The trend is picking up momentum – though Bernie Sanders has not yet officially thrown his hat into the ring for the 2020 primary, his most loyal supporters are already going after any possible Democratic candidate that may pose a serious threat to his success.
Writer Sady Doyle sums it up quite well in this piece (emphasis mine):
“As Sanders gears up for a possible 2020 run, his supporters are already turning his Democratic competitors into villains….
… I never caught Betomania, but it’s hard to ignore the larger, more obvious pattern — that this has happened to every candidate who has gathered enough buzz to pose a challenge to Sanders, deserving or not. I can believe that O’Rourke is a sizzle in search of a steak. But I find it harder to believe that O’Rourke is the face of Big Oil, and Elizabeth Warren embraces neoliberal capitalism at its most rapacious, and Kamala Harris is the carceral state incarnate, and Cory Booker is popular only due to racial tokenism, and Kirsten Gillibrand is in deep with Big Tobacco, and Amy Klobuchar, I don’t know, never brings a hot dish. They haven’t gotten to her yet.
The problem is not the reporting on these politicians’ individual sins, some of which is correct, and some of which, like Sirota’s freakout, is wildly exaggerated. It’s not even the “boy who cried wolf” quality of hearing so many similar denunciations in a row, though it is increasingly tough to take any one hit piece seriously. It’s the implication that these errors are unilaterally disqualifying and should outweigh any good the candidates might do. There is no acknowledgment, after 2016, of just how dangerous that attitude might be or of what other forces might be arrayed against the candidates in question.”
Today, here on Kos, we have this diary declaring Kamala Harris is not a “progressive.” Then we have this hot mess claiming to be a plea for “thoughtful conversation” yet clearly a “Bernie would-a beat Trump in 2016” manifesto.
Over the last couple of months I’ve seen comments here on Kos that range from thinly-veiled mud-slinging on potential Democratic primary challengers to Sanders, to outright CT like (paraphrasing): ‘The DNC forced Liz Warren to run to split the progressive vote and ensure Bernie loses the 2020 primary.’
(Aside: I’ve also noted the relative kid gloves treatment of Joe Biden by many of the same people who have made these comments. Hmmmm. I see what you’re doing.)
For those who want to support a Sanders run in 2020 I say – fine, wonderful! Support him. Talk about his policies. Make your argument why he is the best General Election candidate.
Don’t go scorched earth on every Democratic candidate who poses a challenge to him.
You tried that last time.
And here we are.