"Fuck Biden, and fuck the DNC. Bernie or Bern it down."
Facebook comment on blog post regarding Joe Biden.
Tonight Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden meet one on one in a debate.
I have watched each candidate up close. By nearly every measure, Sanders is the stronger candidate. Sharper, far more articulate, more vigorous, has a more comprehensive message of problems and solutions, and he draws far more passionate and dedicated followers.
But Bernie Sanders is losing, and tonight's debate is likely a "Hail Mary" to try to extract from Biden some promises of policy changes for Biden to carry forward. Sanders will pass along the message, but no longer be the messenger. Biden is the survivor.
Biden--the more frail, less articulate, frequently awkward--candidate is beating him soundly where it actually matters, with voters. Why? Bernie never adequately sold his message. He had four years to do it, 100% name recognition, a brand representing integrity, and yet he neither energized additional young voters to turn out nor did he get moderate Democrats to sign on by wider and wider audiences.
He remained a niche player. An outsider. His movement did not make friends and allies either among people of color or rank and file Bernie-curious Democrats. He possessed a vibe of exclusion. Sanders defined Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, and Joe Biden as part of the enemy team, not an ally and friend to be folded in. It turns out that Joe Biden, with all his quirks and frailties, was the better politician in the most important thing: he added and added to his coalition. He built a majority.
Bernie did not.
 |
| Screenshot, name removed |
The above Facebook poster* is just one voice and represents no one but himself. He is not a Sanders campaign spokesperson. But he is an example, one of many, of the position expressed by people active in the movement Sanders leads. Sanders movement draws the dividing line not between the left and the right, not Democrats and Republicans, but between Bernie partisans and not Bernie partisans. It is their right to do this, of course, but it has consequences for Sanders.
I sent a copy of the above exchange with the poster to Herb Rothschild, a southern Oregon Democrat and political observer whose politics generally align with those of Bernie Sanders. Rothschild wants Sanders to succeed. Rothschild is a retired professor of English. He is a climate and anti-war activist. He comments on what Sanders failed to do.
Guest Post by Herb Rothschild.
 |
| Herb Rothschild |
Mr. -----'s attitude reflects badly on Sanders. It indicates that Sanders did something wrong. He has made it easy for people to regard what he stands for as "niche' and "marginal."
But that isn't true. A rather large majority of Democrats favor his positions on Medicare for All, a $15 federal minimum wage, and something like the Green New Deal (few of us have read it, but we know significant steps must be taken right now). His policy platform, in my view, is simply a return to the Democratic commitment to the working class that lasted from FDR through LBJ and allowed Democrats to become the majority party. Sanders' message is not narrow. The problem has been his self-presentation.
First, I think Sanders made a mistake in portraying himself as a revolutionary this time around. In 2015-2016 that self-characterization allowed him to rise to prominence and energize large numbers. "Join the revolution" wasn't a bad slogan when the fix was in for Hillary. Had he acknowledged this time around that he had moved the center very far in his direction and taken credit for it, he could have positioned himself as the leader of a party that had recovered its historical center.
Second, he should have stopped playing the victim. There was no "fix" this year. From all I have seen, the DNC played it fair. Someone confident of winning--and who exudes that confidence--doesn't play the victim. And that sense of victimization has encouraged people like Kikstra to behave like the angry and uncouth Republicans who always feel that the cards are stacked against them.
----- ----- -----
* I have removed the poster's name here in this blog at his request. He posted the comment with his name and photo in Facebook group, the Collective Social Network, a group with 10,211 members. It calls itself a collaboration of progressives, grassroots activists, and cyberspace jockeys.
7 comments:
Sen. Sanders, and also, surprisingly, Sen. Warren appear to be either out of step or ahead of their time. I prefer the latter.
Perhaps it is a byproduct of Trumpism that things have gone so far off the rails that Sen. Biden represents a remedy; familiar, associated with a more competent era. Now that the process is well underway he appears to be the choice for most Democrats, including many Progressives. So be it.
This leaves little to be said going forward, but we'll now have seven months to wait.
I'll add just this:
No one will argue that the response to the pandemic must come from government at all levels. At such a time those who have advocated against government, undermined the public trust, and worst of all, those who profit from promoting those attitudes to the ignorant are shown to be cynical frauds.
Since its inception FOX news has been a loud and insistent anti-government voice in our society for no other reason than profit. They and their fellow travelers on radio and the internet have taken advantage of free speech to sow distrust and weaken institutions that defend our society from exactly the kind of threats posed by pandemics.
That we find ourselves in a crises should not be a surprise.
The primary function of government to foresee, plan and be proactive has been crippled. Now, many will sicken and some will die, needlessly, because of governing incompetence. Simply put, if the US had gone into lockdown, which it still hasn't done, last fall we might have gotten in front of the epidemic. There were warnings and they were ignored.
In November 2016 I wrote: "Perhaps the Trump election will be the civics lesson this country needs". I envisioned the system self-correcting with little damage. Corruption would be exposed, the public would rise up, and order would be restored.
As time has passed this has happened but with little effect leaving me, and I suspect many others, wondering what's next.
Tonight's Bernie/Biden debate is now-or-never for Bernie. Bernie has one last chance to take Biden out, or else lose the nomination and never run for president again. This is Bernie's last chance.
Expect Bernie to come out swinging for the fences. Bernie's only chance is to be nasty and take Biden out. Bernie is going to have to attack Biden's lack of mental capacity, and his history of corruption. Bernie can't play nice tonight, because then he won't make-up any ground.
Expect a brawl tonight with Bernie looking for the knockout. If Bernie doesn't take-out Biden tonight, then he might as well drop-out tomorrow.
Every vote for Biden is a slap in the face to young Americans. "just choke on that student loan debt, we don't care!"
Now, many young Americans don't care about potentially spreading the corona virus. "Who cares about the Boomer Remover?"
I agree with much of what Peter and Herb have to say. Bernie failed to pivot to be the leader rather than the outsider and revolutionary. But Sanders also failed to be more critical of Biden for his awful record and bury him when he was down. I don't care about Biden's feelings and Biden is not my friend, based on his record. I disagree that Bernie was exclusive. But the Sanders campaign could not penetrate the strength of the Democrat Party establishment or the media opposition to his efforts and other obstacles. Joe Biden didn't win and build a coalition, Sanders failed and Joe relied on the establishment to save him. If the Dems want to win they will likely try to replace Biden with someone else to take on Trump. Biden would lose to Trump. You cannot have a guy exhibiting such little mental faculties as Biden is and expect him to win. The only caveat I would suggest is the Sars-Cov-2 exception and how the virus plays out. Barring a Sanders knockout tonight, the planet will lose this election in 2020. I don't need to know who will be at the top.
I am an ardent Sanders supporter but this is what I wish he would say tonight, after the first question in the debate. (Turning to Joe): "Joe, this question is a good example of how the corporate media has been attempting for months to steer our discussions, not toward solving problems for the American people, but towards getting us to put each other down and come up with good one-liners to be repeated on broadcast news. Joe, I have a better idea. More than likely, it appears you will be the one getting the nomination of the Democratic Party, and I will be doing the best I can to mobilize voters on your behalf to end the most dangerous presidency in the modern history of our country,
"Joe, we have close to two hours. Why don't we take this opportunity to have a dialogue. Let's ask our friends here in the media to respectfully stand aside and let us talk to each other, How about we take turns, choose one issue at a time. If it's ok with you, Joe, why don't we start with the issue of raising the federal minimum wage of $7.25, which I believe is a starvation wage,to $15.00 an hour. Will you commit to fighting for that, Joe? Let's discuss that issue and then you can pick the next one. "
Totally agree with Derek: "Sanders campaign could not penetrate the strength of the Democrat Party establishment or the media opposition to his efforts and other obstacles. Joe Biden didn't win and build a coalition, Sanders failed and Joe relied on the establishment to save him." To state otherwise is blaming the victim (of the corporate cabal). While I often agree with Herb Rothschild, I think his critique of Bernie is a bit much, given the odds, to put on one man's campaign (initially facing 20 other candidates and the re-education of 337 million people brainwashed by 40 years of neoliberalism). The dumbed down electorate hooked on the duopoly's kabuki "polarization," identity politics and enamored of wedge issues has no small responsibility in a potential Sanders "failure." (It ain't over yet.)
Perhaps as Herb suggests,"Had he acknowledged this time around that he had moved the center very far in his direction and taken credit for it, he could have positioned himself as the leader of a party that had recovered its historical center." Bernie's "Not me, us" mantra and demeanor,however, is not conducive to such self-aggrandizement. To those more ego-bound, Sanders may seem a failure, however, the people's revolution has only just begun to take on the Reagan revolution. We may lose the battle, however, I believe we will win the war. Time and the arc of justice is on our side.
Andy Seles
I've always said I would support the Democratic Party nominee as have most other Dems (and independents) I speak with and volunteer with. I'm hopeful that the 'Bern it down' contingent is small and when it comes to voting in the General we will have a wave of voters who realize that another Trump term means we will likely live with a 7-2 right wing Supreme Court and regressive environmental policies amongst many other horrors. If people don't vote Blue in November, they have no idea how much worse things can get and that lack of insight worries me more than who the actual Dem nominee is.
Post a Comment