"Bernie Bros"
"Bernie Bros"
43 comments
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Generally it was just a term of abuse from Clinton supporters, but I also heard it a few times from leftists who were disappointed by the failure of many Bernie supporters to decouple from toxic masculinity in the process of veering leftwards. This was not entirely untrue - Bernie energized many ordinary young folks without changing their upbringing or prejudices. There was a nonzero contingent of Bernie supporters who were all onboard with left economic policy, but saw matters like racial justice, LGBT rights, or women's issues as 'divisive' or 'irrelevant' compared to Bernie's economic leftism.
On average, though, Bernie supporters were considerably to the left of the Dem Party in general on social issues, so the actual applicability of the term was extremely limited compared to its usage as a general term of abuse.
Christ. Remembering marching in Philly chanting Black Lives Matter in 2016... we were so full of hope back then.
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you’re saying these things about all bernie supporters like you really dug into it but you’re just repeating the same stuff….
it wasn’t just Clinton supporters, the DNC email leaks showed that there was a full on democratic party conspiracy to smear him in this way…
fact is, more women supported him than men, and yes you can find a slice of shitty interviews with supporters of any candidate but it was a lie…
his supporters were younger, louder, and more enthusiastic… but the corporations decided clinton was better for them so that’s what we got and how we got trump….
the DNC also conspired against him and made Biden win the nomination the next election…-
it wasn’t just Clinton supporters, the DNC email leaks showed that there was a full on democratic party conspiracy to smear him in this way…
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That's all very true, though I do think bernies approach of modeling socially progressive ideology through action and actually standing up for folks, while advocating policy that would help change systems of oppression, would have been infinitlely more effective at reaching people than the preachy hollow "CEO girlboss" identity politics of neo-libralism has pivoted towards
Which I think has mostly just done a lot of harm without accomplishing much good, and massively fed the current exclusionary social movement (that is currently seeking to frame minorities as the root of all societal woes and stamp us out of existence)
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This is the most I've ever agreed with you in the year since I've been arguing with you.
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There is no war but the class war. Everything else is a distraction to divide us. If saying that makes me a bigot to (the metaphorical) you, I’m not the one who is the problem.
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I didn't remember that it was about hating women. My experience of it was a certain group of Berie supporters who were super enthusiastic but also pretty toxic about their support for Bernie. I ran into it myself - it was impossible to talk to some of them without getting insulted for honest questions or concerns. And that was with them knowing that I'm pretty far left in my viewpoints. So it often just left a very bad taste in my mouth, which didn't dissuade me from still supporting Bernie (still love him) but I could see how that would polarize a voting base in a moment when you want to unite it.
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I didn’t remember that it was about hating women.
It wasn't, there was just a sizeable segment of 4-chan types who liked Bernie and the left, being unable to rally together for anything, broadly attacked these dudes for existing and not adoring Hilary Clinton who was, in case you all missed it, a woman.
I'm sure there were some performative loud voices from assholes trying to poison the well, but our side hasn't learned to ignore this shit, and never will. Leftists are as easily manipulated as MAGA but in different ways, ya'll just haven't figured it out yet.
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Leftists are as easily manipulated as MAGA but in different ways, y'all just haven't figured it out yet.
Nobody is immune to propaganda. Something we must all remind ourselves.
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That was the origin. Hilary smeared anyone who didn’t support her as misogynistic. She did it with “Obama boys” during her primary with Obama. Replayed the same tactic in 2016. With similar success.
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Naw. There was absolutely without a doubt a non-trivial portion of "the left" that absolutely shit on men because they "couldn't vote for a woman".
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In my mind Bernie Bro refers to the people who voted for Bernie in the primary but didn't vote for Hillary in the General. Claims of potential sexism aside it takes a really special type of moron.
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I hear you, and that's a fair thing to discuss, but what's being discussed in this particular screencap is the smear campaign that occurred prior to the general election.
I also think it's important to note the following, since you've mentioned this topic:
- An "Obama Boys" strategy was used in 2008 by Clinton supporters. (source)
- A higher percentage of Sanders voters backed Clinton in 2016 than her voters backed Obama in 2008. (source)
(edited to fix a broken link)
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But the term predated the actual vote. It was coined in 2015 before the primary.
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and it still sees use today in 2025.
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"Bernie or Buster"
I protest voted in 2016, though with the understanding that I was in a safe state and the expectation that Clinton would win very comfortably.
5 AM after election day was a pretty gut-twisting time for me.
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At least you learned from that mistake
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Sadly there was a sizable amount who went Bernie in primary and Trump in general
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Morons like this also thought,"let's wait till it's too late to have a primary when Biden drops out that way harris is a sure winner." Womp womp
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The worst part is "Bernie Bros." Was a repeat of a tactic Hillary already tried
Back in 2008 it was the "Obama Boys"
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They never supported Bernie's policies. It wasn't very many, but there were a bunch of Bernie Bros in 2016 who switched from him to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. There is very little policy overlap between the two aside from being contrarian. That's all they were doing: being contrarian without any actual policy ideas.
However, the vast majority of Bernie primary voters did vote for Hillary in the general that year.
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there were a bunch of Bernie Bros in 2016 who switched from him to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. There is very little policy overlap between the two aside from being contrarian
Only if you insist on viewing politics through a left-right axis and ignore the authoritarian-libertarian axis. Or if you're weirdly using "contrarian" as a synonym for "not authoritarian," which (considering the status-quo candidates) I guess makes sense.
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43 comments