Could a 'President Bernie Sanders' deliver?

[Uncle Joe]

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/11/opinions/parini-bernie-sanders/index.html

CNN)—America is suddenly feeling "the Bern" -- the political momentum that seems to be lifting Bernie Sanders, who is drawing huge crowds wherever he goes, including roughly 28,000 fans in Portland and over 17,500 in Los Angeles. Celebrities such as Sarah Silverman and Mark Ruffalo are singing his praises, and California rapper "Lil B The Based God" this week pulled away from Hillary Clinton and is endorsing Sanders.

(snip)

I've lived in Vermont for nearly four decades, and I've watched Bernie (everyone here calls him Bernie) at work, listening to him carefully since he first won the mayor's job in Burlington in 1981. I've read his position papers, listened to many of his speeches and attended his town hall-type forums, even talked to him personally about the issues that concern him. Most Vermonters know him well, and we have a pretty good idea about what he might attempt to do in the Oval Office.

(snip)

But as Americans will vividly learn when the Democratic Party debates begin, Bernie Sanders is extremely smart and well-informed. And he doesn't back down in a fight. Vermonters already know this.

As president, he would take his agenda to the country and without flinching. And he might just convince Americans to support legislation that would actually benefit them in the long run and even in the short run.

There is much more on the link.

[99th_Monkey]

1. I kept waiting for this to be some kind of Onion or Yes Men spoof

Is this really CNN?? What's going on here?

[Uncle Joe]

3. It's a nice opinion piece "and" from someone that's familiar with Bernie.

Peace to you, 99th_Monkey.

[cali]

13. that someone is Jay Parini, well known author

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Parini

[Uncle Joe]

14. Thanks for the background addition, cali.

Peace to you.

[99th_Monkey]

26. And to you Uncle Joe ..

Sorry for delayed reply .. I'd gone to bed before I saw your reply last night.

[Stardust]

90. I noticed a sea-change in reporting when Bernie polled seven points over HRC in the NH poll.

Even left-leaning commentators/reporters are incredulous, but can't ignore anymore that something's happening here.

[99th_Monkey]

91. Yep. It seemed both palpable and instantaneous

M$M suddenly 'discovers' Bernie Sanders. Who knew?

I'm certainly not knocking this, as it's long long overdue.

[sabrina 1]

2. He would definitely take his issues to the people, no to Corporate Ceos. I think he would

be more like FDR, who talked to the people regularly. Bernie has always done that anyhow, so it would be natural for him. Use his bully pulpit to engage the people because he knows, as the article says, he would be up against some pretty powerful forces.

I think that having the people behind him in huge numbers would be a weapon the corporations might find difficult to control.

Good article, thanks for posting it Uncle Joe.

[Uncle Joe]

4. I agree, Sabrina, he would use the bully pulpit and to good effect.

Peace to you, sabrina.

[Scuba]

15. Yep, and it's the path to a supportive Congress in 2018.

[Mnpaul]

28. If people feel they have a voice

and there is someone in Washington who represents them, they might actually come out and vote.

[KoKo]

92. He was a Mayor, US House Rep and Senator...He knows the Ropes. Better Qualified

to make the change than any of the other Candidates on the Dem Side because his message is FOR THE PEOPLE.

But, most of all he isn't affiliated with a FOUNDATION that's pulled in Millions/Billions because it was the Pet Project of a Former President's influence where the Former President and his Wife managed to have influence beyond what anyone but a Wall Street Tycoon could hope to have.

We Dems need to stand for more than what Hillary and Bill's way has achieved through their own self gratification.

And.....this comes from a huge Clinton supporter and worker for him when he ran. My posts favoring/supporting Clinton are here on DU from when I joined and my evolution is here also from my turn against them. I'm an open book.

[Ron Green]

5. He delivers by being nominated and then elected.

The test for this country is whether we will throw off the money-driven crony politics and bring an honest man into the White House. After that, it's still up to the people to exercise their citizen selves more than their consumer selves and sustain the political transformation we must have.

[Uncle Joe]

6. In large part, I agree, should Bernie be nominated and elected; that kind of watershed momentum

would most certainly shift the Congress to the left as well.

Bernie's coatails would be long and strong.

Peace to you, Ron Green.

[Betty Karlson]

9. What a transition that would be:

from Bush II to Obama was an improvement, but then from Obama to Sanders: that's like an irreversible nationwide shift away from right-wing doctrine.

[Uncle Joe]

10. I agree, the political shift would be unmistakable and go a long way toward

undoing Reagan's catastrophic and long lasting toxic legacy.

Peace to you, Betty Karlson.

[Stevepol]

11. Don't forget the voting machines!

They are permanently tilted red now and the right-wing corporations that own them almost certainly will use every subterfuge known to man and nerd to rig or hack elections. The American people will not just be fighting the media and unlimited money: they'll be fighting the more or less permanent tilt of the machines. The present horde of crazies in Congress wouldn't be there, IMO, at least not in those numbers, if it weren't for the theft of the vote-counting process by ES&S, Dominion, Hart Intercivic, etc.

Bernie is very smart and well-read about politics in general, but when it comes to the machines, something just doesn't click with Democratic politicians (Republicans in general don't really understand anything beyond 2+2=6.5 and couldn't care less as long as the elections keep going their way).

[Uncle Joe]

12. I agree and also don't forget the long lines for mostly African Americans in trying to vote, Bernie

hasn't.

[brooklynite]

55. Like in 2012?

As for 2014, we lost because our turnout was low, exacerbated by Republican suppression the old fashioned way (voter purges; ID requirements; elimination of early voting opportunities)

Suffice to say, not one losing candidate has blamed their loss on voting machine issues.

[treestar]

54. And Congress?

[Ron Green]

79. That's where "citizens, not consumers" comes in.

The whole election environment has been marketed so that participation is low and the choices are false. Along with the voting machine tricks, this has kept the oligarchs in the safety zone. When voters start to feel their rights and responsibilities again, we'll have a better Congress.

[mikehiggins]

7. Two things: 1. he can't do anything himself 2. we need a movement

Civil rights, anti-war, union organizing, women's votes: all took movements among the masses. Thanks to the Internet it is possible to see that a movement to restructure the US in the coming century could be built. Bernie can't do it all and, fortunately, it looks like he won't have too.

As long as he doesn't fly in any small planes things should work out fine.

And no, I'm not joking.

[Uncle Joe]

8. I agree on all counts mikehiggins but I believe the exceptionally large turnouts at

his events are a significant sign that the nation is ready for a major change in direction for the better.

Peace to you.

[uponit7771]

17. That was true in 2008

[uponit7771]

16. LOL "he just might" ... do what?! Convince the overtly treasonous gerrymandered GOP congress to do

... something that progress's America?!

Because "they'll feel the Bern" ?!

Not buying it, Bernie Sanders will be denigrated by the left just like the last guy ... or... we'll see

[Armstead]

19. Sanders would be expected to be somewhat consistent within the restraints of reality

And like Obama, when is is consistent to what he says he stands for, "the left" will support him. When he has to compromise "the left" will grumble, but ultimately still support him if it is at least a compromise and not a sell-out. And if he does things that are overt sell outs that are contrary to we thought we were getting, he'll get criticized.

[uponit7771]

23. That's not what Im hearing from him...Voting day a national holiday?... with this GOP congress?

Also...out of 10,000 issues if Sanders is perceived as selling out on one ....JUST ONE....will Sanders be DU's next POSUCS ?

Yeap... the expectations he is setting is unreasonable

[Armstead]

27. I guess the election should be about VChips and School Uniforms again

Okay,. Let's all just give up and go home, because none of this matters, and candidates should not try to create any expectations or aspirations.

[stevenleser]

18. No. nt

[Armstead]

20. I love your open mind

[stevenleser]

21. (Edited) I've had the last six years of evidence to inform my opinion. And I learned from it.

On Edit: And I had the eight years of the Clinton administration before that to see the trend. That's 14 years of experience that informs my opinion.

[Armstead]

24. I guess the people of Vermont are all idiots

They reelected him Mayor of Burlington 4 times. And if a mayor can't deliver as an executive and fill the potholes, they don't generally do that. And then they elected him numerous times as a Congressman. Again, if he had not been able to deliver he would have been booted out -- or at least faced stiff challenges....And then, when the opportunity to promote him to the Senate, they again decided he had done a good job, and gave him the promotion.

But guess you know more than the people who have become very familiar with Sanders as an elected official over the years.

I really don't care who you support. But as a supposed political expert, you might at least have your mind open a little bit to alternatives that do not fit into your template.

[stevenleser]

25. Nope. He had a city council willing to work with him. He won't have that with the GOP congress. nt

[Armstead]

29. Always a reason...

Nevermind the fact that the business community did not initially like him, but Sanders managed to enlist their support to get things done.

And ANY Democrat elected President...Hillary O'M, Biden...whomever, may face a hostile GOP Congress. I guess they should all realize their only function will be to preside over ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

[stevenleser]

32. Reality isn't always what you want it to be, but it's best to work within it. nt

[Armstead]

34. And I reply therefore....Why the hell not at least try to mke things better?

Your message is that the status quo prevents progress, so we should stick with the status quo because that's the only reality we have.

If so, we should just stick with the GOP because that Eyore attitude by too many Democrats is why the GOP has set the agenda for the last three decades.


Yeah that's gonna get people excited.

[stevenleser]

37. The GOP congressmen who are ensconced in safe gerrymandered districts dont care what we do. nt

[virtualobserver]

30. if Bernie is successful, there won't be a GOP Congress.

[stevenleser]

31. Yes there will. We will have a GOP house through 2022 at least and probably through 2024 due to

gerrymandering.

[virtualobserver]

33. Only if Democrats continue to pursue the same tired strategies

If Bernie wins, it will mean that he will have activated voters in a much different way.

[stevenleser]

36. Has nothing to do with strategy. Redistricting isnt done again until after the 2020 census. nt

[virtualobserver]

40. the "tired" strategy is imagining that voters and non-voters are locked in place

the key to a Bernie win involves reframing that turns voters, and activates current non voters.

[stevenleser]

43. I don't subscribe to magical thinking that staunch GOP voters can magically be made progressives. nt

[virtualobserver]

61. you are not willing to think outside of the box

anything that you cannot conceive of is "magical"

The Iphone was magical.

You are leaning more toward Thomas Watson thinking, rather than Steve Jobs

think there is a world market for maybe five computers."

Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943

[stevenleser]

64. That's not thinking outside the box. It's magical thinking. There is a difference.

Thinking outside the box is something radically new or different.

Saying my candidate will accomplish new and wondrous things is hardly an out of the box statement. Every candidate has supporters who think those things.

The ideas that comprise the progressive platform are not new either. Candidates up and down the electoral spectrum have run on them for years. Kucinich ran as a progressive. There are progressives that run for county commissions, mayoral races, state legislature, governor, congress, etc.

If there was something magical that would occur overnight from people being exposed to progressive ideas, it would have occurred already.

Instead, what is actually happening is a slow march to progress on liberal and progressive ideas. Nothing magical will happen overnight, particularly with this GOP House.

[virtualobserver]

65. it doesn't have anything to do with progressive ideas

it is about finding common ground with the entire nation, a 50-state strategy

magical thinking is imagining that the Republicans would not turn the entire first
term for Hillary into one long investigation.

tired thinking is conceding the House of Representatives for 6 to 8 years

[Armstead]

42. So maybe all Democrats should just take a vacation until 2021

[stevenleser]

44. Nope, that is your straw man. We must hold the white house and make what gains we can

in congress. The White House is all about not having a GOP president appoint conservative SCOTUS justices and roll back legislation in conjunction with a GOP congress.

We will get next to nothing in the way of good new legislation in the next 6 years.

[Armstead]

48. If that's the only purpose of politics then, why not have a fighter in that symbolic position?

I still think you are expressing defeatism presented as "realism."

But accepting your premise for a minute....

If, as you claim, the Presidency and Democrats in Congress will only have one job (appointing justices) in governing, then the only requirement is an the ability to use the Bully Pulpit.

If so, why at least not have that symbolic Executive be someone who actually stands for something that is a clear alternative to the GOP CONservatism? Giving voters an actual choice of political philosophies would help to give voters a reason not to send right wing Republicans to Congress.

[stevenleser]

49. You're not reading what I wrote. nt

[Armstead]

51. I'm reading what you wrote. I get it. I disagree.

[stevenleser]

57. No, you aren't getting it. Being there to prevent a GOP President from doing what they would do

in conjunction with a GOP congress is not "symbolic".

Preventing bad things from happening is not the same thing as doing nothing as a symbol implies.

[Armstead]

59. You mean what Bill Clinton DIDN'T do?

I disagree on a couple of fundamental points, as a 63 year old "old fart" who has seen the repetition of the same patterns for 40 years, and the same lame excuses being recycled over and over again.

Your analysis of the current electoral map and prospects for the next few years may be totally correct. I don't think it is as inevitable as you do, but I won't split hairs on that.

But the current and immediate status in the ongoing seesaw of which party has parity, the message of the Centrist Status Quo Democrats is always the same. This is just Version 6.0 of that tired old message.

When the Democrats firmly hold all the levers, we have to "keep our powder dry" and not say or do anything of substance to challenge the GOP's relentless push. "We have to hold the gains we've made, so we can't afford to alienate those swing voters or the GOP will take over again."

And even when we have it all, we still have to let the GOP drive the agenda. "We have to accept GOP proposals to get anything through Congress."

When we have divided government it's "Don't blame us for all the bad CONservative policies we're pushing with nary a peep of . protest. The GOP made us do it."

There is a big difference between pragmatically working within "reality" and either total surrender or total selling out.

But even attempts to push the needle of the zeitgeist somewhat back towards basic liberalism (positive economic, social and political reform) are batted back by those who insist on repeating the same mistakes (or deliberately agreeing with and pushing bad CONservative policies).

[stevenleser]

67. Nope. Nothing anyone can do will change Republican behavior. That's your big mistake. They dont care

The only thing that will change Republican behavior is to have them voted out. And even then, they sometimes double down as they did after 2008.

They will need to be voted out and kept out by the voters repeatedly before they will change.

And guess what is stopping that? As I have said again and again in this thread, they have gerrymandered the congressional districts to where they are safe at least until after the 2020 census. And if we don't win back enough state houses leading up to and in the 2020 elections, we will have to wait until 2032, etc.

[Armstead]

86. I agree with that. But it is not eitehr/or

This is not about "changing Republican behavior."

The issue is how Democrats challenge it, and create the counter-balance to them. Which involves many things.

One is to actually get enough people to see a reason to marginalize the GOP. And that requires offering a clear alternative, both in message and action. That alternative is not "radical" or unrealistic "unicorn socialism" or the other mischaracterizations that the so-called centrists use to perpetuate the status quo. It simply means restoring the principles of true economic liberalism that has traditionally been a big part of the historic strength of the Democratic Party.

It also applies on all levels. Yes state and local government is important too. But there too it requires giving people a reason to vote for Democrats, instead of right wing Republicans. I would venture to guess that if Democrats really started talking to people about fundamental issues in terms that affect them, it might even turn some red areas blue or at least purple. I agree with Obama on that.

A major problem for leftward half of the spectrum is that the GOP is thinks and acts both in Big Picture and tactical terms -- but the Democratic status quo has stopped thinking in Big Picture terms and only looks at little tactical matter. They use excuses not to even try to turn the tide. Which suppresses the enthusiasm of a large swath of the logical Democratic base and allows GOP CONsrvatism becomes the default point for too many of those "swing voters" too often.

[treestar]

56. Even a Dem Congress won't be enough

The Democrats are not liberal enough, it seems.

[Uncle Joe]

73. Bernie may not have to deal with a Republican Congress, depending on how

the election plays out.

[stevenleser]

74. Yes, he will. The House is hopelessly gerrymandered. nt

[Uncle Joe]

78. You give up too easy. n/t

[frylock]

89. Of course, they'll bend over backwards to work with Clinton.

[Armstead]

39. Adressing your edit -- Bill Clinton set the table for GWBush and the damage that followed

The Clinton administration and its Wall Street advisers and their New Best Friend Alan Greenspan continued the process that Reagan started and that GWB picked up on afterward -- and led to the decimation of the economy.

Clintton did not change that course -- he accelerated it.

[stevenleser]

41. No, it has nothing to do with Clinton's actions. It has to do with analyzing GOP actions. nt

[Armstead]

45. It has to do with doing nothing to stop them...or even try to stop them

Echoing GOP mantras like "The Era of Big Government is Over" and joining the GOP in selling Conservative piratism and echoing platitudes that "just get an eduction and pull yourself up by your bootstraps" in response to the bleeding of real middle-class jobs did as much damage as the GOP.

[stevenleser]

46. Nope, we're talking about what 2016-2024 will be like and how the past informs that.

The GOP will try to stop everything any Democrat in the white house would try to do, regardless of whether it is O'Malley, Biden, Clinton, Sanders or Webb. And since they will control the House, and are in safe districts, they will be able to do so without any fear whatsoever.

[virtualobserver]

66. the past only "informs" that because the DNC is the same tired losing plan

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

At least we know that you aren't insane........you DO expect the same results!

[stevenleser]

68. Nope. Nothing anyone can do will change Republican behavior. It's mistaken thinking to think

otherwise.

The only thing that will change Republicans is for them to be voted out of office in large numbers and kept out through several election cycles.

And I say that because even the humiliating 2008 election only resulted in a double down by them. THey need to lose 3-4 elections in a row badly before they will change.

And guess what is preventing that from happening now? As I have said several times in this thread, gerrymandering.

[virtualobserver]

69. Gerrymandering can be overcome

but not by a Party that thinks that it can't

Vote for the Party that is resigned to its fate.

[stevenleser]

71. In general that depends. In practice THIS gerrymandering cannot be overcome. We know that from 2012

A full 1.2% more people voted for Democratic candidates than Republican candidates in the House in 2012 and that resulted in a 33 seat majority in the House of Representatives for Republicans. In fact, it was the few Republicans left in districts that were potentially vulnerable that lost. Most members of the House are now in very polarized (read: Safe) districts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2012

[treestar]

53. yep, Congress

no force of personality overcomes that. No bully pulpit. People have to quit thinking the Presidency is all they need.

Plus it's a rhetorical question as Bernie will never beat any Republican.

[redstateblues]

85. This idea that Bernie will usher in a Socialist Utopia

with passionate rhetoric is some kind of pipe dream. The faith of Bernistas is endearing but for the most part divorced from reality.

[Calista241]

22. I don't know.

Most voters are low information voters. How will Bernie appeal to them? And even if he does get elected, there won't be huge coat-tails so he'll be working with a Repub congress.

[still_one]

35. No matter who the Democratic President is, unless the Democrats control at least the Senate, the

answer is no.

There is no way in two years that the republicans in congress are going to bend. In fact they have moved even further to the right. After the loss of 2012, republicans said they would become more "sensitive" to gender issues, as one example. Instead what they have tried to do is ban abortion in ALL cases, including, rape, incest, and the life of the mother, ban birth control and or prevent insurance companies from covering birth control, close planned parenthood down, and cut all funding from planned parenthood, which is also a direct attack against women and their healthcare, etc.

No, the republicans have been an extremist party for some time now, and it has only gotten worse, so unless Democrats can at least control on house of Congress, ideally the Senate, it will be difficult for any Democratic president to pass any agenda

[stevenleser]

62. Even with the Senate, the GOP House can still stop pretty much everything. The 112th congress was

exactly like that and basically nothing transformative happened that legislative session.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112th_United_States_Congress

[still_one]

75. Actually SC, and judicial appointments are a big deal, and set the foundation for change

There is no doubt in my mind that Roe will be preverved with a Democratic Senate

[stevenleser]

76. Absolutely. That is why we must have a Democrat elected. nt

[gollygee]

38. Absolutely!

I predict that his popularity will rise significantly with the debates. His comfort zone is economics, and that's enough for a lot of people, but when he's taken out of that comfort zone and starts answering questions about other issues in the debates, he's going to impress a large number of people concerned about a variety of issues in the US and the world. And he is genuine when he talks - you can tell it comes from his heart and not from a political machine. His answers, and the genuine nature of them, will draw in a lot of people.

[fredamae]

47. Absolutely Bernie Will And Can

however.......................
If we do NOTHING to rid ourselves of the Corporate Shills in Congress, Fire Our State Legislators and Other Elected Officials/Judges etc-right on down to our City and County Leaders and that means Democrats Too...Then we'll simply have more of the same.

[hootinholler]

50. Like FedEx

You're damned right he will deliver.

Why? because we will deliver a congress for him. It might take the mid terms to do it, but it's going to happen.

[gollygee]

52. There's an anti-gerrymandering movement

and the more states we can get on board with that, the better Congress will be. +1

[stevenleser]

58. Mid terms in Nov 2022 is the earliest since the gerrymandering cannot be fixed until after the 2020

census.

That assumes we control enough of the right state legislatures after the 2020 elections and that assumes we do well in the midterms of 2022 when typically the party in power does not do well in the midterm elections. Otherwise 2024 is the earliest we would take back the House. And that still assumes all the right stuff happens in 2020.

Any elected Democratic President is looking at having to convince a Republican controlled House of Representatives with GOP congressmen ensconced in safe gerrymandered districts to vote for their legislation.

They might get a few compromise pieces of legislation passed. That's it.

[hootinholler]

60. Just watch n/t

[stevenleser]

63. Yes, we will watch alright. nt

[WI_DEM]

70. Be difficult for any Dem president if the congress is Republican.

I hope Dems can at least win back the Senate but even then it will be closely divided. So to answer your question a President Sanders or President Clinton would have difficulty getting their legislation thru Congress especially if it is progressive.

[stevenleser]

72. You would be surprised how controversial that pretty obvious conclusion is. nt

[gollygee]

77. Obama has been making some headway this year

And either a President Sanders or a President Clinton would be better than anyone from the clown car. Either they move forward slowly due to Congress, or a Republican moves backward quickly helped by Congress.

[Lil Missy]

80. Much as I love Bernie and what he stands for, no, not with this Republican Congress. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

81. The Congress will be greatly influenced by the Presidential race and Bernie

will have long and strong coat tails.

[redstateblues]

82. How about a plan to take back the House and Senate

at state and national levels. Until that changes "the bully pulpit" is not going to mean squat. None of Bernie's ideas have a snowball's chance in hell as long as the House and Senate are Republican.

[gollygee]

83. Totally disagree

We need to work on both, but it absolutely matters that we get a Democrat appointing Supreme Court justices regardless of what Congress looks like. We as a party need to continue to attack gerrymandering, as that's what's got Congress looking how it looks, but we need to keep control of the presidency as well.

And Obama hasn't had Congress behind him and he's been doing quite a bit.

[Uncle Joe]

84. Should Bernie win the Presidential Election,

the seismic political shift will go a long way to-wards turning the Congress leftward.

Bernie's appeal will be across partisan lines as he connects with the long disaffected mass of the American People.

I believe his election could go a long way toward finally reversing the toxic legacy of Reagan.

[redstateblues]

87. The reality is that the Republicans' plan to take over state Houses and Senates

has been very effective. Because of that they have been able to suppress the Democratic base. I watched as it happened in TN 10 years ago the same way it has been accomplished in many states. We Democrats have been complacent in thinking a Democratic President can effect change alone. It is not going to magically reverse without a concerted effort. Our showing in the mid terms has been pathetic. The coattail theory is nice but it is going to take organization and intention to change anything.

[Uncle Joe]

88. I agree with your post, it will take organization, intention, discipline

and will power.

Bernie can't do it all by himself.