Some thought Bernie Sanders running for president as a Democrat meant he was now a Democrat -- that he had officially joined the party. Others (including me) weren't so sure. We believed he was an outsider who was just using the Democratic Party apparatus for his own political gain. It turns out that we were right. Sanders is not now, nor has he ever been a Democrat -- and it doesn't look like he will ever be a party member.
Here's what he said last Thursday at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor:
“I was elected as an Independent and I will finish this term as an Independent.”
This makes me wonder -- If he is still ashamed to proudly wear the Democratic Party label then why was he given a leadership position in the Senate Democratic caucus (Outreach director)? And why is he trying to tell party members what they should do to further prospects of the party in the future? Does he really have a dog in this fight? Here's what he told a rally in Washington a couple of days ago:
“I’m not here to blame anybody, criticize anybody, but facts are facts. When you lose the White House to the least popular candidate in the history of America, when you lose the Senate, when you lose the House and when two-thirds of governors in this country are Republican, it is time for a new direction for the Democratic party!”
Shouldn't the future of the Democratic Party be decided by members of the Democratic Party? Do we need outsiders, too ashamed to call themselves Democrats or work for the party, to dictate what the Democratic Party should do? I think not. It's time for Sanders to either become a Democrat, or stay out of party affairs.
big surprise
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