Bernie Sanders: Good show, dicey politics

Bernie Sanders can draw a crowd. No doubt about it. And as Democrats continue to feel their way out of the Trumpian swamps, you can't blame them for wanting to vent in large groups. Sanders has amassed them in Nebraska, Iowa and Arizona and has said things ripe for the political moment. Addressing President Donald Trump: "I'm not going to allow you and your friend Mr. Musk and the other billionaires to wreak havoc on the working families of this country." Democrats can enjoy these words passionately spoken and in plain English, but they take real risks in making this newfound enthusiasm about the senator from Vermont and his movement. It's true that Sanders is an independent who caucuses with Democrats. That's not the problem. The problem is his history of using the Democratic Party to suck up attention, then turn on it. Just last week he called on progressives to ditch the Democratic label and run as independents. Inserting a third candidate on ballots would drain off votes that Democrats need to win -- from the left, center-left, middle and center-right. Sanders uses the party when it's convenient. When he runs in Vermont primaries, he is sure to have his name listed as a Democrat, lest a real Democrat be nominated. The moment he wins, Sanders drops the "D" and becomes an "I." Many Democrats may have forgotten the role Sanders played in helping elect Trump in the first place. During the 2016 presidential primaries, Sanders flamed New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as some tool of big money. The only evidence was some speeches she gave on Wall Street -- not surprising in that finance was the biggest employer in the state she represented. Even when Clinton amassed several million more Democratic votes than he did and had become the presumed party candidate, Sanders refused to concede. Trump was already the Republican nominee, yet Sanders withheld his endorsement of Clinton up to the time of the Democratic convention -- at which some of his flying monkeys shouted, "Lock her up." Meanwhile, candidate Trump picked up on Sanders' talking points and accused Clinton of abusing the left's hero. It's perfectly legal to be a socialist in this country, but candidates running on that party label rarely win. Sanders' protege Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez looked good and sounded good at those rallies, but her ultra-woke views — the positions that sunk Democrats in recent elections — are all there on video. And she can't shake off those socialist ties. Democrats should note that in the last election, Trump raised his share of the vote by 50% in AOC's own district from four years earlier. Also, Kamala Harris got more votes in Vermont than Sanders did. This idea of Democrats running town halls is a good one, but a self-preserving party would move its attention to Democrats with broad national appeal. Arizona's Democratic senators, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, have done town halls, as has Gov. Tim Walz in Minnesota. When frustrated Democrats get up, point a finger at their representatives and ask, "Where's the fight?" the candidate should respond, "'This' is the fight." Sanders, 83, still goes on about his Medicare for All, which was not a mere expansion of Medicare. The fight today is to save the Affordable Care Act. Sanders always pooh-poohed Obamacare as not good enough — certainly not as good as his big plan that never had a snowball's chance of passage. The fight today is defending hard-fought benefits that were won. It is to preserve the Medicare we have and the Medicaid we have and Social Security as we have known it. The Times They Are A-Changin.' Democrats who have changed with them must take the lead. Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.