dagblog - Comments for "Bernie, older & wiser"

Our dear brother Cornel West

rmrd0000 — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 04:35:09 +0000

In reply to Cornel West? Not likely to

Our dear brother Cornel West said "Hillary Clinton is the Milli Vanilli of modern politics", this line was so ridiculous that West was immediately mocked.

http://thedailybanter.com/2016/02/cornel-west-proves-why/

West thinks that he is talking smack to his buddies rather than being a spokesman for a national political campaign.

Cornel West? Not likely to

Danny Cardwell — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 00:33:15 +0000

In reply to Bernie, older & wiser

Cornel West? Not likely to help, since he's about as popular with the black community these days as George Zimmerman.

Best line I've read all week. This was a very well conceived and delivered post. Salute!

You're rather giving him a

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 12:38:50 +0000

In reply to I think you're selling him

You're rather giving him a bit too much credit - in 2004 he first ran for Senate - would have been rather ballsy for a Congressman to run against such a packed field, including Howard Dean from his own state.

Nor were LGBT issues like gay marriage accepted or popular in 2004 (they largely helped the Republicans), and being anti-war wasn't terribly winning either - they wouldn't have even had to try hard to Swift Boat Bernie.

But I'd agree he's run a tight effective campaign this year, which as we've seen historically from both parties is not easy to do.

He was playing it effectively

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 12:24:19 +0000

In reply to Since Sanders has been in

He was playing it effectively in Vermont for quite some time. His national prominence has been more recent, but it goes back at least to 2010, when he delivered that "filibuster" against the tax package that Obama negotiated. Elizabeth Warren is also very good, better than Sanders, I think, though we'd have to see how she runs a presidential campaign to compare.

I think you're selling him

Michael Wolraich — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 12:19:26 +0000

In reply to Yes, I realize he's not naive

I think you're selling him short as a politician. Yes, his success is obviously contextual. If he'd run in 2004, he might have been another Kucinich. But he didn't run in 2004, did he? At a minimum, he has good timing. But I expect that it's more than that. Kucinich in 2016 might have done better than Kucinich in 2004 or 2008, but I don't think too many people would be feeling the Dennis. Sanders has actually run a tight and effective campaign--targeted, on message, well-organized, charismatic on the stump, articulate in the debates, etc., none of which is not easy to do.

And Morgan Freeman just cut

PeraclesPlease — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 07:50:27 +0000

In reply to There are differences. Occupy

And Morgan Freeman just cut an ad for Hillary, so it's probably game over - he counts as 1000 Wests, no? Except he's old, so maybe the youth vote needs Kanye... except he's almost 40. Need some fresh blood.

Update: just checked the comments on Politico and they're all busy blacksplaining Morgan. He'll be regretting he didn't get on the Bernie Bus to ~~Freedom~~ Winning All the Time™.

Hal, on your point 1.,

Oxy Mora — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 04:19:35 +0000

In reply to We disagree on all counts. 1)

Hal, on your point 1., everyone, regardless of their worst personal habits or even former criminal acts, deserves a safety net.

Maybe it's semantics, but all the government assistance we have is something other than a "secure retirement".

In any case, I'll vote for Bernie or whoever the Democratic nominee is. But should it be Bernie, a statement like "people deserve a comfortable and dignified retirement" will leave us turning in the wind because the underlying sentiment in this country is that of individual effort, self reliance.

"Senator Sanders says people deserve a comfortable and dignified retirement. Did he spend 30 years developing this grand idea? Of course not---because there is not one person in this room who doesn't already know they deserve a dignified retirement. I know it and you know it. But the question is how---and Senator Sanders answers "government, government, government" and most of the people in this room know that that is a disastrous fairy tale. Government will not secure us a dignified retirement. We do that for ourselves. Let no man or woman sleep on the street and beg for food. But let no one depend upon the government to secure his retirement for that is a Mr. Sandman fairy tale which will bankrupt us all. We are a strong and self reliant people."

There are differences. Occupy

rmrd0000 — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 03:38:24 +0000

In reply to (warning: white boy

There are differences. Occupy Wall Street essentially ignored black people. Michael Moore is a Progressive hero. Moore endorses Bernie Sanders. However many remember Moore as the white guy who went on "Real Time with Bill Mahrer" and expressed his disappointment with President Obama by saying that he "voted for the black guy but got the white guy."

https://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/09/14/michael-moore-quotes-bill-maher...

This came after Mahrer on another episode said that he expected Obama to be "gangsta".

http://angryblackladychronicles.com/2010/11/13/the-internet-is-fun/

Blacks see condescension from the Right and condescension from the Left.

Ralph Nader suggested that Obama talked white and played on white guilt.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/25/nader-obama-trying-to-tal_n_109...

Nader and Cornel West tried to organize a primary challenge to President Obama. Sanders suggested a Primary challenge.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ralph-nader-cornel-west-lead-eff...

No worries. All those senior

ocean-kat — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 03:33:36 +0000

In reply to Sanders says that he wants to

No worries. All those senior citizens well be so excited to give up their Medicare for Something Better. They will rush to vote for Sanders in the general cause who doesn't want Something Better.

Since Sanders has been in

barefooted — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 02:46:20 +0000

In reply to PP, Bernie has been in

Since Sanders has been in politics for "three centuries or so" and knows how the game is played, why has he only been playing it effectively for the last few months? Running for the presidency isn't required to try to lead the country in a direction you believe best, especially if your message is backed up by action. It isn't even necessary to wait until you're in elected office to get started ... just ask Elizabeth Warren.