Slate - The Establishment Didn't Destroy Bernie Sanders. He destroyed himself.

[The Magistrate]

7. True, Sir

Sanders' campaign this year has made crystal clear a few facts about his 2016 run. Sanders reveled in his support from 'working class whites' that year, and he took it as indicating real support for himself and his policies, crowing that he had shown 'working class whites' could be moved to the left, if properly approached by a charismatic leader like 'Bernie'. What actually happened was that Sanders simply chanced along to reap the benefit of a quarter-century campaign of hate directed at Mrs. Clinton from the right, whch fed into 'white working class' distaste for 'uppity broads', and reluctance to vote any woman into high office. This year that constituency has deserted him, and is voting for Mr. Biden, because they really don't much like lefty radicals, nor old men who harangue them in strident tones about revolution. It is understandable Sanders should have made the mistake he did about why 'working class whites' voted for him, because it has been his deepest dream since his college days to lead the 'white working class' by inspiring them to act on leftist lines. But it was a foolish error, something only a cable news pundit or worse could be expected to make from the facts in hand. Had Sanders' not gone once too often to the well and run this year, he could have continued to preen himself on inspiring the 'white work class' and moving it to the left under his direction. It would not have been true, of course, but it would have looked swell in print and online....





"From Bernie’s perspective, dropping out of a race once you have no chance of winning is peculiar behavior that can only be explained by the work of a hidden hand. For most politicians, though, it is actually standard operating procedure. Only Sanders seems to think the normal thing to do once voters have made clear they don’t want to nominate you is to continue campaigning anyway."





"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."