Nah. I don't think the DNC "allows" anything with Bernie. I think Bernie is largely immune to DNC fuckery due to Vermont's size and high level of progressive values. Vermont is a really small state. Bernie served as the mayor of Burlington. And Burlington is a small place; it has a population under 50k. He was a big fish in a small pond, and this allowed him to build a political brand and identity without a lot of backing from the national party. He was able to become the mayor of Burlington through local efforts. Then he parlayed that into a House seat, then a Senate seat.

But the key is Vermont is again, a small place. A small media budget goes a long way there. But imagine Bernie was running in a place like California. Much bigger state. Much bigger media budget. Much greater resources required to be competitive.