As you probably know, Bernie Sanders met with President Obama yesterday and then gave a press conference where he said he would work with Hillary Clinton to help the Democratic Party defeat Donald Trump. But he also said that he was still going compete in DC’s 14 June primary. And his reason is one that is close to my heart. He said that he thinks that DC should become a state. I’m with him. Puerto Rico should also be a state. But I don’t want to get side tracked. The speech was more or less a concession.
At the press conference, Sanders looked like his old self: rumpled suit, hair flying everywhere. It makes me wonder. Yes, I am very much in agreement with his policies. But is my commitment to Sanders also more personal? I identify with him. My hair is rarely combed. People often mistake me for a homeless person. But I think that substance matters more than style. And Sanders seems to be the same way. (He’s had that luxury since he represents a small state.)
Of course, Sanders also looked unhappy. And I think he’s allowed. I tend to think that he started his campaign much as Howard Dean started his in 2004: to get his issues more attention in the party. And then things really took off — to the point where he had a chance to win the whole thing. He needs a little time to lick his wounds. But as Robert Reich recently put it, “You’ve already succeeded.”
In a sense, Sanders never had a chance. As I have stated countless times, the Democratic Party didn’t like having to choose between Obama and Clinton in 2008 and this was their chance to have their cake and eat it too. But there was something else. The Clintons have deep roots in the African American community. This morning, Paul Krugman noted that Sanders didn’t get minority group inequality “with his exclusive focus on individual inequality.” This indicates more that Krugman didn’t follow Sanders’ campaign, being, as he was, so busy attacking it.
The fact that Hillary Clinton had a huge reservoir of good will in the African American community (And among older Democrats as well!) was not a trick; it was the result of her work in the Democratic Party over the last 40 years. That has to be applauded. This was a great campaign, even with all the anger on both sides. And now we are at the point that we work together to defeat a very frightening foe.
I don’t like revolutions. They don’t tend to work out well. Bernie Sanders didn’t not bring us a revolution. I think he brought something much better: the fear of a revolution in the Democratic Party. My biggest fear with Clinton is that she will “evolve” on the TPP and sign it into law. And that’s why all of us — not just Sanders supporters, but everyone who is in the democratic wing of the Democratic Party — needs to hold to task Clinton and the entire political world.
In a sense, there is always a war going on. We must constantly fight for the interests of the weak. The powerful never stop fighting for their own interests — they just hire people to do it. Even if Bernie Sanders had become president, we would have to continue to fight. We will continue to argue among ourselves about what the best policies are. But as I found when I tested myself, I side with Bernie Sander 98% of the time and Hillary Clinton 95% of the time. And Donald Trump: 24% of the time.
With Hillary Clinton as president, we will need to apply pressure to her. If Donald Trump becomes president, will with have to fight with all our strength. And we will still lose. So we are all in this together. Kumbaya My Party!
There will be plenty of what might have beens. And I do think that a big chunk of his support came from people who see themselves in him. After all, it is one reason why I am such a die hard Clinton supporter-I see me in her.
At least you shave-I still don’t get this obsession men have with facial hair. YUCK.
For me it’s mostly laziness. If I could take a vitamin pill that eliminated beard growth forever, I would. As it is, I just shave when my face gets itchy.
But boy, beards are back these days, aren’t they? And many of the guys sporting them have big, carefully groomed beards. That’s just so much work!
Yes, I know. It is so lame. And unattractive.
(pizza toppings clinging to beard)
The obsession is because shaving sucks. I shave because the hair bugs me. It’s the same reason that I keep my hair short. It starts to itch and I can’t take it.
Trump can’t win, in several senses. He can’t win, in that it would be a disaster. In the other sense: he can’t get new support. I don’t think elephants will switch to Clinton mostly, but they might stay home.
Here’s wishing for a fruitful congressional election; in many ways the congressional is a lot more important than the presidential. And in terms of a grassroots movement in the donkey party, the congressional primaries are more important in the long term.
A Clinton victory and a House dominated by Teabaggers: we’ll be back to where we started in 2009. I wish better for Americans.
Keep plugging away in the local elections! I thank you for the work you’ve done.
Well, not 2009 — 2010 after Kennedy died. But this is something that bugs me. People constantly talk about how the Republicans are dead. But if that’s true, it’s only true in terms of the president. They control both houses of Congress and they control most states. All they need is a fluke to bring the nation back about a hundred years. It’s very frightening.
I took that politics survey as well, and ended up similar to your scores. I am wondering what the 24% Trump match was.
Well, for one thing, I agree with him to a large extent on trade, even if my thinking is deeper. Also: I’m against cutting social security. Remember: when it comes to actual policy, Trump is better than most Republicans. That’s why most people around here are going to end up with some overlap.