Bernie Sanders creates nonprofit, staffers abandon it

Sen. Bernie Sanders (Liberty Union-Independent-Democrat-Independent) has launched a new nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization called Our Revolution. (website)

The group’s About page explains its goals:

Our Revolution will reclaim democracy for the working people of our country by harnessing the transformative energy of the “political revolution.” Through supporting a new generation of progressive leaders, empowering millions to fight for progressive change and elevating the political consciousness, Our Revolution will transform American politics to make our political and economic systems once again responsive to the needs of working families.

Our Revolution has three intertwined goals: to revitalize American democracy, empower progressive leaders and elevate the political consciousness.

But the launch didn’t go off without a hitch. Staffers from Bernie’s presidential campaign jumped ship because campaign manager Jeff Weaver was selected to head Our Revolution.

They don’t like Weaver because he’s a fan of rich people’s money.

Claire Sandberg told Democracy Now! that

…all of us who worked on the campaign who moved over to Our Revolution did so based on the promise that Jeff Weaver would not be involved in Our Revolution or that his role would be strictly constrained as a legal adviser or a board member who would have somewhat of a token role. But it became clear—and so, there were two main concerns among the staff. One, we all saw how Jeff ran the campaign, and there were a number of concerns about that. Secondly, Jeff’s leadership and advice as a legal adviser had already hamstrung Our Revolution before it even launched, specifically Jeff’s decision to constitute the organization as a 501(c)(4), which prevented us from doing effective down-ballot organizing for candidates, also effective down-ballot fundraising.

Weaver has admitted “that he wanted to form the organization as a 501(c)(4) for the express purpose of accepting billionaire money,” Sandberg said, “which of course flies in the face of what all of our supporters were so excited about, that we were taking a country back from the billionaire class without the use of billionaire money, $27 at a time.”

So there it is. She hates eeevil dark money.