Bernie on creating a caring nation. And me on the harm of the inevitabiity aura. [View all]

[madfloridian]

Not just "I’m in it for myself."

What Is Actually Radical About Bernie Sanders’ Democratic Socialism Isn’t the Socialism

Subtitle:

It isn’t a particularly radical political vision—it’s an unflinching commitment to democracy.

“I think what you’re talking about,” Sanders said, “is creating a nation— it’s pretty radical stuff—in which we actually care about each other rather than looking at the world as, ‘I’m in it for myself. And to hell with everybody else.’”

The brouhaha over Sanders’ self-identification as a “democratic socialist” has largely missed what is truly radical about that identity. It’s not the socialism. Sanders has never used the “S” word with precision—for him, it seems to be simply a shorthand for robust investment in public services and the common good.

That shorthand has proved remarkably useful, allowing him to distinguish himself from liberals and most Democrats, while pointing out that much of what he calls socialism is already deeply embedded in American society in a variety of popular programs and institutions, most notably in public libraries and parks, in the Social Security and Medicare programs, and in various aspects of the military. The ambitious agenda he has laid out would amount to “the largest peacetime expansion of government in modern American history,” as the Wall Street Journal has noted.

More:

Though they are very different in their approaches to achieving it, Sanders shares this commitment to a radical version of democracy with Saul Alinsky, the activist and organizer who made Chicago his home and has played an outsized role in our recent national politics.

....It may be that neither Alinsky’s ground-level strategy nor Sanders’ effort to build a broad, national coalition can reverse our march toward increasing inequality and the concentration of power among elites. It may be that a political revolution of the kind that Sanders predicts is an impossible dream.

....On the other hand, perhaps only a grand vision of “the world that should be” is equal to the scale of the challenges we face. Perhaps “millions of people at every level,” as Sanders offered at the conclusion of his University of Chicago talk, can indeed come together to foster a healthy democracy, redistribute power and make the American political system work for all people.

I have no idea what's going to happen as the primaries end.

I do know that the polling that has been so overwhelming since the debates is not really giving a true picture yet.

I still think I was right when I said at the start of the primary....we are in uncharted territory as far as polls and predictions go.

I think Bernie's idea of having a democracy in which the regular everyday people are valued as much as the super billionaires is not going to be easy to achieve.

I quite frankly think our party is making a mistake in trying to make one candidate seem totally inevitable while basically giving little attention to the others.

The trend seems clear, though: inevitability should not be something a candidate wants.

Hillary Clinton was the inevitable candidate in the 2008 race and the status did her more harm than good. Mitt Romney, the GOP’s inevitable candidate in the same year, wound up limping across the GOP primary finish line dogged by Rick Santorum of all people—only to lose after being seen as an out-of-touch, robotic and wooden joke on the campaign trail.

....Jeb Bush, meanwhile, has become a walking joke for his passive weakness in the face of Donald Trump’s insults, and his country-club white-collar tone and demeanor compared with Trump’s brashness.

Inevitability is bad for candidates. It makes them careful, comfortable and defensive. No modern candidate should want it. If a candidate is fortunate enough to hold a lead in an intra-party presidential primary, they should follow the opposite of their instincts and their consultants’ advice and stay hungry: hold rallies, initiate bold legislative proposals and make provocative statements to win a news cycle or two.

The American people have an intense anger at elites right now, and they feel both culturally and economically insecure. Inevitable candidates run the risk of incurring their anger as the entrenched elites who need to be removed. It’s perhaps the most dangerous position for a modern presidential candidate to hold.
Inevitability Comes Before a Fall in Modern Presidential Politics

I see posts recommending that since the polls are all so immensely in Hillary's favor that there is no need for other candidates to even bother.

I see it this way. If the party considers Bernie not to be a Democrat, then they must think of me that way as well. How very sad. I've always voted Democratic. Bill Clinton said we can fall in love in the primaries and fall in line in the general election. I have always done that.

People should hesitate before implying that Bernie Sanders and his supporters are not Democrats.