Dear America: Meet Bernie Sanders. PROPERLY, THIS TIME
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~snip~
This is an open letter to the American people.
In the race to decide the next President of your arguably great nation, there is one candidate who has been drawing the largest crowds of any candidate visiting the key primary state of Iowa (including the Republican primary candidates, who probably estimate about 1 percent of the American population at this point). A candidate who out-fundraised Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul in any of their first 24 hours as candidates. A candidate whose policies align with the majority of Americans on everything from income inequality to money's role in politics to the minimum wage to federally financed political campaigning to abortion to overturning Citizens United to global warming and government taking action to combat it to the affordability of a college degree to gun control to government surveillance to passing a law legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states. A candidate who was one of the thousands of Americans who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in his historic March on Washington in 1963. A candidate who has served as a mayor (being one of the earliest proponents of a lot of the policies that are nowadays commonplace in municipal government), a congressman and a senator, with deep knowledge of the American political system and equally deep, authentic convictions that he has held onto for his entire political career.
There is also only one candidate who so far has been either ignored or ridiculed by the massive majority of the American media during his entire campaign. A candidate whose campaign kickoff had the most attendees of that of any candidate so far, and yet was mostly ignored by most media outlets, or relegated to a side-note about a general story on the race, while candidates like ex-Governor and current-who-are-you-supposed-to-be George Pataki got major coverage. A candidate whose disproportionately tiny actual coverage includes headlines such as "Bernie Sanders for President? Why Not?" and flattering subtitles like "Why Sanders draws the crowds, excites the base, polls relatively well -- and still won't make much of an impact in 2016." A candidate who straight-up got asked by Katie Couric whether he'd like to be Hillary Clinton's vice presidential candidate and who is constantly reminded that "success" would be pulling Clinton's campaign farther to the left on certain policies. I mean, come on. That candidate's name is Bernie Sanders, and he could, and should, be the 45th President of the United States of America.
Saying what I've just said shouldn't be a controversial thing. If anything, it's by all means a perfectly sound thing to say when writing about a political candidate. So, I will now address the groups of people that somehow remarkably make saying "this old white heterosexual American man whose platform is entirely in touch with most of mainstream American politics should be President" a weird, taboo thing to say. First off, the general news media. Apart from what I said above, there is really something genuinely worrying about the concept of a news media largely owned by millionaires (and in some cases billionaires) who employ millionaire anchors and writers shunning the one candidate in favor of major redistribution of wealth away from America's top earners and into the middle class. The media can make or break a candidate, and, unlike ever before, the current 2016 presidential race coverage seems determined to break Bernie Sanders, with some exceptions currently applying the ol' "oh would you look at that he's actually doing well maybe we should stop blatantly dismissing his campaign" approach to reporting. Looking at you, New York Times. This is not a matter of bias. It is a matter of math. Sanders is polling better among the Democratic primary electorate than any candidate in the Republican electorate. That is a fact. He is drawing larger crowds than any other candidate in Iowa. Also a fact. Hillary Clinton only beat him by 8 points in a recent Wisconsin Democratic Party straw poll. Fact. His positions are not far-left or fringe; by the mere definitions of those terms, they cannot be if they are accepted by a majority of the American people. Fact. So, why is the media ignoring and/or acting like a gang of grade school bullies about Bernie's campaign?
Don't make it about socialism either, now. FDR and Martin Luther King, Jr. both got called socialists in their day, so good luck arguing that it's a step in the wrong direction, Sanders just happens to use the label. A majority of Americans don't identify as libertarians, but the media is not treating Rand Paul like a fringe candidate. A majority of Americans don't identify as sympathizers of the Tea Party, but the media is not treating Ted Cruz like a fringe candidate. Also, one quick thing, he's a democratic socialist. There's a difference." target="_blank"> One word. An entire word that references a completely different set of policies, a different set of foreign examples. Granted, the U.S. has had a major issue with communism in the past century, and communists tends to associate themselves with socialism, and some people argue that it's difficult to get Americans to even understand the difference between the two. But it is no -- actually, no, wait, let me just say this next bit with the fancy bold font: It is not the media's job to decide what the American people can and cannot hear. That is dishonesty, that is lying. It is the media's job to keep the American people informed. That's what it's there for, and doing anything else is simply abusing the trust millions and millions of Americans have for the current news media system. Speaking of the American public, I'd like to speak directly with everyone who is hesitant to support Bernie Sanders. Statistically, reader, that's probably you. If you're scared of a vote for Bernie being a vote thrown away, firstly, we're only talking about primaries as of right now, losing the race doesn't put anybody in office or screw anybody over, it just means somebody else gets the Democratic candidacy. That's it. Vote for the candidate you believe in, period. If you're disillusioned with the voting process as a whole, stand up, get yourself together, take some time out of your day and go vote for Bernie in your state primary (you might want to find out when your state primary is, first). That sort of lazy, voting-won't-work attitude is exactly what those who rig the process want the American public to fall into so as to make pushing their horrible agendas easier.
cont'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emil-mella/dear-america-please-get-your-bernie-sanders_b_7536276.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
Read his 1992 acceptance speech
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=25958
Bush was clearly out of touch-- He had no idea about how the average person lived, as exemplified by his amazement at supermarket scanners, and thinking that $19 was a reasonable price for a loaf of bread. There was also a recession at the time which Bush did not acknowledge ("It's the economy, stupid!"
. Bush was also a lousy campaigner who was running against a charismatic and youthful opponent.
I lived through all of that, and more. My first vote was '64. Not a happy one..
Neither the country nor the voters were ready for those good men, they chose the dark side instead. I started running away a lot after that; two Peace Corps stints in Africa and other extended overseas residencies.
Still I never lost my hope that the right person would come along at the right time. We thought we were there in 2008 and got a little let down on that one, but it's hard not to feel the difference in both the country and the voters now. We can learn a lot from the past, but let's not use it against ourselves. Let's take the lessons and more on and make it work this time.
Bernie is not a longshot at this point in history. He is the President the country needs and the voters, you know those real people that live in scattered places outside "The Beltway," once they hear him and the passion he brings recognize he is the real deal and has doable solutions.
GO BERNIE
Go Bernie!
If they live long enough....
Young people don't believe the TV newz. They're coming out for Bernie BIG TIME on social media.
Bernie will NOT be taken off-message. Just ask Wolfie Blitzer. 
for CHANGING their header AFTER the fact.
I just checked with the article's link only to find their original header (as I originally posted) has been changed.
I am adjusting my header.....
Thanks for the heads up.......
I thought it was your title.
I'm glad they changed it because it did suck as a title. I feel better now knowing you didn't write it!
Yes, I did change the header after realizing they had made adjustments also. They're still showing some portion of their original header within their url path.
Its all good now...
our next President btw.
and rec!!!
And for helping to kick the thread.
