Josh Marshall in an editorial at Talking Points Memo:
For months I'd thought and written that Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver was the key driver of toxicity in the the Democratic primary race. Weaver has been highly visible on television, far more than campaign managers tend to be. He's also been the one constantly upping the tension, pressing the acrimony and unrealism of the campaign as Sanders actual chances of winning dwindled.
But now I realize I had that wrong.
Actually, I didn't realize it. People who know told me.
Over the last several weeks I've had a series of conversations with multiple highly knowledgable, highly placed people. Perhaps it's coming from Weaver too. The two guys have been together for decades. But the 'burn it down' attitude, the upping the ante, everything we saw in that statement released today by the campaign seems to be coming from Sanders himself. Right from the top.
Josh Marshall is spot on. Even as my concern about the Sanders revolution had risen over several months, last night I lost all respect for the senator when I watched his lame commentary about the disruption of the Nevada Democratic convention by his delegates and his absolute refusal to take responsibility. The disrupters were not people off the street; they were Sanders' delegates to the convention, and he is indeed responsible for their actions.
Later, I watched parts of Sanders' speech at the rally in California. He continues to lie to his supporters and tell them he has a path to win the nomination of the Democratic Party. Not for one minute do I believe Sanders can control his Sandernistas, now that he's whipped up their emotions about the coming Sanders revolution, nor do I think he wishes to. I won't hold my tongue any longer for fear of alienating the extremist obstructionists among his supporters, because I expect none of them will vote for Clinton; they will either stay home or vote for Trump.
Though he doesn't mention her by name, rather than scale back his criticism of Hillary Clinton, who will be the nominee, in order to unite the party, Sanders upped the nastiness in his speech, pitting himself against her though he has no chance to win. If Sanders ever campaigns for Clinton, I'll be surprised. Perhaps he will eventually pay lip service to endorsing Clinton, but by then it may be too little, too late.
Sanders took advantage of the Democratic Party to run for president, and now he is determined to have his way or destroy the party. It's obvious that however he labels himself, he is no Democrat. At first, I thought he served the party well by highlighting issues that need attention. Now I see him as a sore loser and a spoiler. Whatever you think of the Democratic Party, and it is far from perfect, it is the only institution that stands in the way of a Trump presidency.
Sen. Sanders and Sandernistas, good luck with the revolution. Sadly, it will be Trump's revolution, not your revolution. Enjoy. The rest of us will pay the price for your recklessness.
