Bernie Sanders has endorsed every Democrat running for president since 1996

Bernie has always called himself an independent, but his political history of endorsements during each presidential campaign paints a different picture.

Bernie has always called himself an independent, but his political history of endorsements during each presidential campaign paints a different picture - and a repeating pattern - not of an "outsider" to the corporate-owned, two-party establishment, but a long-time supporter of it.

1996 Election: "Without enthusiasm, I've decided to support Bill Clinton for president. Perhaps 'support' is too strong a word. I'm planning no press conferences to push his candidacy, and will do no campaigning for him. I will vote for him, and make that public. Why? I think that many people do not perceive how truly dangerous the political situation in this country is today."

2000 Election: From The Washington Post, 8/27/15: "Once, in 2000, Sanders introduced Nader at a speech in Vermont. Nader, he said, was 'an old-fashioned guy who believes that maybe the ordinary people should be running this country rather than the multinational corporations.' But Sanders endorsed Vice President Al Gore over Nader."

2004 Election: "Not only am I going to vote for John Kerry, I am going to run around this country and do everything I can to dissuade people from voting for Ralph Nader ... I am going to do everything I can, while I have differences with John Kerry, to make sure that he is elected."

2008 & 2012 Election: "In 2006 when I ran for the Senate, Senator Barack Obama was kind enough to campaign for me. In 2008, I did my best to see that he was elected and in 2012, I worked as hard as I could to see that he was reelected. He and I are friends. We've worked together on many issues. We have some differences of opinion."

2016 Election: "I have come here to make it as clear as possible why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton and why she must become our next president. Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nomination and I congratulate her for that."

2020 Election: "Joe Biden is a friend of mine. Joe and I disagree on many, many major issues. I look forward to an issue-oriented campaign. But this I am confident of: at the end of the Democratic primary, whether I win, or whether anybody else wins, we are going to see Democrats come together to defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country."

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and now... Joe Biden? Bernie has endorsed every Democrat running for president since 1996, even after often admitting that their policies contradict his beliefs. This, we are told, is our independent outsider to the establishment?

Bernie can't be bought, his supporters say, and maybe they're right -- but for the wrong reasons. You can't buy what is already purchased, and Bernie was already purchased a long time ago by one of two branches of the corporate-owned two party system. Since then, he has actively fought to keep Democrats -- and by default, the status quo -- in power.