If Bernie's the nominee Trump will endlessly brand him with the Democratic Socialist label and the

[pnwmom]

worst part is, he'll be able to do it with Bernie's full and proud cooperation.

And all the down-ticket legislators in swing and red districts will suffer.

Bernie can point to the Nordic countries all he wants, but the fact is they are capitalist countries, and they are Social Democracies, not examples of Democratic socialism. So that's a losing argument for all but his fervent supporters.

Trump will be able to brand Bernie with the label associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, a group that fully endorses Bernie, and has references to him all over its website. And imagine the ads they could make with quotes like this:

II. Our Vision of Democratic Socialism

Democratic Socialism as Radical Democracy

DSA believes that the fight for democratic socialism is one and the same as the fight for radical democracy, which we understand as the freedom of all people to determine all aspects of their lives to the greatest extent possible. Our vision entails nothing less than the radical democratization of all areas of life, not least of which is the economy. Under capitalism we are supposed to take for granted that a small, largely unaccountable group of corporate executives should make all fundamental decisions about the management of a company comprised of thousands of people. This group has the power to determine how most of us spend the lion’s share of our waking hours, as well as the right to fire anyone for basically any reason, no matter how arbitrary. Under democratic socialism, this authoritarian system would be replaced with economic democracy. This simply means that democracy would be expanded beyond the election of political officials to include the democratic management of all businesses by the workers who comprise them and by the communities in which they operate. Very large, strategically important sectors of the economy — such as housing, utilities and heavy industry — would be subject to democratic planning outside the market, while a market sector consisting of worker-owned and -operated firms would be developed for the production and distribution of many consumer goods. In this society, large-scale investments in new technologies and enterprises would be made on the basis of maximizing the public good, rather than shareholder value. Crucially, investments in renewable energy and efficient technologies would be prioritized to guarantee ecological sustainability and the future existence of life on Earth.

https://www.dsausa.org/strategy/resistance_rising_socialist_strategy_in_the_age_of_political_revolution/

[lees1975]

1. So Democrats need to start NOW and get ahead of that narrative!

Don't let Trump control the agenda.
https://nuntiatum.home.blog/2020/02/24/think-scandinavia-not-venezuela/

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Haha. That ship sailed 70 years ago.

Socialism has been perceived as communism for as long as I can remember.

Forget it.

[pnwmom]

10. I think we should start by not nominating Bernie.

We shouldn't have to defend his socialist brand.

[msongs]

2. bernie is not really a socialist despite his own claims to be so. If he is, he's keeping it

way out of his campaign rhetoric:

Socialism -
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property
b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done

source - merriam webster dictionary

[brush]

8. When you're explaining you're losing.

[pnwmom]

13. "Vote for me, I'm not really a socialist, even though I call myself

a Democratic Socialist every single day! (And there are tapes of me all over the internet calling myself simply a "socialist."

"And I have nothing to do with the Democratic Socialists of America, even though they're promoting ME, and socialism, all over their website!"

Yeah, that's a winning message.

[lapfog_1]

3. da comrade.

only some of the pigs on the Farm are more equal that other ones.

[mikeysnot]

4. And we will brand trump another "ist" word...

RAPIST!

[brush]

5. So true. I believe most of his supporters don't realize the amount of negative oppo...

is out there against him.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. Talk about writing free ads for the right.

[Calculating]

9. And if Biden is the nominee we'll hear endlessly about Hunter Biden

It will literally be the new Hillary email scandal.

[LongtimeAZDem]

12. The difference is that moderate republicans want Trump out, don't care about Hunter, and don't hate

Biden the way they hate Clinton and Sanders.

[Moderateguy]

14. At least Biden can argue the stuff about Hunter is made up

Your boy WILLINGLY calls himself a democratic socialist, even though he fully knows the negative connotations attached to it.

[pnwmom]

15. LOLOL. Like the R's don't have an opposition file against Bernie that's 2 feet thick. n/t

[LanternWaste]

16. Keep telling yourself a stubbed-toe and a double-amputation are equitable.

"Literally." "Endlessly." So bad melodrama's is still a thing, eh?

[joshcryer]

11. We flipped the house running moderates.

I agree with your assessment.