Why can't Bernie point out that Democratic Socialism is an American thing?

[AZ Progressive]

Bernie is not helping his cause by making it look like Democratic Socialism is a foreign things from small obscure european countries. This is making democratic socialism look like some fringe thing, when one of America's greatest presidents of all time and the commander in chief during WWII embraced democratic socialism!!!

The Democratic Socialism in Europe is, according to Michael Moore in the Sicko documentary, a result of people who used to work in the FDR administration spreading ideas when they were helping to rebuild Europe after WWII.


What is Democratic Socialism? Medicare, Social Security, free high school, the VA, etc...

Why can't Bernie point out how American, Democratic Socialism is?

[cascadiance]

1. Yep, and if we want to celebrate that, put Frances Perkins on the 10 dollar bill...

... as Mother Jones article here suggests. She was the one that really brought the core of democratic socialism to America as one of the prime movers of it on FDR's cabinet then...



http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/10/put-frances-perkins-ten-dollar-bill

[liberal_at_heart]

2. He is doing a great job of pointing out that we are the only major country in the world

that does not offer the things that democratic socialism offers. He needs to keep hammering that point home. The Republicans have told the American people that any ideas that come from outside the US are communistic. Are we just going to allow them to control that narrative or are we going to take control of the narrative? We can learn things from other countries that are doing things better than we are, and instead of running scared of the Republicans rhetoric we need to call them out on it and state the facts.

[bullwinkle428]

3. Thom Hartmann, who is a HUGE Bernie supporter, made this very same point

on his show today. He said that he's talked with Bernie's people on numerous occasions, and tried to get him to adopt this message, but hasn't really done so as of yet. I hope he does get more into this in the next debate.

[Cheese Sandwich]

4. Great point. I noticed Bernie did talk a little about Dorothy Day, during the Pope's visit..

America has a great socialist tradition. All different kinds.

Whatever kind of socialism Bernie wants he could find something in US history to relate it to.

He could talk about Upton Sinclair, or Michael Harrington, or Martin Luther King, or Dorothy Day.

It's nice to say Denmark but it would be nice if he could root it a little more in some American traditions.