Is It Me Or Is There A Concerted Effort Being Made To Attack Bernie....

[swilton]

100. Agree with everything you just said

(and btw I love this kind of conversation)

I have friends from Va. who think that the Obama presidency is the greatest thing since sliced bread as in 'I'm Obama's biggest fan'....According to this line of argument, the banks had to be bailed out and the Democratic Party had to adopt the Republican strategy because that was the only way that the Democrats could win. These people are supporting Jim Webb???

But in my line of thinking - what have the Democrats won by adopting the Republican model of Wall Street bankrolling elections? And as far as elections go - just looked up this when I commented on a f/b post about (surprise, surprise :wink that Va. Governor Terry McAuliffe is supporting/just endorsed Hillary Clinton. Well McAuliffe (carpet bagger in Va. for a reason :wink headed the DNC from 2001-5 and that's precisely in my view the direct result/the peak of the DLC power...But surprisingly DESPITE the 'reign' of W. Bush the Democrats started losing elections in the 'off' election years....2002 - 2004..I look at the top to the DNC for these failures (i.e., McAuliffe and the DLC candidates/strategy)....Now true there was a big turn-over during the 2008 election but I think this was not FOR the corporate democrats as much as it was the hope in Obama's promises and the DESPERATION to get rid of Bush-Cheney. Also, at that time the DNC was headed by Howard Dean.

But I think your paragraph about rebuilding the Democratic Party is valid and I think that is happening...I also think Sanders has attracted some Republicans (see Nader's new book UNSTOPPABLE) -ergo his going to the typically 'red' states. This is how Sanders has to win. BTW - I posted a link today about a f/b post - one of the Bernie Sanders sites that is soliciting progressive candidates - the goal of the entire project is to craft a list of progressives running for House, Senate, et. al. The goal is to make an online spreadsheet with all the progressive candidates listed and directed to Sanders supporters. The citizenry must remain engaged after/if Sanders is elected.

On remaining engaged, I think Sanders wants to hear voices and although Sanders is as close to perfect as a Progressive Left candidate can get, there are issues (in my view) where Sanders is not perfect....

But having agreed that the goal is to repopulate the Democratic Party, I also think there is value in parties beyond the two-party system....Sanders seems to suggest this (to me anyway) about opening up the primary debates...also, about publicly funded elections..(was he talking about just two parties?) I don't have an answer. The political spectrum is rich with ideas and limiting solutions to these gravest of problems will fall short and be less democratic if only the two parties are drawn upon to come up with solutions.