The media narrative goes like this: Bernie Sanders’ son Levi is running for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1st district but he won’t be getting endorsed by his socialist Senator father. The reasoning given by the elder Sanders is pure baloney as one might expect from a millionaire socialist.

“Levi has spent his life in service to low income and work families, and I am very proud of all that he has done,” the elder Sanders told the Boston Globe. “In our family, however, we do not believe in dynastic politics. Levi is running his own campaign in his own way.”

The younger Sanders announced in February that he was running in New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, the Democrat who currently holds the seat, isn’t running for-re-election.

And since then, the elder Sanders hasn’t endorsed his son’s campaign. According to the Globe, he also hasn’t traveled to New Hampshire, where he won the Democratic presidential primary in 2016, on his son’s behalf.

First let’s tear down this gossamer facade. Anyone who looks at what Bernie told the Boston Globe and doesn’t see an endorsement is kidding themselves. He is obviously endorsing him. Every news outlet making hay out of there not being an endorsement is essentially giving an in-kind donation to Levi’s campaign.

This is a gimmick meant to build the narrative that Levi is his own man, even though he is in lock step with his father on every issue. Early on in a campaign meeting someone asked “How can we use Bernie to maximum potential without making Levi look like a clone?” This is the answer they came up with and the left wing media is all too willing to go along with it and make it look like a controversy. Levi’s campaign website even features a not so subtle photograph of Levi facing the camera while Bernie faces away.

The primary reason a candidate might need to emphasize that he is his own man is that he is not his own man. According to TIME Levi even says that the only thing that distinguishes him from his father is that Bernie is not a vegetarian.

“The basic difference is that I’m a vegetarian and he’s not,” Sanders told Vice News, which had earlier reported that Sanders was considering a run. But Sanders told Vice he’ll be running his own race.

What does that even mean? Of course he’s running his own race. Who else’s race is he going to run? This is meaningless double talk.

According to his campaign website, he touts the need for a “Medicare For All” health care system, tuition-free public college and a boost to the minimum wage.Sanders also calls for urgent action to address the opioid epidemic, which he says is at a “crisis level” in the Granite State, equal pay for women and sensible gun laws.

Sounds familiar. Even down to the lame attempts at humor.

When asked about controversy that that his dad, Bernie, won’t endorse his New Hampshire congressional campaign, Levi Sanders quips: “You know I’m not Bernie’s son. I’m the son of Larry David’s fourth cousin.” https://t.co/mi1JZhjBfl

— Matt Viser (@mviser) June 7, 2018

All the Bernie-bros love Bernie for supposedly being different from all the other politicians because he’s honest, but he’s clearly not. He’s claiming not to endorse Levi but by doing so he is 1) lying and 2) being a material participant in Levi’s campaign strategy. Typical two-faced politician.

The bit about dynastic politics is just the cherry on top of the garbage sundae. Is Bernie saying that a political dynasty only exists when the family elders openly issue endorsements to the offspring using certain explicit language? This is nonsense. At the same time it seems presumptuous for Bernie to express such worries about dynastic politics before his kid even gets elected. (Bernie’s step-daughter, by the way is also in politics. She ran for Mayor of Burlington where Bernie himself started his political career.)

Nothing to see here, folks. Just dishonest campaign schtick. Move along.