Washington Post-What we learned from Bernie Sanders's town hall

[srobertss]

52. Yes

I think Bernie’s agenda is much further to the left of other candidates and thus harder to achieve. But I’m fiercely concerned about income inequality and climate change. I think our future is perilous and it takes someone deeply committed to these concerns to pave the way. And it always takes grassroots activism to bring about change. The New Deal was a response to grassroots activism. That’s my interpretation of his statement.

On the other hand, I’m also concerned that both Sanders and Warren as candidates will be like waving a red flag at the 1%, who I think are going to become crazed in trying to keep a grip on their growing sense of control over the whole world. I’m not sure a true democratic choice can prevail in the face of this. I keep wondering if there’s a candidate who would be committed to fight them, but be more of a Trojan horse. I don’t know enough about all of them. But I’m not confident about Kamala Harris, Gillibrand, Klobochar, or Booker.

I heard a clip on The Majority Report from Davos of a Washington Post economic journalist asking the CEO of Dell about 70% marginal tax rates and he got the whole room scoffing at the notion that they ever worked. Even the journalist laughed with him and said, “Maybe it worked briefly in the US in the 80’s.” What!? This keeps ringing through my head. She had to have known better, along with everyone in that room. But the 1% exert some kind of mesmerism that causes people to lose their brains. I need a candidate who is immune to their power.