Third Way Democrats are clutching their pearls: Why Bernie Sanders has them worried

[portlander23]

Centrist Democrats are clutching their pearls: Why Bernie Sanders has them worried
SOPHIA TESFAYE
Salon

Sanders’ rhetoric on income inequality and Wall Street capitalism may be great to fill college stadiums, members of the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way argue, but it isn’t enough to defeat Republicans in 2016. Earlier this week, Third Way issued 70-plus policy recommendations meant to push Democrats away from Sanders’ populism to a more centrist tone ahead of next year’s election.

“We propose that Democrats be Democrats,” Third Way’s president Jonathan Cowan declared, “not socialists.”

President Obama’s former chief of staff, Bill Daley, warned that with Sanders as the nominee, Democrats would suffer a blowout loss in the general election. “You would be back to 1972,” Daley, now a Third Way board member, explained.
Fundamentally, Third Way disagrees with Sanders’ message of economic populism. The struggle of the middle class is “not because the economy is unfair or because the deck was stacked,” said Jim Kessler, Third Way’s senior vice president for policy. “It’s because the economy has fundamentally changed,” he argued, pointing to a globalizing economy.

For their part, Sanders’ campaign shrugs off critiques from centrist Democrats like Daley and the Third Way bunch. “I think the Third Way message was great in ’92 but out of date for a 2016 electorate… I have no doubt that if we can get through the nominating process against such a formidable opponent he will be very strong in the general,” Sanders’ top strategist Tad Devine told the Huffington Post. “Bernie has the potential to change the composition of the electorate, and getting young people and lower income voters back into it on the side of the Democrats because his message is so powerful and believable coming from him.”

“Did Mr. Daley have anything to say about all of the American factories that closed or the millions of American jobs that were lost because he pushed NAFTA through Congress,” Sanders’ spokesman Michael Briggs asked. Third Way supports President Obama’s highly controversial TPP agreement.

Related:

Third Way panics over Bernie Sanders and the new American mainstream

Third Way report pushes back against populism

Third Way Moderate Democrats Confident Clinton Would Govern From the Middle

Clinton Supporters: Should she follow Third Way's order to reject The Left and move to the Right?

Third Way Democrats warn of 'economic populism' and Bernie Sanders

Third Way President: The evidence is in, populism has tanked with the middle class

Lobbyist: Hillary Clinton will become Mrs. Wall Street if she’s elected

Not so fast! Clinton Now Re-Opens Door to Supporting Obama Trade Deal

[JaneyVee]

1. Why should next Democrat have to defend socialism of an Independent?

This will lead to electoral disaster for decades. Even FDR worked with business interests.

[corkhead]

3. Why? Because the policies he advocates are overwhelmingly supported by a vast majority of Americans

[JaneyVee]

4. Great. But so do Dems and liberals.

Both of which he's never identified as.

[corkhead]

6. It's just a label or team jersey. Most of the voters both parties are fighting over are unaffiliated

Independents won't care, in spite of your best efforts.

[giftedgirl77]

2. Hahaha

[MohRokTah]

5. BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

[Nitram]

7. Sounds like the Bernistas are clutching at straws. nt