We need to get something out in the open right now.
We need to understand who Bernie Sanders supporters are, and more importantly, who they're not. (thread)
morningconsult.com/2020/04/10/san…
We need to understand who Bernie Sanders supporters are, and more importantly, who they're not. (thread)
morningconsult.com/2020/04/10/san…
First, let’s understand who they aren’t. They are *NOT* disillusioned former Bernie supporters who’ve “gone rogue.” We know this because real Bernie supporters en masse now support Biden like he does.
morningconsult.com/2020/04/08/as-…
morningconsult.com/2020/04/08/as-…
That is, nearly all Bernie’s former supporters are now going to vote for Biden.
These people understand that Joe Biden is the better choice than Donald Trump to move us toward the world that they believe in…the world envisioned by Bernie Sanders. 3/
These people understand that Joe Biden is the better choice than Donald Trump to move us toward the world that they believe in…the world envisioned by Bernie Sanders. 3/
They believed in the vision of Bernie Sanders, self-described **DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST,** and almost all of them have now willingly chosen to support JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., characterized by Sanders as, let's say, "pro-business," to put it mildly. 4/
This is not to be interpreted as a boast. It is very important to understand the significance of this incredible moment, because it reveals the strong quality of character Bernie supporters have to be able to choose to join us against Trump. 5/
In a crushing disappointment, the man they supported got so far, came so close, only to face defeat in his final battle for the nomination. Not only did they lose at the very end, they lost to the one man many of them had sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be from the very beginning. 6/
In party primary politics, to come so close to winning but fall to your “anyone but him” opponent, like they did to Biden…that’s a really tough pill to swallow. And it’s an extremely critical moment. 7/
In almost no time at all, they needed to decide:
1) what they’re truly fighting for,
2) whether it’s still possible to achieve,
3) whether their former opponent can achieve it,
4) whether it’s worth the compromise from your conscience to support the former opponent. 8/
1) what they’re truly fighting for,
2) whether it’s still possible to achieve,
3) whether their former opponent can achieve it,
4) whether it’s worth the compromise from your conscience to support the former opponent. 8/
Again, this is worth repeating...the man they MOST RESISTED asked them to put aside their personal and political conflicts with him, and help us defeat Donald Trump. 9/ 
.@BernieSanders supporters had no love @JoeBiden, and many still don't. But this matters more than any policy difference, because it is what binds us together: when we asked for their help to save the world, THEY ANSWERED THE CALL. #BlueTsunami 10/
These people genuinely supported Bernie Sanders, & now stand alongside us as we wage war together on Donald Trump. They are cherished allies. They are altruistic, considerate, and fearless protectors of all that is good in this world. They are what 'progressive' truly means. 11/
These people need a name—a term of endearment to thank them for their decision to join our efforts rather than spite us & for them to wear like a badge of honor so the world remembers what they fought for, and the generational movement they built.
**They are called #BERNERS **
**They are called #BERNERS **
And no, I don't care if it had ever been used in a derogatory way before...I'm calling on all united Democrats to reclaim the term for our #Berner friends, because they deserve our formal acknowledgment that they are pivotal forces in this war. #BernersAreAwesome
So, that brings me to my next topic: pro-Bernie people who specifically reject the selfless awareness of the #Berner, and in fact are completely uninterested in good faith conversations with anyone.
This is the twisted, miserable domain of the #BERNIEBRO.
This is the twisted, miserable domain of the #BERNIEBRO.
(Side note: it's not fair to Sen. Sanders that their name is attributable to him. But it's the name we collectively chose, to identify who THEY are, not who Bernie is. We need to understand them as a single identity, so the derisive term #BernieBro is already perfect.) 15/
Now let's talk about #BernieBros.
First of all, don’t bother trying to comprehend why they’re so unreasonably outraged by whatever grievous indignity (read: minor inconvenience) they're roaring about at any given time. 16/
First of all, don’t bother trying to comprehend why they’re so unreasonably outraged by whatever grievous indignity (read: minor inconvenience) they're roaring about at any given time. 16/
Next, don’t let it get to you when met w a barrage of inappropriately aggressive personal attacks in response to attempts to engage a #BernieBro in respectful debate.
Their particularly implacable disdain for Biden is also not due to any weakness of his--I'll show you why. 17/
Their particularly implacable disdain for Biden is also not due to any weakness of his--I'll show you why. 17/
#BernieBros bristle with contempt for the notion that any kind of sacrifice of theirs in this moment could serve a greater good for all of us.
Even the suggestion that a greater good could exist *without* their sacrifice is rejected with obtuse rationalization (at best) 18/.
Even the suggestion that a greater good could exist *without* their sacrifice is rejected with obtuse rationalization (at best) 18/.
Irrationally sanctimonious antipathy is the connective muscle tissue of the #BernieBro.
They reject the altruistic worldview of the #Berner...they exist only to fan the flames of chaos. It starts with their very name, the first lie.
That is, THEY ARE NOT BERNIE SUPPORTERS. 19/
They reject the altruistic worldview of the #Berner...they exist only to fan the flames of chaos. It starts with their very name, the first lie.
That is, THEY ARE NOT BERNIE SUPPORTERS. 19/
What do I mean when I say #BernieBros are not Bernie supporters? I mean they never cared about Sanders personally or believed in what he was advocating. They only wanted to fracture our unity against Trump, so they pretended to support him because he was the most left. 20/
They purported to support him entirely bc if he had actually won the nom (or got close enough in delegates to drag it out), there was a chance, however slim, Dems would devolve into chaos.
All of life is transactional for the #BernieBro (they share this trait w trumpers). 21/
All of life is transactional for the #BernieBro (they share this trait w trumpers). 21/
Hell, if Joe Exotic had been as high-profile as he is now, these trolls would probably be known as "JoeBros" today.
(side note: it shows just how stupid #BernieBros are that they never thought of that when fabricating their imaginary Biden equivalent, "BidenBros") 22/
(side note: it shows just how stupid #BernieBros are that they never thought of that when fabricating their imaginary Biden equivalent, "BidenBros") 22/
That's why #BernieBros relentlessly push every false outrage & outright lie about Joe Biden, even those that make no logical sense. (You know what I mean, but I'll get there-#IBelieveBiden) They are not merely misguided or overzealous potential allies, and they never were. 23/
#BernieBros are frauds, intentionally masking their true intentions by trying to fool us into thinking they legitimately believe what they say they do. This is typical bad-faith acting that, God love you all, far too many of us do not realize or understand the implications. 24/
#BernieBros are not our friends. They are spies, trying to exploit our genuinely shared progressive ideals: tolerance of our inherent diversity & compassion for those less privileged than ourselves. They act in bad faith against us to devalue those very progressive ideals. 25/
Now that the concepts of the #Berner & #BernieBro are established, commit this truth to heart:
#Berners sincerely supported Bernie's policies & still do. THEY ARE OUR DEAR FRIENDS.
#BernieBros only cynically pretended to care about Bernie & they still don't. THEY ARE ENEMIES.
#Berners sincerely supported Bernie's policies & still do. THEY ARE OUR DEAR FRIENDS.
#BernieBros only cynically pretended to care about Bernie & they still don't. THEY ARE ENEMIES.
**THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL TRUE PROGRESSIVES(1)**
You will want to fight with #BernieBros.
They need to hurt.
DO NOT TRY TO HURT THEM BY DISPARAGING BERNIE SANDERS AS A PERSON.
You will want to fight with #BernieBros.
They need to hurt.
DO NOT TRY TO HURT THEM BY DISPARAGING BERNIE SANDERS AS A PERSON.
**THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL TRUE PROGRESSIVES(2)**
You will want to insult #BernieBros.
They deserve it.
DO NOT TRY TO INSULT THEM BY GLOATING OVER BERNIE'S LOSS.
You will want to insult #BernieBros.
They deserve it.
DO NOT TRY TO INSULT THEM BY GLOATING OVER BERNIE'S LOSS.
**THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL TRUE PROGRESSIVES(3)**
You will want to shame #BernieBros.
They should be ashamed.
DO NOT TRY TO SHAME THEM BY MOCKING THE COST OF BERNIE'S PROPOSALS, OR THE GOALS OF HIS POLICIES.
You will want to shame #BernieBros.
They should be ashamed.
DO NOT TRY TO SHAME THEM BY MOCKING THE COST OF BERNIE'S PROPOSALS, OR THE GOALS OF HIS POLICIES.
This only harms our own side. It's condescending to our #Berner friends, who put aside their own personal preferences to stand with us. It understandably makes them feel they aren't valued on our side.
Meanwhile, this is delightful to #BernieBros. It's all they ever wanted.
Meanwhile, this is delightful to #BernieBros. It's all they ever wanted.
The reality of the #BernieBro doesn't stop with Bernie & Biden. You have surely noticed as well that a lot of #BernieBros are actually women. You know the type. They attempt to do the same thing to #feminism and #MeToo. 31/
The intent of the #BernieBro is to weaken those movements by making it seem they condone outrage that's logically absurd and morally dangerous. Serious conversations must be made in good faith--they only operate in bad faith, because that's the only way they become stronger. 32/
To state the obvious, #BelieveAllWomen does NOT mean all accusations made against men should be assumed to be true with no exception, or should even matter in their number...this is one such trick of bad faith - you bend moral equivalence to suit whatever end you want. 33/
When a woman is revealed to be a prolific liar by multiple unbiased investigations with literally no way for it to happen as described, it might be wise to consider the motivations of those involved before issuing judgment. Every rational person intuitively understands this.
Someone acting in bad faith (in this context, outright lying about her assault) will also have a difficult time taking a moral stand that isn't given away by someone who is known to ONLY act in bad faith, that is, Donald Trump.
His colleagues came out quickly w #IBelieveBiden. It wasn’t a hypocritical Dem "establishment" protecting its own guy while condemning others—it was another #BernieBro bad faith outrage trying to sucker us into doubting our own shared values.
#BernieBros aren’t crusading courageously against unwanted invasions of personal space, violations of personal autonomy, and the quiet oppression of demeaning microaggressions (that’s what we do, and it’s the right thing to do).
No, #BernieBros are actually doing is trying to pervert the very concept of empathy—something we all consider to be a precious moral virtue of our humanity—into something to be mocked and persecuted for daring to feel. It's the same thing Trump is doing to us all.
Being a #BernieBro at its core isn’t abt your genitalia or candidate support in the primary. It’s abt whether you desire to pursue value in yourself by using bad-faith dishonesty to trick good people--us--into giving up what makes us human. Don't fall for it this time. #Biden2020
