General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: from Senator Sanders: [View all]Docreed2003
(18,714 posts)He's talking about the culture of politicians in the Capitol. We need politicians who strive to reach out to communities and hear their concerns, in a manner that is hands on, who actually fight for those concerns when in office, and, when caught up in the bullshit that is D.C. politics, don't forget where they came from and who they are fighting for. I, again, point to the example of RFK who actually visited and then fought for folks in Appalachian/Bed-sty/and migrant workers in California. Sanders isn't saying people in Vermont are more real than the citizens of D.C., he's saying that the culture of politics in DC does not represent the real America, from rural to urban, D.C to San Francisco. We must encourage and promote leaders in the party who will actively fight for their communities, and even if they make choices which might negatively affect those communities, have the guts to go back and look people in the eyes and explain why they made those choices and what they will do to lessen the impact going forward. Hands on, person to person politics is the only thing that will save us going forward. We certainly won't change every mind, but if we don't try to reach out and connect to communities, even if they are traditionally against our values, we only reinforce the idea that the liberals are "elitist and out of touch"