This is a plea from a Bernie Sanders supporter, Khaldoun Samman; what follows is my informed reply:
IS HE ELECTABLE? People who ask the question "Is he electable?" are usually folks who do not understand the deep malaise of the Democratic Party. Instead, they only see Trump as a person who somehow usurped power. They do not understand that it is precisely their decades of "moderate" (meaning, the same old politics of allowing the rich to get richer) politics that allowed the far right traction into demographics that were once Democratic. Bernie Sanders is energizing a large base that has been otherwise forgotten by these folks who think they need to educate Bernie supporters on who is electable or not. Do us all a favor and learn a bit from this movement. Rather than asking "Is he electable?", instead ask "can we afford not to?"
My reply:
This is wrong, way wrong, on a few levels. And I say this as someone who has been frustrated with some aspects of Democratic moderation. Especially on welfare reform and DOMA, and too timid on immigration. I also acknowledge that Democrats caved on Bush 43s rush to war in Iraq. No argument on any of these. But on health care and gun regulation, the Democrats did really try, and more than once.
What truly galls me is this meme, unsupported by evidence, that working class white guys in the rust belt would have stayed Democratic if only we ___(insert issue here)________. Okay, we know a lot of blue collar people are very suspicious of free trade. Also resentful of the decline in the coal industry. But in both cases, there are government programs for worker retraining. People on the ground don't want it. Our "green new deal" (which I support) explicitly calls for new green jobs, but it is greatly resented in many quarters.
Make no mistake; Working class folk in Appalachia/Ozarks--West Virginia , Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas--deeply resent environmentalism. This is not speculation on my part. Polling is pretty clear. It is only Bill Clinton's "moderation" that won these states twice. They all turned against Al Gore in 2000. I support the green new deal--but I know I cannot do so and hope to win West Virginia. The real world entails real choices.
I think Matt Taibbi once asked why is it that the MAGAs still support President Trump, when he has not, in fact, made good on his promise to keep factories here. His answer: Because Trump insults the people they hate.
Our enemy is Trump, not each other. Every Democratic candidate has some policy proposals that can be called progressive, including the three true moderates, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Bloomberg. None liberal enough for me. The two liberals, Biden and certainly Warren, go further (I have no idea what Steyer is, except that he seems to be a nice guy). But consider positions widely shared:
--Health care expansion (Medicare for those who want it);
--Green new deal;
--Environmental protections;
--Stronger consumer protections;
--Immigration reform;
--Stronger gun laws;
-- Safeguarding voting rights, and
--raising the necessary taxes--
These are hard enough, and nigh impossible as long as Shady McConnell is Senate majority leader. We cannot just win. We need to win decisively. Our concerns are not reactionary, but ground in real experiences. For example, polls consistently show that Americans do not support Medicare for All. And Senator Sanders does espouse a couple of positions definitely out if the mainstream, and this is supported by real polling ( I support a couple of these positions--I just don't kid myself that I am in the majority).
So do not insult us and call us reactionary. Do not confuse our criticism for a dis. James Carville, for example, did not insult you on Saturday. If nominated, we will vote for Sanders. But your "movement" has still won only a plurality.
Humility cuts both ways.
--Thoughts??