We’ll start with Commandante Atrios:

I’m struck by how everything The Left does is wrong. Not just in terms of policy, but tactics. Running a third party candidate is wrong (I actually agree with this generally!), running in a major party primary is wrong, protesting is wrong, protesting the wrong way is wrong, not protesting is wrong, having a journal of important Lefty ideas is wrong, not catering to the feefees of Real Americans is wrong, proposing legislation is wrong, objecting to racism and sexism is wrong. There’s a longer list, I’m sure, but self-styled “moderates” chastise Lefties no matter what they do.

What we’re seeing among Very Serious Democrats and DLC/New Democrats is the dawning horror that, due to the Sanders campaign, they will have to negotiate with the Left–who are social democrats in the European context (not TEH MARXICISMZ!). This has not happened for several decades. I don’t think they know how to do this anymore or understand with whom they’re negotiating (hint: it’s not the New Left of the 1960s and 1970s).

They seem to have no problem negotiating with Republicans, even as Republicans have continued to move rightward. But the Left (again, most of this entity isn’t even socialist) is utterly alien to them, whether it be perspective or experience. Weirdly, the Democratic political establishment probably feels more comfortable dealing with rightwing Republicans–which are essentially all Republicans–than it does the social democratic wing of its party.

Which pace Krugman* has nothing to do with clientelism.

*We make the funny!