Bernie is IN.
How could it be otherwise? He owns the territory now and knows the terrain.
It was he who created the people-powered funding model in 2016.
It was he who revived the spirit of democratic socialism that, in the past. has contributed popular programs like Social Security, Medicare and public education, our proudest and most humane domestic achievements.
…And it was he who graciously and tirelessly supported the ultimate Democratic nominee without looking back.
Those aspirational ideas that are energizing youth and the Democratic base? Bernie’s been pitching them for years.
Grouchy grandpa persona and all, the working-class core of America really responds to Bernie.
We can vouch for that here in Vermont, where the only prior election he ever lost was a mayoral race in his distant youth.
Before the Hillary folks start grousing that his candidacy cost her the election, they should remind themselves of what really happened: Russian interference and a thoroughly incongruous electoral college.
Those Bernie supporters who failed to get on the Hillary train as it left the station have plenty of soul-searching to do, for sure; but Bernie is blameless when it comes to that, and his continued participation in Democratic politics has served to energize and re-purpose the somewhat tired old party to a new, visionary model that appeals to youth and diversity, and recognizes the legitimate challenges Americans face in the twenty-first century if we want our democracy, and indeed our planet, to survive.
Sure he’s old. So am I. That doesn’t mean that either of us has nothing more of significance to contribute.
Perhaps because Donald Trump is such a crazy old man, ageism isn’t getting the righteous attention that other prejudices do.
The problem with Donald Trump isn’t geriatric dementia; it is a narcissistic dementia that has warped his entire life. That a third of Americans still support him says more about cracks in the American psyche, regardless of age, than it does about old men in general.
Great experience in public service is a positive, not a handicap, for presidential potential. Look at what gross inexperience and ignorant vanity has cost us in just two years.
I’m going to get enthusiastically behind the nominee, whomever that may be. Without exception, they comprise the most promising field of Democratic hopefuls I can ever remember; an embarrassment of riches.
It is my hope that before too long, they all come together in a private room to agree to some ground rules and an over-arching message of unity. From there they can talk about what distinguishes their ideas and qualifications from the rest of the herd; but without descending into negative territory. We don’t want to aid Donald Trump in his only campaign strategy.