Our Opinion: There's a reason why most everyone loves Bernie

[Donkees]

March 17, 2017


Excerpt:

But this isn't just about Sanders' progressive agenda; it's also about his honesty and integrity and his willingness to go places many politicians of his ilk fear to tread — including the Deep South and Coal Country — to sit down and listen to ordinary people.

Even prior to Nov. 4, Sanders was rated by some as the most popular politician in the country, even more popular than then-President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle. This popularity was hardly dented by the attempt of many pundits and political operatives on both sides of the aisle to disparage him by labeling him a socialist.



Matt Karp, writing for The Jacobin, noted the simplest explanation for Sanders' popularity is that "he stands for popular things," including aggressive financial regulation, a much higher minimum wage, Social Security expansion and free public college.

"Just as important," noted Karp, "Sanders stands against unpopular things. For over 25 years, about 60 percent of Americans have consistently said that the country's wealth distribution is unfair and that the wealthy pay too little in taxes. In the past decade, an equally robust 60 percent majority has expressed dissatisfaction with the size and power of major corporations. Another 60 percent believe major donors exert far more influence on Congress than regular people."



Even in defeat, wrote Karp, "Sanders has successfully established a premise, a vocabulary, and a program for social-democratic politics in America. The premise is almost revolutionary: our society is now controlled by a tiny capitalist elite, whose predatory power can only be toppled by a popular movement from below."

Many people are calling for Sanders to encourage a third party in the United States that can effectively take on the established elite. But while they are asking for Sanders to lead, many people are taken action into their own hands, whether that's organizing resistance to the agendas of Trump and the Republicans or campaigning for seats on local councils or state legislatures. That's where the battle will be won or lost, not on the national level. People are beginning to realize if they really want to effect change, they have to start small and build big.

Sanders' own campaign for presidency proved that starting small can produce big results. We don't ask him to lead, but we will ask him to shepherd the change and mentor the people implementing the change.

http://www.reformer.com/stories/our-opinion-theres-a-reason-why-most-everyone-loves-bernie,501641

[riderinthestorm]

1. Bernie will never start a third party. We need to pull the Dem party towards Bernie instead nt