INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Bernie Sanders Offered Concessions By DNC — But Will He Take Them?

By Greg Hoadley
Published on: 03:26 PST, May 20, 2016

Bernie Sanders has been offered concessions by the Democratic National Committee in an effort to cool the brewing tensions over the last several weeks that were highlighted by an angry atmosphere at the party’s recent convention in Nevada, the Washington Post is reporting.

“Allies of both Clinton and Sanders have urged Democratic leaders to meet some of Sanders’s more mundane demands for greater inclusion at the Philadelphia convention,” the Post said. “Their decision to do so is expected to be finalized by the end of the week, according to two people familiar with the discussions.”

But this is far from a done deal, as the Post also reported that “growing mistrust between Sanders supporters and party leaders” could undermine the efforts towards unity.

Among the issues where Sanders could drive a hard bargain include his call for a $15 minimum wage and a more “balanced” approach when negotiating peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a Sanders supporter told the Post on the condition of anonymity.

Whether or not the offer of concessions will work to ease tensions remains to be seen, however, as the Clinton camp grows increasingly angry with Sanders and his supporters. According to the Hill, “Clinton aides and allies have kept their anger checked.”

But in private, they are “seething” because of Sanders’ refusal to bow out, even though Clinton is less than 100 delegates away from clinching the party nomination, and his staying in keeps her from focusing on Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee.

Sanders is “choosing the path of burning down the house,” one Clinton ally told the Hill. “He continues with calling the Democratic Party corrupt and he not only risks damaging Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party but he’s currently doing it.”

For instance, Sanders recently accepted an invitation from Fox News to debate Clinton in California prior to that state’s June 7 primary (see Inquisitr‘s story here). But Clinton does not want to debate Sanders this late in the primary season let alone on Fox News, “a network Clinton supporters see as fanning the flames between Sanders supporters and the former secretary of State.”

Bernie Sanders large campaign rallies
Bernie Sanders continues to hold large campaign rallies even as the Democratic National Committee puts pressure on him to drop out. [Photo by David McNew/Getty Images]

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Tensions because the Clinton and Sanders camps were heightened at the Nevada convention, where California senator Barbara Boxer, a longtime champion of liberal causes, was booed by Sanders supporters.

Jeff Weaver, Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager, then accused Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of “throwing shade” on Sanders’ campaign to CNN.

“We can have a long conversation about Debbie Wasserman Schultz just about how she’s been throwing shade on the Sanders campaign from the very beginning,” Weaver said.

“My response to that is hashtag SMH (shake my head),” Wasserman Schultz responded, adding that the Democrats should now be focusing on the general election.

But Sanders has made it difficult for Clinton to do this, as he has won four of the last six Democratic primaries — Clinton won in Guam on May 7, and narrowly defeated Sanders in Kentucky on May 10, where they wound up tying in delegates, at 27 apiece, according to the New York Times count.

What do you think? Should Bernie Sanders bow out, given how close Clinton is to getting the delegates she needs to secure the Democratic Party nomination? Should Sanders continue campaigning all the way to the Convention?

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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