Obama’s Dem Base Crumbles

Like his approval rating.

From Andrew Malcolm at the LA Times.

With all of the spotlights on the high-stakes debt maneuverings by President Obama and Speaker John Boehner the last few days, few people noticed what Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders said:

“I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition.”

This is political treason 469 days before a presidential election. Yes, yes, this is just a crusty old New England independent for now, albeit one who caucuses loyally with Harry Reid’s Democratic posse.

But while most of the media focuses on Republican Boehner and the tea party pressures on him to raise the debt limit not one Liberty dime, Sanders’ mumblings are a useful reminder that hidden in the shadows of this left-handed presidency are militant progressives like Sanders who don’t want to cut one Liberty dime of non-Pentagon spending.

Bernie Sanders is considered by the Malcolm to be a “New England independent”????  He adds the “militant progressive” phrase afterwards, but Bernie is far from “independent”:

The Congressional Progressive Caucus was founded in 1991 by Bernie Sanders-the openly socialist then Congressman from Vermont, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the radical Washington DC based “think tank” Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).

Many members were and continue to be linked to DSA and/or the Communist Party USA, IPS or other radical organizations.

From small beginnings the CPC has grown to embrace more than 80 members of Congress and two in the Senate – Bernie Sanders and Tom Udall (NM).

……Democratic Socialists of America played a role in organizing the CPC, according to Chicago DSA;[5]

“Congressman Bernie Sanders has been charging that these bail-outs to regimes which violate worker and civil rights are illegal under a law passed last year by Sanders and Representative Barney Frank, both leaders of the Progressive Caucus in Congress which DSA has helped to organize.”

DSA continues to work closely with the Congressional Progressive Caucus[6];

“Since 1982, DSA has been working for progressive change. As a national organization, DSA joins with its allies in Congress’ Progressive Caucus and in many other progressive organizations, fighting for the interests of the average citizen both in legislative struggles and in other campaigns to educate the public on progressive issues and to secure progressive access to the media.”

Several past members of CPC have been close to DSA including David Bonior, Hilda Solis, Ron Dellums and Major Owens. Serving Illinois Congressman Danny Davis is a DSA member, while Jan Schakowsky, Jerrold Nadler, Bob Filner, John Conyers, John Lewis and Bernie Sanders all have DSA connections.
http://keywiki.org/i…gressive_Caucus

The best quote of Malcolm’s article:

But here’s the breaking news for wishful Democrats: George W. Bush isn’t running for anything but exercise.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/07/obama-poll-jobs-democratic-base-crumbling.html