@snood,
Quote:The reason why -in my opinion - is that Russian influence on Bernie’s campaign muddles their pristine view of all things Bernie. Even though no one’s accusing anything Bernie did, even the hint of Russian taint is enough to set off their knee-jerk defensiveness about Bernie. Thus - strong denial that Russia ever belongs in any discussion about Bernie.
I'm unclear on the genesis and spread of this notion in the Sanders camp. Greenwald is a key player. My best guess is a combination of two things:
1) Russian trolling which has clearly been very successful and influential in convincing a lot of Bernie supporters that Russia is [Edit: NOT] involved
2) part of that story includes the Russian troll attempts to demonize Clinton for her positions on Russia/Putin which runs conveniently parallel to Sanders camp attacks on her as in - "Hillary and the DNC screwed up the election, not Russia". And we ought to note that Sanders "anti-establishment" brand was established in great part through demonizing the Dem party.
3) in all the above, bad faith right wing agents are at work as well. It isn't merely Putin who is working to set Americans against Americans. It also serves the purposes of the Koch/libertarian crowd (recall Michele Bachmann caught on mic congratulating a big Wisconsin funder for her contributions to breaking up unions - "divide and conquer" was the phrase she used).
Edit: one quick note on Sanders vs Dem "establishment"... He is trying to create a break-away movement. In this, he is not unlike the cases where break-away religious groups form up and promote themselves. It is always (I think it is fair to say always here) the case that they describe themselves as more pure than what they break away from. We are closer, they say, to our faith as it was in the beginning. What we break from, they say, has become corrupted.
