Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the reelection of former President Trump would be the “end of democracy” in an interview released Saturday by The Guardian.

“It will be the end of democracy, functional democracy,” Sanders said in the interview.

The Vermont senator also said in the interview that he thinks that another round of Trump as the president will be a lot more extreme than the first.

“He’s made that clear,” Sanders said. “There’s a lot of personal bitterness, he’s a bitter man, having gone through four indictments, humiliated, he’s going to take it out on his enemies. We’ve got to explain to the American people what that means to them — what the collapse of American democracy will mean to all of us.”

Sanders’s words echo those President Biden made in a recent campaign speech during which he said that Trump’s return to the presidency would risk American democracy. The president highlighted the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol in an attempt to cement a point about Trump and other Republicans espousing a kind of extremism that was seen by the world on that day.

  • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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    10 months ago

    Buddy, the people who voted for Biden in the 2020 primaries specifically to fuck over progressives and leftists knowing full well they hated his guts are at fault.

    People who voted for Biden in the 2020 primaries are selfish pieces of shit.

    Who are these people in your imagination? Like I know people want good things, and I hate them I’ll vote for bad things on purpose argbglglbgbgg. On the Republican side that exists to a certain extent yes; I know a bunch of people who did vote for Biden and not one of them is evil like that in their motivation. In the results? Yeah, maybe.

    I think Biden is a center-right rich white guy, and a progressive candidate would be way better. But I don’t think people voting for him are actively trying to wreck everything; they’re just misinformed. Is this idea that they did it specifically to fuck over leftists, what is it based on?

    You can’t assign blame to me without assigning blame to them as well.

    I do assign blame to them also, yes. The Democrats electing center-right corporatists who don’t really look out for the working class is a huge part of the problem. But I also assign part of the blame to you, if you’re (through inaction) actively helping the end of the world come to the US because you didn’t get your way.

    • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      But I don’t think people voting for him are actively trying to wreck everything; they’re just misinformed. Is this idea that they did it specifically to fuck over leftists, what is it based on?

      Give me one good reason to vote for Biden over all other candidates in the primaries.

      • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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        10 months ago

        “Because he’s more likely to beat Trump; genuinely center-left candidates e.g. George McGovern or Jimmy Carter tend to get beat real bad in elections in the US, largely because our news media is so committedly right-wing.”

        I’m not saying I’m saying that, especially specifically as concerns Bernie Sanders. But people who aren’t totally evil could believe that.

        • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          In other words: They intentionally voted against progressive and leftist efforts.

          Those people can go fuck themselves.

          • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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            10 months ago

            No, they voted for progressive and leftist interests, just like you did. If Bernie had won they’d have voted for him, because they’re mature enough to try to make things better in reality, the best that they see it, which may be flawed. At least, that’s how people I know who voted for Biden in the primary behave.

            Again, if you have a game-plan for how to make the Democrats a better party, then all this that I’m saying doesn’t apply. If, however, your plan is just to help the Republicans until the existing Democratic establishment just wakes up one day and decides to turn away from the corporate money that’s sustained them all this time, then you’re helping the Republicans.

            I think this conversation has started to go in circles, so I may bow out after this bit. But that’s my take on it.

            • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              No, they voted for progressive and leftist interests

              Buddy, your reading comprehension could use some work.

              “Because he’s more likely to beat Trump; genuinely center-left candidates e.g. George McGovern or Jimmy Carter tend to get beat real bad in elections in the US, largely because our news media is so committedly right-wing.”

              They voted against center-left candidates (progressives and leftists) in favor of a centerist like Biden. These people are fighting against us and I say again: They can go fuck themselves.

              If Bernie had won they’d have voted for him

              Yeah, after expecting progressives and leftists to carry garbage procorporate candidates over and over and over they fucking better.

              I’m not voting for Biden again. Stop electing procorporate trash in the primaries.

              • mozz@mbin.grits.dev
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                10 months ago

                Voting for someone who (in their minds) can win the general election, as opposed to voting for someone who (in their minds) will lose to Trump, is advancing leftist interests.

                Would you disagree with that?

                Wait… wait. I worry what you just heard was: (Something else). What I said was: Would you disagree with that exact statement?

                These people are fighting against us

                Some of the people I’m thinking of have volunteered with the Democrats on behalf of were-too-leftist-to-get-elected candidates. And again, they’d vote for your candidate in the general election, because once the field is narrowed to two choices despite their efforts to advance a more leftist choice, they’d rather have the better option over the worse one, and they’re responsible enough to try for the better of the remaining options (and then go back to working for something better than that in the future).

                Sounds to me like you’re fighting against them.