General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"We insist that there is a class struggle;
that the working class must recognize it; that they must organize economically and politically upon the basis of that struggle; and that when they do so organize then they will have to power to free themselves and put an end to that struggle forever."
One of the great American heroes, Eugene V. Debs, c. 1901
THAT is why I'm for Bernie. He wants us all to stand up and demand change. Will it work? Probably not at first. Power has to be forced, line by line, bit by bit to concede ANYTHING. But just because it will be difficult does not give us any excuse to refrain from trying.
Why try? Because we know, and when you know, you can never go back.
gordyfl
(598 posts)Dressed in khaki pants and a button-down shirt, Bernie Sanders, now in his eighth term in Congress, marched without a cadre of aides handing out literature, without any signs to draw attention his way, without so much as a campaign pin or a bumper sticker identifying him as a candidate for the states open Senate seat in 2006. The minority of one member of Congress who sits in the House as neither a Democrat nor a Republican did not require any introduction.
As he came into view, waving his arm and calling out hellos, spontaneous and sustained applause erupted from Vermonters, who shouted, Give em hell, Bernie! and, again and again, Senator Sanders!
Its mind-boggling how popular Bernie is. And its not just progressives. People who tell you they have no interest in politics, who tell you they dont trust any politicians, are the ones who love Bernie the most, says Margrete Strand. Polls consistently identify Sanders as the most popular politician in the state.
Now, with the decision of Republican-turned-independent Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords to step down, Sanders is the clear front-runner to win one of the few US Senate seats next year.
He will still have to deal with the multimillion-dollar GOP attack campaign that is certain to target him.
Unfortunately, Sanders is not peddling easy fixes. What he has to teach is not a new scheme for organizing a campaign or raising money. Theres no Bernie Sanders gimmick. Rather, Sanders offers confirmation of a fundamental reality that too many progressive pols have forgotten: An ideologically muscular message delivered in a manner that crosses lines of class, region and partisanship is still the best strategy.
Bernie earned peoples trust over a long period of time by taking strong stands and sticking to them, says Peter Freyne, a columnist for Burlingtons weekly newspaper, Seven Days. Theres a connection between what the politician says and what the politician does. And its always there. The consistency of where hes coming from and who hes looking out for has been there since I started covering him in 1981.
And, invariably, the connection was forged in a conversation about economics.
To a greater extent, arguably, than any other progressive politician in the country, Sanders is identified with pocketbook issues.
http://www.thenation.com/article/being-bernie/