As someone who has been an independent voter since 2000, I am now wondering (for real) if someone in the Sanders campaign is trying to emulate the tone of Donald Trump’s campaign. Utterly amazing. Mediaite:
Well, this might be a tough one to walk back. In the aftermath of a feud that started when Bernie Sanders thought he heard Hillary Clinton say he was “quote-unquote not qualified to be president,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver isn’t just doubling down on the attack, he’s flipping over the table and slapping the pit boss.
In an interview with CNN’s Carol Costello Thursday morning, Weaver stood by the Senator’s “not qualified” attacks on Hillary Clinton, and added a new item to the list that Sanders ticked off last night: the rise and expansion of ISIS.
Go to Mediaite to watch the clip.
If you add this, the Daily News interview, and Sen. Sanders calling Clinton “unqualified” to be President, it’s hard to see how this will win over anyone except for his existing supporters and it will greatly alienate many of the super-delegates who may not think Clinton is a great candidate or who might not agree with her, but won’t like this kind of rhetoric. Plus: the Sanders campaign is now inching towards the kinds of demonization that will make it impossible for Sander’s followers to even think of voting for Clinton if she gets the nomination — which will be great news for the Republican nominee. And, worse, all of this obliterates the loftier messages of Sander’s original campaign and wipes away the more thoughtful tone that has come from the Democratic primary race.
UPDATE: I need to add that I’m not someone who believes Sanders is wrong about staying in the race. He has every right to stay in if he has the money and supporters and he has both. Ditto for on the GOP side, where Donald Trump has urged others to get out of the race. There is nothing illegal or immoral about a candidate with funds staying in, whether they have a prospect of winning or not. But what I’m seeing — and noting on Twitter and elsewhere — is that Sanders has had a few missteps and now he and his campaign manager are slipping into the kind of raw, personal campaign that we’ve seen on the GOP side.
He or she who goes for scorched earth may find when the scorching is over they can’t grow anything on that earth.
Watch Bernie Sanders' Campaign Manager Blame Hillary Clinton For ISIS. Fire Him, Bernie! https://t.co/vXLQFgFGGq pic.twitter.com/EguebvEuGx
— Tommy Christopher (@tommyxtopher) April 7, 2016
Sure, why not, make meltdowns great again! > Sanders' Campaign Manager Just Blamed Hillary For ISIS https://t.co/tSqh4nWifC via @mediaite
— bwdone2017 (@theonlyadult) April 7, 2016
Clearly, somebody's not ready to make nice. Jeff Weaver needs to be reigned in with his antics. WATCH:https://t.co/rKDuCoWXnO #imWithHer
— HFA Mobile AL GT (@HFAMobileAL) April 7, 2016
my take >Sanders camp doubles down on big lie, plays w/fire for November. Jeff Weaver seems to be carrying the ball https://t.co/6w3DljlcSS
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 7, 2016
I am starting to think Jeff Weaver wants Sanders to lose. Every time he opens his mouth something worse falls out. Seriously just the worst.
— Robert Sandy (@frodofied) April 7, 2016
Jeff Weaver thinks running a campaign is like his comic book store: full of fantasy and half truths. #HillarySoQualified #ImWithHer
— Bros4Hillary (@Bros4Hillary) April 7, 2016
Jeff Weaver is unraveling. Somewhere Ted Devine is saying I told you so.
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) April 7, 2016
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.