lot more effectively.

-app

[Gore1FL]

116. + 1

[pnwmom]

56. He doesn't have a different base UNLESS he wants to write-off African American voters

and women voters and anyone else who might want to watch Stacy Abrams from his base.

[NurseJackie]

172. He should be celebrating her, not trying to compete

... and distract and bury her message by trying to have the "last word" over her.

[Apollyonus]

348. Exactly this n/t

[JCanete]

196. what are you saying? People have different fans. I didn't say of voters. Sanders has a block

of liberals and particularly millennials, who follow him on twitter, etc. For that matter, not everybody is glued to politics 24/7 like us. Its GOOD to have different avenues of reaching different audiences who may miss something important that affects their lives.

[Apollyonus]

349. Let's face it .. it is a publicity stunt n/t

[brush]

62. Old news, and not a Democrat.

He's been eclipsed by the new, younger crop of actual Dems.

[JCanete]

198. if its old news why do you feel the need to keep telling everybody he's not a democrat. nt

[brush]

217. Because it's true and he has been eclipsed.

[JCanete]

218. then why does he keep blinding you with those rays...heh. nt

[brush]

219. Those are coming from Harris, Klobuchar, Booker, et al...

you know, the ones Dems are actually talking about.

[JCanete]

220. hehe...cept you. You're here talking bout Sanders. nt

[brush]

222. Looks like it's just me and you, and I'm only doing it in response to you.

Just face it, there are several, younger, attractive progressives in the 2020 field without all the divisive baggage.

[JCanete]

223. oh really? So if I went through threads about Sanders, looking for your name, I'd only see yours

when responding to me? Yeah...

[George II]

259. Yes, and none of them would have the chutzpah to give a rogue rebuttal address, but they....

...understand the concept of party unity and teamwork.

Some, however, like to play both sides of the Democratic coin.

[Apollyonus]

350. and help Trump in the process

by telegraphing the disunity.

[SidDithers]

126. From Ragnarok Lobster...

Link to tweet

Is that the different base you're talking about?

Sid

[JCanete]

197. that's utter bullshit. don't know who that is, but if that's my introduction, I'm not impressed. nt

[emulatorloo]

267. "Bernie Sanders Says Not All Voters Who Feel 'Uncomfortable' With Black Candidates Are Racist"

I think maybe you forgot this tone deaf gaffe Bernie made regarding Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum.

It doesn’t surprise me that some people do remember it and would bring it up.

Bernie Sanders Says Not All Voters Who Feel ‘Uncomfortable’ With Black Candidates Are Racist

The senator got flak after saying white people who didn’t vote for Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams because of their race are “not necessarily racist.”
headshot

11/08/2018
By Antonia Blumberg

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) drew criticism Thursday after saying many white voters in the South who felt “uncomfortable” voting for black candidates for the first time were “not necessarily racist.”

The comment came in an interview with The Daily Beast published Thursday, in which the senator discussed the difficulties faced by black gubernatorial candidates Andrew Gillum in Florida and Stacey Abrams in Georgia.

“I think you know there are a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American,” Sanders told the outlet. “I think next time around, by the way, it will be a lot easier for them to do that.”

A number of writers and activists of color called Sanders out for implying it wasn’t racist to reject a candidate based on race.

“Many would define not supporting someone based solely on race as racist,” PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor noted.

<more at link>

[JCanete]

285. And yet, inspite of whatever point you want to make with that, Sanders is not MOST popular with

white people. Amongst his fans, he is LEAST popular with white people, and yet, very popular. Figure this writer's tweet out in the context of the facts.

[emulatorloo]

294. My point is to directly quote Senator Sanders recent tone-deaf gaffe.

[JCanete]

295. I'm not interested in going into it when its irrelevant to the claimm made by the tweeter. You seem

to think this was the appropriate place to put this, as if it helped make that person's case, and yet it doesn't.

[emulatorloo]

299. No, my point was to remind you of Bernie's words which you have apparently forgotten

You have forgotten, others haven’t.

[JCanete]

301. why was it relevant hwere you put them? Why am I feeling dubious that you just wanted to remind

people of something that is entirely irrelevant to the thread you posted in?

[emulatorloo]

304. Relevant to Sander's continued gaffes and tone deafness on race

Have a nice day, we’re done.

[Autumn]

274. That was my impression of him when he was introduced in one of the AOC

should shut up and learn fests. He's not a fan of hers either.

[fleabiscuit]

210. Dang, he left out the mansplaining part. nt

[George II]

260. eclecticbrotha has it right!

[billpolonsky]

147. Exactly!

"The senator's office confirmed to The Hill that his response will follow Trump's State of the Union address as well as the Democratic rebuttal and be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter."

"Sanders, who is an independent but caucuses with Democrats, will be delivering his response after former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams delivers the official Democratic Party response."

I mean really...

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

226. There you go again JC... making sense when it comes to Bernie!!

Who, btw, is not a Democrat, in case you forgot!! haha!!

[JCanete]

229. He is not a Democrat!!! And dammit, he's irrelevant and eclipsed. Why do I have to keep reminding

people of both of these things!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

230. LOL, it's easy to forget given that Bernie's been leading on so many progressive Democratic issues.

[NurseJackie]

254. I know, people forget a lot of things, don't they?

... it's easy to forget ...

I know, people forget a lot of things, don't they?

One thing I hope that people never forget is are the false claims that Democrats are "ideologically bankrupt". We should also never forget the false claim that Democrats are "feeble", and the false claim that Democrats are "corrupt".

People aren't likely to forget the falsely claim that the Democratic party is "the party of the one-percent" and the false claim that the Democratic party is the "party of the elite". Nor will they forget the false claim that there's "no difference between Democrats and Republicans."

All I'm saying is those sorts of unfair and untrue smears on Democrats (and the Democratic party) really isn't "progressive" at all.

Fact of the matter is that when anyone continually spouts these attacks on Democrats, it actually causes a lot of harm. It creates distrust and division. It plants doubts and suspicions. It tarnishes and diminishes the Democratic "brand". It certainly isn't the kind of thing that someone says who wants to ATTRACT move voters into supporting Democrats or the Democratic party, so I have to wonder what good purpose it's supposed to serve.

These are perfectly fair and reasonable questions that deserve an honest response. It's also fair for loyal Democrats to stand in opposition against anyone who would try to damage the Democratic party in that way. I think reasonable people can agree that when anyone does something to weaken the Democratic party, that only benefits the GOP and Trump... and that ultimately benefits Trump.

Now is the time for unity, not division. We must remain strong, not engage in divisive attacks on Democrats that weaken the party. I don't know why anyone would be opposed to having a strong and united Democratic Party!

[Apollyonus]

351. +1000 very well put nt

[George II]

269. Name one?

[Gothmog]

250. Why should anyone care about his response?

I will be ignoring this stunt

[NurseJackie]

256. "Stunt" is a good word for it.

[JCanete]

314. I don't know, ask all the people who care about his response. Not sure why you're asking me.

Thank you though for telling me you will be ignoring this....like you tell us every time Sanders is going to be speaking. Had you not said something, I totally would have been expecting you to tune in.

[Gothmog]

312. Can sanders get the nomination without African American support?

There are a ton of voters who are still mad at sanders for the stunt of booing Congressman John Lewis at the national convention. See https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=11741478

This stunt will not help sanders with demographic

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

252. Why upstage Stacy Abrams?

Link to tweet

?s=20

[JCanete]

289. if rawstory says it, it must be the whole damn internet and shit. Probably mostly not those who

already don't like Sanders. I totally trust a hit piece against a liberal by mainstream press. Those don't come every day or anything.

[Gothmog]

308. sanders stunt will not be on cable or TV

I am glad that Abrams speech is getting the attention that it deserves compared to sanders stunt

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[George II]

257. If he wants to be a Democrat, run for president as a Democrat, his base is DEMOCRATS, for whom......

....Stacey Abrams will be speaking on Tuesday night.

Yes, it's worth getting up in arms about - it DIVIDES us if we have someone giving a competing address.

[JCanete]

287. Did it divide us last SOTU when Maxine Waters also gave a rebuttal? I don't remember the threads....

No. It doesn't divide us. Saying so, without a shred of an argument, doesn't do any work whatsoever towards making that case. Maybe if you're going to take this position...I don't know, buttress it or something. Dig some latrines.

[George II]

291. Maxine Waters' "rebuttal" wasn't framed as a rebuttal nor was it a "rebuttal", it wasn't even...

...the night of trump's address.

Why should I "dig some latrines"?

[JCanete]

293. Oh what a difference a day makes if you want it to make a difference to make a case. nt

[George II]

298. Are you going to dig up any address any Democratic member of the House or Senate makes...

...after trump's speech tonight and call it a "rebuttal"?

[JCanete]

303. I don't really get your point. So they are rebuttals. They are literally rebuttals. Sanders isn't

claiming to be giving the official DNC rebuttal. He is correctly calling what he is going to be doing a rebuttal. Could you at least....I don't know...try to explain how this is divisive? The only people I see up in arms about this are those of you who hate on EVERYTHING Sanders does....so, forgive me if I take your claims to divisiveness with a massive heaping of salt.

[Gothmog]

364. Stacey Abrams will give the response to the SOTU. But Bernie Sanders wants the last word

Link to tweet

The remarks of Sanders (I-Vt.) won’t take place until after Abrams is finished. Even so, critics say his speech will undermine Abrams. It fuels frustration from Abrams and others that she is not being more seriously discussed as a 2020 presidential contender. (Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) did ask Abrams to run for senator, something she is considering.)

“The optics aren’t great,” AM2DM host Saeed Jones tweeted. “Stacey Abrams will be the first black woman to deliver the formal response to the State of the Union address in the custom’s 53-year history. And it reads as if Bernie doesn’t trust her capacity to say what needs to be said.”

It also helps underscore Sanders’s struggle to attract nonwhite voters. During the 2016 presidential primary, the lawmaker failed to attract large amounts of support from black women, whom Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has called the backbone of the party.....

The remarks of Sanders (I-Vt.) won’t take place until after Abrams is finished. Even so, critics say his speech will undermine Abrams. It fuels frustration from Abrams and others that she is not being more seriously discussed as a 2020 presidential contender. (Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) did ask Abrams to run for senator, something she is considering.)

“The optics aren’t great,” AM2DM host Saeed Jones tweeted. “Stacey Abrams will be the first black woman to deliver the formal response to the State of the Union address in the custom’s 53-year history. And it reads as if Bernie doesn’t trust her capacity to say what needs to be said.”

It also helps underscore Sanders’s struggle to attract nonwhite voters. During the 2016 presidential primary, the lawmaker failed to attract large amounts of support from black women, whom Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has called the backbone of the party.

[scheming daemons]

5. Which Democrat did I bash?

[JCanete]

10. edited. nt

[EffieBlack]

4. Good luck with that

[rampartc]

7. i would like to hear them both

in many ways sen sanders is a great choice to rebut the liar in chief. ms abrams also has a great perspective.

let's hit him with both barrels.

in fact, the greens should pile on as well.

[NurseJackie]

9. What good purpose does it serve for him to do that? How does that help Democrats?

What good purpose does it serve for him to do that? How does that help Democrats? How does it help to present a unified message and unified opposition to Trump and the GOP?

Why would he want to do that?

[scheming daemons]

13. I suspect you know the answers to each of your questions

- It doesn't

- It doesn't

- None

- It doesn't

- It doesn't

- Why do you think?

[NurseJackie]

17. You are correct, my friend! But it's always interesting to see if anyone tries to use...

You are correct, my friend! But it's always interesting to see if anyone tries to use wacky pretzel logic trying to come up with answers that portray someone in a positive or thoughtful and unselfish light. Sometimes it's good for a chuckle or two.

[Docreed2003]

49. +1

[mcar]

54. ...

[Apollyonus]

47. Photo op for the faithful supporters

Like the MLK rally in South Carolina

[George II]

262. There are 235 Democratic members of the House and 47 Democratic Senators...

...how many have chosen to give their own rebuttal tonight?

[NurseJackie]

264. A disrespectful slap-in-the-face. It's like saying "YOUR response wasn't good enough, Ms. Abrams!..."

A disrespectful slap-in-the-face. It's like saying "YOUR response wasn't good enough, Ms. Abrams! So let me swoop-in and try to fix your efforts!"

He's already struggling to gain solid support from POC ... this "stand-aside and let me do it for you" stunt reeks of disrespect.

People are all over twitter talking about how sexist it appears to be, and that he can't "read the room" (which I thought was a great way to describe it.)

It's fairly likely that this stunt will probably end up backfiring and hurting himself more than Ms. Abrams. Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that it's an insult to her and to the Democratic party and it serves no good purpose.

[George II]

265. It's a good thing they won't be on the same stage, he might do to Stacey what he did to Jane.

[NurseJackie]

268. I know! But...

... I'll bet Stacy Abrams wouldn't put up with it. And for obvious reasons, I'll refrain from describing what she'd probably do... I'll just leave it to your imagination.

[The Truth Is Here]

12. I have no problems hearing multiple responses.

Why should Abrams be the only one to react from that moron's SOTU address?

[scheming daemons]

15. One *OFFICIAL* reaction from the opposition, covered by the media, is more powerful

Link to tweet

[The Truth Is Here]

138. Bernie is responding AFTER Abram's response, per Twitter

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1092550015141249030&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fjackpineradicals.com%2Fboards%2Ftopic%2Fbernie-sanders-to-deliver-his-own-state-of-the-union-response%2F

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

228. Details, details!!

[George II]

266. There are 234 Democratic Representatives and 47 Democratic Senators. How many....

....have chosen to give their OWN rebuttal address?

Stacey Abrams was chosen by the leader of the House Democrats and the Senate Democrats. All but one have accepted the decision of their leaders.

[Apollyonus]

48. Under the "equal representation" doctrine

the networks only allow ONE response to be on nationwide TV. The Democratic party chose Stacy Abrams.

[Recursion]

276. You know that guy in every meeting

who "just wants to expand on what Gloria said for a minute"? He's being that guy. Let her have a mic drop.

[dalton99a]

18. I think Jill Stein and Tulsi Gabbard should chime in as well

We need many, many sides. The more the merrier!

[dhol82]

63. Yeah, now there's the ticket!

[Apollyonus]

89. Don't forget

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez ......

[NurseJackie]

163. Boom!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

231. Would be happy to hear from Tulsi... why not?! And Elizabeth while we're at it.

[George II]

273. The thing is each of them respect the decision of their leaders, Pelosi and Shumer....

...to have Stacey Abrams give the rebuttal.

They're team players ON the team.

[RandiFan1290]

19. I look forward to hearing Bernie's rebuttal

I love how much he bothers the right wingers

[Hassin Bin Sober]

27. Lol. Absolutely.

[MuseRider]

43. He sure does! n/t

[SMC22307]

66. ...

[Autumn]

20. Every SOTU I listen to MORE than ONE rebuttal. I see no reason to have only one Dem

giving a rebuttal.

[Mariana]

275. I'm on board with every elected official giving some kind of response.

It doesn't have to be a video of a formal speech, a written response on their websites would be fine. The official Democratic Party rebuttal is important, but the opinions of individual elected officials would be good to know as well. Certainly no one should be criticized for doing so, they should be encouraged.

[Autumn]

281. The rebuttals are the best part and it makes sense to have them on every venue possible to reach

more people.

[JI7]

22. isn't that just something on Facebook that nobody sees unless they go there ?

[quickesst]

23. Let Bernie Sanders speak

He can represent the Chameleon Party.

[liberal N proud]

24. He is NOT a Democrat

He should be afforded no more help from the party.

[Apollyonus]

93. +1,000,000 nt

[peggysue2]

26. LOL!!

I have a hard time believing anyone, including Senator Sanders will be stealing Stacy Abrams' spotlight.

He can try, of course. He can also fail spectacularly.

Bring it on!

[Cha]

68. Opinion: Can we skip to the State of the Union response?

Link to tweet

Peggysue

[peggysue2]

75. We can skip the response only if . . .

we can skip the STOU address, an hour in which Donald Trump will have absolutely nothing to say beyond how magnificent he is.

Hummmm. Washington Post editors a little worried about what Abrams might say or how she might outperform, upstaging the Squatter-in-Chief?

Back at you, Cha!

[SFnomad]

88. The article says "skip to the response", not "skip the response"

They're saying, can we skip tRump and go straight to Abrams.

[ehrnst]

85. +1000

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

92. The DNC should pay for a half hour informercial just BEFORE the SOTU.

Then they can do a pre-emptive fact check about the lies Trump will tell during his speech.

It would be better than listening to the cable news pundits yammer on about whether he's going to declare a state of emergency, etc.

[Cha]

79. P.S. Right.. he won't be able to take

the spotlight from Stacy Abrams, a Brilliant Black Woman during Black History month.

But he is pissing off a lot of people on Twitter.

[Squinch]

28. Ugh.

[Nanjeanne]

29. How is he stealing Stacey's spotlight? She is speaking on TV immediately after. Typically

Sanders does an additional response after the official Dem response on FB to either those ppl who are not watching tv or those, like me, that are interested in hearing both.

Considering Sanders endorsed Abrams and was very vocal in his support, I seriously doubt he is looking to “steal her spotlight”.

Edited to add that prior to this OP tweet, Sanders had already tweeted:

Stacey Abrams is a great choice to deliver the Democratic response. I'm very much looking forward to her speech.

For the third year in a row, following the Democratic rebuttal I'll be on Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube to respond to Trump.

But hey, it’s Bernie so ...

[Gothmog]

39. No cable or other channel will be covering sanders

You have to go to youtube or face book. I will be watching Abrams

[Nanjeanne]

41. Exactly. It is for the FB and YouTube. Crowd. I am excited to hear both.

[Decoy of Fenris]

87. What some fail to realize is that many have cut the cord on TV entirely.

My folks own a television but don't use it outside of DVDs, and my wife and I haven't turned on a television in about ten years. Good for Stacey Abrams for giving the Dem response, but some/many may not even know her name or see the official response. Times are changing.

[fleabiscuit]

206. People are cutting the cord but not necessarily TV. Just different delivery. nt

[SMC22307]

71. He's not. I rarely use the word...

"poutrage," but if anything qualifies, it's this.

[More_Cowbell]

83. His response will be at the same time as Stacey Abrams'

According to The Hill https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/428430-bernie-sanders-to-deliver-his-own-state-of-the-union-response

[femmedem]

96. The Hill is incorrect. Bernie Sanders says he is giving his speech after hers is finished.

The Hill is shit-stirring, apparently very effectively.

Link to tweet

[Nanjeanne]

164. The Hill said he was giving his rebuttal after the SOTU and the Dem response. Only

the DUers that want to believe otherwise misread what the Hill said.

It’s not hard to comprehend:

The senator's office confirmed to The Hill that his response will follow Trump's State of the Union address as well as the Democratic rebuttal and be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

[Apollyonus]

98. That REALLY sucks n/t

[TCJ70]

108. It's also untrue.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Apollyonus]

110. You just proved that it is true lmao n/t

[TCJ70]

113. "Following the Democratic rebuttal" is not at the same time...

...as the Democratic rebuttal.

[TCJ70]

111. The Hill is wrong:

Link to tweet

?s=20

Stop spreading fake news.

[Autumn]

115. That is not true.

Link to tweet

[PoliticAverse]

205. No, the Hill article specifically says it is after Stacy Abrams' respopnse...

The senator's office confirmed to The Hill that his response will follow Trump's State of the Union address as well as the Democratic rebuttal and be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

[Apollyonus]

97. Why dilute the official response

.... if everyone did this, Trump wins

Bernie needs to realize that it is not all about HIM.

[Nanjeanne]

161. How does it dilute the official response? There is the official response on Tv

And after that, there is another response on a completely different medium - one that Sanders has particular outreach to.

Besides, why does anyone assume this is being done against Dem leadership approval? For all you know, Bernie and Chuck discussed it when they co-wrote the OpEd in The NY Times the other day.

[Apollyonus]

187. There are only three possibilities

1. He will say the same thing that Ms. Abrams says in which case it is unnecessary
2. He will say something that attacks the Democrats which Bernie is apt to do frequently and it would help Trump; or
3. He will do neither and just promote his agenda which is a campaign event taking unfair advantage of the SOTU


There is no fourth possibility.

[Nanjeanne]

241. 1. Maybe not unnecessary to someone not watching Tv. 2. He will not attack Dems. It is in

Response to Trump. He has done these before and never has attacked Dems. 3. He has a right to promote his ideas and response to Trump on FB and YouTube for those who wish to listen.

4. He obviously isn’t talking to you. But perhaps you aren’t the only person in the world he wants to reach.

[Apollyonus]

244. He has attacked Democrats all the time

and an additional message against Trump has NO value other than distracting from the main Democratic message.

It is Bernie's campaign, his ego, another opportunistic maneuver to get publicity.

[Nanjeanne]

255. So you have watched his other FB responses to the SOTU. And so you know that. Got it.

Have a suggestion — don’t watch. Then you won’t be distracted.

[MFM008]

31. Hmmmmmm

History repeats itself......

[MuseRider]

32. Oh that Bernie.

He has not checked in with you all to see what he should do. What a shame. Thank god he works with his own mind. I will interested in what he has to say.

[WeekiWater]

36. You just perfectly defined his problem.

1) Clear ego. 2) Inability to be a part of a coalition.

Perfectly stated. You put it in a much nicer way than I do.

[MuseRider]

42. How many

f'ing times do people here scream about him not being a Democrat? He is NOT a Democrat so he can do whatever the hell he wants. You all scream about that all the time yet he is not a Democrat for these reasons. You would hate him either way and he is a man with his own long term thoughts to help this country. He will be heard and you all will rend your clothes but you just cannot seem to see that you cannot have it both ways and he is not going to go home with his head down.

I am very happy with what he has to say and if I don't agree I don't. I see no reason limiting ideas in our political parties or congress. We all can take that surely? Or are we all to immature to handle a different idea or flow to the way we do things?

You are just too clever for me I guess.

[WeekiWater]

45. I think your first paragraph nails it again.

Tho I think I could have painted that aspect of him a little nicer this time around. Really summed a lot of it up. Very bluntly.

[mcar]

57. But he is contemplating

running for President as a Democrat. Why does he get to have it both ways?

[MuseRider]

119. Apparently the only people who do not understand that

are here. I don't know but if the national party has no problems with him why should we? If they do not hate him why should we? If they see he has a purpose, and apparently they do, then why all the Democratic hero worship without acknowledging they seem to embrace Bernie?

[Evergreen Emerald]

67. But for what purpose?

Hmmm, his actions speak louder than his hollow words.

[MuseRider]

80. Some of us feel that big talk is good talk

it keeps the party and us from being satisfied when our own needs are met and striving to meet the needs of others as well. Parties tend to be satisfied easily and that is OK but we do need those on the outside bringing in new ideas or pushing for more. I just do not see Bernie as the big threat others see him as. I can hear it now, he is no threat ha ha ha ha, but with the way these threads always go he definitely must be or others would welcome his ideas from the outside. I could see them being angry if he was a Democrat that did not play along but since he isn't he really does not reflect the party but maybe pushes in a direction that many of us Democrats see as important. Really, all the stink and gnashing of teeth and rending of clothing seems to come from this site and maybe others but the people he works with seem to value a lot of what he does and says.

His words are only hollow if you are satisfied with how things are and never willing to look outside your own comfort or contentment to see if there is something valid outside. IDEAS are not scary things. The Dems are unified now is the best time to look around.

[WeekiWater]

33. Bernie Saiders is an egotistical ass.

Always has been. Always will be. From writing rape fantasies in his thirties to voting with Republicans blocking a pathway to citizenship to multiple votes supporting Russian oligarchs. He is an ass.

With that, I greatly appreciated his recent response just after Trump requested network time. Dare I say he was even speaking too much sense to froth up a Bro. He is going to give his response and then fire out emails asking for money. I at least hope he sounds as sensible as his last response. It was very good.

https://m.

[Apollyonus]

102. +1,000,000 nt

[grantcart]

34. now that is a shocker, who would have guessed that he would want to assert a personal brand

over the strong proud voice of united opposition?

Couldn't see it from Saturn.

However if you were standing anywhere in the 50 states it would be quite visible and predictable. Only question is why did he wait until the Democratic response was set, usually he is faster out of the gate.

[George II]

272. "United opposition"? If that were true there would be one rebuttal.

[smirkymonkey]

35. Fuck him and his bloated ego!

He can submit a written response to a major news outlet or go on a talk show the next day. It figures that he thinks he needs to add his two cents in person when the person delivering the Democratic response is a woman of color.

He is such an arrogant, narcissistic POS.

[Gothmog]

37. You have to go to facebook or youtube to see sanders response

No cable or other channel will be carrying this response https://politicalwire.com/2019/02/04/sanders-will-give-his-own-state-of-the-union-response/

“His response will follow Trump’s speech and be streamed on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter…. at the same time that former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams delivers the official Democratic Party response.”

I will be watching Stacy Abrams response and will ignoring sanders

[JaneQPublic]

38. The most dangerous position to take...

...is to stand between Bernie and a TV camera.

[Cha]

61. Yeah, do Not even try it!

[MontanaFarmer]

44. Yep, I'll be watching Ms. Abrams

Bernie is, of course, perfectly entitled (key word there) to give a SOTU response, and i'm glad to watch something else. Actually, maybe I'll watch, and every time he says something self-aggrandizing I'll donate 5 bucks to Senator Harris' campaign.

[Blue_true]

46. Bernie is so convinced that he is right that he can't possibly happily play second fiddle.

Even for a righteous cause. Unless he gets smashed quickly in our 2020 primary, we are in for a rough time with him. And even if he gets soundly beaten early on, there is no guarantee that he won't kneecap our nominee.

[mcar]

50. Not a good move

IMO.

[TCJ70]

55. So he's going to put out a video about the SOTU on his...

...online platforms. Who cares? Watch them or don’t but this doesn’t matter.

[pnwmom]

59. "No, no!" He waves his arms around. "Don't look at HER! Look at ME!" n/t

[at140]

60. I want to hear them both!

Hopefully they won't be on at the same time.

[vsrazdem]

64. I didn't hear anyone criticizing Maxine Waters last year when Joe Kennedy was the Chosen one

and she gave a rebuttal. Hypocrisy at its best.

[Cha]

65. Because, of course he is. I only want to hear Stacy Abrams

Link to tweet

[vsrazdem]

72. There were 5 democrat rebuttals last year, so I guess we need to criticize them too.

[fleabiscuit]

221. Why? nt

[DBoon]

253. For dividing the attention of the Democratic opposition?

Apparently Democrats aren't smart enough to pay attention to more than one speech, at least according to many posts here

[riversedge]

73. If you're wondering why Sanders doesn't poll well with black voters- this is it. And make no mistake

umm.... Sanders does seem to stir folks up at the most inopportune time.


Replying to @cmclymer

If you’re wondering why Sanders doesn’t poll well with black voters- this is it. And make no mistake, there is no way to the Dem nomination without black women voters, so in a way Sanders has just sealed his fate.
5:36 PM - 4 Feb 2019

Link to tweet

[Hortensis]

133. "It is so damn disrespectful." That was my first thought.

Foolish surprise also because it's so unnecessarily so.

[SunSeeker]

156. It suggests that the Democratic Response is inadequate---that only he can do it right.

And steps on the spotlight of the FIRST African American woman to give the Democratic Response.

Link to tweet

[Hassin Bin Sober]

166. You mean speaking after Stacey Abrams is disrespectful?

What’s the waiting period?

10 minutes? An hour? Lol

[SunSeeker]

74. You're not helping, Bernie. nt

[Fla Dem]

76. Oh ffs. Let him bloviate on the inter tubes. The only ones listening

are those who are his already mesmerized devotees.

[Tiger58]

77. Tiger58

Yo Bernie..Dude get a haircut..Lose the mad professor look..

[PubliusEnigma]

78. Bernie is not on our side.

[MineralMan]

81. Not showing respect for a black woman?

Bernie wouldn't do that, right?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

90. Apparently not.

[dgauss]

144. Seems reasonable but it doesn't fit the narrative of the alternate universe evil Bernie.

[TCJ70]

101. What's not respectful about it? N/t

[NurseJackie]

82. I hope he talks about how Russian interference is more important than border wall jumpers.

[Apollyonus]

109. lol n/t

[NotHardly]

84. Bernie likes being a spoiled sport faint heart democrat ... part-time republican at this stage

[SFnomad]

91. As we've gotten used to, it's all about BS and his ego n/t

[Mike Nelson]

94. I hope he speaks...

… after Stacey. She was selected to give the official response. I don't mind hearing all the others respond, but think Stacey Abrams gets the first one.

[pnwmom]

100. Right. Why could he have scheduled his to follow hers? There would be plenty of time for him. nt

[TCJ70]

105. He did. So relax.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[pnwmom]

149. Thanks. Good to know. n/t

[Hassin Bin Sober]

167. Another tempest in a teapot.

[TCJ70]

171. More like: Another Bernie anywhere, anytime, doing anything for some...

...I swear they’d criticize him for buttering his bread wrong.

[QC]

176. Butter is an animal product! He should not smear cruelty on his bread!

[TCJ70]

104. Your wish is Bernie's command...

Link to tweet

?s=20

The Hill is shit stirring.

[Mike Nelson]

107. Good for him!

[mountain grammy]

135. I love seeing this like six times on this thread. Here it is again

Link to tweet

?s=21

[Roadside Attraction]

95. Could we pay someone . . .

. . . to slip into Bernie's office tonight and steal all his Depends . . hopefully he will not appear in public after having pissed all over himself.

[MuseRider]

112. Holy crap!

Are you really a member here? Not for me you are not now. WTF?

[mudstump]

103. The more responses the better!

[aikoaiko]

106. I remember when everyone freaked when Bernie responded to Trump's Immigration speech (1/8/19)

It was a big nothing burger. Pelosi and Schumer spoke on national tv and Bernie gave his response on social media.

There was no conflict except in the minds of those who would like Bernie to not exist.

[NurseJackie]

114. Does he not trust her to do a good job?

It's a bit insulting if you think about it.

[TCJ70]

123. Well, if you listen to him, he's looking forward to her speech.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[NurseJackie]

130. I always "looked forward" to when my boys would clean their rooms...

... but afterward, I'd have to do it again myself anyway. You know... because they really didn't know what they were doing, but they tried. However, one thing I never did was to publicly "humiliate" them by doing anything to let them know they weren't "doing it right" or that their efforts weren't "good enough".

All I'm saying is that his timing is off. It's completely unnecessary and it sends the message that the Democratic message isn't "good enough" and that only he can fix it and "do it right" by coming in behind to fix it.

I don't like it. We need unity... and this doesn't send a message of unity.

[TCJ70]

155. It can be difficult to listen to others without applying our own feelings...

...about our children’s cleaning abilities. I get that.

As for timing, Bernie’s got your back. You can listen immediately after, one hour after, one day, week, month, or year after the Democratic response. Options!

You have no idea what’s going to be said by Bernie and chose to take the negative route. It stands to reason you would also view “very much look forward to” negatively as well I suppose.

Bernie doesn’t know what Abrams is going to say but he’s choosing to look forward to it. A positive message.

[NurseJackie]

160. He doesn't trust Democrats messaging.

That much is clear. It doesn't send a positive message of unity. It doesn't benefit the Democratic party. It only benefits one man. It is a distraction.

[Me.]

117. Well He's Not A Dem

so it doesn't count

[LovingA2andMI]

118. Straight Up....

F**K BERNIE SANDERS!!! If He Do This --- He Can Fall Far In A Deep, Deep River.

-Signed Black Democratic Women of America

[TCJ70]

122. Why do you care if he puts a video out on social media? N/t

[Apollyonus]

121. This may end up helping Trump

by dividing the attention from a unified Democratic response.

[TCJ70]

125. They aren't at the same time...as you've been told.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Apollyonus]

128. Still doesn't matter

There should be ONE official Democratic response. Unless of course if Bernie renounces connections with the Democratic party and runs as an independent forever.

[TCJ70]

137. He's not delivering an official Democratic response...

...he’s putting out his response on social media. Don’t want to watch it? Then don’t.

[Apollyonus]

188. Just a campaign event

taking advantage of the SOTU. At least he should be honest about it and call it a campaign event.

[Autumn]

148. Last year there were 5 responses. Did you have a problem then?

[Progressive2020]

211. If Sanders Ran As An Independent

Frankly that would really ruin things. Sanders ran in the Democratic Primaries, not as an Independent in the General Election (which he could have, if he had chosen to, give the level of support he has). If Sanders ran for President as an Independent, then the vote on the Left would be split between his supporters and whomever the Democratic nominee would be. That would REALLY re-elect Trump. I don't think Sanders would ever do that. It would be like when Ralph Nader ran as a spoiler in the 2000 Presidential Election, except on steroids, because Sanders has many more supporters.

I say let Sanders run in the Democratic Primaries in 2020 if he wants. It will have no net effect on the General Election, unless he wins the nomination. Strong Primaries strengthen whoever is nominated anyway, in my opinion. If you can't survive the Primaries in the first place, then you are a weak candidate to begin with. People who get upset over Bernie and his followers are too sensitive. They clutch their pearls and worry so much at every motion the man makes! This is politics, not softball. Relax about it. The Democratic Party is not weak and has nothing to fear from Sanders, unless Sanders chooses to run as an Independent and a Spoiler, which he never will. This is another tempest in a tea pot.

[edits for readability]

[Apollyonus]

238. He won't get much traction as an independent.

Some may think he is superman but without the Democratic party's vast resources, he will be taking votes from Jill Stein.

As I see on this board and others, Democrats are waking up to realize the reality about Bernie. He is not a Democrat.

[Progressive2020]

377. You Are Right

Bernie is not a Democrat. He is a Progressive Independent who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate. He has never pretended tp be anything else. Sanders loyalty is not to any Party. Rather, he is loyal to a set of Progressive principles and the Middle and Working Class People in this Country. So, Democrat, no, Progressive, yes.

[Apollyonus]

378. aaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahah

[rgbecker]

124. I wish each and every Democratic Senator and Representative would give a rebutal.

We don't need the News Media to sit around and talk about Trump's speech and give him and his issues any more attention.'

Bravo for Bernie to follow up on Stacey's speech with more point of view from the progressive side. I certainly hope Warren, Booker and Harris also speak up and often.

This time around the Media isn't going to be able to ignore Bernie....he has worked hard since 2016 to keep his message out there and we will all benefit from that.

On target; Medicare for all, debt free college, living wage as a minimum wage. Go Bernie, Go!

[Apollyonus]

131. Yeah

Also, governors, lt. governors, state assembly persons, state senators, city council members, county board of supervisors and mayors. Why not school board members as well?

By that time, it will be time for the next year's SOTU.

[mountain grammy]

142. Actually that'd be great.

Do you have a problem with people speaking out against trump?

[dgauss]

174. You know, that's a good idea.

I'd love, after something like the SOTU address, to be able to log in and see what my state Representatives thought about it, even city council members. That kind of information, in this information overload world, might actually be useful.

[Thekaspervote]

129. Typical!!

[roody]

132. Anyone can watch both. Eom

[littlemissmartypants]

134. scheming daemons do you live on a sofa inside Bernie's head?

Asking for a friend.

[Glamrock]

213. Hahaha

That one caught me by surprise. Too funny!

[littlemissmartypants]

225. I love you, Glamrock.

(I'll be here all week.)

[Glamrock]

239. Love you back!

[QC]

290. A futon in David Brock's basement? n/t

[aidbo]

136. Y'all are desperate!

[Cha]

141. It's Not us who are "desperate".

[aidbo]

182. *we

[chillfactor]

139. wish he would

just keep his nose out of the night...….he is not a Democrat so BACK OFF!

[jalan48]

140. You just have to love this either/or mindset.

[oldsoftie]

143. WTH?? There should be ONE response. If he wants to give a speech, give it the next day.

[njhoneybadger]

145. I would rather he show his tax returns and then he could explain them to us.

Cause he's fucking hiding something

[Cha]

146. +Millions!

[marble falls]

150. Bernie and Chuck Schumer are on the tube right now discussing legislation they think ...

will help put worker's interests in front of stock holders. If Chuck Schumer thinks cooperating with Bernie is relevant to our needs and as long as Bernie caucuses with Democratic Senators I'll be paying attention to Bernie, too. I'll be listening to Stacie Abrams and Bernie Sanders tomorrow after I miss cheetolini's little campaign talk.

[McKim]

151. Looking Forward to Sanders' Remarks

Senator Sanders was a leading presidential candidate and a sitting senator. He has every right to comment on the SOTU. I look forward to hearing his remarks and Ms. Abrams’ as well. I will not be tuning in to Trumps bombastic ravings.

[SunSeeker]

159. Can't he wait just one day to deliver his comments? Why step on Abrams' spotlight?

The point is made in these tweets:

Link to tweet

[TCJ70]

170. Speaking after her, on a completely different platform, is stepping on her spotlight?

Link to tweet

?s=20

If you don’t want to watch it right away, then don’t. Fortunately you can choose when to watch his. An hour, day, month, year, or never. You’ve got options!

Also, I have to wonder...did Charlotte say that to the 5 responses last year?

[SunSeeker]

173. What part of First African American woman giving the Demacratic Response do you not understand?

Why can't he let us look like we are unified, speaking with one voice that night?


Why can't he wait 24 hours to give his response? Or 36?
Or 48? He's got options!

[TCJ70]

189. I wish he was the villain you seem to think he is...

...but if specifically scheduling something so as not to interrupt the first African American woman giving the Democratic Response is raining on her parade to you...we’re done here.

[SunSeeker]

191. Well, don't scratch you head as to why he doesn't get African American votes.

He inexplicably can't wait just 24 freaking hours to show some respect and unity; no, he MUST he do it the same night.

[TCJ70]

284. If a completely avoidable video is too much for someone...

...that's their choice.

[SunSeeker]

286. If a completely avoidable yearbook photo is too much for someone...

...that's their choice.




The above statement is of course . Unfortunately, yours isn't.








(Do you see how awful what you just said sounds? Do you see how callous and dismissive it is of African Americans?)

[TCJ70]

326. Racism immortalized in a photograph vs putting your thoughts on the SOTU on social media...

...yep. Those are equal things.

I don't see how it's callous or dismissive. I literally said everyone is entitled to their own feelings on the matter. You, me, everyone. I may not think it's the right response but I can't tell anyone how to feel about anything.

Let's just back up for a moment now that Harris has announced her "pre-buttal" and you seem to be OK with that. Would you be OK with Sanders doing his thing BEFORE the first African American woman to give the SOTU response? How would you feel a white man pre-empting the first African American woman to give the SOTU response?

[SunSeeker]

330. Racism in a photo vs disrespecting the first black women giving Dem rebuttal.

And not caring about African Americans' objections because "it is on them."

Harris is not preempting Abrams.  Do you truly see no difference between people commenting before Trump's SOTU, like Harris and others are doing, and holding yourself out as providing a response to Trump's SOTU, like Bernie is doing? 

Bernie is claiming he is giving the response to Trump's SOTU. 

What part of First African American woman giving the Democratic Response do you not understand?  

Why can't he let us look like we are unified, speaking with one voice in rebutting Trump tonight, of all nights?  

Why does he create the suggestion that Abram's rebuttal will be so inadequate that he must give his own, immediately following hers?  

[TCJ70]

331. Thanks for proving my point.

Somehow, Sanders purposely scheduling his remarks after the first African American woman to give the SOTU rebuttal, someone he endorsed, someone he praised, is disrespect. Yet Harris deciding to go first on the same topic, and even on the same platform, isn't. Incredible.

It's not about the timing, venue, or content...it's just about Bernie doing something, somewhere, at some time.

And you didn't expressly answer the question. Would it have been OK for Bernie to go first?

**FOR THE RECORD: I don't care when, where, or how elected officials put out their statements. I don't mind Harris doing her thing or Bernie doing his thing. I just expect equal outrage if someone is going to be upset at one or the other.

[SunSeeker]

369. No, you missed the point.

Bernie should have delayed his rebuttal once he realized the first African American woman would be giving the Democratic rebuttal.

The fact that he sees no issue with his timing is why he he has so few African American supporters.

[dgauss]

177. And if he waited 24 hours you'd be ok with it?

Why do I think there would be another criticism even then?

[SunSeeker]

181. Yes. 24 hours would make a big difference. nt

[Mariana]

328. OMG Why did he wait so long to rebut Trump??!!1??!!11!??

[peacefrogman]

152. He is THE Independent, hence the opportunity to speak. Until he wants to use the Democratic

Party. This is why the base will not support him.

[Apollyonus]

354. There is a word for that behavior

I just can't seem to think it at the moment

[shanny]

154. Oh FFS

[walkingman]

157. Fahrenheit 11/9

[Cha]

158. Democrats Tap Leader Of 'Resistance' To Trump For Spanish State Of The Union Response

Link to tweet

The Dems tap great leaders.

[ucrdem]

168. Becerra has sued the Trump administration 45 times!

Who knew? I didn't! And Sanders has sued, let's see, the DNC?

https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/29/politics/bernie-sanders-dnc-lawsuit-voter-database/index.html

Thanks for posting ths Cha!

[Cha]

169. Mahalo for this, ucr!

Xavier Becerra is the Best!

[Gothmog]

180. Bacera was the speaker at the Harris County Party fundraiser a couple of years ago

He is an amazing speaker

[fleabiscuit]

207. Oh that's excellent. nt

[Cha]

209. Right?!

[fleabiscuit]

214. Yes, Cha!

[CentralMass]

175. You are stirring up shite unecessarily .

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211773235

[MadDAsHell]

179. Stacey Abrams doesn't need a "spotlight;" is the SOTU about 1 person?

Is the SOTU response solely to "spotlight" someone and make them "the next rockstar"? Very few of those "rockstars" have worked out for us.

What a ridiculous premise.

The more anti-Trump voices, the better.

[Cha]

183. BS is getting a lot of Negative Pushback on this..

even on his own tweet page that says he's going on after Stacy Abrams.

They don't care what time he's going on.. they're Not happy.

[Apollyonus]

280. what did he expect?

This publicity stunt makes "he is not a Democrat" BOLD, Italicized and Underlined.

He is NOT A Democrat.

[Blue_Tires]

184. this should surprise no one

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

185. Get your facts straight first, then post. Tired of the disinformation. nt

[LexVegas]

186. Craves attention. Fears irrelevance. nt

[mountain grammy]

190. I think every single elected Democrat and independent should give a response

From dog catcher to Senator. He says Democrats are the enemy. He calls us dangerous. Do we just take it? I want to see thousands of Democrats and independents speaking up on every platform they can get. Calling out his lies and slander. Then, finally at long last the fucking media will have to listen.
Do you understand? Time is running out!

[SunSeeker]

192. We should all be calling out his lies and slander right now.

Why do it on the night of Abrams' response? Let her words resonate, as the first African American woman to give the response, instead of it being drowned out in a cacophony of voices. I'm sure it won't kill Bernie to wait until the next day to let loose.

[mountain grammy]

193. I want to hear from all elected

Democrats and Independents every day on the tv, on the radio, on the Internet in the newspaper up front and vocal. CBS treats him like he’s a real president ffs. His approval is in the 40’s far too often my Senator’s rant went viral. Harris’s town hall was a smash. We need 10000 more.

We are running out of time.

[diva77]

194. +1,000,000 THIS!!!

[jalan48]

195. Looks like we pretty much shot our wad on Northam so now it's back to Bernie.

[Cha]

208. Charlie Pierce on BS..

Link to tweet

[fleabiscuit]

212. I saw a tweet the other day that resonated with me. Simple and true.

But he hasn't declared so probably water under the bridge.

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

373. Great tweet

[Scurrilous]

215. ...

[progressoid]

216. OUTRAGEOUS!!!

[BeyondGeography]

233. What spotlight?

Responses to SOTU are typically forgotten as quickly as they are made. If anything, Abrams’ profile is elevated and is getting more attention because of Sanders. He’s doing her a favor, not that that was his aim.

[we can do it]

234. STFU BS

[Recursion]

235. You know that guy who's in every meeting?

He "just wants to expand on what Gloria said for a minute", and manages to get her point wrong while offering no new insight of his own.

[Vinca]

236. Will Bernie's response be televised like Stacy's will?

Anyone can give a response on Facebook. Just ignore him unless you happen to want to watch.

[Gothmog]

263. No, it will be on face book and youtube only

[Apollyonus]

247. We have a President

who thinks it is all about him. Who throws the party that helped elect him under the bus all the time. Who grabs every photo op and credit for everything. It is all about him and not his party. He will do things that damage the republican party but those people have to be obsequious and unctuous to him because he has created a bunch of ignorant believers in his party that have given up the long held principles of his party in order to chase pipe-dreams that could never become a reality. His ego knows no bounds and he wants to primary people from his own party who are not being subservient to him.

I'll leave it to the readers to draw their own conclusions in this thread.

[LongtimeAZDem]

249. +1

[ehrnst]

317. .....

[doompatrol39]

251. I consider myself a Bernie fan but this is a bad move....

...If it were Schumer or someone similar then I don't think I'd have as much of an issue with it. But the party is intentionally and rightfully trying to give the spotlight to a new, rising star in the party who happens to be a woman of color. And to my knowledge she's not exactly a conserva-Dem so not sure why he thinks this would be necessary.

Edit: Just realized this is not a tv address, just something for youtube and facebook for his followers. Not sure then how this would impact Stacey's speech at all.

[George II]

278. Raw Story:

Why upstage Stacey Abrams?’: Internet explodes in anger as Bernie Sanders says he’ll deliver a SOTU response

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/02/upstage-stacey-abrams-internet-explodes-anger-bernie-sanders-says-hell-deliver-sotu-response/

[NurseJackie]

283. The best politicians know how to "read the room".

[Apollyonus]

356. I wonder Tad Devine was the advisor who suggested this

Tad's goals might be different from getting Bernie elected ... (considering his prior employment of course)

[redstatebluegirl]

279. Such a publicity hound.

He needs to go home to Vermont.

[Voltaire2]

334. Um Er politicians sort of have to be.

It’s like part of the job.

George Clooney: it’s just an act.

[redstatebluegirl]

335. This guy goes beyond normal.

[Voltaire2]

336. He is way above normal.

A human dynamo.

By the way are you also disgusted with Harris?

[Trumpocalypse]

282. Just another example that Sanders is not a Democrat

He is a party of one.

[Joe941]

302. How do you figure? He isn't interfering with democrats (he is independent).

[Voltaire2]

327. Harris too? Or not?

[Gothmog]

329. Why Bernie Sanders isn't helping his 2020 prospects with his own SOTU response

Ths stunt by sanders will backfire https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/bernie-sanders-state-of-the-union/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNNp&utm_content=2019-02-05T20%3A17%3A04

All of which brings me to this: Within a not-insignificant chunk of the Democratic Party, there is some leftover ill will toward Sanders for his role in the 2016 campaign and lingering doubts as to the firmness of his commitment to the Democratic Party.

Given that, why, why, why would you choose to deliver your OWN SOTU response? Why not just let Abrams handle it? Why put yourself out as special and different from the party you want to lead in 2020 -- especially when you know people in that party already have doubts about how firmly committed you are to it?....

What Sanders is doing by giving his very own SOTU response is sending a very clear sign that he's different than the rest of the Democrats running for office. I'm in my own party and I'll give my own State of the Union response!.....
.
Democratic voters in 2020 will have candidates who not only represent their own liberal views but also have aligned themselves with the Democratic Party their entire lives. And that may leave Sanders on the outside looking in.

sanders' stunt will end up hurting him if he runs

[Voltaire2]

333. Cillizza Lulzd

So is Harris also damaging her prospects?
Or just more BSDS?

[NurseJackie]

337. It perpetuates the idea of separateness...

It perpetuates the idea of separateness and it helps to emphasize and highlight to everyone of his belief that the Democratic response "isn't good enough" so he must get in on the action. It's a passive aggressive way of saying that he doesn't approve.

Ultimately this is just a way to effectively steal the spotlight from Ms. Abrams. It's just a way to spoil her moment and put his spin on it by having the last word. It's disrespectful and it serves no good purpose.

Ms. Abrams speaks on behalf of the Democrats. On whose behalf is Bernie speaking?

Oh the unity! Can you feel it?

[Gothmog]

357. I am a member of the Democratic Party and so I will be watching Stacy Abrams

I like being a member of the Democratic Party

[Voltaire2]

368. Sanders is speaking on behalf of the Senate

Democratic Caucus, of which he is the “outreach chairman”.

[NurseJackie]

371. Lulz! No he's not.

It's a misnomer. The responsibilities of "outreach chairman" aren't all that. Read up on it.

[Voltaire2]

374. Of course he is. Look it up.

Senate Democratic Caucus Outreach Chairman: Bernie Sanders.

[NurseJackie]

375. It's not as impressive as it sounds.

[Voltaire2]

376. What position in the Senate Democratic Caucus

do you hold?

[NurseJackie]

381. Actually this isn't about me, is it?

What position in the Senate Democratic Caucus
do you hold?

Oh, good grief! Actually this isn't about me, is it?

I suppose I should let you know that when someone goes to such great efforts to make it about me (instead of the actual topic) it indicates a very weak position regarding the actual function of the DSOC. Everyone knows that the role was offered largely a "consolation prize" in November of 2016, and that the title sounds much more important than the actual administrative function.

https://www.democrats.senate.gov/dsoc

The Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee is dedicated to fostering dialogue between Senate Democrats and leaders from across the nation. Each year, the Steering Committee hosts numerous meetings with advocates, policy experts, and elected officials to discuss key priorities and enlist their help in the development of the Senate Democratic agenda. The Committee serves as a liaison between Senate Democratic offices, advocacy groups, and intergovernmental organizations. It is one of two Democratic Leadership Committees in the Senate and is chaired by Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) and vice chaired by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH).

https://www.democrats.senate.gov/dsoc#Members

[Cha]

355. Charlie Pierce on BS..

Link to tweet

[JonLP24]

339. Not a fan of Chris Cilizza or CNN in general even though I watch it

Roku is limited as far as live TV is concerned. CNN is not a fan of Progressives in general I don't get why they play both sides when one side's rhetoric led to a RWNJ sending them bombs.

Chris Cilizza

My job is to assess not the rightness of each argument but to deal in the real world of campaign politics in which perception often (if not always) trumps reality. I deal in the world as voters believe it is, not as I (or anyone else) thinks it should be.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/03/if-you-want-to-understand-the-horror-that-is-chris.html

News reporters in DC or New York don't understand voters. When Trump was here calling Mexicans "rapists" and a crowd cheered here in Arizona (I came across Alex Jones true believers myself) I saw a far right movement brewing but I was parroting 538 saying Trump is not going to win the Republican nomination even though my instincts knew better.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

342. Cilizza at CNN is an asshole.

He had the opportunity to dispel the myth that the Facebook stream is competing with Abrams yet he chose to cut the announcement off at that point. He’s not the only one.

[earthshine]

344. I support Bernie's right to speak.

If others want to speak, like Harris, that's good too.

[aidbo]

352. Chris Cilizza iza idiot.

[NastyRiffraff]

353. If Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Kirsten Gillibrand, etc

would pull this same stunt, they'd be raked over the coals and rightly so. Somehow, Sanders is always different. Somehow, he gets to do whatever damn thing he wants, shaking that irritating finger, and the bros will sigh with love. Somehow, his entitlement is accepted by the same bros and some of the media.

Stacey Abrams is well equipped to handle the rebuttal all by herself. She doesn't need Sanders or anyone else.

[Apollyonus]

358. That entitlement is called "__________ privilege" I think n/t

[Gothmog]

362. Why Bernie Sanders isn't helping his 2020 prospects with his own SOTU response

Ths stunt by sanders will backfire https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/bernie-sanders-state-of-the-union/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNNp&utm_content=2019-02-05T20%3A17%3A04

All of which brings me to this: Within a not-insignificant chunk of the Democratic Party, there is some leftover ill will toward Sanders for his role in the 2016 campaign and lingering doubts as to the firmness of his commitment to the Democratic Party.

Given that, why, why, why would you choose to deliver your OWN SOTU response? Why not just let Abrams handle it? Why put yourself out as special and different from the party you want to lead in 2020 -- especially when you know people in that party already have doubts about how firmly committed you are to it?....

What Sanders is doing by giving his very own SOTU response is sending a very clear sign that he's different than the rest of the Democrats running for office. I'm in my own party and I'll give my own State of the Union response!.....
.
Democratic voters in 2020 will have candidates who not only represent their own liberal views but also have aligned themselves with the Democratic Party their entire lives. And that may leave Sanders on the outside looking in.

sanders' stunt will end up hurting him if he runs

[Stuart G]

365. Why couldn't Sanders .."Wait A Day", then give a speech?

I guess this is being given right after the response to the SOTU.
Why not ...wait a day?

[honest.abe]

370. He doesnt have a prayer either way.

But his support and significance will continue to erode if he keeps pulling cheap stunts like this.

[Gothmog]

372. There are a large number of hard core democrats who have long memories

There a good number of hard core democrats who will not forget or forgive. This stunt will hurt sanders

[GulfCoast66]

379. Can't have it all about that Social Justice Stuff.

Remember, it about the Millionaires and Billionaires.

Errr, well, Billionaires.

[jalan48]

380. Looks like the big stealing Bernie fear was all for naught.