I noticed he ran for the Democratic nomination in the past 2 election cycles.
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I went through that same thing last October after having my little baby Duffy for almost 17 years.
It does get easier, but the good memories remain.
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I actually think he’s right about that part. What I think he grossly overestimates is his ability to sway WV voters. These people voted for Trump over Biden by nearly 40%. They don’t give two shits about the economy, not when there’s Dr. Suess books being taken out of circulation by the publisher, Trans people existing, Black people being Black, and AAPI’s claiming racism exists. They want all culture wars all the time even if their children starve to death in the process. Until the far left comprehends that little nugget, it’s hard to take them seriously.
I’m so very sorry. My deepest condolences.
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I know and I’m not happy with that. He caucuses with Dems too. I guess my point is he’s a maverick and Dems don’t need to take responsibility for his actions.
Other than that I pretty much agree with his policy provisions. They really are at the center of the Overton Window here on the left coast.
@daveyjones64
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So sorry for your loss. Our dogs become members of the family and their loss can be hard to take. Take care of yourself.
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I agree that it used to be reliably Democratic; but is that all we mean by “Blue”?
Robert Byrd was a Democrat but, famously, started out as something quite unsavory.
On the other hand Jay Rockefeller, who came later, was pretty clear on things like civil rights; not only when he was a US Senator but also before that, when he served in the state legislature and then as governor.
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Thank you and yep…you know our WV neighbors quite well.
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Bernie, there’s not a single blue county in WV. Biden won 29.7% of the vote in the state.
Here’s the 2020 results:
Not one single county is blue.
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Hugs
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You know…I agree with Bernie on a LOT, however, I don’t think pissing in Manchin’s Wheaties will gain any ground. As @pluckyinky mentioned above, I suspect most WV will not be swayed by Bernie.
ETA: In fact…I think Bernie being there could actually make them go the other way.
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Sorry to hear of Scout’s passing, but what a beautiful, peaceful time you created - for both of you. I’ve lost two dogs and those first days are the toughest. Know that you have friends here who are more than happy to express outrage on your behalf so you can focus on what’s important.
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I volunteer to be an Outrage Surrogate.
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“I have no problem with going to West Virginia, and I think we need a grassroots movement that makes it clear to Joe Manchin and everybody else in the United States Senate, including Republicans, that the progressive agenda is what the American people want,” Sanders told MSNBC.
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I don’t think Bernie will actually go to WV because you’re right. It wouldn’t accomplish much. My point was not to blame Dems for anything Bernie says or does. Dems certainly didn’t encourage Bernie to run in 16 or 20.
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Yes, these are two separate questions.
But if Manchin doubts that Sanders or Harris or anyone else can sway voters in his state, he can (1) ignore them; (2) use them to strengthen his own position; or (3) convince them that they are doing more harm than good.
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I’m so sorry to hear about Duffy.
Belated, but still heartfelt, condolences.
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WV is a unique state, it has a very strong progressive and labor union history, while also being deeply conservative. It he tailors his message, I think it could ring well with a lot of former Democratic voters.
By and large progressives haven’t been challenging democrats who are red in districts. That is good politics, but also doesn’t let us know if the progressive message might actually carry more weight than the conservative message. That is Stacey Abrams strategy, putting forth strong democrats which can rev up the base rather than conservative democrats trying to win the middle. But good populism might also flip some union republicans back.
I hated it when VP harris went, as that put Manchin in a bind, as he probably didn’t want to diss the Biden administration. But Bernie he can trash, if he thinks that is good politics.
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Wonder how many “mainstream Democrats” who have Bernie Derangement Syndrome give a damn about West Virginians.
Sanders townhall in WV.
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Better take a lot of Ben and Jerry’s with you, Bernie.
And then just skip the speeches and hand out the ice cream.
You’d get a better result. Certainly no worse.
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