I support Bernie 100% - but a few of my fellow supporters are not being realistic [View all]

[Douglas Carpenter]

Last edited Thu Dec 31, 2015, 02:29 PM - Edit history (2)

This is either concern trolling or an appeal to reason depending on how one wants to take it..

First of all I am not talking particularly about Bernie's chance of winning the nomination or the Presidency. BERNIE CAN WIN!! But it is not going to be easy and there is simply no denying that as of this moment - Hillary is the front runner and significantly the front runner. That can change and I hope it will. If it does not change and Hillary goes on to win the nomination - This campaign has still not been in vain - we will have made a real difference in altering the parameters of debate, changing the political paradigm and brought back social-democracy or at least the New Deal into the mainstream of discussion.

What I am primarily talking about is the question of, what if Bernie does win and becomes President of the United States?

First of all not even FDR or Ronald Reagan came close to achieving all or even most of their goals. What they did was put the country on a whole new course and direction. They established a whole new body politic that dominated the whole nation's body politic and to an extent most of the world's body politic for at least a generation. They made their agenda the dominant political force for a long, long time after they were gone.

I have lived and spent a great deal of time in Europe and observed first hand how social-democracy operates. I'm convinced that it works better than any other system. In fact I would say that nothing else works and social-democracy is the last best hope for humanity.

However, ordinary people do pay higher taxes - including ordinary middle-income and perhaps even lower middle income people do in fact pay higher taxes. It is certain in my mind and in the minds of the overwhelming majority of people who live under more social-democratic systems that it is well worth the price. Even the most conservative of people who live under social-democracy would not want to trade their system or reduce it to U.S. levels. Even Margaret Thatcher promised the British public that the National Health Service and their socialized health care system would be safe under them.

But, again I must mention that even ordinary middle class people do pay higher taxes. Is Bernie being dishonest for not emphasizing this more? NO, I don't think so. I think he understands what many leading Democrats don't seem to understand and that is you must always start negotiations at the maximum one might get - not the minimum. But, the point remains that like with FDR or Reagan - compromises will be made including some very significant compromises. I hope that if Bernie does become President people here are not calling him a sell-out when he has to compromise as he did when he was mayor of Burlington.

Even on foreign policy and military issues - most of us on the progressive end of the spectrum and many others as well would like to see the United States get out of the imperialism business. An unsustainable global military empire is simply not a viable option - realistically. However, as things currently stand almost the entire global security system and even the guarantee of borders and nation/state legitimacy is largely in American hands. We absolutely must try to reduce this to viable and sustainable levels. But it is not going to be easy. We all saw the chaos that came when Soviet power came to an end. In other words, yes we can greatly reduce U.S. interventionism - But it is going to be a very difficult and one might say a very "tricky" process.

Anyway, Rome was not built in a day nor was Rome overthrown in a day. I just hope that none us put our hopes for a better future for our country and our world to such lofty levels that disappoint that cries of "sell out" will be inevitable. Again, take this as either concern trolling or an appeal to reason. For me it is simply a matter of being realistic.