Sunday, February 23, 2020
Let's Get it Together
I sense there are some folks out there experiencing some alarm that progressives are on the verge of nominating someone they see as the most electable progressive choice, but really? Our ideas about electability should have died a hard death when Donald Trump won an election. A multiply-bankrupt, serial adulterer, with several credible sexual harassment and assault claims, fraud claims and settlements, surrounded by the right wings' worst collection of dirty tricksters, with allegations of support by Russian bots, leaks, etc., compounded by the pretty obvious fact, ongoing to this day, that there is something, maybe even organically, seriously wrong with how the man understands the concepts of right and wrong....
Sanders is incredibly electable if our comparison is Trump. Above is then-Representative Sanders, talking about how much the US spends on defense vs. on American workers. He says, "Let's invest in American industry." He talks about feeding and educating our kids. That's who he was then; that's who he is now. And he excoriates both parties, because some Democrats were a little bit full of shit then, and some are a little bit full of shit now. (Democrats, for some reason, thought about a budget-balancing amendment for a minute back then. Think about the utter damage that would have done to the safety net for so many. Something something, Department of Defense, something something, bake sales. )
That was 1992. When I became aware of what he was standing for, it was this 2010 filibuster (ish) stand. Yes, he goes against what he is calling the "Democratic establishment"--also, I sometimes think the entire Democratic party could go bolder. Organize more. Fight like hell for the things we love.
Criticizing the Democratic party isn't about electing Trump. It's about saying there are sides and you have to choose one. And anyone who chooses Trump over someone like Sanders is saying they like fascism, racism, misogyny and lies. The party should be able to take arguments. If the Democrats are, in fact, a large and diverse party, that will have to be expected. But that is over policy differences, and in the meantime, there is a world at stake, our universal human rights, and the fight to preserve our environment.
The opinions of Never-Trumpers should have no bearing on Democratic conversation. Obama got into office without them--with many of them working against him. If they understand now the kind of bullshit statist liberals were trying to fight against then, and don't know how their attenuated McCarthyism (like the destruction of ACORN due to peckerheads like O'Keefe and Breitbart) fueled leftist rage, they can go get stuffed. Even Liz Mair, who is getting sued alongside an internet cow, by one of Trump's most captivated Renfields. What is her game? Because she needs an entire grip if she thinks you go from sued the entire fuck to hell and gofundmeing on it to...ooohhhh! Fuck me! (Keep an eye on that lawsuit right there.)
Does this mean I am endorsing Sanders, even if supposedly Russia is trying to help Sanders, etc? Because I deplore Trump and his Russian connections? Unlike Trump, Sanders never asked for this, and I think he has tried to repudiate both this association and the toxic online "Bernie Bros" label.
He is better than his stans--that seems enough. But if you all are a Democrat and wanted a unity candidate that would do--notice that Biden, Klobuchar, Buttigieg, and Bloomberg are all standing in that gap. If Bloomie wanted to make a way for a moderate, he done fucked up by uniting lefties under Sanders.
Warren is probably the unity candidate for non-Berners. I'm not being pro-anyone, even if I' m telling you that despite what the news says, Sanders is not an op. He's been real since way before Russia took an interest in him. I'm just letting you know--don't freak out. Maybe Democrats being a little bit leftist isn't actually a whole fucking news flash.
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TWGB: Cold Courtrooms and Old Farts
You are supposed to pity Trump at this point, the miserable wretch that he is, made to sit by his enemies in a freezing cold courtroom mor...
2 comments:
I think Russia is only promoting Bernie because that's who they want to run against Trump. They must feel their most effective propaganda will be against him.
Greetings, Vixen,
One thing I think this demonstrates is a certain similarity in respect to the voters of both parties. With Trump and Sanders a signal is being sent that the electorate is sick of the usual candidates with the usual bromides. It might express itself in different views, but apparently the voters have pretty much had it with business and usual.
Although I believe Democrats would be wise to listen to Matthews, Carville, and Joy Reid, I think leftist commentators have brought this on themselves. On the left a huge amount of volatile progressive language and ideas have been advanced primarily for the purpose for arousing anger at the other party so that people will be mad enough to go and vote; there is equivalent language and ideas on the right. It was expected that the Democratic voter would discount a huge amount of rhetorical propaganda and simply vote for the Democratic candidate. It appears a lot of leftist leaning young voters have actually believed the extreme leftist rhetoric, and now actually want to replace the Democratic Party with a socialist party. So the commentators are victims of their own success.
It is very unlikely that the United States is ready to deep six the Democratic Party and simply have a socialist party. Many Democratic office holders have explained that it will be a catastrophe down ballot if Sanders is elected. Even Joy Reid has talked about this. Even moderate Democrats resist the idea of being thought of as socialists. John Kennedy and RFK and others were never socialists, nor would they have approved of socialism.
This is all a bit ironic if your consider that we already have a mixed economy of capitalism and socialism. I'm retired and have income from both assets on the capitalism side and Social Security on the socialism side. The truth is that there is no contest in the United States between socialism and capitalism. Both systems are fully in play, and we all participate in the advantages and disadvantages of both. The question is where you draw the line.
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