Let me give this a stab. It is probably futile to try to communicate across the divide that sunders Team Bernie from Team Hillary. But what the hell. I’ll try anyway.
As we all know, Bernie and Hillary have contended over the issue of receiving funding from what we loosely refer to as Wall Street. The issue has come to a head over Hillary’s speaking fees.
From what I see around here, many of her supporters have a visceral response to what they perceive as a false meme of St. Bernie remaining pure and holy and above the financial fray. They resent aspersions against the character of their candidate and her integrity.
OK. This will not do. On either side. This contest IS NOT about the persons of Bernie and Hillary. It’s about the structural hegemony through which Wall Street maintains an iron grip of control over our nation, our laws, our institutions, and the limits within which it will tolerate reform.
This is what Bernie means by a rigged economy and a corrupt political system. It’s what we have chafed under ever since Ronald Reagan. (And, really, long before.)
I’m not even going to try to expand this point. We all know what this is about. People on this site have been venting their fury over this state of affairs since the site began. We all—I think—want significant reform.
Now, many frame the difference between us as a matter of radical versus incremental change. I suspect that that’s not too helpful a frame either. It isn’t really about pace of change. If Bernie says he wants universal health care, he KNOWS he won’t get it in the first 90 days. He’s been at this game a long time and knows change has to come through stages.
The question is, however, will our champions be PERMITTED by our Korporate Masters to actually ACT towards significant reform?
I personally like Barack Obama a great deal. He’s been a fine President in many ways. I am not being personal when I say that he has profoundly saddened me by refusing to take advantage of a once-in-a-century opportunity to prosecute Wall Street in 2008. Now, he is driving toward TPP. I like Obama. But I see a guy who raised a lot of money from Wall Street and never challenged its hegemonic control of our society.
Bernie is a great guy, as Hillary is a great gal. Neither is perfect as a campaigner or as a statesman/woman. You can tick off pluses and minuses for each.
But, see, there is a big difference. Like Pacino’s Serpico, Bernie doesn’t take money. And it freaks out the “establishment” pols who do.
In the last debate, the issue of Hillary’s speaking fees came up. Notice what Bernie did. He focused the bulk of his remarks on THE ISSUE IN GENERAL! He declined numerous opportunities to hammer Hillary personally. He would simply turn to the camera and say “We have a corrupt election process … yadda, yadda.”
Because, see, it’s not personal. And it isn’t “negative politics” in the traditional sense. It is competitive. It is actually brutal. But it isn’t personal.
Bernie has spent decades choosing not to take the money. He has preached against money in politics and he has lived the life. He refuses to be a part of the system-rotting corruption of money buying political influence. He has EARNED the right to make that charge against “establishment” politics at a level few other politicians can match.
But then, of course, it becomes personal for Hillary and her supporters when the focus is turned on the fact that she takes money. Lots and lots of money. She took MILLIONS in speaking fees, knowing she would soon be running for President. OK, Hillary may be a wonderful person. But when you take the money … well, that’s exactly like taking money from the mob. They own you. Maybe they let you do this and that. But they own you.
Now, I am sorry about this. I know some of our Hillary supporters have deep commitments to her. And there are arguments for her candidacy and this and that.
But she took the damn money. She didn’t have to—Bernie is showing that NO ONE has to take the money, Yet she took it.
Hillary supporters, please think about this. Be honest. Do you really think these vulture capitalists paid her millions for speaking fees without having a good idea that she would repay them? Do you really think they spend money that way?
It’s not personal. I don’t care if Hillary gets rich taking corporate money.
But she wants to be President. And she is beholden to Wall Street money. And she and her husband have a long history of accommodating Wall Street at the expense of the people. We all know that’s true.
So spare me the hurt feelings response. Bernie is NOT being maliciously negative turning to the camera and saying we have a corrupt system and claiming to have chosen to stand outside it. It’s what he has lived his life for.
And Hillary may have this and that virtue. But she has never offered anything like an answer to how she will break the iron grip of Wall Street’s hegemony while taking their money.
Of course, you might not agree that Wall Street’s grip on our society isn’t killing us. But don’t tell me it’s personal.
To paraphrase Bill Clinton’s famous mantra, it’s about the hegemony, stupid!