The viral pic of Bernie in First Class is just the dumbest f*cking timeline, the worst sort of idiotic gotcha politics...but I think it taps into a destructive dynamic in our political culture that's worth naming so that we can maybe avoid replicating it.
The guy who posted it says he did not intend it as a criticism of Bernie. Perhaps, but his intent really doesn't matter. It went viral because cynicism about progressive politicians serves the status quo. It's the oldest story in American politics, and it's anti-democratic BS. 
A major theme in the history of progressivism is that reactionaries use images like that to convince moderates that progressives don't *really* mean the things they say, and that they're hypocrites just like all politicians...
...the implication being that there's no point in trying to use politics to bring meaningful change because all leaders are just self-serving jerks anyway. This is the Chris Matthews garbage take on Bernie as Fidel, the garbage right wing take that AOC = Venezuela.
The American right doesn't need the majority of Americans to agree with them to win politically. They've known that's not a real possibility for them for years. What the right needs is a populace that is so cynical and demoralized that they'll just stay home.
When you feed that cynicism about politics, regardless of your intentions, you are doing the Republicans' job for them. It's the greatest gift they could ask for from a liberal or a centrist or even a Never Trumper.
We should absolutely care about whether our leaders are hypocrites, or whether they are corrupt. We should also distinguish between a substantive critique, and the sort of synecdotal thinking that makes that pic of Bernie a negation of his 50+ year record as a political actor.
Trump golfs and says he's a man of the people. Obama golfed and said he championed ordinary Americans. People are allowed to have f*cking leisure time. Who cares? But the fact that Trump's family rakes in tons of taxpayer $$$ when he golfs. THAT matters.
If Bernie was getting comped on 1st class tickets by an airline that wanted him to vote one way or another on a particular piece of legislation...then THAT would be a story. But a tall 70+ year old lifelong public servant flying 1st class HAS NO MEANING!
And it especially shouldn't have meaning to someone who is not a public servant and seems to be implying that *their* first class seat is legit and earned, but Bernie's is somehow illegitimate.
Maybe Bernie, like a lot of tall 70+ year olds, has back pain and needs the leg room in order to be able to function effectively in his job? Maybe he got upgraded? Who f*cking knows? Certainly not the dude who took the picture and then posted it.
It was a dick move when he posted this meaningless pic in August 2018 and got 16 likes on it. And it was an extra-special dick move when he reposted that old photo a few days ago (without noting that it was an old pic) and then it went viral.
