I've been watching Bernie Sanders stay on message for a long time. It's the same message he's been sticking with since he started as an activist, and in public life. Sanders has been unwavering, consistent and unapologetic about supporting ethics, decency, fairness, and what us folks call progressive values.
There's been no glad-handing, back-slapping and kowtowing to the established Democratic Party structure; in the NH Convention address today, he didn't mention NH candidates or NH politics. I'm not surprised that Bernie doesn't play the 'Party' game. Democrats within the political power structure refuse to endorse him, and it does appear that those within that power structure are doing everything they can to derail his candidacy.
The speech was national. It was about Sanders, defining him, who he is, what his goals and visions are, and most of all about his unwavering support for progressive values, policies and ideals.
It's a long list: from income inequality/economics to science to climate change, racism and numbers of those incarcerated in prisons and criminal justice reform, campaign finance reform, corporate corruption and distortion of the political process, rights for women and minorities, education and opportunity, immigration reform, support for our veterans and service personnel but against haphazard foreign policies that lead to the terrible costs of war. His speech hit all the points.
http://www.c-span.org/...
Sanders did not reach out specifically to Democrats in NH, did not mention a single local or State personality by name. He said again that one person alone cannot effect change; some people want [desperately] to interpret this as a slam at President Obama, but that's not what Sanders is saying, as Sanders has given credit to the President repeatedly for the good things he's done. He has praised the ACA, and has recognized the steps taken by President Obama to wrench us back from the brink of economic collapse. What Bernie's talking about is the continuation of a multi-generational economic disaster where people simply cannot earn enough to support their families, in a country where careers have devolved into multiple part-time jobs without benefits, and contract work has replaced any fleeting vestiges of loyalty of employer to employee.
Even President Obama has repeatedly acknowledged this is the case in recent speeches, decrying the breakdown of the American workplace.
When Bernie mentioned how Democrats did not turn out to vote, it was not received well, there was little applause. But it's a salient truth. The poor and working poor are simply not motivated to vote for Democrats. Even when Barack Obama was elected in 2008, the turnout among the poor was horrible as the chart below shows. Without strong popular support to elect people to Congress along with a President, one man or woman cannot effect change. It's time to realize that having political action groups like OFA have little to no effect on people sitting in Congress.
So it's about more than just the middle class. Without the poor coming out to vote and elect people to Congress that can move this nation forward, there is only so much any President can do. Without motivating the poor to vote and vote for Democrats who are hopefully more cooperative with a progressive President, we will have another administration obstructed by Congress at every turn.
"We need a political movement"
"Thing big, not small"
"Please don't tell me .."
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When Bernie Sanders says "Please do not tell me .." it's a challenge to those who have been in power in both political parties, those who have for 35 years taken America down the wrong path and have abandoned the poorest in this nation. A candidate that can energize the poor to the polls will create the political revolution Sanders has called for and poor people don't usually attend political party conventions, not even Democratic ones.
We need better Democrats serving in all offices, local, State and in Congress.
Get the people who don't turn out to vote in that chart above, and it just might finally happen.