Did Bernie Sanders Kill Neera Tanden’s Nomination?

Playbook: “There was a flurry of intrigue about Bernie on Tuesday night when Tanden’s nomination was pulled. It’s no secret that Sanders and Tanden have a fraught history. His staunchest supporters have long been her fiercest detractors, and Tanden’s meanest tweets have been barbs directed at Sanders going back to the bitter 2016 Democratic primary, when Tanden was a top aide to Hillary Clinton.”

“Three White House sources said that Sanders would have been a yes vote on Tanden if the White House had been able to find a Republican vote to replace Joe Manchin, the Democrat from West Virginia who started all of this by publicly opposing her Feb. 19.”

“But Bernie’s mittens are not clean. By withholding his support Sanders left Tanden twisting, fostered an atmosphere of a nominee in trouble and made it unlikely for any Republican to step forward in support. Why would a GOP senator break with her leadership unless she was certain she was providing the decisive vote?”