With the Democratic convention just weeks away, Sanders still hasn't endorsed one-time rival Hillary Clinton and dodged questions about when he would during a tense meeting Wednesday morning with House Democrats.
Sanders also stunned some of the Democrats in attendance when he told them that winning elections wasn't the only thing they should focus on. While they wanted to hear about how to beat Donald Trump — and how Sanders might help them win the House back — he was talking about remaking the country.
"The goal isn't to win elections, the goal is to transform America," Sanders said at one point, according to multiple lawmakers and aides in the room.
Some Democrats booed Sanders for that line, which plays better on the campaign trail than in front of a roomful of elected officials.
Rank-and-file House Democrats want Sanders to officially drop out of the race and throw his support behind the presumptive nominee, and they can't understand why he hasn't so far.
"It was frustrating because he's squandering the movement he built with a self-obsession that was totally on display," said a senior Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
It probably will not soften the Democrats' opinions of Sanders once they learn that his campaign is seeking a permit for the night before the convention in order to hold a rally:
The permit application for the event — which would involve an estimated 15,000 to 40,000 people in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park — is one of ten applications filed with the Philadelphia mayor's office for pro-Sanders protests, marches and demonstrations during the convention.
Several events have already secured approval, including multiple "March for Bernie" events throughout the week organized by activist Billy Taylor and a "Black Men for Bernie" rally on July 27-28, according to a list provided by the mayor's office.
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.
Sanders would have received virtually no national coverage if the Democrats had not welcomed him to run under their banner and this is how the rewards them.
Maybe that's why he is so resistant to giving up his taxpayer funded Secret Services detail, he is worried about getting worked over by angry Democrats.
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