2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Refusal to accept Clinton as the Nominee is Rooted in Misogyny and Racism [View all]AntiBank
(1,339 posts)jew or a light socialist. Right wing libertarians DESPISE the statism fundamentals that drives democratic socialism. If you are talking about run of mill tea party right, their ideology and culture detests Sanders' moderate democratic socialism as well.
As for far left, you are now talking about people who would fall under actual socialists, anarcho-syndicalists, and finally actual communists. Those are very common here in Sweden. I am a member of Vänsterpartiet (Left Party aka Socialists)and we have Riksdag (the parliament) representation, but there is no way any of those 3 types would support Sanders in any great number and there numbers are so so tiny in America regardless.
I also profoundly posit that Sanders is, in so many ways centre left and completely mainstream in comparison to your average Democrat from just 2 or 3 decades ago. Clinton would absolutely be a centre right moderate Republican in the 1980's. The USA political axis has slid so far to the right its mind boggling.
I never expect USA-fashioned legislation to pass like the actual Left in Sweden supports and passes, but I am only willing to go so close to the centre, and many of Hillarys core initiatives or corporatist potentialities are abhorrent to me. That said I am going to vote for her because Trump is a systemic threat and destabiliser on a multitude of levels. I am not happy about it, I detest the 2 party system, but there is little I can do other than risk mitigation.
Finally, I will address your ultra-right/ultra left similarities. By far that is simply a shared love of complete authoritarianism, and perhaps a similar command and controlled centralised economy, albeit derived from entire different underpinnings and justifications. NONE of that applies in any way, shape , or form to a democratic socialist. They are quite milquetoast in reality. I have lived in multiple countries under multiple democratic socialist governments, and basically its a hybrid capitalist system with wonder social benefits (universal health care, free university or very low cost, strong labour union penetration (60%, plus), etc.
Sorta like what Dems used to stand for or strive for, starting with the greatest US president since Lincoln, FDR, but long ago abandoned (in the 1990's especially with the rise of fucking neoliberalism and DLC 3rd way incursions) until Sanders came along. It's certainly not the tyrannical Stalinism that the entire unhinged right has smeared and wilfully lied about for 80, 90 years, unfortunately and heartbreakingly now aided by a corporately taken over Democratic leadership.