Who Will Win The True Progressive Vote: Bernie or Hillary?

[RufusTFirefly]

44. OK... So, does "Hillary history" have any connection with actual history?

It doesn't appear to.

First of all, the original progressives came decades before FDR. They date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Among other things, they helped to establish federal and state income taxes. But more importantly, they took aim at large interlocked corporations (known as trusts) who wielded too much power and sought to regulate and dismantle them.

In the present time, the organizations that most resemble the trusts are the "too big to fail" banks. Judging from the company she keeps and the contributions she receives, Hillary Clinton would appear to be a great friend of the banks. That doesn't strike me as progressive in the least. On the other hand, Bernie Sanders, echoing his progressive predecessors, has openly called for breaking up the banks.

As for FDR, he was no friend of the banks either. He championed Glass-Steagall, which (among other things) separated commercial banking from investment banking, thus preventing savings banks from gambling with the money of their depositors. These and other provisions incurred the wrath of the bankers to which FDR famously replied "I welcome their hatred."

Unfortunately, under Hillary Cllinton's husband's administration the section of Glass-Steagall that provided a key firewall between investment and commercial banking was effectively removed, with predictable and disastrous results. Even so, despite what appears to be a clear connection between bank deregulation and the depression of 2008, Clinton has rejected calls for the reinstatement of that key provision. On the other hand, Bernie Sanders supports reviving Glass-Steagall, in other words, returning to the regulation of FDR's era that prevented banks from gambling with "other people's money." Once again, Sanders, not Clinton, would appear to be following in the proud tradition of progressives and FDR.

So, with all due respect, I think you probably need to shift from "Hillary history" to actual American history before making such grand and (I'm being charitable here) misguided assertions.