LISTEN NOW: DNC Proposes New "Loyalty Oath" to BERN Independents

Published: 14 Jun, 2018

1 min read

In my latest interview, I spoke with Nick Braña, who served as the National Outreach Coordinator for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign and is the founder of the Movement for a People's Party, a group of former Bernie supporters, progressive independents, and disenchanted Democrats who believe a new party is needed.

Nick and I talk about the latest rule approved by the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee that would establish a new "loyalty oath" for presidential candidates seeking the party's nomination. The rule requires any candidate seeking the nomination to “affirmatively demonstrate that they are faithful to the interests, welfare, and success of the Democratic Party of the United States.”

In other words, candidates who might have views that run contrary to the party platform or think there needs to be changes to how the party operates would not be allowed to run in 2020. Rather than open their tent to candidates like Bernie Sanders and other candidates who may not always toe the party line, their double downing on the "party loyalty before voters" policies of the past.

ALSO READ: Maine Voters Lift Up Democracy; Democratic Party Pulls It Down

Nick and I also talk about the role Bernie Sanders played in the party's decision to even consider such a rule change, as Sanders didn't challenge the party after it marginalized his campaign and disenfranchised millions of voters.

"You cannot move forward without addressing those things that caused the primaries to be stacked in the first place," Nick says.

Listen to the full podcast above. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Noah Mascarin / shutterstock.com

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York

The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....

30 Oct, 2025

1 min read

Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'

The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....

30 Oct, 2025

3 min read

5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering

Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....

31 Oct, 2025

4 min read

LISTEN NOW: DNC Proposes New "Loyalty Oath" to BERN Independents

You Might Also Like