Bye bye, Bernie: He's not fit to captain the Democratic ship if he can't stop chasing the great...
Bye bye, Bernie: He’s not fit to captain the Democratic ship if he can’t stop chasing the great white maleThe Democratic Party is selling out women and all marginalized groups in favor of Bernie Sanders’ dangerous myths
ANNA MARCH
Anna March’s writing appears frequently here in Salon as well as in The New York Times' Modern Love column, New York Magazine and The Rumpus. She is the Publisher of the magazine Roar. Her essay collection, "Feminist Killjoy," and novel are forthcoming. Follow her on Twitter @annamarch or learn more about her at annamarch.com.
To the extent that Democrats are looking for their progressive soul, Sen. Bernie Sanders is not where they should be fixing their gaze. Sanders is clear that he is not a Democrat — except when he needs to be one in order to run for president. Yet he is demanding that the Democratic Party head for what Rebecca Traister last week called “third-way centrist bullshit.”
Economic populism and what are commonly erroneously and dismissively referred to as “social issues” — such as reproductive rights, immigration reform and civil rights for people of color, those who have disabilities, people of all faiths, LGBT people and women — are indivisible. Sanders routinely demonstrates his own lack of progressive values by dividing them.
There is no economic populism without abortion rights and civil rights. No one can have economic justice if he or she doesn’t have fundamental rights. Yet Sanders has made it plain that abortion rights are negotiable and brushes off “identity politics.” He consistently argues that his values — and his alone — should define what it is to be progressive. (Which can’t help but remind one of Donald Trump’s unilateral defining of terms.)
Further, Sanders routinely divides matters of race and gender and class — which, again, cannot be untwined — by discussing the “pain” and needs of working-class voters and perpetuating the dangerous myth that the Democrats have ignored them. Sanders has insisted that Democrats have failed to reach these voters, while dismissing the fact that 75 percent of working-class voters of color voted for Clinton, not Trump, last year.
more
http://www.salon.com/2017/04/24/bye-bye-bernie-the-self-appointed-captain-of-the-democratic-ship-needs-to-stop-chasing-the-great-white-male/
Sculpin Beauregard
(1,046 posts)SCantiGOP
(14,330 posts)What's the point of a post like this? Ignore and Trash any Bernie/anti-Bernie post. Just my opinion.
gtar100
(4,192 posts)As garbage.
TDale313
(7,822 posts)Sick of this shit. I'm a woman, a feminist, and I supported Bernie in the primaries and still think his message is incredibly important and resonates with many, many people.
FailureToCommunicate
(14,361 posts)Circular firing squads don't help one bit.
joet67
(624 posts)OUR party.
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)stopbush
(24,633 posts)He's a dead end for the Party. Should never have been given the position in the Party he enjoys.
We need to move on from a person who was conveniently a D for less than 1% of his political career and who lost more than Hillary and the Ds did last year.
ProfessorPlum
(11,392 posts)I've never heard that before.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)This bit stood out to me. It's important because it directly contradicts much of what I've been reading (here and elsewhere) when others claim that the Democratic Party is "out of touch" and "failing" and "ideologically bankrupt" (blah-blah-blah, etc, etc, etc.)
SunSeeker
(54,241 posts)Who needs enemies?
LOL Lib
(1,462 posts)JudyM
(29,537 posts)DonViejo
(60,536 posts)It can only become gasoline if DU'ers allow it to become that, imho
Voltaire2
(15,029 posts)Serious question. I have no clue what is going on here.
George II
(67,782 posts)dgauss
(1,191 posts)It's continuing to construct a straw man Bernie Sanders that is a threat to women's rights, doesn't care about civil rights, is only concerned about white males, is actively divisive, and is demanding a "third way centrist bullshit" agenda. I'll admit that's a new one to me.
And, in general, promoting the idea that somehow advocating for common sense economic changes equals dismissing social justice.
George II
(67,782 posts)lapucelle
(19,646 posts)#1. A cogent opinion supported by relevant facts.
#2. Any and all criticism of fiery progressives.
BainsBane
(55,147 posts)and how he is trying to lead it away from some core values that many of us consider indespensible. Events over the past week are not the primary, and claiming they are is disengenous.
If those concerns are truly news to you, you've managed to ignore the events often past week and the voices of a whlole lot of women and people of color. It would seem the problem is tha you've decided that Anyone who disagrees with you is full of bullshit.
The problem is not his advocating for economic changes. It's his position that equal rights aren't important to economic justice. The effect of that is greater inequality. I believe the author makes that very point. Yet you refused to read it. No wonder so much is news to you.
The events of last week are summarized here. https://www.democraticunderground.com/10028973902
dgauss
(1,191 posts)He is not trying to take the democratic party away from core values. He's proven that consistently over his entire career.
Where we disagree is probably about where the criticism of Sanders is coming from. You believe (yes, only my opinion) that the criticism stems from some difference in principle, basically that Sanders minimizes the importance of social justice in favor of economic justice.
I believe the difference is more manufactured, and a residual effect of primary strategies that we haven't let go of.
emulatorloo
(45,693 posts)honestly feel his endorsement of mello was problematic and out of character.
Def agree Bernie is not the enemy. Disagree that folks are "fabricating" the importance of choice as part of some nefarious plot.
dgauss
(1,191 posts)I also think he listens to it in a pretty honest way, at least as far as it's possible for politicians to do that sort of thing.
I don't think there is anything at all nefarious about the current differences going on here. Certainly no one is fabricating the importance of choice. That's fundamental to the Democratic party.
I just think that Sanders was the "opponent" to many in the primaries, well that's what primaries are about, but he's not an opponent to the principles of the party.
emulatorloo
(45,693 posts)He's got tons of great qualities. One of the many reasons why he was my guy in the primary.
Cha
(306,312 posts)is being Shined on them.. finally!
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Cha
(306,312 posts)Let it Shine Let it Shine Let is Shine!
Cha
(306,312 posts)fucking here and now.
pnwmom
(109,654 posts)having an identity crisis -- brought on by those who are calling for us to reject what they call "identity politics."
retrowire
(10,345 posts)pnwmom
(109,654 posts)Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that the Democratic Party must move beyond “identity politics” in order to connect with a larger share of the voting public.
"It is not good enough for somebody to say, 'I'm a woman, vote for me.' That is not good enough," Sanders told a crowd at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, according to WBUR.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/bernie-sanders-democrats-identity-politics-231710
“And one message I do have for Democrats is that a strategy that’s just micro-targeting particular, discrete groups in a Democratic coalition sometimes will win you elections, but it’s not going to win you the broad mandate that you need,” Obama told reporters during a joint news conference in Lima, Peru, on Sunday.
LisaM
(28,857 posts)Why? Why?
pnwmom
(109,654 posts)LisaM
(28,857 posts)And I didn't click on the link, sorry. I am becoming increasingly infuriated at the successful gaslighting of the historic nature of HRC's campaign and how important the moment - now lost - really was.
retrowire
(10,345 posts)Don't target particular groups?
emulatorloo
(45,693 posts)Politicians aren't infallible. They are humans, and humans make mistakes.
I think it was based on the idea that Trump got elected because of "economic anxiety". That turned out not to be correct, as voters who were most concerned about the economy voted Democratic.
Dems don't really do the marching lockstep thing. Dems tend to be independent thinkers.
Generally though we do come together on Election Day.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)I don't understand why the Bernie bashing is being permitted.
It can only hurt us in '18, '20.
George II
(67,782 posts)Cha
(306,312 posts)BainsBane
(55,147 posts)Tarheel_Dem
(31,443 posts)Yes, but we weren't the much coveted "white working class", so we don't count.
pnwmom
(109,654 posts)TNLib
(1,819 posts)He will be 77. Does anyone know if he'll be running or if any democrats will be running for his seat?
George II
(67,782 posts)BainsBane
(55,147 posts)But I didn't know if he is serious.
nini
(16,773 posts)Al is one smart guy.
nini
(16,773 posts).
Cha
(306,312 posts)lapucelle
(19,646 posts)You're as good a source as any link.
Mahalo!
Cha
(306,312 posts)Cha
(306,312 posts)until he found out he has cancer.. He is so smart and brave.. I hope he beats it.:candel:
lapucelle
(19,646 posts)BlueMTexpat
(15,513 posts)Although I am no fan of Bernie's current actions, it is highly unlikely that he will have any realistic opposition in Vermont for his Senate seat.
As others have said, he is very popular there.
JI7
(91,114 posts)he is very popular in his state and will easily be re-elected.
4now
(1,596 posts)retrowire
(10,345 posts)This party truly does not like cohesion. God damn.
BainsBane
(55,147 posts)while the rest of us are second class citizens? I think you have the wrong party for that.
We were united under equal rights for all, including reproductive rights for women, until some people decided they should be undermined. Why was that necessary? What does that achieve?
Because demanding we unite around our own subjugation isn't going to happen.
You all could have let Bernie know that promoting anti-choice politicians as "progressive" and the "future of the party" wasn't' a good idea, but you decided equal rights didn't matter enough to stand up for and that you would instead focus on trying to shut up women. Only we are the majority of the party. We have the votes. And we are not down with with the plan against us. Turn right for that party.
lapucelle
(19,646 posts)in the VA gubernatorial primary has "no recorded stance" on abortion rights as per On the Issues.
It couldn't be any clearer that this issue doesn't matter.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Tom_Perriello.htm
retrowire
(10,345 posts)Response to retrowire (Reply #83)
lapucelle This message was self-deleted by its author.
retrowire
(10,345 posts)1. I wasn't walking to you.
2. I didn't tell anyone what to say.
Did you respond to the wrong person?
lapucelle
(19,646 posts)Obviously mistakes happen. I find them funny too.
retrowire
(10,345 posts)lapucelle
(19,646 posts)when Larry David is tasked with writing the obituary for his wife's aunt because "Larry is a writer. Make him do it."
He makes an unfortunate typo with the first letter in the word "aunt" and it winds up getting published as "beloved _unt...."
That was a damn funny typo too.
lapucelle
(19,646 posts)to the guy who torched the Unity Tour?
This sounds kind fishy to me. Maybe a Russian fish.
benpollard
(199 posts)Bernie is where the Democratic party should be. Hillary adapted a lot of his positions during her campaign, but just for political purposes. The Democratic party needs to be a true progressive party -- not some conservative-lite party. Obviously, that's not working.
emulatorloo
(45,693 posts)or policy positions. Biggest difference between them appears to be about guns.
Party does need to change, but we gotta proceed on a basis of fact. Not false narratives spread by folk who wanted Trump to win.
B Stieg
(2,410 posts)Thanks-did not know this.
Trump has no understanding of the responsibilities that accompany winning the presidency, but
Bernie needs to understand that he lost and stop running.
I don't support "Third-Way" politics, but I did vote for Hillary.
emulatorloo
(45,693 posts)klook
(12,931 posts)Bernie must be stopped!1!!11
So fucking sick of this shit. Trashing yet another thread.
emulatorloo
(45,693 posts)murielm99
(31,595 posts)And you can't!
Hillary did not adopt his positions. She had her own platform, which was more detailed and thoughtful than anything Bernie had.
I am tired of these memes about how Hillary did not know anything or think for herself until Bernie came along. I am tired of seeing sixty or seventy years of Democratic ideals being attributed to something that Bernie just dreamed up this election cycle.
Cult like behavior is dangerous. I am not saying that to be nasty or to start a fight. Some of the Bernie followers here need to get a grip on their unhealthy thinking, for the sake of their own mental health.
Cha
(306,312 posts)hay rick
(8,394 posts)Unrec.
Cha
(306,312 posts)is talking about is how divisive he's been.
kcdoug1
(222 posts)BULLSHIT
emulatorloo
(45,693 posts)Sorry need to have a little levity on DU these days.
Cha
(306,312 posts)Heartstrings
(7,349 posts)Cast Bernie out and you have no resistance! Pull it together people ffs!
He's not the enemy...focus on the prize!
Or keep shooting yourselves in the feet....
Shit! Facebook has it together more than some of you people
Shameful!
Kaye_NY
(71 posts)women are
BlueMTexpat
(15,513 posts)Heartstrings
(7,349 posts)of the resistance?
We have many leaders...women and, that's right, men! All good people, fighting and raging for us...
My point is, our focus isn't where it should be, our energy isn't on the ultimate enemy (or enemies) and we're floundering trying to pin blame on someone, anyone...Bernie just happens to be the fall guy right now...and it needs to stop. This talk isn't bringing us together, it's dividing us and that's just what the enemy wants. Let's not let him win again...
Is Bernie perfect? Absolutely not! But he is in our corner, has our backs and is fighting for us and has been his entire life in one way, shape or form...give him, and me, a break please!
"And that's all I have to say about that". Forrest Gump
Kaye_NY
(71 posts)"cast out Bernie and you have no resistance"
The resistance will continue with or without Bernie. It's being driven by women and their allies, not Bernie. He is of course free to join us if he choses.
Heartstrings
(7,349 posts)isn't wanted or needed as a focal point...he's one of the major forces of the resistance, never said he was THE leader...we have many, and it takes a village.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)70% of the lawyers who showed up at the airports.
It wasn't just the women's march. It's the majority of marchers at all the protests.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Duppers
(28,262 posts)Can we give this a break?
Bye.
CaptainTruth
(7,328 posts)This is NOT rocket science. You are either working to unite Dems & people who support Dems (like Bernie), or you are supporting Trump & the GOP. It doesn't require calculus or physics to figure out. It's damn simple.
What I"m seeing is people outside the party (trolls), Bernie-bashing in an effort to divide Dems for the benefit of the GOP. If we're gullible enough to fall for that crap we deserve our fate.
Remember how Schumer opposed Obama on the Iran deal? Double standard, anyone?
Sorry for the profanity, I've just had it with the Bernie-bashing. It only helps the GOP & I refuse to do that.
Heartstrings
(7,349 posts)mdohoney
(17 posts)The major themes of social justice, spreading the wealth, jobs for all will lead to victory for all levels political endeavor.
If FDR lived till the present I believe that he continued to promote his second bill of rights except for the 2 term limit he would be president today. The shining example of what democrats should stand for is in that speech. The DLC type democrat, or third way democrat, or centrist democratic ideals demonstrate how the democratic party has lost its soul. They belong to the banking industry and in that sell out they no longer stand for the traditional democratic party. Some people no longer look for the democratic or republican party stand up for them because they at look how politicians vote and who donates to them and assess wheather the politicians are
corporatists or populists. Bernie has struck a cord in the body politic. Its the tone that will show the way to taking back out country. Trump played that cord and won. Regardless of the fact that its was a con job.
Cha
(306,312 posts)http://www.salon.com/2017/04/24/bye-bye-bernie-the-self-appointed-captain-of-the-democratic-ship-needs-to-stop-chasing-the-great-white-male/
BlueMTexpat
(15,513 posts)don't count.
Hi Cha!
Cha
(306,312 posts)Funny when events merge to make that abundantly Clear!
Good to see you, BlueMT~
alarimer
(16,716 posts)I'm so confused. Because we are urged time and again here to vote for the D NO MATTER WHAT.
Mello is the D candidate for mayor. The other guy is an R and probably worse on most things, but I have no clue.
So we disdain purity tests for all things except abortion? Or only when Bernie Sanders endorses someone?
BlueMTexpat
(15,513 posts)that Bernie has specifically chosen to campaign with Mello, while eschewing Ossoff, who is a progressive by every measure, that brings about the concerns voiced here.
It is true that Bernie gets more headlines by campaigning for Mello, however. In this respect, I find SBS to be very much like John McCain, who at least until 2008 would always begin his staff meetings by asking what action would get him the most headlines, thus helping to maintain his "maverick" label rather than really helping to advance any cause. I know this personally from an EXCELLENT source, btw. I can't speak for what is the case now.
If I were eligible to vote in this election, I would still choose the D, whether Bernie supported him or not. The D is wrong on this one - very important - issue but may possibly be inspired to grow.
At the same time, there is no question that Rs are wrong on EVERY issue! And women's reproductive rights is an issue on which those Rs in Congress are in lockstep.
alarimer
(16,716 posts)Urge us all to vote D, no matter what, yet then draw a line in the sand because someone they don't like has endorsed someone whose views on some things are problematic.
In any case, Ossoff is NOT a progressive. He is a middle-of-the-road, more of the same kind of boring, milquetoast Dem we are always supposed to vote for. Real progressives dropped out of that race.
BlueMTexpat
(15,513 posts)opinion and I don't share it.
secondwind
(16,903 posts)Sienna86
(2,151 posts)And he's okay with Hillary.
Cha
(306,312 posts)snip//
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-tim-kaine-abortion-20161008-snap-story.html
Response to Cha (Reply #85)
JudyM This message was self-deleted by its author.
ProfessorPlum
(11,392 posts)Did you know that he is worshiped as a god, and also isn't in the Democratic party?
Paladin
(29,147 posts)zipplewrath
(16,693 posts)It is interesting that if someone wrote this as an OP, that this would be hide worthy. But there seems to be some exception for posting things written outside of DU that is just as divisive.
mcar
(43,697 posts)Considering their coverage during the election season.
Gothmog
(156,660 posts)disillusioned73
(2,872 posts)JudyM
(29,537 posts)Thanks for posting, disillusioned73.
Kaye_NY
(71 posts)When you limit access or place restrictions on reproductive health, you endanger the health and sometimes lives of women.
It would be nice if Senator Sanders could be a more vocal advocate instead of referring to women's reproductive rights as a wedge issue.
It would be nice if Senator Sanders would not refer to Planned Parenthood as part of the establishment. When he says such things he is implying that the services Planned Parenthood provides to women and men is of little importance.
This has nothing to do with Hillary Clinton, Tim Kaine, or even Heath Mello for that matter. This is about the diminishing or trivializing of women's reproductive rights. That is simply not acceptable.
disillusioned73
(2,872 posts)alarimer
(16,716 posts)So this is fucking bullshit.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)and war?