Bernie vs Democrats? Clinton and Obama's recent attacks on Sanders prove that they're scared of his nomination
For those astonished at how the old guard of the Democratic Party is turning its back on Sen. Bernie Sanders, it really shouldn't come as a surprise.
Hillary Clinton and other mainstream Democrats have launched a rather obvious smear campaign against the Vermont senator after realizing his surge in recent polls.
Many have deemed the onslaught a reiteration of 2016, when bombshell email leaks revealed how the Democratic primaries were rigged against Sanders to ensure Clinton became their presidential nominee. In fact, those looking to stab Sanders in the back are referring to the same playbook used in 2016 against then-presidential hopeful Donald Trump.
Clinton recently went after Sanders during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying “nobody likes” the socialist senator and that his whole act was "just baloney". What's more? She refused to accept that she would throw her support behind Sanders if he somehow became the Democratic nominee for president.
Political pundits and observers think the bad blood from their 2016 Democratic nomination battle has spilled on to the current race as well.
Sanders, at the time, was blasted by the Clinton camp for staying in the race far too long after the nomination was assumed to be Clinton's. The latter attributed to this later and said she couldn't fully turn her attention to the fall campaign against Trump.
However, in 2008, Clinton had played the same waiting game with Barack Obama. She was hoping that some late, big-state victories would somehow lead Democratic super-delegates to stampede her way. That didn't happen, paving the way for the first black president of the United States to take the oath of office.
Fans of Clinton have maintained that Sanders' formidable campaign against her in 2016 divided her votes in battle against Trump. But that's not the only excuse they have.
Clinton has unabashedly blamed everyone but herself for the shock defeat she suffered in that election. She's blamed the Russians. She's blamed white women. She's blamed sexism, racism, James Comey, Obama, the media, and of course, the notorious "basket of deplorables."
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Clinton also referred to the famous "Bernie Bros" cadre, questioning the "culture" that surrounds Sanders' campaign.
“It's his leadership team,” the former Secretary of State is quoted as saying, “it's his prominent supporters. It's his online Bernie Bros and their relentless attacks on lots of his competitors, particularly the women.”
However, Hillary Clinton is not the only one attacking Sanders.
A recent report by Fox Business Network claimed that Obama is highly concerned about the Vermont senator's far-out leftist proposals. Friends and associates of the former two-term president anonymously revealed to the network how he had privately told them that Sanders was both temperamentally and politically unfit to beat Trump in 2020.
This came after Sanders' rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused him of calling her a liar following the last Democratic debate, and later grabbed some brownie points in the media alleging he had once told her a woman could never be president.
Another contender Sanders passionately tussled with is former Vice President Joe Biden, especially over Social Security. But even that feud ended with Sanders apologizing to Biden after one of his supporters accused him of having a "corruption" problem.
With the entirety of the Democratic apparatus lined up against Sanders, one can imagine their alarm when he placed right next to Biden at the top of a CNN national poll of Democrats on Wednesday.
Having said that, Sanders could actually win the nomination now that the vicious foul play by establishment Democrats is out of the bag. It is not as far-fetched as 2016, when Sanders gave Clinton the race of her life despite the national party conspiring against him.
The socialist firebrand has some valid talking points the masses could get behind. He has made several calls to address climate change, to target the rich, and to shift the power to the people. He's a swamp drainer and the establishment wants him stopped at all costs. Mainstream Democrats do not want a revolution and this makes Sanders an existential threat to his own party.
It is high time that supporters of the Vermont senator -- be it Bernie Bros or just regular joes -- initiate a discourse on how the so-called military industrial complex (or deep state) is conspiring against their leader once again.
While a socialist may not be able to win a general election at this point in America's democracy, Sanders' nomination could have a massive impact on the Democratic Party -- and maybe even give it the much-needed reset to tackle their dwindling popularity.