Discussion: Sanders: Obama Couldn't Close Gap Between Congress And American People

Already has. Some of the vitriol and snark I read between supporters of both candidates really makes me despair, what with the whole Trump/Cruz thing to worry about also.
I have two young daughters. One, in her early thirties, is very much more of a liberal bent, like me. The other, in her early twenties, is much more of a conservative bent, like her father. But neither one of them truly understands, for all my years of harping about democracy not being a spectator sport, how important it is to do more than vote. You have to lobby your Congress person and your Senator and your city officials. You have to stand up and make some goddamn noise about the injustices that make your blood boil.
I did not appreciate the comments made by Secretary Albright and Gloria Steinem, of all people. But as a mother of two daughters, I can certainly see where they came by that opinion and I have been no political slouch in my girlsā€™ education about things that matter to women.
i appreciate and hope for many of the positions Senator Sanders holds and believes in. But revolutions require commitment and I just donā€™t think the kids got it these days. Although I pray to the God of my understanding that they will, for the alternative is bleak.

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And big chance for Bernie and an utter failure by not coming down hard on the blatant racism from the GOP Congress towards Obama. He turns it into an ā€œObamaā€™s leadershipā€ comment and that the Prez couldnā€™t bridge the gap. Seriously? WTF? Losing more respect for Bernie each day. Truly disappointing. Of course Iā€™d still vote for him in a heartbeat should he somehow get the nomination but thatā€™s it.

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It goes back to the vision thing. Envisioning it is the first step. How do you argue against that?

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What Bernie should be telling his people is if they truely want change they must show interest beyond the presidential election. They must vote, at all levels of government, for like minded people. This is one of the things that bothers me about Bernieā€™s campaign. He knows, and acknowledges when questioned, that he helped write the ACA as it now is because there was no support for single payer in congress. Has that changed for the better? Of course not. So without changes in legislators, governors, school boards, etc this disconnect will continue.

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I donā€™t usually post personal info about myself but I graduated from a womenā€™s college here in the Northeast. Donā€™t regret it at all and while Albrightā€™s comment may have been clumsy, I respect it and understand it.

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Correct.

Thatā€™s one of those depressingly repeated patterns. Too often next time they show up in four years they complain about ā€œincrementalismā€ and insist they need ā€œchangeā€ now. Forget about where they were during the last four years, itā€™s all Establishmentā€™s faultā€¦

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Umm, no. Weā€™re just reacting to the substance of that rationale, which appears to be delusional.

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Iā€™ve heard a multitude of criticisms of a POTUS whose achievements rival or outperform his predecessors-- possibly back to FDR. Please spare me the ā€˜And it didnā€™t work out so well --ā€™

He was re-elected following a first term that saw his foes attempt to eviscerate him politically-- and emasculate him as a black male. That he drew almost as many votes in 2012 is simply astonishing in reflection of these points.

His favorables today are still high-- and likely to skyrocket following his service to the country (think WJC).
IMHO heā€™s done the job-- well. And history will not only be kind to BHO-- but shine ever more brightly on him as time goes on.

jw1


http://corporispublica.org/images/e/e5/D-FTW-300.png

[Standard Disclaimer: This commenter wishes it to be known that in November he or she plans to vote for the Democratic nominee, whoever that turns out to be, and will encourage their fellow primary candidate supporters to do likewise.]
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Iā€™ve read every comment on this thread and everyone is mostly on the same page.
Simply put, Bernie Sanders is starting to get on my nerves. Maybe thatā€™s because heā€™s starting to remind me a little too much of Ralph Nader.

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Comics. Not Washington-- correct?

jw1

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Having a Democratic president with progressive instincts is of course much better than not having one ā€” but beyond this, we need a president who is able to get people excited about building their party at the local level, turning out for midterm elections, electing county commissioners and state legislators, caring about issues like voting rights and education and health care in their own communities and pushing their advocates into statewide office and into Congress, because that is where it begins. Without this bubbling up from the base through the party structure (as the Tea Party was smart enough and persistent enough to do on the other side) there will be no progressive revolution that reaches Washington and tips the balance there.

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Oh dear ā€“ he really thinks he is putting together a larger block of voters than Obama did?

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I agree with your post, but heā€™ll need more than 8 additional Senate seats for any legislation to survive a filibuster.

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To be fair, they are disgusted with government in part because the other side has spent the last 35 years using their share of power to render government disfunctional for all but the very rich and the military-industrial complex.

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Without this bubbling up from the base through the party structureā€¦

Wrong, just wrong. POTUS is not responsible for creating any ā€œbubbling up from the baseā€. Thatā€™s not part of his job. THATā€™S YOUR JOB; Heā€™s not supposed to give you the reason do the heavy lifting; youā€™re supposed to provide it for yourself.

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"ā€œI mean, I think he has made the effort,ā€ Sanders said. "

he he

Yes, well, Senator Sanders? Your repeated criticisms of the current president are just short of delusional. #FeelTHATBurn

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Interesting to see the hostility here to what Sanders is saying. Would anyone deny that what heā€™s saying is true? Because what he wants to do is hard it shouldnā€™t be attempted? And why does anyone think that Clinton would be better at making the changes we need when she is already taking the position that we must limit change because Republicans will resist it? Go figure.

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I am concerned that the Bernie Sanders movement is increasingly coming from a place of privilege. Let me be blunt: there is a poltical revolution happening in this country, and it is in support of hate. Hate of immigrants, hate of minorities, hate of those of us who are LGBT, and hate of women. This hate is the fuel behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. We donā€™t fight that hate by undermining Obama. Young, white, liberals who are not the target of this hate can sit back and plan a revolution that ignores the 30% of the country that wants to see me in hell. I donā€™t have that luxury.

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