Bernie Sanders Is About as Radical as Harry Truman

[Ichingcarpenter]

Bernie Sanders Is About as Radical as Harry Truman

Snip

Go back through the history of the Democratic Party primaries for the past half-century, and look what happened to progressives. In 2004, Howard Dean rallied the popular hunger for someone "from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," but he turned out to be a flawed candidate.

Paul Wellstone? Died in a plane crash. Bobby Kennedy? Assassinated. Fred Harris and Mo Udall, both progressives who ran in 1976, crowded each other out. As politics has been captured by elites, we have not had a rendezvous of the right leader with the right moment.

Meanwhile, the American economy has turned viciously against ordinary people. Banks, corporations, and the one percent have more power than ever, political as well as economic.

So there is a pent-up demand for a candidate who can articulate popular frustrations. The fact that a 74-year-old, self-described socialist transplant from Brooklyn to Burlington, Jewish no less, is the surging vessel of these demands only tells you how deeply felt they must be.

But Bernie is no more radical than, say, Harry Truman, FDR or LBJ (when he was thinking about domestic policies). My friend Peter Dreier, a few months ago, performed a real service when he compared key Sanders positions with public opinion generally.

As Dreier reported, overwhelming majorities of Americans support a higher minimum wage: 74 percent think corporations have too much influence; 73 percent favor tougher regulation of Wall Street; 58 percent support breaking up big banks; 79 percent think the wealthy don't pay their fair share of taxes; 85 percent favor paid family leave; 80 percent of Democrats and half the public generally support single-payer Medicare for all; well over 70 percent of Americans support workers' right to unionize; and on and on.

No wonder Sanders is gaining ground...........

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/bernie-sanders-is-about-a_b_8242074.html

[cantbeserious]

1. Also No More Radical Than FDR Himself - Regrettably The 1% Have Convinced Americans Otherwise

eom

[Hortensis]

10. I'm a big Truman fan. Cantbe, the 1% does not force Americans to pay no attention.

That's their choice. This election, most those who do will finally start about 3 months out from the MAIN, not Super Tuesday. That doesn't mean they'll actually do their homework, though. The 1% is OUR creation.

[cantbeserious]

13. Big Picture - Americans Are Propogandized Daily To Revere Their 1% Overlords

eom

[Hortensis]

14. Authoritarianism only works on conservatives and strongly on social conservatives.

The rest of us don't have that flaw, or excuse, but we do have others. All our flaws created the 0.01%, and we can take them down ANY TIME MORE THAN JUST A FEW OF US CHOOSE.

[cantbeserious]

18. One Would Suggest That The Brainwashing Has Been And Continues To Be Most Effective

eom

[Hortensis]

19. In reality most "brainwashing" is self imposed. Manipulators simply present what

people already WANT, even insist, on hearing in ways that influence people's attitudes and behaviors in the "right" direction. Manipulators don't create the information "bubble" a lot of people prefer to live in, they just reinforce it.

[ellenrr]

2. re Howard Dean: "flawed candidate"

certainly he was a flawed human being, as we all are.
But I don't think that is what did him in.
What did him was the media.
He had an unfortunate expression, "the scream", and afterwards one could not turn on TV or radio for months without the scream.

[bvf]

3. Agreed.

That was a pretty vile thing they did to him. It was just a moment of jubilation when he was addressing a crowd of supporters.

At least they could've done the same with W. when he studiously picked his nose at a Rangers game.

[Art_from_Ark]

6. It was just like Muskie's "tears" in '72

His "tears" were in all likelihood snowflakes that had melted on his face.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Indeed.

They had the Dean Scream on an endless loop and played that until they took him down. Voters fell for their bullshit. I think everyone now sees how the CORPORATE OWNED MSM operates and won't be so quick to buy what they're selling. The MSM is corrupt. People now know that. Look at how they have tried to manipulate this election by ignoring who the CORPORATIONS don't want to win.

One more entity that has overplayed its hand with the power given to them. No more. They're now impotent. We have the internet where we can find the TRUTH.

The Fairness Doctrine could be useful again!

[Hortensis]

11. "Audiences fell for"? Look at your descriptions -- "scream." THERE WAS NO SCREAM,

yet here we are years later, using THEIR LYING DESCRIPTION. We do that a lot.

When words lose their meaning, peoples lose their liberty.—Confucius (Obviously, this has been going on a looong time.)

[Hortensis]

9. THERE WAS NO "SCREAM." Silly. It was a total media fabrication. I was watching.

He powered up his style to try to rev up the crowd more, and the media, which had watched his usual delivery dozens of times, attacked like a pack of wolves and took him as a choice right off OUR ballots.

[Demeter]

5. You have to admit, though, that to the 1%, FDR and Truman WERE radical

and objects of fear and hatred.

Stay safe, Bernie!

[MrMickeysMom]

7. He is gaining ground... The response over-flow crowds are only the beginning...

The debate October 13th will, IMO, open the chapter that will culminate by the end of this month.

First, they ignore you... (and by "they", it's the oligarchy, baby).

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. He's more the heir to Henry Wallace, imo.

Dumping Wallace (in favor of Truman) as VEEP at the 1944 convention was the beginning of the end of the Democratic Party as a meaningful, coherent political institution.

IMO.

[fredamae]

12. When you review the 1956 GOP Platform

I'm left to wonder if Republican Pres Eisenhower would get any traction in Either Democratic Or GOP Corporatist Party's in 2015. Seriously.
1956 GOP Platform:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=25838

[mhatrw]

15. Bernie Sanders. Slightly to the left of Ike.n/t

[jomin41]

16. Lately, I've been remembering that famous

front-page photo the day after the 1948 election. Truman holding early edition copy of a newspaper with the GIANT headline: DEWEY BEATS TRUMAN!

[raouldukelives]

17. Another decade in the most reality Wall St will allow.

In an honest and open society, Bernie would accurately represent the overwhelming desire of the people. I believe they refer to it as Democracy. I also believe the politician that does this would be shown on a scale as being considered a Centrist. With others nudging and jostling to occupy positions to the left and right.

Thanks to the influence and propaganda of corporations, we all live in Cloud Cuckoo Land, instead of as we were intended to, as caring and compassionate human beings, "With malice toward none".

In the end, we do live in a democracy, of a sort. We live in the most democracy Wall St supporters cannot they themselves afford to hold back from us.

[HereSince1628]

20. Ok...so just which national industry do you think Bernie will try to nationalize?

I'm in favor healthcare!

[Ichingcarpenter]

21. I knew and met Wellstone in my life

He was the captain of my brother's wrestling team at
Yorktown high school when I was in junior high.


Amazing person.

[hifiguy]

22. He has always reminded me of Hubert Humphrey and Paul Wellstone.

being that I am from Minnesota.

And Humphrey was considered to be a quintessential Democrat. Yeah, Hubert was a real radical.