Bernie Sanders: Obama Primary Challenge From A Progressive Would 'Enliven' 2012 Debate

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in an interview this week that President Barack Obama facing a primary challenge from the left could serve to "enliven" the race for the White House in 2012.

In an interview on New York-based radio station WNYC, Sanders tamped down speculation that he might be considering challenging Obama himself. However, he then went on to endorse the idea of the president having to defend himself on Democratic turf.

"But if a progressive Democrat wants to run, I think it would enliven the debate, raise some issues and people have a right to do that," Sanders said. "I've been asked whether I am going to do that. I'm not. I don't know who is, but in a democracy, it's not a bad idea to have different voices out there."

The prospect of fielding a primary challenger to run against Obama has been tossed around in light of mediocre approval numbers for the president and the defeats suffered by Democrats in the midterm election last year.

HuffPost's Sam Stein pointed out that former president Bill Clinton had come under much heavier scrutiny from members of his party when in office. After facing Democratic skepticism in the wake of substantial losses in the 1994 midterm races, he rebounded before his own reelection in 1996.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), a liberal Democrat who has been floated as a potential Obama primary competitor, said last month that a challenge could make the president a "stronger nominee," perhaps by reviving his fading favorability among members of his progressive base. Asked if he was considering stepping up to the plate at the time, however, the congressman said he had no intentions to run, a stance that he has taken repeatedly.

Comments

[libertarian socialist]

10:04 PM on 04/06/2011

It's kind of ridiculous, everyone says, well someone should run against him, but it's not going to be me. Well who then?! None of the "progressive" Democrats want to be the one who had the gall to run against a sitting president. The reality is, no one would expect Obama to lose the primary, including the person challenging him. What it would do is force Obama to answer to his base. It would make him move to the left, at least rhetorically, in order to maintain the support of the rank and file. He would have to make some progressive promises. Of course, he made plenty of progressive promises in his 2008 campaign, and he probably never had any intention of keeping them. But if he breaks campaign promises a second time, maybe people will start to see that Democrats only talk left, but they are really just as beholden to the corporations as the Republicans. In addition to enriching the debate, with any luck it could hasten the death of the Democratic Party in its current form. But we need a candidate, and one who he would have to debate publicly.

[willg]

11:52 AM on 05/15/2011

For quite a while, I was willing to believe that we just needed to move Obama back to supporting his base, back to the words he spoke as a candidate, but now, after all the contrary actions and statements, I do not believe that he is in reality, the person we thought he was. He really has supported by his major actions, the interests of the corporations, Wall Street, the health "insurance" industry, the oil industry, and the defense industries against the ordinary citizens of the USA. He continues to do so each day. He does not even provide a strong and educated voice to oppose those corporate interests. We really need strong and angry voices to champion our causes, the ordinary citizens who increasingly pay most of the bills. I now want a strong, viable, outspoken, well-educated, and determined candidate who fully intends to do the job of President. I would support such a person immediately. Both are good, decent people, but Sanders and Kucinich are not the ones.

[Mickey1]

11:40 AM on 03/26/2011

Bernie Sanders / Ron Paul 2012
Populist not Party

[sophiemaki]

04:24 PM on 03/23/2011

Bernie Sanders for President 2012!

[snowballinhell]

02:59 AM on 03/23/2011

In the meantime, friends of mine, oil is back on the Gulf, confirmed by the Coast Guard today;
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20110322/HURBLOG/110329832/1223?p=all&tc=pgall

Another reason we need an alternative candidate for the top spot for 2012.

[Smedley Butler]

11:40 PM on 03/22/2011

Scroll through this thread to see how the corporatist infiltration of the Democratic party is making it more like the GOP daily.

You will note exceptions but see the general difference between progressives advocating a primary challenge and partisans who feel it's heretical.

Progressive believe a primary cold allow a better representative to surface.Partisans are quick to point out that deviating from lockstep endorsement of the party candidate will result in unnamed and dire consequence. What other party use's of this tactic?

Progressive believe that an open primary is a healthy exercise in democracy allowing greater freedom of choice. Partisans believe a primary is a dangerous challenge to the party power structure that will surely result in doom.

Progressives welcome debate and diversity of opinion in the public arena and discuss the bad as well as good points of a particular candidate. Partisans Are quick to defend not only anything but everything their particular party candidate says or does good or bad, right or wrong, and view anyone with a contrary view to be a dangerous traitor or "working for the other side. Good news only is their policy.

To sum it up:
Hope VS Fear
Election VS Selection
Debate VS Dogma

Tell me how the Democratic party hasn't become more like the GOP. Perhaps some partisans will figure out it's not the GOP they have to fear, it's the take over of the GOP and growing presence of the CORPORATE PARTY in the Democratic party that's to fear.

[monomatica]

07:13 PM on 03/22/2011

After the long campaign cycles of 2008 and 2010, I honestly don't have the stomach for another one. I am a Democrat and a not 100% happy with what Obama has done, but he HAS done alot and want to give him another 4 years to do more. It's not all his fault that progressive ideas (public option, closing Guantanamo) haven't happened. But I also never thought he WAS progressive. He was always a centrist and that's what he is now.

[Broderick Crawford]

03:04 PM on 03/22/2011

Bernie is not going to run against Obama. Communist against communist to find out who is more oppressive. The regressive left in action. Is he suggesting Calypso Louie ??

[Sock De Jour]

03:46 PM on 03/22/2011

You don't even understand the meaning of the word. There are no communists in America. Especially not when it comes to politicians. They're too concerned with feathering their own nests.

[allengoldchain]

03:31 PM on 03/23/2011

haha ...nice

[Electrum 01]

11:21 AM on 03/22/2011

I agree that the liberal/left needs to make it's voice heard. I want a challenge to President Obama, even if it only demonstrates to him the constituency of his own party. I know that in DC one easily gets a distorted view of the political reality out in the hinterlands.

[allengoldchain]

03:46 PM on 03/23/2011

but I thought you liberals invested so much on this one. I thought Obama was going to be different... the shining knight...almost untouchable with the bureaucracy of dc...

[Electrum 01]

12:04 PM on 03/24/2011

No, we liberals recognise human frailty. We know our leaders are fallible. We deal with reality, not with unrealistic expectations.

[MileHighCityMan]

08:41 PM on 03/21/2011

I'd like to address the loser's mentality present with many Democratic voters:

This loser's mentality tells us that any amount of flip flopping on fundamenta­l progressiv­e/pro middle class issues is fine, so long as the candidate is still slightly better than a clinically insane right winger. It buys the right wing narrative instead of creating a better narrative and going on the offensive with it. It says no matter how bad someone from the "Blue Team" is, you need to support them or Sarah Palin will be taking over the country. It says that when conservati­ves fight and push their agenda relentless­ly they are just being Republican­s, and when liberals fight for their agenda it isn't pragmatic, because "we all know Americans don't like liberal policies". Nevermind the fact that when polled with concrete data, a liberal agenda is wildly popular on an issue-by-i­ssue basis.

This loser's mentality is what is responsibl­e for Americans saying they aren't liberals in polls, yet love liberal policies and the history that liberalism has provided the middle class in this country. It is responsibl­e for allowing the Republican Party to move farther to the right every day, and then being fine with the Democratic Party chasing it to the right under an irrational argument of pragmatism­. It has a new, shiny excuse for each new capitulati­on, and says it is all just a genius "chess match".

It equates fighting for a popular liberal agenda with "extremism­" equal to the Tea Party

[Electrum 01]

11:15 AM on 03/22/2011

This is an excellent post. F&F

[Sock De Jour]

03:48 PM on 03/22/2011

That's what happens when both parties are corporate owned. The difference is in sentiment and semantics, not policies.

[didereaux]

01:54 PM on 03/21/2011

A Progressive challenger would not only 'enliven' the 2012 campaign, it would contribute to the downfall of the NEO-Con takeover of politics that has occurred. Obama MUST GO, with his wars, his WallSt buddies, and his BIG Bidness buddies!

Bernie is telling it like it is... LISTEN TO HIM!

[KaAp]

05:08 PM on 03/21/2011

YES!!!!!!!
We must stand in solidarity and push back against the forces of fascism .... We must stand with those who would support working men and women and really support labor ... We must stand with someone who believes in universal healthcare and not insurance reforms, we must commit to restoring our rights as citizens ... no more wars, no more wall street bailouts ... no more privatization and proliterianization ... stand in solidarity now ... solidarity forever ...

[Jazzycar]

07:25 AM on 03/21/2011

Another guy willing to sacrifice Democratic control of the White House on the altar of head-in-the-clouds idealism. Primaries are not just polite discussions, they are political battles and the more Dems fracture and fight among themselves, the greater the chance of repeating the results of the mid terms. Wake up.

[didereaux]

01:55 PM on 03/21/2011

When 'Democratic' control is indistinguishable from 'Repug' control it is time for REAL change!

[Jazzycar]

05:00 PM on 03/21/2011

You really can't see a difference between Bush and Obama? You can't see the difference between Tea Party Republican and Democrat. Look at Wisconsin. Look at Ohio, Look at Indiana. Look at Texas. Look at what the Tea Party is trying to do to public education. Look at health care reform. Perfect? No. But the biggest step we have taken in a century. If you are waiting for the "perfect" president, you are going to wait forever. People aren't perfect.

[lvogt]

08:32 PM on 03/21/2011

Obama isn't progressive enough or a good enough negotiator but the difference between him and McCain or Bush is like black and white. No contest. I'd rather have someone generally on my side disappoint me at times than have someone actively working against me.

[Electrum 01]

11:25 AM on 03/22/2011

I disagree. The Dems are strong enough to sustain debate and move forward. This won't hurt us, it'll strengthen us. President Obama needs to address leftist grievances.

[twin1616]

04:45 AM on 03/21/2011

Another candidate would enliven the debate, but the right has demonized our president so much that some of us on the left are actually buying into that BS. Birthers, Tea Party Crazies and even soft spoken Independents have all jumped on the 'one term' band wagon. It's like running up hill when you can't even get members of your own party to vote with you. Obama could have gotten so much more accomplished if moderate Democrats had not been bitching so much when they had control of the House. They were no better than the TP crazy people.

[Jazzycar]

07:13 AM on 03/21/2011

If Democrats don't get behind the President they might as well hand the keys of the White House over to the Tea Party. GOP control of the Presidency and Senate would mean all the stuff the House is floating actually becomes law.

[KaAp]

05:19 PM on 03/21/2011

That sounds like threats my mother used to make that were either/or ... either you have a child or a career you cannot have both: YES I COULD!
There is something rumbling in the air ... do you see the people standing up and beginning to organize in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and even in Florida ... the more repressive the government the bigger the pushback ... and right now Obama has adopted neoliberal (privatization and corporatizing) and neoconservative (warmongering) positions ... we need someone to stand up for unions, for peace, for the PEOPLE ...

[elannem]

11:25 AM on 04/16/2011

Obama could have gotten so much done if he wouldn't have kicked his progressive base in the teeth almost immediately after having gotten elected. He sucked the oxygen out of his groundswell of support that worked so hard for him during the election by immediately appointing the likes of Geithner, Summers, Emanuel, Vilsack etc. Would he have done what he promised - initiate change - that groundswell would have continued to mobilize behind him.

[Rook119]

01:47 AM on 03/21/2011

Basically Obama is now a full-blooded neocon now (maybe he always was). The repubs in order to try to distance themselves from him are going off the deep end. Reelection is secured and us liberals could tell ourselves that's wonderful because there is a "democrat" in the WH.

The only way he loses is if an actual dem runs against him in as an independent which to be honest wouldn't bother me. He sold us a pack of lies in the campaign.

[a okafor007]

02:13 AM on 03/21/2011

the democrats that bitched about Bush's policies, yet support Obama's agreement with and extension of those same policies make me lol and SMH at the same time

[BARRY08]

06:12 AM on 03/21/2011

No he did not !!! what is wrong with you !!! - he kept almost every promised even when faced with so much opposition from the right and from the silly so called *moderate left* please stop the nonsense right now !

[a okafor007]

08:29 AM on 03/21/2011

and which promises were those?!?!

[Shaun Hensley]

01:20 AM on 03/21/2011

Dave4ObamaSinceDay1 11 hours ago (2:08 PM)
192 Fans
Become a fan
Progressive Baggers are even worse...

[ObamAtomic]

01:04 AM on 03/21/2011

HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Shaun Hensley 2 minutes ago (12:56 AM)
1046 Fans
Become a fan
Unfan
You've turned your back on so many Democratic principles in order to support Fraudbama and you have the nerve to call me a rat?

Look at that joke of a list again. Not one substantiv­e thing. Minor league stuff there.
--------------------------------------------------------
Yes,you are a rat,this isn't the momment to turn in Obama ,following Teabagers and GOP
talking points,your weakness is. silly,

Go watch FOX.

[a okafor007]

02:15 AM on 03/21/2011

Yes. Obamabot. Do as you are told. *sarcasm on* Obama is the best, smartest president ever. he is achieving the most EVER *sarcasm off*

[The Obot Prime]

08:34 AM on 03/21/2011

As you need sarcasm to acknowledge truth, be sarcastic. The truth you speak endures.

[ObamAtomic]

12:49 PM on 03/21/2011

Rat,check out ,I never pledge to be a serf to no one contrary to you,you have
nothing only Teabagging around as you doing now.

Go watch FOX -listen to ElRush.

[MileHighCityMan]

08:54 PM on 03/21/2011

When people like you "win", the entire pro middle class movement loses. There is no amount of turn coating or abuse from your own president that will change your mind because you have decided he is your favorite rock star. You've talked yourself into believing you don't deserve anything but 1 cup of soggy pourage a day, and if you try for better then the Republicans won't even let you have your 1 measily cup. I'd love to sell you a used car.

[ObamAtomic]

09:50 PM on 03/21/2011

Teabagger stop sobbing,I can't help you ,stop crying!

The entire middle class perished because Teabggers as you !

You can't sell me anything,you are a bad and sorry salesman- You cry too much!

[ObamAtomic]

09:53 PM on 03/21/2011

Bagger I need to remind you that my post is 9 hours ago and the previous one 21
hours ago,whoever programed you sucketpuppet machine,he is a bad programing.