# The Hypocrisy of Bernie Sanders and the question of what's important to him and his movement **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 20, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882 "2017-04-20T22:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/61 "2017-04-24T19:42:27Z")
The venom directed against Sanders, far out of proportion when you compare him with truly disreputable politicians, strikes me as bizarre – so bizarre as to almost resemble feigned recreational outrage. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/62 "2017-04-25T00:04:09Z")
Bernie Sanders is a reprehensible bag of shit. He is a narcissist even worse than Donald Trump. When he was a backbench gadfly, the only time people even knew of him was when he’d make a holier than thou rant in front of an empty US Senate chamber and cool kid ‘progressives’ would post the C-span coverage on social media. Sanders is a useless conspiracy theorist. Every time he lost a primary, it was ‘rigged!’ Of course, when he won a small state mostly white Caucus, it was proof that people were Feeling the Bern. Shitbag Sanders actively campaigned against the party he hijacked. Yes, Mr. Shitbag, we know you’re not a Democrat. Since Sanders is a one trick pony, you’d think he would have a plan about how he wants to break up the big banks or regulate Wall Street. Nope, Butthead Bernie just likes to rant and use the financial system as his bogeyman. It’s time for some non-elected Democrats to attack Bernie and expose him for the phony he is. He’ll quickly lose, “The Most Popular Politician in America” title and he can try again to explain exactly why his wife bankrupting Burlington College is compatible with his free college scheme. Perhaps Sanders can actually tell people why he thinks reinstating Glass-Steagall is a magic bullet for Wall Street excess? Actually, maybe Bernie can start by just explaining what Glass-Steagall was. The Democratic Party does not need Bernie Sanders. His endorsements have been the kiss of death in the past. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/63 "2017-04-25T00:09:11Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > The venom directed against Sanders, far out of proportion when you compare him with truly disreputable politicians, strikes me as bizarre – so bizarre as to almost resemble feigned recreational outrage. He is in significant part responsible for Trump’s election. Does that help clarify it for you? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/64 "2017-04-25T00:10:28Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > FUD? 😕 Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/65 "2017-04-25T00:11:12Z")
> [@](#): > > …He is a narcissist even worse than Donald Trump. If Bernie were more of a narcissist than Trump, would he have that hair? Look at Mike Pence, he doesn’t have his hair cut, he has it sculpted! ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/66 "2017-04-25T00:13:34Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Bernie Sanders is a reprehensible bag of shit. He is a narcissist even worse than Donald Trump. > > When he was a backbench gadfly, the only time people even knew of him was when he’d make a holier than thou rant in front of an empty US Senate chamber and cool kid ‘progressives’ would post the C-span coverage on social media. > > Sanders is a useless conspiracy theorist. Every time he lost a primary, it was ‘rigged!’ Of course, when he won a small state mostly white Caucus, it was proof that people were Feeling the Bern. > > Shitbag Sanders actively campaigned against the party he hijacked. Yes, Mr. Shitbag, we know you’re not a Democrat. > > Since Sanders is a one trick pony, you’d think he would have a plan about how he wants to break up the big banks or regulate Wall Street. Nope, Butthead Bernie just likes to rant and use the financial system as his bogeyman. > > It’s time for some non-elected Democrats to attack Bernie and expose him for the phony he is. He’ll quickly lose, “The Most Popular Politician in America” title and he can try again to explain exactly why his wife bankrupting Burlington College is compatible with his free college scheme. Perhaps Sanders can actually tell people why he thinks reinstating Glass-Steagall is a magic bullet for Wall Street excess? Actually, maybe Bernie can start by just explaining what Glass-Steagall was. > > The Democratic Party does not need Bernie Sanders. His endorsements have been the kiss of death in the past. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Lol. ---
**Author:** ![Beren\_Erchamion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Beren\_Erchamion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beren_Erchamion)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/67 "2017-04-25T00:29:30Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Lots to unpack here. First of all, I hope you did notice me noting that I’m not white in my above post. There are women who think women shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Phyllis Schlafly didn’t think there was such a thing as marital rape, and believed her career should be subordinate to her husband’s demands. > [@](#): > > Secondly, this assumes that “bread and butter” issues don’t affect non-cishet white men which given higher incidences of poverty, unemployment, low levels of education etc. among nonwhites, women, and LGBT people is nonsense. Please read my words carefully. I worded them as I did for a reason. I never said “he didn’t care about issues that helped non-cishet white men,” but “he only cares about issues that help cishet white men.” They’re not the same thing. If an issue helps cishet white men and also happens to help non-(cishet white men), great. But if an issue doesn’t help cishet white men, he doesn’t give a shit about it. > [@](#): > > Seems like your talk about open borders and the like does a better job of that then anything Sanders has ever said. The difference is that I don’t petulantly shit all over every candidate who doesn’t support open borders, and will gladly support someone who doesn’t if they’re still better than the alternative. > [@](#): > > But obviously that was wrong-given the favourability ratings of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton as well as the hypothetical Trump-Sanders polling and the overall mood of the nation it’s very clear that #BernieWouldaWon had he been the nominee. What a bunch of 100%-reality-free nonsense! Because it’s not like Barney Simpleton had to bear the brunt of the GOP attack machine as he would have if he had been nominated. And it’s not like there aren’t plenty of angles to attack him from that would drive people screaming from the Democratic Party once the first “Bernie Sanders advocates rape!” and “Bernie Sanders wants to tax you at 150% and give all your money to welfare queens in the Bronx!” ads ran in Peoria. There’s a reason no one who actually knows what they’re talking about takes those polls seriously–because they’re a meaningless representation of what a Bernie Sanders general-election run would have looked like. ---
**Author:** ![Beren\_Erchamion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@Beren\_Erchamion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beren_Erchamion)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/68 "2017-04-25T00:30:36Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Also I notice you didn’t respond to post of my other points. I take it those are conceded to me? No; they were just so far divorced from reality that they weren’t worth my time. The “point” about “Bernie would have won” was borderline–I barely bothered responding to it, but decided it was worth it since it had at least some data behind it, even if that data is absolutely meaningless once you contextualize it. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882/69 "2017-04-25T00:38:42Z")
> [@Beren\_Erchamion](#): > > There are women who think women shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Phyllis Schlafly didn’t think there was such a thing as marital rape, and believed her career should be subordinate to her husband’s demands. So are you implying that if not a middle-class “cishet” white man and support Bernie, I’m self-hating? > [@](#): > > Please read my words carefully. I worded them as I did for a reason. > > I never said “he didn’t care about issues that helped non-cishet white men,” but “he only cares about issues that help cishet white men.” They’re not the same thing. If an issue helps cishet white men and also happens to help non-(cishet white men), great. But if an issue doesn’t help cishet white men, he doesn’t give a shit about it. So then why does he talk about Native American issues which I never saw Clinton much less the Republicans talk about? For that matter, he and Hillary embraced BLM at about the same time. > [@](#): > > The difference is that I don’t petulantly shit all over every candidate who doesn’t support open borders, and will gladly support someone who doesn’t if they’re still better than the alternative. And I supported Hillary in the general, satisfied? > [@](#): > > What a bunch of 100%-reality-free nonsense! > > Because it’s not like Barney Simpleton had to bear the brunt of the GOP attack machine as he would have if he had been nominated. And it’s not like there aren’t plenty of angles to attack him from that would drive people screaming from the Democratic Party once the first “Bernie Sanders advocates rape!” and “Bernie Sanders wants to tax you at 150% and give all your money to welfare queens in the Bronx!” ads ran in Peoria. > > There’s a reason no one who actually knows what they’re talking about takes those polls seriously–because they’re a meaningless representation of what a Bernie Sanders general-election run would have looked like. I don’t think you quite understand the mood of the country right now. We had a candidate who literally said “grab 'em by the pussy” and managed to not only not get crushed in a landslide but actually win the election. At least half the country if not more _utterly hates what it perceives as the “Establishment”_ and is willing to vote for anyone or anything that is running against it. Given the critical states that Democrats lost this election, especially the Rust Belt trio of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, virtually any Democrat would have done a better job of HRC of keeping WWC defections down and win. > [@Beren\_Erchamion](#): > > No; they were just so far divorced from reality that they weren’t worth my time. > > The “point” about “Bernie would have won” was borderline–I barely bothered responding to it, but decided it was worth it since it had at least some data behind it, even if that data is absolutely meaningless once you contextualize it. Actually the rest of my points contained far more data destroying your simplistic narrative that Sanders was only backed by privileged white middle-class men and that he couldn’t build a political coalition. It seems to me your narrative is the one utterly divorced from reality and still stuck in summer 2016 narratives about why HRC is the best candidate ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hypocrisy-of-bernie-sanders-and-the-question-of-whats-important-to-him-and-his-movement/784882.md?page=3)