# What is a Bernie Bro? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 2, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143 "2018-07-02T06:19:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/21 "2018-07-02T19:24:04Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I think it became generalized beyond the group **BB** states to anyone who was of the mindset “if not Bernie stay home” and who kept fighting against the Democratic nominee after Bernie lost, including but not limited to those who gloated that Clinton lost without their support. It is possible a lot of that were Russians messing with the election. > [@](#): > > Several activists who ran Facebook pages for Bernie Sanders, for instance, noticed a suspicious flood of hostile comments about Mrs. Clinton after Mr. Sanders had already ended his campaign and endorsed her. > > John Mattes, who ran the “San Diego for Bernie Sanders” page, said he saw a shift from familiar local commenters to newcomers, some with Eastern European names — including four different accounts using the name “Oliver Mitov.” > > “Those who voted for Bernie, will not vote for corrupt Hillary!” one of the Mitovs wrote on Oct. 7. “The Revolution must continue! #NeverHillary” > > While he was concerned about being seen as a “crazy cold warrior,” Mr. Mattes said he came to believe that Russia was the likely source of the anti-Clinton comments. “The magnitude and viciousness of it — I would suggest that their fingerprints were on it and no one else had that agenda,” he said. > > SOURCE: [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/us/politics/russia-facebook-twitter-election.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/us/politics/russia-facebook-twitter-election.html) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/22 "2018-07-02T19:34:26Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The number one characteristic of a Bernie Bro is always believing in conspiracy theories every time Bernie lost. It is not really a conspiracy “theory” when you have good evidence of an actual conspiracy. > [@](#): > > A former Democratic National Committee chair on Thursday revealed the existence of a previously secret agreement that appeared to confirm some of Bernie Sanders supporters’ fears about the 2016 Democratic primary. > > \ > > “The agreement — signed by Amy Dacey, the former CEO of the DNC, and [Clinton campaign manager] Robby Mook with a copy to [Clinton campaign counsel] Marc Elias— specified that in exchange for raising money and investing in the DNC, Hillary would control the party’s finances, strategy, and all the money raised,” Brazile wrote in the story under the headline “Inside Hillary Clinton’s Secret Takeover of the DNC.” > > Brazile added of the deal: “[Clinton’s] campaign had the right of refusal of who would be the party communications director, and it would make final decisions on all the other staff. The DNC also was required to consult with the campaign about all other staffing, budgeting, data, analytics, and mailings.” > > SOURCE: [Donna Brazile’s bombshell about the DNC and Hillary Clinton, explained - Vox](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/2/16599036/donna-brazile-hillary-clinton-sanders) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/23 "2018-07-02T19:42:59Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It is not really a conspiracy “theory” when you have good evidence of an actual conspiracy. And the agreement itself wasn’t so much the issue. That sort of thing happens once the candidate is selected, or in and around the time of the convention. But this agreement was executed before the first primary or caucus was held. The campaign had barely begun. We had a long thread about this maybe a year ago, and most of the posters who were involved seemed to just want to hand-wave it away as if it was of no matter. We can’t replay things, and so we won’t know whether that agreement made a difference in the outcome or not. Frankly, I bet Hillary would have won either way. But the optics are bad, and you can’t blame supporters of non-Hillary candidates for being pissed off. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/24 "2018-07-02T19:52:56Z")
Yep, it still continues … Sanders’, and the Bros’, whining about the party’s treatment of him is never going to get any traction as long as he refuses to actually join it. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/25 "2018-07-02T19:57:53Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Yep, it still continues … > > Sanders’, and the Bros’, whining about the party’s treatment of him is never going to get any traction as long as he refuses to actually join it. There’s that hand waving **John Mace** referred to. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/26 "2018-07-02T19:59:59Z")
No, it’s pointing out the most relevant fact. Calling it hand-waving is hand-waving. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/27 "2018-07-02T20:00:48Z")
It’s kind of funny how certain folks keep bitching about “Bernie Bros” and the grudge they hold, while at the same time taking every opportunity to bitch about Bernie, or even his wife. It’s like the Civil War-- some folks just can’t stop fighting it. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/28 "2018-07-02T20:03:06Z")
Anyone who contributed to Trump’s election is guilty as hell, **John**. To whatever extent that includes you, quit whining, quit blame-deflecting, and _own it._ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/29 "2018-07-02T20:06:23Z")
[I rest my case.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21059649&postcount=10) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/30 "2018-07-02T20:07:00Z")
You haven’t even started. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2018, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/31 "2018-07-02T23:11:18Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > The most enthusiastic Bernie supporter I know is a woman. But she is more of a pragmatist. When Bernie lost she threw her support to Hillary. _That’s_ what I’m talking about. Democrats smart enough not to let stupid stuff divide us. I don’t care if you like Bernie. All I care is whether you don’t behave destructively toward other Democrats. I voted for Hillary in the 2008 primary. When Barack won the nomination I supported him. No problem. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/32 "2018-07-03T00:21:22Z")
[Checks calendar] Nope not 2016. Not even 2017. Freakin half way through 2018. The different sides are not going to convince each other of who did what wrong in 2016. Give it up. Move on already! Right now we are in midterm season. Different Democratic candidates will be representing different districts in November. If you want some check on the disaster that is Trump we need as many Democratic legislative wins as possible, be they centrists or Progressive, be they in NY or Peoria and maybe even in Texas and Arizona. Fight out the direction for the presidential cycle as its primary season begins. End that fighting when the general presidential season begins. (Usually a bit before the convention.) At that point be the nominee Warren or Harris or Booker or Brown or whoever, be you progressive or centrist, even if you feel you wuz robbed, job one is going to be to win back the White House. (And hopefully to be _keeping_ the House and the Senate. :)) ---
**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:** [July 3, 2018, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/33 "2018-07-03T13:00:24Z")
I voted for Sanders and really hoped he’d win the nomination, thinking not only that his ideas were better than Clinton’s, but also that he’d have an easier time beating Trump. Now is not the time to debate either of those propositions, however. My point is that I threw my support entirely behind Clinton once she won the nomination. The two Sanders supporters that I blocked on Facebook were both white women: one kept posting inaccurate things about delegates, and when I politely objected to the errors, she accused me of being a paid Clinton infiltrator or some such nonsense. The other was an older woman who threw her support to Stein and could not resist smarmy condescending explanations of politics to a youngster like me. I have a hard time with “Bernie Bro” based on my experience, therefore. I think it’s a dumb term used by people unable to make a nuanced argument. Objecting to shit like inaccurate descriptions of the race, objecting to shit like supporting Jill Stein? That’s reasonable. But in this thread you’ve got people making some equally dumb arguments: -Sanders was illegitimate because, even though he followed the Democratic Party’s own rules for running and got support from a huge number of people who followed the party’s own rules for voting, he showed insufficient loyalty to the party machinery. -Sanders was illegitimate because, even though he followed the party’s rules for delegate counting and endorsed Clinton at the convention despite their differences, he played the game too hard, past the point where people think he should’ve conceded. If you find yourself making these arguments, you’re in no position to criticize the illogical arguments of any Sanders supporter. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/34 "2018-07-03T13:43:25Z")
Who here do you see claiming Sanders was “illegitimate”? The thread is about his supporters, not him. No need to tell us more about illogical arguments. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/35 "2018-07-03T14:07:09Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > I also feel like a lot of people are hating on Sanders now because they feel like he helped Trump win the election. I don’t agree, but that’s a separate debate. True or not, I think more people feel that Hillary helped Trump win the election ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Peebles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/36 "2018-07-03T14:39:24Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Anyone who contributed to Trump’s election is guilty as hell, **John**. To whatever extent that includes you, quit whining, quit blame-deflecting, and _own it._ Guilty of what? Wikipedia has a good analysis of the phrase “Bernie Bro”. I find it notable that it was used to suggest “If you vote for Sanders you are a misogynist”. And then it was “If you vote for Trump you are a misogynist”. Basically there is a notion that if Hillary Clinton is in a race, and you vote for a man instead, you are a misogynist. I guess promoted by strategic Facebook ads. Does anyone know of any analysis of the promotion of the idea “Hillary or misogyny”? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/37 "2018-07-03T14:49:18Z")
Guilty of collaboration in inflicting these horrors upon us, of course. Identifying and stating your motivations, even if only to yourself, is part of owning it. You do make a relevant comment that the Hillary-hate coming from the Trump side was, and still is for that matter, essentially identical with that coming from \*some \*of the Sanders side - and holding and expressing that hatred is an identifying part of being a Bro. Certainly _some_ significant part of that is misogyny, and unaccountably many of the fiercest misogynists are women, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/38 "2018-07-03T15:53:58Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > You do make a relevant comment that the Hillary-hate coming from the Trump side was, and still is for that matter, essentially identical with that coming from \*some \*of the Sanders side I don’t recall seeing or hearing anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/39 "2018-07-03T15:56:18Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Anyone who contributed to Trump’s election is guilty as hell, **John**. To whatever extent that includes you, quit whining, quit blame-deflecting, and _own it._ That’s enough, Elvis. I don’t give a damn what your politics are. That sort of accusation and blame-pointing at another poster is too much. Rein it in. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143/40 "2018-07-03T16:24:10Z")
A person who loudly parrots progressive memes without displaying even a hint of critical thinking. You know, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-bernie-bro/817143.md?page=3)