Bernie Sanders is causing the Democratic establishment acute heartburn, with many party regulars worried the socialist Vermont senator is throwing away a golden opportunity to defeat President Trump.
As Sanders, 78, has cemented front-runner status in the Democratic primary, veteran party operatives, prominent liberal figures, and elected officials are sounding the alarm. It’s not unlike the Republican establishment’s freakout as Trump barreled toward the GOP nomination four years ago. Top Democrats warn that Sanders would lose to the president and would be a disaster for the party down the ticket. Here is a sampling:
Mark Mellman, veteran Democratic pollster based in Washington
“Democrats say defeating Trump is what’s most important to them. … We think Sanders is very poorly positioned to do that.” The Guardian, Jan. 31, 2020.
Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas
“I’m a Democrat. … I think it would be difficult to have a socialist at the top of the ticket. I think he clarifies it and says ‘a democratic socialist,’ but a socialist is a socialist, whether it’s Republican socialist or democratic socialist — if there is such a thing.” The Hill, Feb. 11, 2020.
Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago mayor and President Barack Obama’s first White House chief of staff
“Last hundred years, three Democrats have won reelection for president: Franklin Roosevelt … President Clinton, Barack Obama. [They] ran with the same strategy … of an urban, suburban, metropolitan coalition. … Bernie is saying, ‘Forget that. Screw it — basically, there are about 70 million socialists ready to be awoken to their inner socialist. And I would just say to you, given that our No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 goal is to get rid of Donald Trump, it is a really big risk to go on a political strategy that has never been tried before.” The Hill, Feb. 25, 2020.
Hillary Clinton
“He was in Congress for years. He had one senator support him. Nobody likes him. Nobody wants to work with him. He got nothing done. He was a career politician. It’s all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it.” The Hollywood Reporter, Jan. 21, 2020.
Barack Obama
Uniting the Democratic party around Sanders “could be difficult,” Obama said, according to an associate who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The New York Times, Feb. 28, 2020.
Joe Lieberman, Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000 and former Connecticut senator
“When you look at [Sanders’s] programs, it would change America. The government would take over most of the economy, and if his programs, as he’s advocated, were ever adopted, America would be bankrupt. Fox Business, Feb. 12, 2020.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana
“I come from a state that’s pretty damn red. There is no doubt that having ‘socialist’ ahead of ‘Democrat’ is not a positive thing in the state of Montana. … He can overcome that, but I think it’s something he’s going to have to do.” The Associated Press, Jan. 8, 2020.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia
“Absolutely not,” Manchin said when asked whether he would support Sanders’s agenda. When asked what Manchin would do if the choice before him in November is Sanders or Trump, he replied, “It wouldn’t be Bernie.” Fox News, Oct. 30, 2019.
James Carville, Democratic strategist, former adviser to President Bill Clinton
“Last night, on CNN, Bernie Sanders called me a political hack. … That’s exactly who the f— I am! I am a political hack! I am not an ideologue. I am not a purist. He thinks it’s a pejorative. I kind of like it! At least I’m not a communist.” The Hill, Feb. 13, 2020.
Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball
“I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940. … And the general, Reynaud, calls up Churchill and says, ‘It’s over.’ And Churchill says: ‘How can that be? You’ve got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?’ He said, ‘It’s over.’ So I had that suppressed feeling.” Matthews later apologized for these remarks. RealClearPolitics, Feb. 22, 2020.
Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, who has endorsed Joe Biden
“If Bernie Sanders was at the top of the ticket, we would be in jeopardy of losing the House. … We would not get the Senate back.” The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2020.
Jeff Hewitt, veteran Texas Democratic consultant
“Sanders is a complete disaster. … At the end of the day, most of us want to win.” Politico, Feb. 15, 2020.
Matt Bennett, the executive vice president for public affairs at Third Way, a center-left think tank
“There is a deep treasure trove of stuff from Bernie’s background, all of the radical things he’s said and done over the years, that the Trump campaign could circulate. … He is without question the candidate Trump hopes to have as an opponent in November.” The Guardian, Jan. 31, 2020.
Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey
“I always find it interesting that he gives a passing glance to the question of authoritarianism but then dwells on all the alleged good things. … It’s just not what I would want to see in the person who would be the leader of the free world.” CNN’s Manu Raju, Feb. 25, 2020.
Rep. Joe Cunningham of South Carolina
“South Carolinians don’t want socialism. … We want to know how you are going to get things done and how you are going to pay for them. Bernie’s proposals to raise taxes on almost everyone is not something the low country wants and not something I’d ever support.” The Post and Courier, Feb. 12, 2020.
Steve Israel of New York, former chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee
“Donald Trump will paint every Democrat, whether they’re running for U.S. Senate or county sheriff, as a socialist — as a ‘Bernie Sanders socialist.’ … That’s a tough deal in a lot of these [House] districts.” The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2020.
Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who has endorsed Sen. Amy Klobuchar
“I’m the first Democrat to win in my district since 1958. … I attracted a lot of independent and moderate Republican support, many of whom probably voted for a Democrat for the first time in a long time. And while I respect Bernie Sanders as a senator, as a candidate, his candidacy is very challenging for people who come from districts like mine.” The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2020.
Joe Lockhart, White House press secretary under President Bill Clinton
“The Democratic establishment gave us civil rights, voting rights, the assault weapons ban, social security and Medicare. What have you done Senator?” Tweet, Feb. 21, 2020.
Rep. Scott Peters of California, who is backing Mike Bloomberg
“Sanders is about the worst candidate we can put up. He not only won’t likely win the presidency. He puts the House majority at risk.” The Hill, Feb. 11, 2020.
Rep. Max Rose of New York, another Bloomberg backer
“I’m not a socialist. I’m thinking about printing T-shirts saying as much. I think socialist economic policies fail, inevitably.” The Hill, Feb. 11, 2020.
Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania
“In the most important election of our lives, Sen. @BernieSanders & Rep. @AOC are celebrating a bill that would eliminate thousands of good union jobs in #PA17 & across PA — a state we need to win. What are we doing? We are Democrats. Jobs come first.” Tweet, Feb. 14, 2020.
Val Arkoosh, county commissioner in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
“Montgomery County is home to many moderate Republicans, and I hear from them with some regularity that they are interested in having a different president. … But they do have concerns over some of the more deeply progressive policies that are being espoused by Sen. Sanders, so I think it could affect turnout from people who wouldn’t necessarily always vote Democratic.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 22, 2020
Kathy Harrington, first vice chair of the Lehigh County Democratic Party
“I’m in the car with someone right now who said she wouldn’t vote for Bernie Sanders even though she’s a Democrat. She’s making a gag noise right now.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 22, 2020.
Ben LaBolt, former Obama adviser
“He’s more concerned about shouting in the wilderness to make an ideological point than getting things done.” The Associated Press, Jan. 8, 2020.
Marshall Matz, policy adviser to George McGovern, Democratic nominee for president in 1972
“I think he would not just lose but would lose badly — and I don’t think the country can afford that.” The Associated Press, Jan. 8, 2020.
