Bad Bernie takes: ‘Not a real Democrat’
№1 of a multi-part series deconstructing the worst bad-faith arguments against Sen. Bernie Sanders
With the Iowa caucus fast approaching, it’s a great time to review some of the standard arguments against Bernie Sanders that we’ll hear repeated ad nauseam from here on out. First, the worst: “Bernie isn’t a real Democrat.” It’s something that’s technically true in a a sense—he has always self-identified as an independent—but it’s also entirely irrelevant and not at all substantive.
Questioning Sanders Democratic bonafides is a form of lazy gatekeeping that completely sidesteps a real conversation about policy or the meaningful differences between the left and the center. It’s a convenient way to avoid having to define terms or stake out a firm position as to where you stand on the political spectrum.
Why get into the weeds about the relative merits of the public option versus Medicare for All? All you have to do is point out that Bernie doesn’t truly represent some nebulous “values of the Democratic Party.”
