Ten Questions For Bernie's Supporters To Consider

Some of Bernie Sanders' supporters have been very effusive on social media in attacking Hillary Clinton, and her progressive credentials. And a lot of the things they are saying are at best exaggerated, and at worst downright false. The Republicans are loving it, because they will use those charges (true or not) in the general election campaign -- gleefully telling voters that those are what Democrats think of their candidate.

The truth is that both Hillary and Bernie are good candidates that Democrats can be proud of -- even though neither is perfect. Hillary is not as bad and Bernie is not as perfect as some of his supporters claim. I would happily vote for either of them in November.

With that in mind, Allen Clifton at Forward Progressives has ten questions he would like Bernie's supporters to answer:

1. Why is it when Bernie Sanders points out factual statements on Hillary Clinton’s voting record, that’s simply him “pointing out the differences between the two.” However, when she points out facts about his voting record (such as his votes against the Brady Bill and his vote to protect gun sellers from any legal liabilities even if they were negligent) that’s her “going negative”? 

2. Considering Cornel West has repeatedly question President Obama’s “blackness,” even going as far as to call him “n*ggerized,” do you really think he’s the best person for Sanders to have in his corner reaching out to African-American communities? How exactly is West’s often bombastic, radical and extremely controversial (and divisive) rhetoric going to improve race relations? 

3. Are you aware that Bernie Sanders voted against immigration reform in 2007, using the typical Republican line of “it would drive down American wages”? And if so, why aren’t you – his avid supporter – questioning him on why he sided with mostly Republicans to kill the immigration bill?

4. A claim by many Sanders supporters is that Hillary Clinton is a fake liberal or that she’s basically “Republican lite.” If so, then why was she ranked as the 11th most liberal senator in Congress (ahead of President Obama who came in 23rd)? Also, how is she “Republican lite” when her and Sanders voted on the same side of the issues 93 percent of the time when they served together in the Senate? Are you saying that the difference between Bernie Sanders and “Republican lite” is 7 percent of a voting record? Also, if Clinton is “Republican lite” – even though she was ranked more liberal than President Obama – wouldn’t that basically make Obama a full-fledged Republican? 

5. With there being almost zero shot that Democrats reclaim a majority in the House this November (keep saying the “surge” he brings to the polls will make it happen – it’s not going to), and the fact that there’s practically no chance at getting a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, exactly how will Sanders get through Congress legislation that’s much more radically far-left than anything President Obama tried to get passed? Do you honestly think any Republicans are going to support free public college, huge tax hikes on the rich and a middle class and small business tax hike to pay for health care? If so, have you not been paying attention to the Republican party for the last, I don’t know, let’s say – four decades?  

6. While Bernie Sanders likes to brag about not having a super PAC, seemingly looking down upon anyone who might dare have one as someone who’s disingenuous about getting money out of politics, are you aware that Senator Elizabeth Warren had one? If so, are you saying she’s a sellout and beholden to rich donors? 

7. Bernie Sanders has made it a point to call out big defense contractors and lobbyists, which is great. Wasteful defense spending is a huge problem in this country. However, isn’t it a bit hypocritical for him to call out these folks when he voted for, and defends, the $1.2 trillion F-35 project – a massive waste of money and the most expensive defense project in history – because it happened to create jobs in his home state? 

8. Be honest, if Hillary Clinton’s campaign had been caught downloading confidential voter data from Sanders’ campaign – no matter what excuse they might have used for why they accessed the data – wouldn’t you have been all over her for being “unethical” and a “cheater”? Especially if she inexplicably went up in the polls a couple of weeks after accessing that important data? And wouldn’t you have slammed her even more for playing the “victim card” and raising a whole lot of money from that breach? 

9. Bernie Sanders often likes to paint Hillary Clinton as being disingenuous concerning he support for same-sex marriage, frequently implying that she only came on board when it became politically beneficial for her to do so. Okay, that’s fine. But then wasn’t he doing the same thing during a 2006 Senate debate when he said that same-sex marriage should be left up to the states – a stance he now no longer supports? 

10. Don’t you find it rather odd that Karl Rove’s super PAC (as well as a couple of other conservative super PACs) are/have: Taken to using many of the lines Sanders says against Hillary Clinton in attack ads? Been boasting about Sanders’ lead over Clinton in some polls? Been sending out emails, including during the most recent debate, defending Sanders’s positions, including his health care plan? Not spent a single dollar to attack Bernie Sanders? 

Isn’t that a bit suspect that Republicans seem to be actively trying to undermine Hillary Clinton by attempting to manipulate liberals, promoting ideas from her opponent that they would never support, and completely ignoring any attacks on Sanders? Doesn’t that strike you as Republicans doing everything they can to sabotage Hillary Clinton because they want Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic nominee? And doesn’t it worry you that Republicans are actively trying to meddle in liberal issues to indirectly help pick their own opponent in the 2016 general election?