Bernie Sanders: A Moment of Truth for Democrats

[cal04]

Jeff Faux, author of The Servant Economy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-faux/bernie-sanders-a-moment-o_b_8163092.html

(snip)
They have one argument: he can't win. Why? Well... he's too radical, he lacks charisma, he doesn't connect with minorities, he's a secular Jew, etc. Don't waste your vote, they say; the risks of electing a Republican are too high.

(snip)
More important, those who are Democrats because they believe the Party should be an instrument for building a better country- rather than just a personal career ladder -- need to think through the larger probabilities. Whatever the odds are for Bernie Sanders becoming president, the odds that Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden would, as president, seriously address the issues that the Democratic rank-and-file care about are much longer.

Both Clinton and Biden have been leaders of the crony network of Democratic Party enablers who have colluded with the GOP on the domestic policies that have relentlessly eroded economic security and opportunity for the vast majority of our people. They both are also major promoters of the reckless foreign interventions that have cost thousands of American lives, trillions of dollars and generated fierce hatred of us throughout the world.

"Not our fault," shrug the Democratic elite. "The country has moved to the right." True. Yet these same people have controlled the White House for 15 of the last 23 years. The problem is not that the Republican Party has moved to the right; that has always been its natural tendency. It's that the Democratic Party has willingly moved with them. The signature self-proclaimed "successes" of both the Clinton and Obama administrations - criminal justice and welfare "reforms," deregulation of trade and privatization of government, Wall Street bailouts and a health care program whose major beneficiaries are insurance and drug companies - are all Republican ideas.

(snip)
Thus, Bernie Sanders' candidacy has created a moment of truth for Democratic voters, testing how serious they are about changing the country's direction. We cannot be certain, of course, that even a President Bernie Sanders could loosen Big Money's stranglehold on our democracy. But we can be certain that neither of his rivals would even try.

[99th_Monkey]

1. Big K&R -nt-

[dorkzilla]

2. K&R

Excellent article, excellent points.

[Faux pas]

3. Kicketty Kickin'

[Vincardog]

4. kkkKKKKIIIICCCCCKKKKKKkkk

[retrowire]

5. oh yeah. n/t

[Live and Learn]

6. K&R nt

[cantbeserious]

7. A Vote For HRC Is A Vote For The 1% And More Crony Capitalism

eom

[Maineman]

8. Maybe. But she certainly will not do anything to ruffle the feathers on Wall Street, etc.

I still remember a video from 2008 when she was seen and heard telling some big money folks, bankers I think, that she looked forward to working with them.

I will do a write-in for Bernie Sanders in the general election, if I have to.

He will also need a Democratic congress.

[cantbeserious]

9. Wall Street Is The Poster Child For Crony Capitalism

eom

[Doitnow]

10. Right On!

People shouldn't be called radical when they espouse fairness. So many issues have festered without solution for far too long for too many people. They should be called courageous for standing up and bringing attention to them. Bernie Sanders stands for more Democratic principles than most Democrats. Go Bernie!!

I don't want to vote for someone who has to be dragged to the (so-called) left. I want someone who is already there.

[draa]

11. Spot on and well said. Thanks.

[ChiciB1]

12. K&R, I Want The Party I Joined To Start

looking like the Party I joined. I don't recognize THIS current one! Sure, as Bernie has said over & over he can't do it alone, but it's a start!

I'm ready for the start and the fight!

[Uncle Joe]

13. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, cal04.

[zeemike]

14. Well I take issue with the idea that Hillary can beat the GOP

And I think what will happen if Clinton is the one is that independents and some Ds will give up and not even vote in the GE...but on the other hand those in the GOP and the independents that lean that way will turn out in mass to vote against Clinton.

But perhaps our party leaders think it is the Republicans turn.

[INdemo]

17. If Hillary is nominated the progressive Democrats will stay home and

Last edited Mon Sep 21, 2015, 07:43 AM - Edit history (2)

just like 2014 it will be a cake walk for Republicans...And guess who will get the blame..

Bernie Sanders can win..Bernie Sanders will bring new voters to the polls and Bernie Sanders will bring Progressives to the polls and his candidacy will encourage real progressives to run for Congress and some will win.

[zeemike]

22. That is how I got it figured too. n/t

[Enthusiast]

15. Kicked and recommended to the Max!

We have to elect Bernie. It is imperative.

[rhett o rick]

16. k & r. Thanks for posting. nm

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

18. Like I have said before.

Now is the time for a real progressive populist movement, but the message needs to be clear and not overly complex and it needs to be repeated over and over to drive it home into the minds of the people.

Then Bernie will win.

[appalachiablue]

19. K & R. Thanks.

[L0oniX]

20. When they didn't prosecute the Iraq war criminals and banksters they lost all credibility.

[merrily]

21. One of my biggest surprises at DU: some Democrats don't give a rat's whisker about truth.

[cantbeserious]

24. All Too True

eom

[zentrum]

23. Huge kick! Thanks.

[davidpdx]

25. k&r

Just read this before coming to DU to see if it was posted.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

26. Wait, didn't Hillary say she was going to get money out of politics?

Or was that "make".

[cprise]

27. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was an utter failure in 2012

But she is still in charge.

This smells VERY bad.

[Dustlawyer]

28. We have a Facist state! Wall Street controls our government, judiciary, media, and Regulatory

Agencies! We have to fight them for our Democracy.

[raouldukelives]

29. K&R There are those serious about democracy for all people.

And there are those with investments in Wall St. The more wealth and power it has, the less of a voice those unaffiliated have.

[Catherina]

30. WTF. Seriously? "in the 80s, Bill Clinton regularly played golf at a segregated all-white golf club"

Nowhere does the record show that either of the Clintons ever took a personal risk for their proclaimed liberal beliefs about race relations. Or seriously inconvenienced themselves; for example, while Governor of Arkansas in the 1980s, Bill Clinton regularly played golf at a segregated all-white golf club.

This makes his racist jokes from 2008 even more distasteful. I wasn't aware of this.

[LiberalElite]

31. Kick nt

[HassleCat]

32. And it doesn't even work anymore

There are two things that make me sad about the third way, triangulating, see-which-way-the-wind-blows Democrats. First, they willingly abandon traditional Democratic issues and principles for the sake of winning. Second, they are not even winning. Voters are not inspired to get out and vote for a candidate whose primary appeal is imitating a Republican. It's time the Democratic Party stood for something.

[sabrina 1]

33. It is definitely a moment of truth for Dem voters. Either they MEANT what they said

repeatedly during the Bush era about our FP, Wall St cronyism, the attacks on Social Programs etc, or they were merely vying for the job that appears to be offered to either of the two parties by those who actually have managed to control our government.

No Democrat can listen to Bernie Sanders and/or look at his record, and reject his candidacy in favor of a continuation of the status quo.