Sanders 'litmus test' alarms Democrats

[Donkees]

By GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI 08/07/2017 06:20 PM EDT


House and Senate Democrats have wondered for months if Bernie Sanders’ supporters might choose to focus their energy on launching primary challenges to party moderates in 2018. They’re about to get an answer.

Sanders has decided the moment is right to launch his proposal for the single-payer health insurance system which helped formed the backbone of his presidential message. And Democrats who don’t get behind it could find themselves on the wrong side of the most energetic wing of the party — as well as the once-and-possibly-future presidential candidate who serves as its figurehead.

The Vermont senator himself has not explicitly said he’ll support primary challenges to those who won’t support his push for a so-called Medicare-for-all healthcare plan. But there are plenty of signs that Sanders and his allies view the issue as a defining moment for Democratic lawmakers.

“Our view is that within the Democratic Party, this is fast-emerging as a litmus test,” said Ben Tulchin, the pollster for Sanders’ White House run.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/07/bernie-sanders-democrats-medicare-primaries-241388

[LWolf]

1. I've had a litmus test since before 2015

and Sander's entry into the primaries.

My litmus test: if you want my vote, your position on issues and your record provide direct evidence that you are not a neo-liberal.

As far as my support is concerned, those "concerned" House and Senate Democrats have it backwards. I supported Sanders because he's not a neo-liberal. I haven't taken my litmus test from him. He just passed the test.