# Feel the #extortion Bernie has planned **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 28, 2016, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443 "2016-03-28T07:09:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/201 "2016-03-30T01:40:50Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > “Power to the people.” What a concept! I like it! Think twice. Bear in mind that that necessarily includes “Power to the Trumpers.” ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/202 "2016-03-30T01:42:49Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > You know the thing about Sanders, he’s got… lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eye. It would explain why he’s got the Clinton fans in such a panic … ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/203 "2016-03-30T01:52:07Z")
This debate is utterly useless. Hillary isn’t going to ‘cave.’ Bernie can do what he wants from there. If I’m a super, especially one who has publicly, tacitly endorsed Hillary, am I really going to sacrifice my prestige and possible promotion within the party or executive appointment by going back on it? Yeah, good luck with that. Bernie is not going to win a majority of the supers, let alone come even close to what Hillary gets. Deal with it and move on. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/204 "2016-03-30T02:18:51Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :dubious: There is nothing cynical about it whatsoever, and it is **not** amusing to see you spout such cynical and shameless bullshit. No I think my defenses could be described as cynical. Frankly I found it a little silly, and yes cynical, that Slacker is demanding some noble honesty from Sanders that he himself really doesn’t believe in. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/205 "2016-03-30T02:21:39Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Ten years from now, the biggest effect of Bernie’s campaign will be the small donor financing. How do you figure? Howard Dean invented it in 2004, Obama raised it to a higher level in 2008, and Bernie just used Obama’s email list to give the former Obama donors a new horse to back. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :dubious: There is nothing cynical about it whatsoever, and it is **not** amusing to see you spout such cynical and shameless bullshit. I guess I should have used a quote in that post, because you must not even understand what I was responding to, which was this: > [@](#): > > You are the one who’s repeatedly shown joy in utterly cynical campaigning. Guys like you should be applauding Sanders’ embrace of flipflop and muck diving. Still think Sanders wasn’t being defended in cynical terms? :dubious: ETA: Ah, now I see that **CarnalK** set you straight. Maybe read the thread a little more carefully next time. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/206 "2016-03-30T02:27:23Z")
Sanders has been a politician basically his entire adult life-over 50 years. Since he’s a Senator right now instead of running for city council on the green party ticket with an alt newspaper gig on the side, there’s no doubt he’s developed a few cynical attitudes of his own. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/207 "2016-03-30T02:31:49Z")
Indeed. But I’m not sure that many of his fans would necessarily enjoy this narrative. I am positive my idealistic 16-year-old Bernhead son would not, for one. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/208 "2016-03-30T07:46:02Z")
Yeah, kids these days, huh? Wear their hair all funny. And that so-called “music”! Just a bunch of noise, you ask me… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/209 "2016-03-30T10:01:02Z")
Damn kids…get off my lawn! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/210 "2016-03-30T12:26:37Z")
I think the biggest thing people always overlook in today’s politics is how information is growing by leaps and bounds every election cycle. Are people generally doing new things, or are we just hearing about them where before we didn’t? Presidential elections generally, and elections in the modern era especially, are a tiny sample size. But politics isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/211 "2016-03-30T12:39:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > This debate is utterly useless. Hillary isn’t going to ‘cave.’ Bernie can do what he wants from there. There will be a behind closed doors negotiation and Clinton will certainly agree to some of Bernies conditions to get an endorsement. If even 30 percent of Bernie’s supporters (who are actually normally voters) choose to stay home its pretty unlikely that Clinton can win the general. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/212 "2016-03-30T12:52:28Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > The whole point of superdelegates is to get around the democratic process if necessary so why cry about him trying to use it? Fair enough, but the participation-limiting and participation-skewed caucus system he has depended upon is to a large degree antidemocratic too. The superdelegates are mainly cemocratically elected officials, btw, representing the will of their constituencies. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > Indeed. But I’m not sure that many of his fans would necessarily enjoy this narrative. I am positive my idealistic 16-year-old Bernhead son would not, for one. So he’s not going to vote for Clinton, I take it? > [@CarnalK](#): > > there’s no doubt he’s developed a few cynical attitudes of his own. Yes, that’s another way to describe the preening self-righteousness of the non-participant. We see that a lot on this board, too. > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > But neither is the loser obliged to endorse the winner. Putting conditions on such endorsement is **perfectly fair.** It’s fair, yes. It’s also petty, ego-driven and ultimately destructive. But **perfectly fair** , in bold letters, yes, no question. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/213 "2016-03-30T12:57:40Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Dude, you’re sayin’ it over and over agin doan make it any more true. I heard the show, Chuck Todd heard the show, the HuffPo writers heard the show, and we all heard that he would “demand” those policy conditions. Now he’s since stated that no he’s not sayin’ that he will make demands and that he is not sayin’ he won’t. Fine. I can move on. But he _did_ state his list of desired policies (e.g. Medicare for all, fifteen bucks an hour, free college in public universities…) and concluded listing them with “These are some of the demands I would make.” That is the _exact_ quote. Now it was a long interview and the man can ramble, so maybe he indeed said something that he did not really exactly mean. That can be excused. Happens to all of us. But stop saying that he did not say something he said. > > Seriously the your post is your cite stuff is not very valuable. This is the first time anyone has actually addressed what I said. Calling it “your post is your cite” is bullshit; I was pointing out that nobody has actually done anything to rebut what I wrote. Now you have. Thank you. That said, where are you getting “These are some of the demands I would make” from? [Here’s the HuffPo article](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-endorsement_us_56f45bf0e4b014d3fe22b4a7) the OP references. It contains a video of the supposedly extortionate answer from Sanders. Those words appear nowhere in that video, unless I’m really spacing out. Can you cite where he said “These are some of the demands I would make”? If he actually said those words in the context that’s implied, yeah, I don’t think that’s great. But I’m not sure I’m willing to take it on faith–and I’m damn sure not going to listen to an hourlong podcast just to hear those words spoken. IOW: cite? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/214 "2016-03-30T13:18:45Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Yeah, kids these days, huh? Wear their hair all funny. And that so-called “music”! Just a bunch of noise, you ask me… If this were only true. Most young people, it seems (not my son) listen to banal dance pop that is not remotely new or interesting. And Bernie is really just a Gene McCarthy and Howard Dean mashup. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/215 "2016-03-30T14:15:06Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > “Power to the people.” What a concept! I like it! The revolution will not be tweeted. ---
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/216 "2016-03-30T14:30:54Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > This is the first time anyone has actually addressed what I said. Calling it “your post is your cite” is bullshit; I was pointing out that nobody has actually done anything to rebut what I wrote. Now you have. Thank you. > > That said, where are you getting “These are some of the demands I would make” from? [Here’s the HuffPo article](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-endorsement_us_56f45bf0e4b014d3fe22b4a7) the OP references. It contains a video of the supposedly extortionate answer from Sanders. Those words appear nowhere in that video, unless I’m really spacing out. Can you cite where he said “These are some of the demands I would make”? If he actually said those words in the context that’s implied, yeah, I don’t think that’s great. But I’m not sure I’m willing to take it on faith–and I’m damn sure not going to listen to an hourlong podcast just to hear those words spoken. > > IOW: cite? He was asked: “If you were to lose, and the Democratic Party comes to you and says ‘Now, take this movement, that is full of energy and is against the establishment, and make sure they vote for the establishment candidate’. What do you say?” His answer: Sanders: "Well, you know, what I say - number one, I’m not big into being a leader, you know, I much prefer to see a lot of leaders and a lot of grassroots activism; number two is, what we do is together, as a nation, as a growing movement, is we say, alright: if we don’t win - and by the way, we are in this thing to win, please understand that - what is the Democratic establishment gonna do for us? For example, right now, you have a Democratic establishment which has written off half the states in this country, you know that. And they’ve given up on the states in the South, in the Rocky Mountain area - are they gonna create a 50-state party? Are they gonna welcome into the Democratic Party the working class of this country and young people, or is it gonna be a party of the upper middle class and the cocktail crowd and the heavy campaign contributors, which is significantly the way it is now? I’ve talked to Democratic Party leaders and said ‘Y’know what, instead of going around and raising all kinds of money from wealthy people, why don’t you meet in some football stadium, and bring out 50 or 100 thousand people, bring the damn Senate in there - Senate Democrats - and start talking to people, ask them what they want you to do. How about that? That a radical…?’ In other words, if I can’t make it - and we’re going to try as hard as we can, until the last vote is cast - we wanna completely revitalize the Democratic Party and make it a party of the people, instead of just one of large campaign contributors." Interviewer: "Now normally, politicians would ask for something for them - a cabinet post, etc. What would - I’m gonna assume that, whether you are gonna ask for that - I don’t know, and you wouldn’t say here - let’s assume for the moment being that you’re not gonna ask for that. If you’re gonna ask for a policy positions as you just indicated, what are the policy positions that you would want? Sanders: “Ok. I want Secretary Clinton, if she is the nominee, to come out for a Medicare for all, a single-payer health care system. I want 15 bucks an hour as the minimum wage. I want to rebuilt our crumbling infrastructure - Flint, Michigan is not the only community in America that doesn’t have safe drinking water - our roads, bridges, rail system is disrepair. I want a vigorous effort to address climate change - I mean, I am very worried, I mean I talk to these scientists - this planet is in serious danger, and you can’t cuddle up to the fossil fuel industry, you have to take them on. And also, what is resonating, and I believe very important: making public colleges and universities tuition-free - Wall Street tax on speculation to pay for that - ending all these corporate loopholes… **those are some of the demands we would make**.” (Transcription by me, apologies for any errors). I don’t think Sanders is talking about his personal endorsement of Sanders. Rather, he’s speaking about what the Clinton campaign would have to do to win the votes of the progressive movement. Note that he explicitly frames it in those terms, and caps it off with “the demands **we** would make”, ie the demands of “a nation, and a growing movement”. Nowhere does he refer to personally endorsing, or not endorsing, Clinton. Thus, it’s somewhere between premature and malicious to claim Sanders is extorting Clinton, or somehow harming the Party. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/217 "2016-03-30T14:38:03Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > I don’t think Sanders is talking about his personal endorsement of Sanders. Rather, he’s speaking about what the Clinton campaign would have to do to win the votes of the progressive movement. Note that he explicitly frames it in those terms, and caps it off with “the demands **we** would make”, ie the demands of “a nation, and a growing movement”. Nowhere does he refer to personally endorsing, or not endorsing, Clinton. Thus, it’s somewhere between premature and malicious to claim Sanders is extorting Clinton, or somehow harming the Party. Thanks for the transcript. Yeah, the OP is a tempest in a teapot. And I’m amused to see the interviewer talk about how normally politicians would ask for something for them. Extortion! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/218 "2016-03-30T15:08:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > This debate is utterly useless. Hillary isn’t going to ‘cave.’ Bernie can do what he wants from there. > > If I’m a super, especially one who has publicly, tacitly endorsed Hillary, am I really going to sacrifice my prestige and possible promotion within the party or executive appointment by going back on it? Yeah, good luck with that. Bernie is not going to win a majority of the supers, let alone come even close to what Hillary gets. Deal with it and move on. A lot of the supers are elected officials. They have voters to answer to. Voters who will not be happy if their vote runs counter to the express will of the people who voted for Bernie in the primaries. Believe me, come next election, there will be people to remind the voters of their betrayal. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/219 "2016-03-30T15:16:07Z")
There will be a few pouting True Believers left, certainly. But most will be celebrating the election of President Clinton. As will a very large contingent of Republicans, btw. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443/220 "2016-03-30T15:27:09Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > If this were only true. Most young people, it seems (not my son) listen to banal dance pop that is not remotely new or interesting. These boring kids these days . . . > [@SlackerInc](#): > > And Bernie is really just a Gene McCarthy and Howard Dean mashup. :dubious: I think not. Did either ever have the guts even to claim the name of “socialist”? Did either ever clearly and unambiguously put the blame for most of our troubles on the 1% where it belongs? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feel-the-extortion-bernie-has-planned/750443.md?page=12)