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WASHINGTON Things could go well for the Democrats in next years midterm elections if they dont Bern out.

President Trump is woefully unpopular, feuding with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and other Republicans. The GOP cant manage to repeal Obamacare or do much of anything. Voters say theyd like Democrats to run Congress.

But here come the Bernie Bros and sisters to the Republicans rescue: Theyre sowing division in the Democratic Party and attempting to enact a purge of the ideologically impure just the sort of thing that made the Republican Party the ungovernable mess it is today.

Bernie Sanderss advisers are promoting a litmus test under which Democrats who dont swear to implement single-payer health care would be booted from the party in primaries. Sanders pollster Ben Tulchin penned an op-ed with a colleague under the headline Universal health care is the new litmus test for Democrats. Nina Turner, head of the Sanders group Our Revolution, told Politico this last week that theres something wrong with Democrats who wont unequivocally embrace Medicare-for-all.

That notion not just taking a stand but excommunicating all who disagree is what Republicans have done to themselves with guns and taxes, and it would seriously diminish Democrats hopes of retaking the House next year.

At the same time, Our Revolution has stepped up its attack on the Democratic Party. Turner this week sent an email to supporters complaining that she and others attempted to deliver a petition to Democratic National Committee headquarters but were shut out. In a follow-up interview with BuzzFeed, Turner expressed particular outrage that the DNC offered her ... donuts. They tried to seduce us with donuts, she said, calling the gesture pompous and arrogant and insulting.

Its not just about breakfast confections. The Bernie crowd has begun accusing freshman Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), a rising Democratic star, of being beholden to corporate money. Also in California, Kimberly Ellis, who ran for state Democratic chairman with the support of Sanders and lost in a close race to a former Hillary Clinton delegate, is refusing to concede and threatening to sue. Ellis told the New York Times that the Democratic Party is in many ways right now where the Republican Party was when the tea party took over.

And thats a good thing? Republican fratricide, instigated by tea-party purity police, made Trump possible and left the GOP unable to govern. This is what Sanderss people would emulate.

Fortunately, Sanders seems to have lost clout. Candidates backed by Our Revolution have lost 31 races in 2017 and won 16, and the wins include Portland Community College Director, Zone 5 and South Fulton (Ga.) City Council 6.

Candidates endorsed by Sanders have struggled in high-profile races. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) lost the DNC chairman race (he was appointed deputy chairman). Sanders-backed Tom Perriello lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Virginia, and a Sanders campaign official was blown out in a California congressional primary. Neither did the Sanders magic get the job done for Democrats in special congressional elections in Kansas, Georgia or Montana, and his candidate lost the Omaha mayoral race.

Yet the attempt by the Sanders movement to impose a health-care litmus test on Democratic candidates shows their destructive potential within the party. Support for single-payer health coverage has been growing, and it would become a real possibility if Republicans sabotage Obamacare but dont help the tens of millions who would lose insurance.

But to force Democrats to take some kind of single-payer purity oath would set back the cause. Democrats need to pick up 24 seats to take control of the House, yet there are only 23 Republicans in districts won by Clinton and only eight of those were won by President Barack Obama in 2012. There are a dozen Democrats in districts Trump won. In such swing districts, it would be suicidal to pledge support for something Republicans will brand as socialism.

A Pew Research Center poll in June found that while a majority of Democrats (52 percent) favor single-payer health care, only 33 percent of the public does overall. A Kaiser Health Tracking poll in June had better results: 53 percent of the public favored single-payer coverage. But Kaiser found that opinions were malleable.

If recent trends continue, and particularly if Republicans undermine Obamacare without an adequate replacement, the time for single-payer will come, and soon. But the litmus test distracts Democrats from protecting Obamacare, diminishes their chances of retaking the House and chops up the party over something that has zero chance of becoming law under Trump.

That Berns.

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Democrats must beware of Berning out - Norman Transcript

If liberals controlled the media, the Democratic Partys current plan to make their brand known would not have disappeared from the press the day after its introduction.

Ten Democratic members of Congress representing a variety of factions took part in introducing the plan July 24. The message was unity: Every Democratic member of Congress had had some part in writing the two-page document.

Admittedly, Democratic plans for the economy arent as captivating as the escalating bluster-contest going on between Presidents Trump and Kim Jong-un, but Id have hoped theyd rank as newsworthy as the Taylor Swift groping trial. A genuinely liberal press would be asking a variety of politicians if they thought the name was a vote-getter and which sections reflected Bernies philosophy and which Clintons.

Instead, the program slipped beneath media notice before the public learned its name.

The short name is Better Deal echoing Republican Teddy Roosevelts Square Deal or Democrat Franklin Roosevelts New Deal. It invites journalists to compare the plans.

The complete name Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future reflects the Democrats long-term commitment to making life better for the middle class and for those struggling to get there.

How do Democrats propose to raise wages and incomes? First, by directly investing in our crumbling infrastructure. The public works programs of the 1930s helped millions, as did building the Interstate system during the 1950s. The government doesnt have to go to war to justify creating jobs.

Second, by fighting unfair foreign trade and the outsourcing of American jobs.

Third, by passing a higher minimum wage and protecting workers rights to negotiate wages and working conditions.

Fourth, by honoring the promises of Social Security and Medicare.

Sure, some Republicans promise greater things, but once their party is in power, those things dont even make the agenda.

A second category of changes would lower the cost of living for families. The prices of prescription drugs would be regulated like utilities. Current law requires that patents for drugs developed with federal research funds be sold to corporations immediately. The intent was to get new medicines distributed quickly. Congress didnt prepare for prices determined by monopoly rather than production costs.

The plan states that families facing high monthly bills for child care, credit card fees and cable bills would get help. It doesnt state what form the help would take but does bind Democrats to prepare legislation.

Students would get help with the cost of college and trade school tuition. Without student aid based on income as it was before Reagan the prospect of going $50,000 in debt discourages many from getting the education they want.

In addition, Democrats would encourage capitalism which requires competition to thrive by stopping mergers of large corporations and, if necessary, breaking up existing monopolies. Some of us remember how much faster telephone technology proceeded after the government ordered the breakup of AT&T.

A final category of proposed changes would give Americans the tools to succeed in the 21st Century. Workforce training and apprenticeships would be available for millions of workers. Start-ups and small businesses would be encouraged. And high-speed Internet would be available across the country.

Thats it. The plan leans toward Bernie Sanders proposals but stops short of free college tuition and single-payer health care.

Some argue that there is little included that Obama wouldnt have done if hed had the votes in Congress. They claim that such legislation has no chance with Republicans in control of Congress.

They should understand thats the point. Elections are 14 months away.

Judy Ferro is a former state committeewoman for Canyon County Democrats. Email her at idadem@yahoo.com.

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ICYMI, here are the details of Democrats' 'Better Deal' - Idaho Press-Tribune

Montana Sen. Jon Testerhad some hard words for fellow Democratsas he prepares for what is expected to be a tough re-election race in 2018.

Last election cycle, we were supposed to win a majority in the Senate, we were supposed to win a lot of seats in the House and Hillary Clinton was supposed to win the presidency. None of that happened, Testertold a gathering of Montana Democrats.

Tester said he saw some hope in grassroots efforts that have risen in typically Republican areas in reaction to DonaldTrumps presidency, which he hoped would help recruitlocal candidates and feed on-the-ground organizing efforts.

There are little groups of folks that we never thought there were any Democrats in and all of the sudden 20 people are showing up, Tester told the group. Get those people organized, get them to work, get them to write letters to the editor.

Tough races are familiar to Tester, who won in 2012 by just a few percentage points, and first won election in 2006 by just a few thousand votes. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the Senate raceTilts Democrat.

Montana Democrats were disappointed at the ballot just months ago, when Republican Greg Gianforte defeated progressive Rob Quist. Though the race was initially expected to be an easy GOP victory, Quist surged late in the election with some help from Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Tester said he hopes that Democrats will try and contest the Montana Legislature again. Democrats last held a majority in both houses in 2005.

Dont think that for one minute if we continue to do the things weve done in the past were going to win, hesaid. We have to do more than that. We have to go farther than that.

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Tester Tells Montana Democrats Don't Take Anything for Granted - Roll Call

Things could go well for the Democrats in next year's midterm elections if they don't Bern out.

President Trump is woefully unpopular, feuding with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans. The GOP can't manage to repeal Obamacare or do much of anything. Voters say they'd like Democrats to run Congress.

But here come the Bernie Bros and sisters to the Republicans' rescue: They're sowing division in the Democratic Party and attempting to enact a purge of the ideologically impure just the sort of thing that made the Republican Party the ungovernable mess it is today.

Bernie Sanders's advisers are promoting a "litmus test" under which Democrats who don't swear to implement single-payer health care would be booted from the party in primaries. Sanders pollster Ben Tulchin penned an op-ed with a colleague under the headline "Universal health care is the new litmus test for Democrats." Nina Turner, head of the Sanders group Our Revolution, told Politico this last week that "there's something wrong with" Democrats who won't "unequivocally" embrace "Medicare-for-all."

That notion not just taking a stand but excommunicating all who disagree is what Republicans have done to themselves with guns and taxes, and it would seriously diminish Democrats' hopes of retaking the House next year.

At the same time, Our Revolution has stepped up its attack on the Democratic Party. Turner this week sent an email to supporters complaining that she and others attempted to deliver a petition to Democratic National Committee headquarters but "were shut out." In a follow-up interview with BuzzFeed, Turner expressed particular outrage that the DNC offered her ... donuts. "They tried to seduce us with donuts," she said, calling the gesture "pompous" and "arrogant" and "insulting."

It's not just about breakfast confections. The Bernie crowd has begun accusing freshman Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), a rising Democratic star, of being beholden to corporate money. Also in California, Kimberly Ellis, who ran for state Democratic chairman with the support of Sanders and lost in a close race to a former Hillary Clinton delegate, is refusing to concede and threatening to sue. Ellis told the New York Times that the "Democratic Party is in many ways right now where the Republican Party was when the tea party took over."

And that's a good thing? Republican fratricide, instigated by tea-party purity police, made Trump possible and left the GOP unable to govern. This is what Sanders' people would emulate.

Fortunately, Sanders seems to have lost clout. Candidates backed by Our Revolution have lost 31 races in 2017 and won 16, and the wins include "Portland Community College Director, Zone 5" and "South Fulton (Ga.) City Council 6."

Candidates endorsed by Sanders have struggled in high-profile races. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) lost the DNC chairman race (he was appointed deputy chairman). Sanders-backed Tom Perriello lost the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Virginia, and a Sanders campaign official was blown out in a California congressional primary. Neither did the Sanders magic get the job done for Democrats in special congressional elections in Kansas, Georgia or Montana, and his candidate lost the Omaha mayoral race.

Yet the attempt by the Sanders movement to impose a health-care litmus test on Democratic candidates shows their destructive potential within the party. Support for single-payer health coverage has been growing, and it would become a real possibility if Republicans sabotage Obamacare but don't help the tens of millions who would lose insurance.

But to force Democrats to take some kind of single-payer purity oath would set back the cause. Democrats need to pick up 24 seats to take control of the House, yet there are only 23 Republicans in districts won by Clinton and only eight of those were won by President Barack Obama in 2012. There are a dozen Democrats in districts Trump won. In such swing districts, it would be suicidal to pledge support for something Republicans will brand as socialism.

A Pew Research Center poll in June found that while a majority of Democrats (52 percent) favor single-payer health care, only 33 percent of the public does overall. A Kaiser Health Tracking poll in June had better results: 53 percent of the public favored single-payer coverage. But Kaiser found that opinions were "malleable."

If recent trends continue, and particularly if Republicans undermine Obamacare without an adequate replacement, the time for single-payer will come, and soon. But the litmus test distracts Democrats from protecting Obamacare, diminishes their chances of retaking the House and chops up the party over something that has zero chance of becoming law under Trump.

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Dana Milbank: Democrats mustn't Bern out - Lincoln Journal Star

A new ad from President Donald Trump's campaign that decries Democrats, the media and career politicians as his "opponents" and "enemies" and some are criticizing it for what they say is tone-deaf timing.

The targeted ad ran just a day after the president called for unity following what he said was violence and bigotry "on many sides" when a deadly white supremacist rally broke out in Charlottesville, Va. , over the removal of a Confederate monument.

The ad accuses Democrats and the media of "standing in the way" of Trump's policies, which are portrayed as widely supported Americans. But while Trump has maintained much of his base support, he has also had consistently low approval rating throughout his presidency. Last week, his approval rating hit 37%, according to Gallup.

The ad specifically points to achievements like job creation, military power and a record-high Dow industrial average.

However, some people on social media have questioned the timing of such an ad that uses stronger language against Democrats and the media than Trump used against white supremacists and neo-Nazis on Saturday.

As white supremacists carried flags with swastikas and waved Confederate flags in Charlottesville on Saturday, a man drove a car directly into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring at least 19 others. Additionally, a Virginia State Police helicopter crashed while assisting law enforcement efforts during the rally, killing two troopers.

While many Republican and Democratic politicians called the violence incited by the white supremacists domestic terrorism and denounced Nazism, Trump spoke out against what he saw as "this display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides." Politicians on both sides of the aisle urged Trump to make a more direct statement targeting white supremacy and Nazism.

As presidents typically fill the role of uplifting a nation with unifying remarks after tragedy strikes, Trump's comments on the violent rally were especially scrutinized since some of the white supremacists who attended wore red "Make America Great Again" hats and claimed to be promoting Trump's agenda.

In light of the criticism, the White House released an additional statement Sunday. "The President said very strongly in his statement yesterday that he condemns all forms of violence, bigotry and hatred and of course that includes white Supremacists, KKK, neo-nazi and all extremist groups," a White House spokesperson said. "He called for national unity and bringing all Americans together."

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President Trump Calls Democrats and the Media His 'Enemies' in New Campaign Ad - TIME