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1 of 1- Just Fred
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The Bern Might be a Better Choice for the Tribe
As Sanders wins yet another primary (the 19th overall), it might be useful to examine what a Sanders-Trump match-up might entail.
It starts with understanding that the 2016 race is fueled primarily with the devastation caused by runaway inequality and the financial strip-mining of the economy by Wall Street.
Americans are fed up with wage stagnation and the ever increasing rise of the pay gap between CEOs and the rest of us. In 1980 an average top 100 CEO received $45 in compensation compared to $1 for the average worker. Today it is an incomprehensible $844 to one, (as in one house for you and 844 houses for a top CEO.)
Last edited by Just Fred (5/11/2016 8:46 am)
- Rongone
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Re: The Bern Might be a Better Choice for the Tribe
From my perspective, I would like to see Bernie be the democratic/independent candidate against Drumpf. My fear in that campaign would be that Drumpf would not stop pounding the drum of socialist Sanders. The average voter in the U.S. does not differentiate socialism from the evils of communism, and Drumpf and the republicans would play on that ignorance incessantly. I don't know if Bernie can overcome those inevitable attacks.
- Goose
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Re: The Bern Might be a Better Choice for the Tribe
The delegate math makes this purely hypothetical
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Just Fred
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Re: The Bern Might be a Better Choice for the Tribe
I was simply pointing out that Bernie defeats Trump in a national election in almost any metric you can cite, while it's closer and almost a dead heat with Trump and Clinton.
As far as the democratic socialist flap, I'd point to at least 75 socialist programs and institutions we already have in place that we consider important to life in America, from sidewalks, to fire and police departments, to libraries, to parks, to medicare, to social security, to the military and 70 things in between. I'd get on tv with Bernie and rattle them off while requiring every citizen in America to watch and listen. For those that refuse, I'd employ that crazy equipment Stanley Kubrick dreamed up for that scene in 'Clockwork Orange'. If you saw the movie, you know what I mean. 
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Thread Starter- tennyson
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Re: The Bern Might be a Better Choice for the Tribe
Goose wrote:
The delegate math makes this purely hypothetical
Agreed.
I also disagree with the premise that Wall Street is the main culprit here. Our 2008 collapse certainly had to do with lax banking regulations for sure, BUT the demise of middle class jobs is not because of that. It would be nice to see that USA had a thriving middle class based upon manufacturing which was the case many years ago, but those jobs (as they were) are NOT coming back. We have a real challenge to not only bring manufacturing back to the USA (which actually IS happening), but more importantly finding niches for the similar workers who are now also being displaced by robotics and other modernizations with skills that will allow them again to work their way up the economic food chain.
"Do not confuse motion and progress, A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress"
- Goose
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Re: The Bern Might be a Better Choice for the Tribe
Good post by Tennyson.
I would also offer some caution on polling.
OK, Sanders out performs Clinton in a hypothetical matchup with Trump in some polls. But, if you ask the same people who they expect will be the democratic nominee, the majority say Clinton. So, picking Bernie over Trump is a theoretical exercise. A way to express hopes, and diss Clinton. However, if Bernie became the actual flesh and blood choice on a ballot, I would expect those number to change.
After a few months of being called a socialist (I get it Fred, but most in the US do not), his numbers would be greatly diminished. IMO
Last edited by Goose (5/11/2016 10:47 am)
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Rongone
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Re: The Bern Might be a Better Choice for the Tribe
I was simply pointing out that Bernie defeats Trump in a national election in almost any metric you can cite, while it's closer and almost a dead heat with Trump and Clinton.
As far as the democratic socialist flap, I'd point to at least 75 socialist programs and institutions we already have in place that we consider important to life in America, from sidewalks, to fire and police departments, to libraries, to parks, to medicare, to social security, to the military and 70 things in between. I'd get on tv with Bernie and rattle them off while requiring every citizen in America to watch and listen. For those that refuse, I'd employ that crazy equipment Stanley Kubrick dreamed up for that scene in 'Clockwork Orange'. If you saw the movie, you know what I mean.
Our collective eyeballs would hurt almost as much as our brains from being made to think logically rather than emotionally. 