If you follow Markos on Twitter he is pissed. He’s pissed Bernie won’t call himself a Democrat. He’s pissed Bernie won’t rubber stamp a seal of endorsement to every Dem who is running for office. He’s pissed.
Well guess what… That’s exactly why Americans love him so much. If Bernie were to follow the advice of the geniuses who pushed the Hillary Clinton candidacy on the Democratic party he would get rid of every characteristic that makes him the most beloved politician in America. People love that Bernie is independent and not a hack. People are drawn to him because he is so genuine. And in all likelihood he genuinely did not know for sure if Ossoff was a true progressive. Hopefully, in the coming days Ossoff will reach out to Bernie so they can discuss his positions.
But the idea that Bernie should just become another suit who reflexively parrots Democratic talking points is not helpful. Bernie has the secret sauce and Democrats need a lot of whatever Bernie has. Many of the Clinton lovers here on Daily Kos may not want to admit it, but if the Democratic party wants to win over the next few years they need him. If you can’t see that then you are not living in reality. The reality I live in is the reality where traditional Democratic/liberal politics has turned the party into a smoldering pile of rubble. But many Clinton acolytes would rather live in the Kos/MSNBC bubble rather than stepping out into the real world and admitting they were wrong. But that is exactly what they must do if Democrats are to retake power again.
FYI: I was an O’Malley supporter in the primaries because I thought both Hillary and Bernie were bad candidates. However, I was wrong, and I should have supported Bernie. That much is clear.