The One Democrat Trump Fears, Warren Sanders; Robert Reich

[appalachiablue]

- 'Donald Trump fears only one Democrat: Warren Sanders.' Robert Reich. The two senators, working for everyday Americans, are streets ahead of any establishment candidate. The Guardian, Dec. 15, 2019. Excerpts, Ed.:

There aren’t 20 Senate Republicans with enough integrity to remove the most corrupt president in American history, so we’re going to have to get rid of Trump the old-fashioned way – by electing a Democrat next 3 November. That Democrat will be Warren Sanders. Although there are differences between Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, I’m putting them together for the purpose of making a simple point. These two have most of the grassroots energy in the 2020 campaign, most of the enthusiasm and most of the ideas critical for America’s future.
Together, they lead Joe Biden and every other so-called moderate Democrat by a wide margin in all polls. That’s because the real political divide in America today is establishment versus anti-establishment – the comparatively few at the top who have siphoned off much of the wealth of the nation versus everyone else whose wages and prospects have gone nowhere.



Warren and Sanders know the system is rigged and that economic and political power must be reallocated from a corporate-Wall Street elite to the vast majority. This is why both Warren and Sanders are hated by the Democratic establishment. It’s also why much of the corporate press is ignoring the enthusiasm they’re generating. And why it’s picking apart their proposals, like a wealth tax and Medicare for All, as if they were specific pieces of legislation. And why corporate and Wall Street Democrats are mounting a campaign to make Americans believe Warren and Sanders are “too far to the left” to beat Trump, and therefore “unelectable”. This is total rubbish. Either of them has a better chance of beating Trump than does any other Democratic candidate.

Presidential elections are determined by turnout. More than a third of eligible voters in America don’t vote. They go to the polls only if they’re motivated. And what motivates people most is a candidate who stands for average people and against power and privilege. Average Americans know they’re getting the scraps while corporate profits are at record highs and CEOs and Wall Street executives are pocketing unprecedented pay and bonuses.. Most Americans want to elect someone who’s on their side. In 2016 some voted for Trump because he conned them into believing he was that person. But he’s given big corporations and Wall Street everything they’ve wanted..

- "If the backers of both Sanders and Warren come together behind one of them, they’ll have the votes."

Trump is still fooling millions into thinking he’s on their side..But some of these Trump supporters would join with other Americans and vote for a candidate in 2020 who actually took on power and privilege. This is where Warren and Sanders come in. Their core proposals would make the system work for everyone and alter the power structure in America: Medicare for All based on a single-payer rather than private for-profit corporate insurance; a Green New Deal to create millions of good jobs fighting climate change; free public higher education; universal childcare. All financed mainly by a tax on the super-rich. - More...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/15/donald-trump-democrats-elizabeth-warren-bernie-sanders

- "Why Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren Will Win The Presidency" by Robert Reich, Dec. 10, 2019.

[highplainsdem]

1. OMG, the imaginary Warren Sanders candidate Trump supposedly fears, despite all

the real evidence showing that he fears Biden the most!

OMG, the magical combined candidate, whose strength is vast compared to less leftist candidates who of course can't be combined to show relative support, because then it would be obvious there's more support for less leftist candidates than for the two most leftist candidates...

This is such a weird exercise in imagination for Reich.

[NurseJackie]

2. I still chuckle at how we're often told that Biden is behind in the polls...

I still chuckle at how we're often told that Biden is behind in the polls... because "if you add up Warren's and Sanders' poll numbers then they are greater than Biden's.

[highplainsdem]

6. And the same people who want to add Warren and Sanders' numbers would never accept a combining of

the support for Biden, Buttigieg, Bloomberg and Klobuchar (and probably a few others).

Which in the latest Fox News poll would give you only 33% for combined support for Sanders and Warren, versus 47% combined support for those four liberal-but-not-leftist candidates.

[appalachiablue]

8. If Biden and Buttigieg, or Biden and Klobuchar have the dual

combined strength of Warren and Sanders like Reich thinks, that would be outstanding. A bet I'd take. But so far there's no indication of it; we'll find out for sure in a few more months.

[appalachiablue]

5. Enthusiasm for their energy, motivation and ideas is real and unarguable

as Reich says, not fantasy. It's time for solid leadership and new policies in a nation whose democratic institutions are steadily being challenged and weakened. Year 2020 is the critical point for national survival.

[emmaverybo]

7. +1000

[TwilightZone]

3. The assertion that Trump doesn't fear Biden is laughable.

Ukraine, anyone?

Also, everyone who lumps Sanders and Warren together is doing Elizabeth Warren a huge disservice.

[mzmolly]

12. Exactly

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/upshot/trump-biden-warren-polls.html

[maximusveritas]

4. He's living in a dream world.

You could possibly rationally make an argument that they are not as unelectable as all the polls indicate, but to argue they are actually more electable is irrational.
And in the real world, they don't get to total up their delegates.
We know Sanders isn't going to call it quits until the very end and I doubt Warren will until much later either, so by the time one possibly drops out, the contest will already be decided.

[Hortensis]

9. Reich's gone dishonest partisan. He KNOWS this isn't true

but lies to influence those who trust him anyway.

To put it mildly, huge no to deceivers.

[rzemanfl]

13. Bookmarking. n/t

[comradebillyboy]

10. Too bad that Warren and Sanders are two different people. There is no

Warren Sanders in the real world. Warren still has a shot at winning the nomination. Too many Democrats dislike/distrust Bernie, he will never be our nominee. I feel bad that Warren can't seem to get out of Bernie's shadow.

[Hortensis]

15. I expected her to establish that firmly from the beginning.

She definitely started to, but then she goofed up. Now even Reich is pairing them, and he certainly knows better. She could be a really redoubtable candidate. Now I'm left hoping she might become a really redoubtable VP running mate.

Itm, Trump has to be praying one of them will be the nominee, especially Sanders. The statutes on most of his felonies won't have run after only one term, and he's trapped.

[DavidDvorkin]

11. For an economist, he's a good economist.

[rzemanfl]

14. Excellent post. n/t