General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: DU's Bernie problem. [View all]Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)You write, "Bernie left the Democratic Party soon after the election."
Before, during, and after his campaign, Bernie was registered to vote in Vermont, but never as a Democrat. Neither is Pat Leahy, for that matter. Vermont doesn't have partisan voter registration. Bernie did not change his registration.
Before, during, and after his campaign, Bernie was listed on the Senate rolls as an Independent who caucused with the Democrats.
There is a continued insinuation on DU that Bernie was somehow deceptive or that he used and then abandoned the party. That is false. The facts I stated above were always publicly known and did not change. People for whom a party label is the single most important thing in the world were free to take it into account in casting their votes. The rest of us are free to disagree.