Bernie in the Lion’s Den

[rhett o rick]

Bernie in the Lion’s Den
The socialist senator from Vermont wasn’t exactly eaten alive at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University in Lynchburg.
By D.D. GuttenplanTwitter, Sept., 14, 2015
from: http://www.thenation.com/article/bernie-in-the-lions-den/

Sanders made no effort to paper over the political divide between his vision of a just society and the values inculcated by a university that describes itself as “a Christian academic university” in the evangelical tradition. “I believe in a woman’s right to control her own body,” he began. “I believe in gay rights, and gay marriage.”

“We disagree on those issues. I get that. But let me respectfully suggest that there are other issues out there that are of enormous consequence to our country and the world and that maybe, just maybe, we don’t disagree on them.”

His voice hoarse but powerful, Sanders preached a sermon on the theme of rampant injustice, citing Matthew 7:12 (the Golden Rule) and Amos 5:24 (“let justice roll down like waters”). But if the texts were familiar, the lessons were not. The Vermonter’s declaration that any country that cared about all its children would guarantee them healthcare as a human right got just scattered applause.

In my opinion, what is important about this speech is that Senator Sanders did what few politicians dare to do and that is to give a rousing speech to a large crowd that had significant differences on issues they hold very dear without pandering. He stuck to his principles and I think the crowd respected that.
In my opinion, the growing wave of Sanders followers appreciate him for his unwavering principles, which is refreshing change from corporate politics.

[Agschmid]

1. I'm frustrated, I've said it before I'll say it again.

Thing Jerry Falwell Sr. has done/said...

AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.

I do not believe we can blame genetics for adultery, homosexuality, dishonesty and other character flaws.

I truly cannot imagine men with men, women with women, doing what they were not physically created to do, without abnormal stress and misbehavior.

It is God's planet - and he's taking care of it. And I don't believe that anything we do will raise or lower the temperature one point.

The whole global warming thing is created to destroy America's free enterprise system and our economic stability.

Now I know Bernie doesn't think these things, but why associate with people who do? Changing hearts changing minds is most likely the answer, but in this situation these people are just bigots, EOM.

[djean111]

2. He is not "associating" with them. He went and gave a speech and did not pander.

I almost think there is a real disappointment among some that the event went well, that Bernie did not pander, that Bernie was not booed or whatever. That some seemed to appreciate what he said.

How else do you think we can reach those young minds? TV ads? Bulletin - they don't even see them.

[Agschmid]

3. He reached this young mind without speaking to a group who would jail me... for just being me.

[djean111]

6. So, not speaking to them would help with just what, exactly?

He did not agree with them. He was quite clear about that.

[Agschmid]

7. The coalition that elects my President should not be anti-gay, or anti-woman its 2015.

We don't have time for this shit.

[djean111]

8. We won't even get to trying to fix this shit if Bernie does not get elected.

It is very hard for me, as an atheist, to read/listen to some of Bernie's speech. I think people should just fucking well do the right thing, in the first place, without being told what to do and what not do do by a book. This does not even enter into the arena of comparison with being gay and all the persecution that entails. I understand that. But I don't think every one of those students is going to march in lockstep with their leaders, and that is who I hope listened to Bernie and will be a better person.
I sincerely doubt there will be any sort of coalition. I don't think Bernie would invite Rick Warren to do the convocation at his inauguration.

[mountain grammy]

9. I honestly don't understand what you mean by this.

Bernie didn't debate these issues, he took a stand on them.

[Agschmid]

10. He did, but I'm frustrated he even went there.

[w0nderer]

17. Not sure i liked it either

then i started thinking

what would happen if a R went to a liberal hotspot?....----fail

so he showed them up

the second thing that struck me was this...these (liberty U students) are the future of the RW fundamentalist right?

how can you be nastier than to go there and plant seeds of doubt and thought against established doctrine?

and then i kinda liked it a lot more

[mountain grammy]

21. These kids have heard one thing their whole lives..

from the parents who send them to Liberty to hear more of the same. Bernie went there with a different message, and they listened. There might even be a few who were "saved" from a life of self hatred and condemnation from people who are supposed to love them. Most of us know someone who is a dysfunctional adult thanks to the fundamentalism that condemns who they are, and those are the ones who actually live to adulthood.

While the thought of shaking hands with the likes of Jerry Fallwell, for all the reasons you mentioned above, makes me sick, the speech Bernie gave to the students was honest and decent and, in my opinion, the "good word." Many of these kids don't share their parents' homophobia and are waiting for someone to tell them that's ok!

[Armstead]

30. How do you feel about Hillary's speeches to the Big Banksters and Corps?

They'd like to ship everyone's jobs overseas and pay the remaining American workers $1 an hour. And in the meantime, tale over every single aspect of life through privatization,m deregulation and mergers.

That should be just as disturbing, of you don't believe in speaking with people you don't agree with. Unless you think she agrees with them.

[Agschmid]

31. I do not support her.

I think that tells you how I fell about it.

[Armstead]

33. Consistency is all I ask

Seriously.

A lot of people (and I'm guilty of it sometimes myself) lose perspective and give opposite interpretations to the same or similar action, depending on who one is for or against.

[peacebird]

4. Because Bernie is reaching out to the students saying there are things we don't agree on BUT

There are also things we domagree on and we should work together to solve these problems. Have you ever noticed once you find common ground with someone over one thing, and start to,work together on it, that they become more a person to you than "the evil enemy"? That relatioship brings some trust which makes it easier to try to work together on something else.

It has to start somewhere. Who says all those students neccesarily believe in lockstep with Falwell anyhow?

[A Simple Game]

19. Good post, we do indeed have more in common with conservatives than many think.

We have most of the same problems, we differ mostly in how we would solve those problems. Bernie is a rare case of someone that would be capable of bringing differing factions to common ground.

Bernie could unite this nation in ways it hasn't been for years. Right or wrong Hillary could never do that, the Republicans would never agree with her no matter how correct her solution may be.

[rhett o rick]

26. We in the 99% have a common enemy and they try to exploit our differences to keep

us distracted while they steal our wealth.

[A Simple Game]

27. Yes and religion is one of the tools they use to distract, steal from, and keep us divided us. n/t

[rhett o rick]

29. Yes it is. nm

[hifiguy]

35. So true. They saw Bernie doesn't have horns and a forked tail.

They heard him stand staunchly for HIS principles without watering them down. He talked to them like adults.

Sometimes people can be creatively and genuinely challenged to look at themselves with good results.

I give him nothing but props for having the guts to do it.

As a friend of mine would say "It couldn't hoit!"

[JackInGreen]

12. I know you're angry

and I loathe many of the folks and decisions that have come out of Liberty U and their founder is one of the few people I grave danced for so hard my feet bled.
But opening a dialogue is never a bad thing, trying to convince the hateful that we have commonality (so we can press the flesh later, no pun) is never a bad thing. I get it, but if we close down dialogue we close down a good part of the country. As much as we might LIKE that idea, it's a bad one.

[Agschmid]

14. Thanks.

[global1]

13. The Elders At LU Might Think & Say These Things But.....

they are working with young impressionable minds that are in their formative stages of personal development. The young students are currently being socialized in a world that is one-sided. One could use a stronger term like - they are being brainwashed.

To have someone like Bernie come in and not pander to them and provide them with another viewpoint, another perspective on issues - might - just might - cause them to re-think and question what their elders are trying to teach them.

I applaud the elders of LU first for inviting Bernie to speak to their student body. However, they might have thought the speech would have gone very differently. They might have expected a confrontation. Booing. Out and out rejection of the man. And additional confirmation or support for their teachings.

But Bernie went in - did not pander - stood his ground and said - that we have disagreements - cited those disagreements - invoked the Golden Rule - talked to the students in a frank and adult manner - provided them with thoughts that might cause them to question their teachings/learnings - and left with a prayer for him by the elders.

I was raised a Roman Catholic. I remember when I was taught certain things about Catholicism that caused me to pause and question. I learned that I couldn't accept all that was taught to me because some of it just didn't make rational sense and that is when I began to develop my beliefs and become my own person.

I'm sure a lot of students in that auditorium were sitting there listening to Bernie and the light bulb went off in their head and they saw some inconsistencies between what they are being taught and what someone with a different perspective had to say that sounded equally as rational or maybe even made more sense than what they are being taught.

If Bernie caused a portion of those students in that auditorium to think and question - that is a major success for Bernie. Some of them might even be feeling some initial heat from the Bern.

Go Bernie!!!!!!

[Ed Suspicious]

20. Also Bernie invoked the pope. I haven't subscribed

to Catholicism in decades, but when I was a kid at Parochial school, we learned that what the pope says matters. That Bernie finds common cause wth the pope on issuescof inequality should make a few people there stand up and take notice.

[peacebird]

22. Yes, agree.

[FormerRepublicanNow]

28. Just an opinion

I truly cannot imagine men with men, women with women, doing what they were not physically created to do, but that is no reason to discriminate against them. The foundation of democracy is tolerance and the acceptance of all people, equal rights for all, no matter how different they are from you.

[peacebird]

5. I posted an OP with a link to the video. Bernie was great in that speech.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251594871

[Enthusiast]

11. Kicked and recommended for unwavering principles!

[Dustlawyer]

15. He did not pander or back down, but he did not go there to piss them off either.

I think he caused many of these students to start questioning things and that is good, that's where it starts!

They will feel the Bern!

[rhett o rick]

23. He didn't pander, he didn't back down and he didn't try to exploit them. This was a hugely

important speech. It's too easy to just hate, but that's not the way. Some here don't understand, or refuse to understand that we all in the 99% have a common enemy and it's those that are working day and night to steal our wealth and figuratively or literally enslave us. They are the evil hiding behind propaganda that tells us that wealthy capitalists are our gods. And the "gods" use social justice issues to divide us. These issues are extremely important and we need to work on them, but we must recognize that we will get no social justice without economic justice. We have already lost much of our democracy already and without economic justice we will lose it entirely. Democracy can't exist when the wealthy run the country. And the less democracy we have the less social justice we will get. All advances we've made in the last decade or two can quickly be erased by a government that values complacent 99%.

[Dustlawyer]

36. Absolutely! For me Bernie's election is our best, shit, our only chance to regain

Representative Democracy, regulate corporations, start dealing in a substantial way with Climate Change, bust up the oligarchies in banking and the media and lock the revolving door.

The corporations and groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have been working since Reagan to take over control over our government and our population. They have changed the tax code to their benefit, environmental regulations and enforcement, tort reform, oil drilling... Our fight will take awhile and we will need to back Bernie in huge numbers. We also need to recruit new candidates and get them elected.

I am ready, sounds like you are too!

[rhett o rick]

37. I agree. Electing Sen Sanders is the first big step but we will need to continue our

action to get him help in Congress.

[Recursion]

16. It was a bravura performance

Excellent job.

[snort]

18. Their parents hold the issues dearly.

What non fundy parent is paying the tuition? And the kids are such good little non thinkers. Love the part where "children should be cared for" gets a smattering of applause instead of bringing down the house.

[marym625]

24. K&R!

Excellent, rhett!

What I love is he did it without changing his message, without pandering to the right, without having to wait for polls to decide where he stands. He was, as always, true to himself and the people of this country.





#BerningDowntheHouse

[Babel_17]

25. Bookmarked for later reading, thanks! (nt)

[jfern]

32. The Hillary campaign certainly did far more

to attack Sanders in the last 36 hours than Liberty University did.

[rhett o rick]

34. They have no other tactic. They can't go head to head on the issues. nm