“I’m independent!”
—Hermey the Elf
“We may be different from the rest
Who decides the test
Of what is really best?”
—We’re a Couple of Misfits
Lyrics by Burl Ives
When an independent runs for president
If someone who prefers to be called an independent and is a member of the Democratic caucus — like Bernie Sanders or Angus King — decides to run for president, they are faced with a binary choice:
- be a spoiler, run as an independent
- don’t be spoiler, run as a Democrat
What should they do?
Well I think the choice they ought to make is clear: don’t be a spoiler, run as a Democrat.
And I would think anyone who is pro-Democratic would agree.
Yet I’ve heard more than one commenter in Daily Kos threads assert that because he calls himself an independent, Bernie shouldn’t or shouldn’t be allowed to run under the Democratic label.
If that’s your position, I’d be interested to hear your reasoning. I’ve included a poll below on this subject.
To underscore: this diary isn’t about whether Bernie should run again for president — it’s about whether there’s any good reason to prefer that he not compete in the Democratic primaries if he does decide to run.
Bernie and the Party — a mutually beneficial relationship
One partisan argument I’ve heard against Bernie running for president under the Democratic label is that he would be taking advantage of the party mechanisms — i.e., that his motivation for donning the Democratic label during the presidential election season is purely self-serving.
But this ignores the fact that it very much serves the party for an independent member of the caucus to compete in the Democratic primaries rather than make an independent bid for the presidency. Moreover, we certainly don’t consider the party to be “taking advantage” of Bernie when he helps the party by being one of the most reliable votes in the Democratic column in Congress, or when he helps to fund-raise for the DSCC, or when he’s asked to help lead the party’s voter outreach efforts. The relationship between the party and independents like Bernie Sanders and Angus King ought to be, and is, mutually beneficial. As long as an independent is a loyal member of the caucus (unlike, say, Joe Lieberman who endorsed the McCain/Palin ticket) why should we treat them as pariahs or second-class members?
If it bugs you that a member of the Democratic caucus wears the “independent” label because that label doesn’t serve to promote our party brand, or because you think it makes the person come across as holier-than-thou, consider that from their point of view the label is part of their brand, part of what helps them to get elected and re-elected. Most politicians can’t succeed with this approach — look how few independents we have in Congress. But for those rare birds who win with this approach, who serve on and strengthen our side of the aisle in Congress, should we view their independent label as such a bad thing after all?
Gadflies
Some folks probably don’t really care that much about the independent label but think Bernie too often utters unfair criticism of the party.
I would say this about that: he’s a gadfly. He’s been a gadfly ever since the start of his long journey in progressive politics. And by definition, if you’re a gadfly your exhortations will sometimes bug people — including people on your side of the aisle. Just ask Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a gadfly extraordinaire who’s just beginning her political journey.
Now it’s true that members of the Democratic caucus sometimes make critiques of the party that we personally disagree with or consider unhelpful. Here’s an example I find particularly egregious that was made by someone who wears the Democratic label — indeed, someone who currently has a top post in the Democratic Party. This is what Chuck Schumer said after the Democratic Party’s devastating losses in the 2014 midterm election:
"After passing the stimulus, Democrats should have continued to propose middle-class-oriented programs and built on the partial success of the stimulus, but unfortunately Democrats blew the opportunity the American people gave them," Schumer said. "We took their mandate and put all of our focus on the wrong problem—health care reform."
If Schumer believed more important or more popular policy initiatives were shortchanged because of the party’s focus on passing the Affordable Care Act, then surely he could have made the case for specific policy initiatives he favors without at the same time casting as a mistake his president’s and his party’s historic health care reform effort.
Can you imagine Bernie Sanders criticizing the Democratic Party for focusing too much on health care?
Still, I get that Bernie’s bluntness may occasionally earn some folks’ ire. When the Obama administration was keen on negotiating a “grand bargain” with Republicans — and the administration proposed cutting Social Security benefits and raising the eligibility age for Medicare — Bernie suggested that the president could find himself facing a primary challenge. Ouch. Bernie said he himself wouldn’t challenge President Obama but “if a progressive Democrat wants to run, I think it would enliven the debate.”
Bernie of course wasn’t the only member of the Democratic caucus who expressed dismay at President Obama’s bargaining chips. And there was an enormous outcry from progressive advocacy groups. The grand bargain never happened. Bernie supported Obama’s re-election. Interestingly, of the last four Democratic presidents, two faced primary challenges — Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson — and their challengers weren’t independents, they were famous Democrats: Ted Kennedy took on Carter, and Bobby Kennedy decided to run against LBJ after anti-war candidate (and fellow Democratic senator) Eugene McCarthy’s surprisingly strong showing against the incumbent president in the New Hampshire primary.
How about cookies instead of pie?
I don’t expect everyone to agree with all of my opinions, but I hope this diary about my state’s junior senator and potential 2020 candidate won’t generate pie in the comment thread. None of us will make our cases more persuasive by dissing each other.
P.S.: If it helps to avoid pie, pretend we’re discussing politics in my living room. I’ve invited you to a gathering of friends. Some of us were Bernie supporters in the 2016 primaries, some of us were Hillary supporters. And we have plenty of yummy cookies to munch on — both regular and gluten-free — so please help yourself!
Note: In the poll below, I use the phrase “I consider myself pro-Democratic” to mean folks who reliably vote Democratic — folks who want to see Democrats win back the White House and Senate. I use that phrase rather than “I’m a Democrat” because a goodly percentage of Kossacks (and the electorate) don’t self-identify as Democrats, but reliably vote Democratic. I’ve included the reverse option “I DON’T consider myself pro-Democratic” because some folks who read Daily Kos may favor another party, though I don’t expect many votes in those categories.