Like many fellow-boomers, coming of age in the magical sixties but tempered by daily encounter with a complex, resistant world, I respond to Bernie's impassioned denunciation of the pathologies that have gripped America, and the lofty goals that he describes. I thrill to his oratory. Beside him, the careful and pragmatic Clinton, with her particular gestures and phrasing, makes me cringe. Which is a shame, because I am sure she comes from the same deep set of progressive beliefs, but tempered by an understanding that she must not over-promise and under-deliver.
But, much as I admire Bernie, I cannot support him for President, and never have. He does not have the breadth to the chief executive; he doesn't seem to have the temperament or the interest (I acknowledge he does have executive experience, as mayor). I believe he would be ineffective and out of his depth. Instead, he is our iconoclast. Originally, I used the word “demagogue”, which I thought accurate but I realize its negative connotations make it inflammatory. He proclaims a fine goal, but there is no practical path to it. Sorry to be throwing cold water, but in 2017 there will be a Congress to deal with, and even if it were led by Nancy Pelosi (unlikely) and Chuck Schumer, it is quite simply impossible to deliver single-payer, tuition-free education, and broken-up banks, in two years. Each one of them would be a massive shock to the economy (campaign finance reform, maybe less so). Stirring Presidential rhetoric is energizing and motivating, but I don't see it be delivering a progressive Congress in 2017. Fellow boomer with progressive roots Hillary Clinton has a similar vision, but is more careful to set expectations. And she does have the breadth of interest and executive qualities that I see lacking in Bernie.
Which is why I worry, because now that Bernie has raised expectations so high, then whichever one of them becomes President, we could be in a world of hurt. Follow me for why.
The 2020 census is not so far off; it’s now closer to us than the 2010. Whether it's President Sanders, or Clinton, or certainly Trump, those goals won't be met right away and any change will be in process, not ends. With luck we will be on the path but not have reached any destinations. I see another massive wave of disappointment on the left and energy on the new, expanded right, and a 2010-level Republican wave in 2018, possibly driving even more state houses and governships rightward. Perhaps the 2020 campaign, a Presidential year, can undo some of the damage, but I don't see the 2021 redistricting going any better for us than the last, so you can probably count on an even more gerrymandered House. Good luck getting spending bills (which, as Lawrence O’Donnell has helpfully pointed out to Donald Trump, originate in the House) tilted towards progressive goals.
So should Bernie shut up and quit setting expectations unrealistically, unachievably high? No, I don't think so. He has brought in a wave of young voters and added energy to the progressives that we have. I think it is time for the party to move behind Hillary Clinton with a message that is distilled from Sanders's stump speech. Treat it like a campaign in a well-organized non-profit: a clear mission statement with exactly three bullet points that everyone can memorize, and a believable plan for a path to them. Tape the mission statement to every wall, and watermark it in every speech. Health care for all, tuition that all can afford, universal suffrage. Show steps forward on each of those and use them to keep the mission alive for 2018.
We must win the White House. Move the Supreme Court back to the center, and take the steps that begin the journey.
Thursday, Mar 3, 2016 · 5:49:14 PM +00:00 · UncleDavid
Update the following day: I realize nobody will read this, but I want to put it in the archive. When I was thinking through this post, I intended a paragraph that I unaccountably didn’t put in the text. That is: if Bernie Sanders is the nominee, I will unreservedly support and vote for him in the general. My reservations about his suitability for the role of chief executive remain, and I hope to be wrong. But the prescription remains: to prevent a repeat of 2010 in 2018 and 2020, there must be a clear domestic mission statement with unmistakable and measurable progress in the first eighteen months. The expectations are high, and they must eventually be met.
And I think “orator” would have been the right word to prevent such a negative reaction, although I still see Bernie as more Samuel Adams than Seneca.