Like that old fable about the scorpion riding a frog across the river. It’s in their nature to bite, even if it could mean their own end. From Ye Olde Twitter Feede:

According to this CFR, VT Dems take money from union buster Wal-Mart. This is why we need a #ProgRevolution. #VtPolipic.twitter.com/XDevwqsUmV

— VT Progressive Party (@progparty) August 25, 2016

On the one hand, yeah, the Progressives are well within their rights to point out unsavory (from their POV) behavior by Vermont Democrats. On the other, the timing seems just a wee bit off, considering that…

— Pretty much all the Progressive candidates are running as Democrats, taking advantage of the Democratic brand while seeking to undercut its value. And threatening their own purity in the process: taint by association is hard to remove.

— Their boy David Zuckerman just gained access to the fabled and much-desired Democratic Party voter database*, which has taken years and many dollars (some from corporate sources) to assemble.

*Correction: The Dems and the Zuckerman campaign reached agreement on resource-sharing and a coordinated campaign, but if does not include full access to the database.

At the very least, they might have waited a few days after Zuckerman’s organizational victory to start taunting the party that’s tangibly propping up their own prospects. And what did they gain? The fleeting satisfaction of sending a Mean Tweet.

As the scorpion sank beneath the waves, he belted out a hearty chorus of “My Way.”