We are not going to get a guaranteed income

[upaloopa]

and Bernie is not going to turn this into a progressive utopia starting in 2017!
It worries me that so many here are living in a fantasy world in their minds.
We have to beat the repubs and we have a centrist electorate.
I am not saying that we do not need to become more progressive but we need to be pragmatic here or we are going to make a very hard turn to the right in 2017.
The Kochs alone are putting up $900 million! Add that to the right leaning PACs and other undisclosed money the repubs will spend. And the Bernie folks is criticizing Hillary for taking what ever money she can get.
The only saving thing I can see is that Bernie and who ever else jumps in will lose in the primaries and run out of money and then we can all begin a serious fight to win in 2017.
At some point the fairy dust has to fall out of people's eyes.

[CJCRANE]

1. We will get what we campaign for

if enough of us campaign for it.

[jwirr]

2. While I hear what you are saying I think people want something different. And I don't think they

are thinking in terms of race or gender. When I hear people talking about their dissatisfaction with what is going on I hear them talking issues. It is going to be about specifics this time.

And I don't think any of us expect him to be the answer to the Second Coming. But for me he will be fighting with me on issues I really care about. I do not think I am in fantasy land. If I am then my world should be rosier. Instead it is in a world of hurt right now as I am watching all of my family suffer with economic issues.

[rogerashton]

4. "Bernie klan?'

I think you should retract that.

[upaloopa]

6. Done

[NCTraveler]

5. We must roll back the gerrymandering....

that has put the R's in such a comfortable position in the House. I really do think there is something to say about R's want the House seats while D's want the big prize. The only benefit of the big prize at this point is to stop the R's and what they could do with congress and the WH. Their ground game locally is pretty good. We need to work on that aspect.

[Downwinder]

7. Why not?

It would be much cheaper than what we are doing now. With Social Security I get $30 a day if I stay out of jail. The going Federal for profit incarceration rate rate is $200 per day. Out of jail they get $300 a month toward my medical expenses.

[rogerashton]

8. Bernie talks about a "political revolution"

by which I take it he means a revolution by means of the vote, not by means of guns. Not a social revolution, though, at least not at first.

The odds are always against revolution. But revolutions happen. Sometimes revolution comes "like a thief in the night," when least expected. I have, or had, a book published in 1912 that assessed the probability of socialist revolution in various countries. The one country that seemed certain not to be subject to socialist revolution was the Russian Empire. We know how that turned out.

For Bernie to win would require enough shift in the voting patterns and numbers that it would constitute something of a political revolution. If that revolution doesn't happen, most likely Hillary will be our next president. I'm willing to roll those dice.

[JustAnotherGen]

9. upaloopa - where did you see this?

I just googled it and I'm only getting links to reddit as it relates to Sanders.


Is this something being floated at DU or something he's really put on his agenda?

thanks.

[CJCRANE]

11. Good point. The OP seems to be conflating two other threads on DU

one about Bernie talking about Scandinavian countries and a different and unrelated thread about guaranteed minimum income.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. Thanks - I'll take a look

I don't like to agree or disagree unless I'm informed.

[LongTomH]

10. Guaranteed income, single-payer healthcare and other issues are long-term goals!

In the near-term, we are fighting for small gains, maybe an expansion of Social Security benefits, maybe some enhancements to the Affordable Care Act; but, we shouldn't lose sight of long-term goals.

I would also argue that the American people are much more liberal - on issues - than you give them credit for.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. "They do it so we should do it" is a piss poor excuse for principles and a piss-poor

way of running a government.

I'm sticking with the fairy dust.