The biggest show on earth: Bernie Sanders could be the miracle America needs

[UglyGreed]

{snip}

Sanders, who looks like everyone’s benign uncle, has been known as a democratic socialist for decades. In America, socialism used to be a damning label for a politician, but Americans are no longer as naïve as they used to be during the cold war. One survey conducted recently showed that forty nine percent of the voters, under the age of thirty, had positive views of socialism.

Bernie Sanders is a senator from Vermont — a small, fairly conservative state. It was a long and arduous struggle for him. He had run twice for senate and twice for governor and never got more than six per cent of the votes. His appetite for campaign, however, made him try again and again. He at last got elected as a mayor of Burlington in 1981, the first 39 year old, newly-elected mayor, who did not own a suit.

As a mayor, he did some sterling work like providing creative solutions for providing affordable houses including a community land trust that enabled low-income residents to buy homes. He resisted a developer’s plan to turn a derelict lake waterfront into a cluster of high rise building. Instead he made the entire area open to public. His ascent to the Senate in 2006 was stunning because he trounced a Republican candidate, one of the wealthiest men in the state of Vermont.

Since joining the Senate, Sanders has made a name for himself for gestures of defiance. His oration against tax cuts for the wealthy has since been published in a book form.
Corporations and multi-national networks come under heavy attack in Sanders’ addresses to the public. “America today” he declared recently, “is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. But most people don’t know that, most people don’t feel that, most people don’t see that because all of the wealth is in the hands of a tiny few. This grotesque level of income and inequality is immoral”.

http://tns.thenews.com.pk/bernie-sanders-biggest-show-earth/#.VlqEvUc76rU

[brooklynite]

1. If Pakistan says so...

[Fawke Em]

2. The rest of the world actually prefers Sanders.

That would go a long way to regaining our standing after all the shit wars we've started and continued.

[leftofcool]

25. Do you have a link that shows the rest of the countries and its leaders prefer Sanders?

Since there are so many countries in "the rest of the world" surely you have a link.

[Live and Learn]

6. Way to put down an outstanding job by TNS to bring progressive ideas to Pakistan.

Shame on you.

When Beena Sarwar launched this weekly magazine in 1994 with her team, she laid the right foundations. Over the years The News on Sunday has emerged as a platform for dissenting voices and for challenging and questioning the status quo.

Then called The News on Friday (TNF), it had introduced many firsts to mainstream journalism in Pakistan. It did this not just by going in-depth into serious political issues, but also by recognising the significance of ‘fringe’ issues like art, culture and fashion as integral to the country’s socio-political realities. TNF always took these issues seriously, long before they became lucrative businesses — and therefore not to be scoffed at as frivolous pastimes — in their own right in Pakistan.

The readers today may recognise TNS for its liberal, progressive and secular leanings. They can’t be blamed for doing so. In a bid to help build a democratic, cultured, tolerant and aware society, it has sometimes followed the norms and at other times broken them; it has created boundaries and pushed them too.

In terms of specialisation, TNS has been a trailblazer be it literature, culture, travel, fashion or sports. Yet there are times it is criticised for not doing cookery or gardening or health or lifestyle. But it can only do as much and cannot claim to cover everything under the sun.

Meanwhile, it is constantly struggling to live up to the expectations and standards of excellence that it has set for itself, trying to wed them with a dash of creativity. For those who work here, TNS is a tough assignment.

http://tns.thenews.com.pk/about-us/

Oh yes and the author: Zia Mohyeddin

The author is the president and CEO of National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA)

[mountain grammy]

31. Bravo! For TNS and the journalists struggling to enlighten so many.

It's easy to understand their enthusiasm for Bernie Sanders.

[George II]

37. Funny that the author considers Vermont a "fairly conservative state"

That's where I stopped reading.

[Betty Karlson]

41. Vermont was solidly red until the 1980-ies.

In fact, it was one of two states that never went for Roosevelt (the other one is Maine).

So yeah: fairly conservative in a New England way.

And since the New England conservatives are now mostly independent voters and / or seeking shelter with the Democratic Party, Vermont is now solidly blue.

[George II]

44. In 2014 Gallup found that Vermont is the most liberal state in the country...

.....second only to the District of Columbia.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/167144/wyoming-residents-conservative-liberal.aspx?version=print

[Betty Karlson]

45. liberal as defined how?

Because if being liberal is defined as "in favour of common sense policies and in favour of necessary and morally compelling changes" then New England conservatives are a very liberal bunch these days.

If "liberal" is defined as "opposed to reactionary policies espoused by the majority of Wyomingans" then any kind of philosophic moderate is already included as a liberal by Gallup.

[George II]

47. I think the link to the Gallup site has the methodology behind the poll

[Betty Karlson]

48. The method is self-identification.

So anyone who does not want to be associated with gay-hating, women-oppressing, bible-thumbing, constitution-trampling, rich-favouring, middle-class-eradicating, war-mongering idiocy is likely to describe themselves as liberal.

There is a good case for New England conservatives to self-identify as liberal.

[Politicalboi]

3. Go Bernie!!!!!

He's our only hope.

[newfie11]

23. Agreed! Nt

[randome]

5. Liberals in general don't believe in miracles.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[Live and Learn]

8. Some so called liberals don't even believe in trying. nt

[rhett o rick]

9. I am not looking for a miracle, just looking for Democrats to unite against the growing

monster of corporate control. The longer we go the harder it will be to fight them.

[randome]

11. Hey, it was the OP who used the word 'miracle'. And I agree with you.

But the numbers are still firmly on Clinton's side. I don't see that changing. We'll get there. The GOP is on a long slide into irrelevance. It can't happen soon enough, of course.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[rhett o rick]

13. Yes, we'll get there. I am not looking at the numbers because I don't want it to influence me.

I am going to fight harder than I ever have before. The 1% may be successful once again but we will maintain our momentum and get more progressives into Congress. As far as the GOP, IMO they are far from irrelevance. They are where they are, not by accident but by design. They preform a very useful function. The have been groomed to be the worst of evils. Our two party system has become one Conservative Democratic Party vs. a total disaster. Progressives have been disenfranchised.

[mahannah]

30. Yes.

[roguevalley]

18. I love how randome speaks for me. Not

[Live and Learn]

7. K&R nt

[WillyT]

10. K & R !!!

[LWolf]

12. Only a "miracle"

in the sense that overcoming propaganda feels like it takes a miracle. It's definitely a David vs Goliath situation. Or, maybe even better, this, which takes not a miracle, but being smarter.

I thought it was a good article. It backs up the "miracle" claim by buying into that same propaganda.

Sanders’s message is particularly potent for young people who are struggling financially. They feel heartened by a politician who points out to them that as hard-working Americans “some things aren’t a privilege but right”.

It is not just the out of work youngsters or the blacks and Hispanics who find life to be unbearable because of poverty. Many lower middle class Americans who have had the advantage of a university education are feeling the pinch. There are white couples — husband and wife working full time — who own a home, work more than forty hours a week but can barely put oil in their heating tanks in the winter.

[Enthusiast]

19. +1 a whole bunch!

I had never seen that animated sequence before either.

[99th_Monkey]

14. I love Bernie's brand of socialism. worker owned co-ops, community land trusts, et. al.

economic democracy.

[Enthusiast]

20. Anything we achieve "left" of corporate rule will seem like a gain.

[appalachiablue]

38. Absolutely, these policies are the only way to try to preserve democracy and

stave off full on fascism. Destructive neoliberal, free market Reaganomics-Thatchernomics gotta go!
Amazing how in Europe the terms fascist and socialism are fairly common. The US is such a different country in that regard; but things are changing, whether it's fast enough is my concern.

[hopemountain]

15. in response to comments on here

with regard to the use of the word "miracle". other cultures may use "miracle"as it pertains to their personal and cultural experience.

it is my experience many americans are jaded and insensitive when they interpret how people from other cultures may use and translate a descriptor such as the word "miracle" into english.

we could all use more sensitivity when understanding and interpreting what writers and speakers from other cultures may mean when using particular forms of speech translated into english. they could stand to humble themselves to learn and understand other cultures. period.

it is gross when the majority of us come from arrogance entitled superiority rather than making an effort to acknowledge we are not the only dwellers on this earth and we are far from superior to anyone.

[The Blue Traveller]

16. Kicked and recommended

[Douglas Carpenter]

17. knr

[Enthusiast]

21. Kicked and recommended!

[Dont call me Shirley]

22. Life is full of miracles if we only see them. Bernie.

[oberliner]

24. Vermont is not a "fairly conservative" state

I am guessing this gentleman from Pakistan has never been there.

[Eric J in MN]

27. Yeah, the only state where Obama did better in 2012

...is Hawaii, where he was born.

Hawaii 71%
Vermont 67%

Obama also got 91% in DC, which should be a state, but isn't.

http://elections.nbcnews.com/ns/politics/2012/all/president/#.VluQ6V42ffc

[Karma13612]

33. +100 eom

[Betty Karlson]

42. Vermont was solidly red until the 1980-ies.

Never went for Roosevelt. Conservative in a New England way.

And since most New England conservatives have abandoned the GOP, it has turned into a no go area for Republicans.

[oberliner]

46. Yes, indeed

And today it is one of of the most liberal states in America.

[JDPriestly]

26. Bernie's message is for the world.

Obama was a big improvement over George W. Bush.

But Obama got tripped up in Libya and Syria trying to clean up the GWB mess.

We shall see how Bernie does, but his message is for the world, not just for America.

The conservative backlash against FDR populism has worked for the oligarchs of the world and their corporations, but not for most of the rest of us.

It has meant war, war, war as the US exports weapons, weapons, weapons. What else do we manufacture that is cheap and plentiful and popular enough to export?

[Gman]

28. Please

One single person is not, never has been and never will be a miracle for the country. To believe so will lead to nothing more than bitter disappointment and disillusionment. Get real.

[Fearless]

35. FDR, JFK, RFK, MLK... I could go on

[Gloria]

29. Miracle??? honestly

this is way over the top....really. He's a career politician, for goodness sake!

[Andy823]

32. Yep

I can't wait for his followers to say he walked on water. I like Bernie, and I would vote for him if he were to be the nominee, no doubt about it, but sometimes there are posters here who really, really go to far in their opinion of him, and the ironic part is many of those followers were the ones who complained that anyone who supported president Obama were "authoritarians", "Obamabots", "blind followers", "worshipers", etc. Pretty ironic if you ask me.

[Sheepshank]

34. Well, if there was any doubt that there is a move deify Bernie

This thread should put that to rest.

What a ridiculous op.

The only miracle would be Bernie breaking 35% in the national polls

[NurseJackie]

39. +1

[BeanMusical]

36. Kick and R

[billhicks76]

40. And Bush Allied Hillary Could Be The Nightmare

[Betty Karlson]

43. Please don't put that idea into my head, shortly before I go to bed... n/t