Many liberals, myself included, find Bernie Sanders refreshing.  He doesn’t sound like a normal politician.  He tells the hard truth, makes tough choices, and gives bold plans.  But last week, during one of the Democratic primary’s nastiest stretches, Sanders showed his true colors.  He is just a regular politician.  He isn’t any different than the “establishment” he rails against.

This all started when Bernie Sanders said Hillary Clinton took money from the oil and gas industries.  The Washington Post investigated his claim and found he lied.  By law, candidates cannot accept money directly from companies.  Clinton never got a check from oil and gas Super PACs.  While people who work in the fossil fuel industry donated to Hillary’s campaign, but they also donated to Sanders.  Sanders attacked Clinton for something he did too.

Then, Bernie Sanders said Hillary Clinton called him unqualified. The Washington Post and Politifact, a Pulitzer Prize winning fact-checker, both determined Sanders lied.  Hillary Clinton never said Bernie Sanders was unqualified.  But Sanders did not care about the truth.  He falsely accused Clinton of a personal attack to justify an even bigger lie, that she is not qualified to be President of the United States.  Let’s break this down:

Hillary Clinton is a Yale Law School educated former First Lady who championed healthcare reform in the 1990s.  She led the fight to pass the Children’s Health Insurance Program into law, giving poor children access to medical care. As a Senator for New York, she passed an emergency spending package to rebuild New York and aid 9/11 responders.  As a Secretary of State, she faithfully served President Obama and represented the United States abroad.  Her resume makes her the most qualified Presidential candidate in recent history.

Sanders said Clinton’s positions disqualify her from being President, citing her support for the Iraq War and the Panama Free Trade Agreement.  However, Sanders fails his own purity test.  He voted for the 1994 Crime Bill.  He gave gun manufacturers immunity from lawsuits and opposed mandatory background checks and waiting periods at gun stores.  By his own reasoning, Sanders cannot be President.  He is no liberal saint.

Sanders didn’t lie just once or twice.  He does this all the time.  Sanders lied when he said a vote Clinton took led to the BP oil spill.  He lied about releasing his full tax returns.  He lied about not running a negative campaign.  He lied when he said Madeline Albright supported the Iraq War.  He lied about a New Hampshire newspaper endorsing him in the primary.  He lied about his involvement in writing the Affordable Care Act.  This is a pattern of dishonest behavior.

Americans trust the government less today than they did during Watergate.  To satisfy our desire for institutions we can believe in, Sanders appears honest.  But underneath his carefully crafted persona, Sanders behaves like the political establishment he hates.  The truth hurts, so he avoids it.

I’m not saying Bernie Sanders lies more than a normal politician.  I’m saying he is a normal politician.  He should talk about his plans truthfully, not avoid them dishonestly.  American voters deserve a real debate over issues.  Hillary has worked hard to show the public how she will protect and improve President Obama’s progressive legacy better than Bernie Sanders.  It’s time for him to rejoin the discussion.  We should not settle for Bernie’s politics as usual.