Democrats to Sanders: Time to wind it down
Protracted combat with Hillary Clinton threatens to do real damage in a general election against Donald Trump, senators warn.
By Burgess Everett
Democratic senators of all stripes are as impressed as they are surprised by Bernie Sanders’ insurgent campaign.
But the time has come, they say, for Sanders to start winding things down.After holding their fire on Sanders for the better part of a year, the senators — all backers of Hillary Clinton — are gently calling on Sanders to face the reality that there’s almost no chance he’s going to be the Democratic nominee. They don’t say outright he should quit; doing so would be counterproductive, they say.
But nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers suggested in interviews that Sanders should focus more on stopping Donald Trump and less on why he believes Clinton’s stands on trade, financial regulation and foreign policy would make her a flawed president.
“What’s important is not whether or not he gets out, but how he campaigns,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). “If the contrast is now about what separates us from Donald Trump, then I think it’s fine. I just hope that we can begin to focus on unifying because obviously a lot of us are perplexed that we could be facing a country led by someone who seems to be a buffoon.”
Added Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.): “It’s good [for Sanders] to continue to raise the concerns that people have, but I think it ought to be in the context of, ‘This is the difference between the Democrats and Republicans in this race.’”
The subtext of these comments is the general view among Democrats that Sanders has no path to win. Clinton has nearly double the number of delegates that Sanders has, and she swept the Vermont independent in three distinct regions of the country last week.
“It will be almost impossible for Sen. Sanders to catch up. And he should do the math and draw his own conclusions,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.).
“The writing’s on the wall,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
The message senators are airing publicly mirrors what President Barack Obama told donors in private recently, according to The New York Times: That while Clinton may have her faults as a candidate, the party needs to channel its energy into defeating Trump.
Over the past month, Clinton campaign staffers have bristled at the way Sanders is running. A Clinton campaign memo said Sanders has been “increasingly negative” and accused him of breaking his vows not to name Clinton in his ads, blaming his sweeping losses on a negative strategy that “backfired.”
While tame compared with the accusations of lying and name-calling that dominate the Republican race, Sanders has gone after Clinton more aggressively of late. In the run-up to the Illinois primary, he highlighted her ties to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who’s unpopular among African-American voters and distrusted by progressives. And Sanders has repeatedly dismissed Clinton supporters as part of the “establishment,” which Democratic senators interpret as showing disrepect for them.
Still, Democratic leaders say they’re confident Sanders will do the right thing in the end. As pointed as some of his barbs at Clinton have been, they argue, the self-described democratic socialist hasn’t gone overboard.
“Bernie is a very constructive person. And he wants to move American politics closer in his direction. He’s done that already,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the expected next Democratic leader. “I am not worried.”
The Sanders campaign dismissed any suggestion that it’s time to wrap up his long-shot bid and pivot to defeating Trump and the Republicans. Campaign spokesman Michael Briggs insisted Sanders is still a superior general election candidate because he “consistently draws much more support than she does in general election matchups with the Republican front-runner.”
“If Democrats are interested in holding on to the White House, if Democratic senators are interested in regaining a majority in the Senate and picking up seats in the House and statehouses all across the county, Bernie’s the best bet,” Briggs said.
Even so, Democrats privately believe Sanders is already calculating how to gradually shift toward a posture of unity by summertime. With Clinton favored to win the nomination and beat Trump in the general election, Sanders also has to think about his relationship with a potential future president and returning to the Senate, where he caucuses with Democrats.
“He won’t do it,” said one high-ranking Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill of Sanders continuing to attack Clinton in ways that go beyond their policy differences.
At the same time, Democrats need to tread carefully in how they treat Sanders. His legion of followers will be critical to getting Clinton elected, not to mention scores of Democratic Senate and House candidates. It’s unknown how hard Sanders would campaign for Clinton, assuming she does prevail.
“I think that Sen. Sanders has built a movement. And that whatever happens, the two big tribes of the Democratic Party will be able to unite at the convention and be so much stronger,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
But the dance is sure to be awkward. Not a single Democratic senator has endorsed Sanders. And beneath their deference, there’s growing irritation among the lawmakers that the longer his campaign continues, the more he will undermine Clinton in the fall.
“That’s something he’s going to have to decide,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said of how long Sanders remains in the race.
“She’s going to be the nominee.”
But, for now at least, Democrats believe measured diplomacy is the best approach for dealing with Sanders and his supporters.
“I don’t think any Democrat should call on him to get out,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “Almost no Democrat I know would say that. And shouldn’t.”
