Congratulations Senator Sanders
First of all I'd like to say congratulations to Senator Sanders on his win in New Hampshire. He worked hard for it and earned it. President Obama stated recently that when Bernie Sanders starts winning some primaries, he will finally start facing some of the scrutiny that Hillary Clinton has endured for the past 25 years. I believe that this is a good thing and long-overdue. A few thoughts…
Media attacks against Hillary. Honeymoon for Sanders.
The media has consistently attacked Hillary Clinton and desperately want to make the Democratic nomination process a horse race. After all, it's great for ratings. But now that Senator Sanders is competitive and even winning key demographics, will the media actually do its job and start vetting him and his proposals with the scrutiny it deserves? Inspiring proclamations are one thing but the devil is in the details, something that has been sorely lacking in Senator Sanders' proposals. Let's vet him/them now and have a truly informed electorate make their decision on who they want as the Democratic nominee. If he does, in fact, secure the nomination, it's much better to vet him now rather than after the fact. After all, it's common knowledge that the media loves to build somebody up and then tear them down, crushing them into the ground. We definitely don't need that going into November.
The calm before the storm.
The reason it's so important for Senator Sanders to be vetted now is because if the media continues giving him a honeymoon, how will he handle an unprecedented onslaught of negative media attention largely guided by the Republican shit storm that they will throw his way? He has yet to be tested in this area and waiting to find out how he handles that onslaught after he secures a nomination is beyond naïve. It's dangerous. In certain major urban centers and liberal university enclaves, socialism is not a scary concept. However, in the rest of America, most Americans say they'd never vote for a socialist. When the full frontal attack on Sanders starts happening, the commercial loops will be ending endless and devastating.
Just imagine: Senator Sanders on the record admitting to be a Socialist, honeymooned in the Soviet Union, calling for Revolution, offering lots of free stuff (such as tuition and healthcare) mostly at the expense of others. Massive growth in the size and spending of the federal government. Taxing all American citizens with the promise that the payoff later will be better. And don't forget about the idiots out there who will make a big issue about his age and religion too. Think of how this will affect all the down-ballot Democratic candidates. If you think his numbers won't drop like a rock after this is played on a continuous loop, then I believe you're truly living in a delusional fantasyland.
Bernie beats Republicans! Irrelevant Fantasy talk.
We also hear a lot about how well Bernie Sanders does against the Republicans on a one-on-one match up. Of course he does well! The media up to this point has treated him with kid gloves during this entire primary process (see horse race/ratings above). The slightest hint of criticism gets met with hysteria and fury by the Bernie Bros
Fanatics/Bernie Bros versus supporters
While I do like much of what Bernie stands for, I abhor the tactics of some of his fanatics. Keep in mind I am making a very clear distinction between the fanatics/Bernie Bros versus Bernie supporters. I detest the former and admire the latter. And let's stop pretending that this element of the Sanders campaign does not exist. It does and we all know it. Even Senator Sanders has condemned this in the harshest of terms. Does that make him a liar too?
Santa Sanders promises big toys for free!
Senator Sanders does remind me a lot of Santa Claus. He makes dramatic promises on how everyone will get free healthcare, free education, free this, free that… It reminds me of Oprah saying, "you get a car, you get a car, you get a car, and you get a car too". Everybody gets all these things for free!! That sounds awesome! Who doesn't want everything free? Everyone loves Santa! But most of us have grown up to recognize that nothing in life is free. Start showing in detail how all these things are going to be paid for and we'll go from there. And while everybody will pay some taxes, the billionaire class will ultimately end up paying for almost all of this? Mm-kay. Crunch the numbers. Show specific details. Then have Nobel prize winning economists go over it and verify whether or not it is in fact doable. When Paul Krugman started dissecting Bernie Sanders’ plans, he was viciously attacked by the fanatics once again. So much for open dialogue.
The Establishment nonsense.
The idea that anybody who is in disagreement with Bernie Sanders is somehow part of the establishment is insane. This is cult-like behavior. This is the same garbage that George W. Bush used to spout off: You're either with us or against us. No, reasonable adults don't think in black-and-white terms. They understand shades of gray and the complexity of issues. Only mindless robots and children think otherwise. In fact, come to think of it, I saw my dog growl at Bernie Sanders on TV so I figure that heartless little bastard is part of the Establishment too. Guess who's sleeping in the doghouse tonight?!
Deny it all you want, but Bernie is part of the establishment. Exactly how is somebody who's been in Congress for 25 years an outsider? As a US senator, he's been a member of the most exclusive club in the world for years. He's no outsider. He's the ultimate insider who just hasn't been able to get things done because he takes a more leftist approach to things.
Revolution. We've heard this song before.
And spare me the nonsense about a Revolution. Obamacare barely passed by a razor thin margin and the Democrats had big margins in both the House and the Senate. You seriously think that a president Sanders is going to get anything through a Republican-controlled Congress? Yeah, yeah… we've heard it. You think there's going to be this revolution where the masses are going to suddenly up rise in extraordinary numbers and vote the vast majority of Republicans out of office, giving massive majorities back to the Democrats, thereby ensuring that Sanders' proposals will all get passed, right? Unfortunately, you're already seeing that there is a Revolution happening… On the Republican side. They are far outpacing their primary voter numbers compared to 2008. Democrats, on the other hand, have seen their primary voter numbers drop in comparison to 2008. So much for our Revolution.
Against the Democratic Party and President Obama.
Bernie has been attacking the Democratic Party and President Obama for years. Do your homework honestly. Research it and you'll see how many times Sanders has repeatedly attacked the Democratic Party and been dismissive of Obama's accomplishments. Yet he immediately jumps on board when it serves his own goals of seeking the Presidency. In 2012, he even called for President Obama to be primaried. Yep, nothing says party unity like calling for somebody within the party to try and take on President Obama in 2012.
And finally...
Now go ahead and start attacking or ignore this. I expect nothing less from the fanatics. But to reasonable adults, start thinking about these things and remember this: the Supreme Court is at stake. Many of these know-it-all types have grown up in a world where there's always been a 5-4 split with the fifth member (Kennedy) sometimes tilting to the liberal side. The next president will likely appoint 4 justices resulting in a 7-2 split for the Republicans which will ensure their majority for the next 30 years.
Say goodbye to marriage equality.
Say goodbye to Roe v Wade.
Say goodbye to affirmative-action.
Say goodbye to Obamacare.
Say goodbye to any chance of ever reinstating the Voting Rights Act.
Say hello to Citizens United forever.
And that's just the beginning…
BTW, lame insults like "your motto is 'no we can't' when it used to be 'yes we can' " only ignore the problem. Keep sticking your head in the sand but when it all hits the fan, don't be surprised.
Thanks for reading and letting me get this off my chest.
