Disillusioned Democrats, afraid to hope any longer, have been quick to dismiss Bernie Sanders.
He doesn't stand a chance, they say.
He is too radical to win against Hillary, they opine.
America will never elect a socialist, they quip.
The talking heads are quick to compare Sanders to reality star/demagogue Donald Trump, as the extremes on both sides. But when the center continues to spin out of control, the centrifugal force will push everyone to the outer edges.
It is the one thing that both parties can agree on…we are tired of centrist politics-as-usual. Though we disagree on who is to blame and who can solve the problems, enough blame can be spread on both sides (both sides being Republican and “Republican Lite”).
Let’s face it, since 1969 (yes, I’m starting with Nixon), the only consistent winners in the presidential elections have been Wall Street, big oil and the military industrial complex (with a short respite from Jimmy Carter…which is why he had to go). The presidency has become another get-rich-quick scheme, where the occupant merely bides his time, throwing us a watered-down social program here, or a $600.00 “tax break” check there. All the while, they are selling us out to the Koch’s and the Coke’s, creating “too big to fail” industries, which, then, abandon us for cheap labor abroad. Then, it’s pass GO, collect 200 (million) dollars, from lecture circuits and book deals and make an occasional appearance to badmouth the other party.
Let’s look at just a few of the “hits” coming from both sides of the gallery:
Ronald Reagan- With the help of the CIA and Noriega, he introduced crack cocaine to the inner cities, funding arms deals to Iran and creating the need for a “war on drugs.”
Bill Clinton- His disastrous NAFTA deal opened the floodgates for the “Walmart business plan,” which we endure today. Bringing cheap products from China and others, it forced manufacturers to move there, in order to compete. Corporate headquarters were moved there, as well, providing loopholes for avoiding U.S. taxes. So, as our job opportunities diminished, so, too, did our tax base.
George W. Bush- Where do I begin? The Iraq war, needless and destructive, cost us so much in lives and depleted the tax surplus, built up during the Clinton era. Its only purpose was to bring back the power to his Nixon-era cronies in the pentagon, making them all rich beyond their wildest dreams. Playing on our post 9-11 fears, they invested in both the war machine tearing down, and the companies “rebuilding” the region. All of this, while corporations were getting tax breaks and moving abroad, making sure that tax base would not be replenished.
Barack Obama- Another centrist, he has proven disappointing on the economic level. His healthcare system, while certainly helpful, does very little, when combined with our loss of industry. His Trans-Pacific Partnership, another trade deal, will seal our fate, promoting cheap business abroad, rather than boosting ours. Obama has been quoted as saying that these are the times we live in, and we had better adapt. Translation: bring the U.S. down to THEIR level, so we can compete. Does this mean that he agrees with Republicans about breaking up our unions? Everything from “too big to fail” to the selling of dirty oil to developing countries, puts Obama more center-right, than center-left.
Hillary Clinton would also play the social program tango, shoring-up women’s rights, possibly improving on the healthcare system, which was a pet project of hers, as First Lady. But the Clintons owe too much to their Wall Street backers. There is little evidence that our economy would improve, under her business-as-usual tactics.
All of this adds up to the reasons why I am voting for Bernie Sanders. Perhaps a socialist is precisely what we need, right now. There is no question that we need to “re-brand” the Democratic party, bringing us back to what defines us as liberals. If that means being off-center, then so be it.