Or do you support the 47/47 rumor?

Possibly the most important issue in this country in a decade or more and Sanders is MIA. That man should NEVER be President.

In this case, the value of his vote would be ZERO.

FUCKING ZERO.

Meanwhile, the value of supporting public awareness of the economic response to coronavirus would be FUCKING non-zero.

Therefore, logically, it makes more sense to spend time on a livestream to people than to vote on the cloture vote.

Because A is FUCKING greater than B.

It's FUCKING math.

The right thing would have been for him to be in the senate doing his job regardless of the outcome

What if every senator called it like bernie does? Where would we be then?

Either address the point or don't. Simply dismissing it a "Bernie math" is illogical.

FULL STOP.

He missed the bulk of the votes last year, and slept through the impeachment hearings.

He's in the Senate when it matters, unlike this vote. Let's not change the subject. His vote didn't matter at all for this vote. Right?

Yes or no. Right?

when it really matters which will be decided after the fact. Being there "generally" is good enough. When the company goes on functioning without me, my presence wasn't really needed. As long as enough people show up to mask me being missing in action, then what's the fuss about?
Ah, the life of the elites.

It’s his job. If he’s scared cuz he’s elderly. Say so. If it’s to campaign for president, he should say so. If he doesn’t want a senate job during a time of crisis, then he shouldn’t be president during a crisis.

Not math. Sense.

presidential candidates.

He signs on to other peoples bills.. 90 plus percent that do not get passed.. In all his years in Washington he has initiated 3 bills.. 2 of them post-office names..

He is or was or whatever you want to call it, running in the Democratic party for the Presidency. Yet he will not vote.. or explain why he will not vote.


He does nothing


Mathematically if someone gives you zero, you know what you have from them.. ZERO!

I have no idea in this world or the next how he would ever have stood up for us. Even AOC is seeing the light on this one I think. He talks a good game but he does not have any results. Yelling at everyone and then walking away does not get us the programs and governance we need.

Edit to add.. if he is having health issues or concerns.. he also has to let people know that.. otherwise he is giving us even more than a zero.. he is taking away from us our power.

Not great optics for someone who thinks he should be president. But maybe he has a secret plan for saving the world, as he said, and it involves not showing up but waving a wand.

Indicative of a lifetime.

They don't give a shit about his stupid fucking livestream of total bullshit. Talk does NOTHING. Any fool can run his damned mouth.

VOTING IN THE SENATE DOES SOMETHING.

It's at least doing the bare minimum of what he's paid for--showing up and voting, since he can't be bothered to legislate.

....Feinstein has been in Washington since late last week working as a Senator, she was there for the vote. She's 86 years old.

What makes Sanders so special that he doesn't have to do his job? He did a so-called "livestream" on the virus with three people with zero medical background and, of course, musical guests. That's more important?

If he's so altruistic and worried about the people, why doesn't he contribute the salary he hasn't been earning to any charities?

Now, since you say "it's FUCKING math", let's look at some math, including, to quote you, "FUCKING ZERO".

From June 28 2019 through January 8 2020 he wasn't present for a SINGLE vote - not one! "FUCKING ZERO".

That's 194 consecutive days that he wasn't doing his job. During those 194 days there were 244 roll call votes on the floor of the Senate. He missed every single one! "FUCKING ZERO".

What's your explanation for that?

He has a duty to be in Washington and participate in this important debate and actually cast his vote. He isn't there. His loyalists with make any excuse for him.

If he can't do it, he should resign and let someone who can be there.

The reason he can skive off is because others don;t. I guess some people are more important than others...

been there.

If Sanders has health issues, then no problem. He should disclose that.

But I am afraid this is more like Achilles sulking in his tent while the war carries on.

Public awareness is part of his job and was more important than voting on this cloture vote which would have required 57-37 to pass!

Then what? 0 votes that's what!

what the heck are you talking about?! Of course I will vote for Biden. What a weird accusation!

still relevant and helping Trump by not conceding.

It really is that simple.

because he didn't get everything he wanted, what does that say about a potential job performance as POTUS?

But this same question has already been posted. Probably multiple times.

smh

Not sure why you are asking an obvious answered question, but here you go...

Sanders is the only Senator running for President right now who has a megaphone that can increase public awareness of the needed economic response to the coronavirus. So, speaking publicly about it has way more impact by him right now than by most others. Any others who may also have a megaphone are not out running for President who would be able to impact as widely as he can. They'd have a megaphone primarily in their own states.

So, this makes the value of his public awareness livestream uniquely more impactful than any of the other Senators in question.

Now, simply combine that with the other points in the OP and throughout the thread.

The value of his livestream (NON-ZERO) was greater than the value of his vote which would be ZERO.

Therefore, according to rational decision-making it was the rational thing to do.

....he didn't have to do it coincident with the Senate vote.

Reminds me of the Oleg Deripaska sanctions vote early last year. He was the only one of 100 Senators to not vote, even though he was a short walk from the Capitol building. Instead he scheduled his 30-minute talk to his 2016 staffers to coincide with that vote, even though the meeting he addressed was an all-day event.

As Rosanne Rosanadana famously said, "it's always something, if it's not one thing it's another."

There was no point for him to be there. And there was more value in livestreaming. Livestreaming while the vote is going on gets more press and therefore more awareness, but that doesn't matter anyway because there was no point for him to be there.

Since your question has been answered and even more information was given than you asked for, maybe you can now concede that the whole Bernie being necessary because 47-47 makes no sense.

Will you concede that point or not?

I said he is the ONLY one running for President and his vote would not have mattered. Instead, his voice as a senator running for President is used to increase public awareness of the needed economic response to coronavirus. That answered your question 110%.

So, now you won't concede the point. And instead of conceding you are posting another CLOTURE vote?! What the heck?!

....his "round table" and rock concert AFTER McConnell scheduled the Sunday vote. On top of that, toward the close of business on Wednesday he took off for Vermont while all the Democratic Senators and King remained in Washington for the remainder of the week. However, he didn't leave for any campaign events, he simply went home.

No amount of excuses will justify why he was the only non-quarantined Senator not in Washington from Wednesday through Monday afternoon.

I think he was avoiding having to answer for a vote on a bill that was a compromise, and that would be very difficult for a purist.

A POTUS can't avoid their responsibility in the name of purity.

Not a good look...

“Sanders is the only Senator running for President right now who has a megaphone that can increase public awareness of the needed economic response to the coronavirus. So, speaking publicly about it has way more impact by him right now than by most others. Any others who may also have a megaphone are not out running for President who would be able to impact as widely as he can. They'd have a megaphone primarily in their own states.”

AOC has more impact than Bernie at this point.

We don’t need megaphones or anymore public awareness. If the public isn’t aware by now they aren’t going to be. (ie. spring break)

We need leadership. Democratic leadership.

The fact is that he missed two critical days of legislation. It's like blowing off the Selma march: whatever his reasons, it looks really bad. If the world loved him, it might not matter. But the world is waiting for him to suspend his primary campaign, and this was an iconic boo-boo.

He's in DC apparently, interacting with Dem leadership presumably, and I'm really hoping they read him the riot act. There is no reason in hades to let thing drag on especially with all the primaries disappearing.

Let someone do the job that wants to,

Oh.... but send the paycheck, please and thanks!

You undertake an obligation to be funny. A wince, and sad shake of the head, do not count as laughter.

It is necessary to understand people you want to parody, and it is clear you do not.

The charge against Sanders is two-fold.

First, his station is the Senate floor. Retired to seclusion in his Vermont home, he is deserting his post. A man who deserts his post in time of crisis forfeits a good deal of respect.

Second, by absenting himself, Sanders is forfeiting even a remote chance of actually influencing events. He can do nothing to improve the terms of what will eventually pass as a relief bill. While given his poor regard in the Senate, and notorious inability to compromise, he likely would be only a negligible factor, still sometimes people do rise to the occasion, and it is not wholly impossible his presence at his post could bring some benefit.

That Sanders displays common stigmata of narcissicism is so evident to any dispassionate observer of his behavior and career, you have at least managed a 'Poe' of sorts in your opening headline, but what you have mirrored is simply the general consensus, rather than some sort of outlandish exaggerations flung to smear 'Bernie'....



"When things are not called by their right names, what is said cannot make sense. When what is said does not make sense, what is planned cannot succeed. When plans do not succeed, people become uneasy. When people are uneasy, punishments do not fit crimes. When punishments do not fit crimes, people cannot know where to put hand or foot."

Does not have a stellar past but he seems to know how to negotiate. Schumer is an old hand.

Mitch is left out to whine and complain on the Senate floor, along with a few of his co- Horts whining about Pelosi and Democrats. 4 of them so far. Absolutely useless.

But he does give an appearance of sanity, it is true.

"Optimists get bitter disappointments. Pessimists get pleasant surprises."

But will stay positive to help you!

Schumer is now laying out what they won to help the worker. Sounds good!

Now isn’t that positive?

Sen. Schumer is doing good work.

Put Nancy in there.

It was a delight to see Mitch and Susan lose their temper.

I just don't get paid, and I consider myself a lucky SOB if I don't get fired. Period. And no one ever shows the slightest inclination to justify my absence by claiming my presence was not necessary.

....I took a red-eye home the night before.

I didn't get a chance to call in to let anyone know until 10 AM the next morning. I got hauled on the carpet for not letting them know where I was!

I once was critisized for doing the right thing. Ii

unless one is entitled of course.

...and is a complete non-factor in negotiations?

I guess I would agree, but Bernie’s campaign should be honest about the fact that he is pretty ineffective as a Senator.

my spouse and I ventured out to cast our votes. It was a risk, since we are both over 65 and live in a high-incidence COVID-19 city. We wore disposable gloves and took hand sanitizer. We cast our votes not just for the presidential race but for important state and county and judicial offices that will affect the future of society in our country and locality.

And here is what we reasoned: it was our duty to protect democracy by participating in guiding its future—just as we ask our military to put themselves on the line for democracy. It's a risk, and you might lose, but you must do your civic duty.

When a member of Congress fails to make that commitment, either for personal or political reasons, it's like going AWOL. Maybe the vote didn't matter in the grander scheme of things. Our votes probably didn't affect the overall outcome of the primary races for various offices either. But it was our duty, and we risked our health to do it. Others should consider doing the same. Especially when they are asking people to vote for them.

"Courage is the form all virtues take, pushed to the sticking point."

Is he running for us or for his coterie?

the Senate including Amy who's husband is desperately sick...one independent chose not to be there...we don't know why.

He was at home doing an internet variety show (with musical guests!) where he apparently was telling everyone what he thought should be done to combat the coronavirus and prevent our economy from falling into a depression.

The problem is that, as a sitting U.S. senator, his ass should have been in Washington telling fellow senators that.

Everyone is seeing firsthand how Sanders managed to accomplish so little despite ~thirty years in Congress. We are all witnessing it with our own eyes, in real time.

Go for a walk, read a book, volunteer at a pet shelter.

Its getting really nasty around here and its not letting up even though biden will likely be the candidate.

Its sick!

But the way the OP put it is the way most of us see it.

Rather than accepting that BS is not exempt from criticism when he does risible things. Not doing his job by going to the Senate during a major negotiation to help establish some of that economic justice he's always carping about is not a smart move.

And that's the NICEST thing that can be said about his behavior of late.

Bernie is a disappointment. In 16, I voted for him. My entire family did...sad that this will be his legacy.

I think you're right...after objectively reviewing Bernie's LES (Legislative Effectiveness Score) during his entire time in Congress I believe that not only did it not matter that he wasn't in DC to vote recently, but it didn't really matter if he hadn't been in Congress his entire career!

Center for Effective Lawmaking

https://thelawmakers.org/

The LES measures how effectively a member of the House or Senate was in moving his or her agenda through Congress from introducing a bill until it possibly becomes law. An LES of 0.5 to 1.5 qualifies as "Meeting Expectations". An LES below 0.5 is "Below Expectations". Behold the record of a certain lawmaker hailing from the great state of Vermont...

Con LES
102 .336
103 .219
104 .463
105 .347
106 .231
107 .343
108 .266
109 .380
110 .199
111 .522
112 .338
113 2.025
114 .191
115 .159

Had one really good Congressional session (113th) and another one where he barely met expectations (111th). During the other 24 years in Congress it's pretty much been a miserable performance when it comes to effectiveness.

BS kinda reminds me of a ballplayer who had one very good season during his career, one barely acceptable season and a whole bunch of other dismal seasons. Making a single All-Star game doesn't put you in the Hall of Fame.

Also did Biden's so if you're interested just gimme a shout and I'll be more than happy to oblige.

Let us see it. For fairness!

But I would prefer to have the request come from the OP. I wouldn't want him to accuse me of "piling on" or "Bernie bashing". I'm sure you understand.

I enjoy reading your posts, BTW.

Oh, I do have one request for the OP if he would like to see Joe's effectiveness scores...

because we expect a man who thinks he should rule this country should show up to help keep it going and we point out he can't even be bothered to do that? Are you saying, with your little numbers game, that he had no contribution to make?

ZERO < NON-ZERO

Q.E.D.

and considering that up to now he would show up at the opening of an envelope to get his face front and center, it does not compute

Requiring a candidate to vote on cloture that will not pass anyway because 10 Democrats would have to flip is nonsense.

He used his time more productively.

How does that math sit with everyone? He derelict in his duty and no amount of math can change that. Amy Klobuchar's husband is critically ill in a hospital and yet she there's meeting her obligations as a Senator.

How about he actually go to Washington and do his job.