Of course we're under constant attack, but I think this is different. You may have noticed that starting on Monday 4/17 the conversation has been shifting and reporting of normal events involving Bernie Sanders have had headlines that don't really match the content. They add to this new narrative: Bernie and/or progressives are not democrats. Here are just a few examples I've seen:

https://twitter.com/kasie/status/854505886341099520

https://twitter.com/DebraMessing/status/853756034032291840

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/329559-sanders-i-dont-know-if-ossoff-is-progressive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhyMNHcCN_Q

Now this was a common line of attack from CtR and Hillary supporters in the primaries. It happened during the general too, but it had died down significantly in the past couple of months. Then a funny thing happened... On Monday it went pedal-to-the-medal again.

You'll notice that it doesn't make sense a lot of the time too. Kasie Hunt's tweet makes no sense in context. Messing's tweet was just untrue as Sarandon pointed out with photographic evidence. MSNBC titled that video "Bernie Sanders: I Don't Consider Myself A Democrat" in a clip that didn't even focus on that message at all as the headline would have you think. There are tons more of these kinds of tweets, articles, and videos from just this week. Please share others in the comments...

This is what lobbyists do in their campaigns. They're trying to shape and push a narrative. They lean on their contacts to report them, get impressionable people with an audience worked up to the point that they'll talk about it, and manipulate messages in every avenue they can until it becomes self-perpetuating and normal people start to accept the attacks as truth or something for people to get upset about.

This isn't all that outrageous to suspect that lobbyists are doing this. Right? It's literally what they do for a living. The part that is extra suspicious to me is that it is coming right now as Bernie and Tom Perez go on tour...

When this was announced it took an awful lot of people by surprise. It makes logical sense if you take it all at face value. If you think that Tom Perez hates Bernie like the leaked emails suggest and you think Perez was planted by the establishment so that grassroots didn't take control of the party, it's more of a head scratcher. If that was your assigned task, how would you go about effectively usurping the movement?

You'd appoint the grassroots leader you just beat to a symbolic position of power and make sure you are seen everywhere for a while. You'd gaslight the politically active voters as best as you could about what you're going to do and try to establish that you actually are what they wanted. You would project vague messaging that allows people to take it to mean whatever they want it to mean, but doesn't specify any actual policy changes or goals (more gas lighting). Put your arm around the true leader publicly to get your base excited and to sell them on the idea that you stand for the same things and are doing the things you said you would do. While you're elevating this leader publicly, chip away at his credibility and popularity behind the scenes while simultaneously elevating the acceptable alternative.

Step 5 allows you to look like you gave it an honest shot while the lobbyists create the illusion that the voters of the party are rejecting him and the new acceptable leader is gaining press coverage and providing contrast with the new narrative.

Watch the interview Chris Hayes gave to Bernie and Perez again with all of this in mind. Again, look at the title.

The motive is there for both Tom and the lobbyists. The grassroots is applying heavy pressure for the DNC to cancel the consulting contracts to divert funds to the state parties. That means these contractors would lose out on 10's to 100's of millions of dollars.

Is this speculation? Yes. Is it far-fetched? Absolutely not. It's just political strategy. I'd keep a eye out at The People's Summit in Chicago and the Neera Tanden/John Podesta Banquet at the St. Regis being headlined by Elisabeth Warren. Lobbyists will likely try to make the people look crazy by paying people to start a communist movement or something equally absurd for the media to paint progressives negatively.

If you have weird tweets, videos, or news stories like the ones I provided, please share them in the comments. Pay attention to the context and framing of everything.

Edit: I'd also keep an eye on David Brock and ShareBlue. They will pick a side eventually.

Edit 2: When the democrats walk back the idea of de-privatizing healthcare, just remember this is the list of countries that managed to do it just fine. Don't take any version of "no" for an answer.