was doing when Schumer, Dean and other Democratic leaders were praising him to the skies.

I thought that becoming a Democratic senator, with the hideous and demeaning phone-banking requirements, was a tremendous sacrifice. I wish him well, and hope he'll continue teaching us how to be better Dems.

The logic is that if he's still an independent in the Senate, some folks here figure that means they can attack him with impunity, because he won't have a -D?

This was expected. Note what he says, too. "I was elected as an Independent".

He's coming through at convention, so this is a nothingburger.

He's been on "our" side for decades as a true progressive.

He'll still get a committee chair seat if we can flip the Senate.

This is for the folks back home. Vermont is not really a "red" state when you look into it. He's been confounding conservatives for years with how he keeps getting elected there.

If the Democrats were to regain the majority in the Senate, new Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer could deny Bernie of the opportunity to be Chair of the incredibly powerful and influential Senate Budget committee where he is now the ranking member.
Bernie would probably retain that position if the Senate was split 50-50.

He said he was going to keep the I next to his name in the Senate because that's how people elected him. I guess he will decide in 2018 whether to run as an independent or a Democrat.

Bernie's never hidden that he has no respect or fondness for the Democratic Party, which he has considered very corrupt for probably 50 years. Cooperation with differing power blocs to reach workable accords is not corruption to me. It is intrinsic to who we are and how we are able to achieve lasting goals.

I'm grateful for what his campaign has accomplished so far--and am glad he ran in spite of some things I definitely disapprove of. But although I want a lot more change, I really don't want someone who is hostile to the party, and frequently to its goals, and even ideology, tilting at it from inside, and certainly not with the help of followers who share his disrespectful gut-and-rebuild attitudes.

I want reform by people who admire -- intensely -- our 225-year history of liberal contributions and accomplishments (the Declaration of Independence starts that list, the Bill of Rights follows). I want change by people who value what and who are good and valuable. Change should be lead by people who intend to make sure that many great years of the party that is the heart and soul of American liberalism are still ahead of us.

Go, Bernie, in both senses. Help encourage change from outside.