2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Bernie Blew It [View all]Zen Democrat
(5,901 posts)Bernie Sanders doesn't have 1/10 of the ego of a normal candidate. He doesn't give a ratzass about a speaking spot at the convention. He's not doing this to be interviewed on TV every day. The media has been immaterial to Bernie's success, and they just don't get it, and they don't get him.
The ego-driven Chris Matthews-style commentators can't fathom the paucity of ego in Sanders. Thousands of people didn't flock to Bernie Sanders rallies because he was a household name. They weren't there because Bernie was being lavished with good press. The media had to start covering him because he was drawing astronomical crowds. Bernie has a permanent following because millions of people agree with him. Bernie got the ball rolling this year, and got further than he imagined he could. He's said so, many times.
He isn't anti-Hillary, or anti-Democratic Party, but he has a slate of suggested improvements that may or may not come to fruition. I hope people don't discount the democratic-socialist viewpoint out of hand. Moving out of the Reagan quagmire has been easier said than done. It's going to require a dramatic move to the left to fully escape the Big Corporate stranglehold.
In the meantime, I will vote, and vote early, for Hillary. She can mitigate concerns I have about her economic policies with a couple of kick-ass Supreme Court nominations. Michelle Obama, perhaps?