Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday blew the whistle on the fix that gave Kamala Harris the Democratic nomination for president.
At the podium in Chicago’s United Center, the multi-millionaire railed against the pernicious influence of the “billionaires in both parties” in American politics.
The only question was, how many Democrats in the audience or watching at home understood what he said.
The bomb-drop came more than halfway through the self-avowed socialist’s full-throated Leninist rant at the Democratic National Convention:
Bernie Sanders Just Called Out the DNC to Its Face
“Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections, INCLUDING primary elections.”
You know what he’s talking about. pic.twitter.com/PJ9QpPAxG4
— The Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) August 21, 2024
After running through a laundry list of leftist goals, Sanders got off a thinly veiled shot at the “process” that put Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket in November’s election.
“Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections including primary elections,” Sanders shouted.
The crowd cheered — crowds always cheer at these things, and Democrats will cheer pretty much any line that seems to slam billionaires.
Will Kamala Harris lose?
But who was Bernie talking about here?
Republicans had a robust, if short-lived, primary election contest, which saw Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley challenge former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.
On the Democratic side, there was nothing of the kind. Instead, party leaders made sure that doddering Joe Biden saw no real competition for the Democratic nomination — even the token, quixotic kind of competition represented by Rep. Dean Phillips.
Then, when the Biden campaign imploded under the weight of Biden’s incompetence, it was the Democratic donor class of “billionaires” that effectively drove Biden from the race — and party officials dutifully installed Harris in his place.
(It was almost like it was planned.)
I’m confused.
Bernie Sanders just went off on billionaires buying primary elections.
The Democrats didn’t even get to choose their nominee this election cycle…
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) August 21, 2024
In previous presidential primaries, Sanders had an even more personal grievance against the monied class.
In 2020, Sanders had won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire and the caucuses in Nevada while coming in a close second in the Iowa caucuses. The Democratic establishment — terrified of having an open socialist as its standard-bearer — made sure Biden won the South Carolina primary putting him on a glide path to winning the nomination.
In 2016, Sanders gave Hillary Clinton a run for her money but again lost to the establishment candidate, backed by the party’s big money.
So, the wealthy socialist with his three homes obviously has a personal ax to grind when it comes to “billionaires” in American politics.
Bernie Sanders at the DNC!!
“Billionaires in both parties should not be able to buy elections, INCLUDING primary elections.”
I’m betting he wasn’t supposed to say that!!
Y’all think he’s a little pissed about getting screwed out of his primaries?
— SaltyGoat (@SaltyGoat17) August 21, 2024
But that fight isn’t really with the GOP — it’s with his own party. And that includes the Kamala Harris campaign.
It was a stunning moment of bare-knuckled bitterness — even if the cheering Democrats in the audience and at home didn’t realize it.
