Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 63 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 1/13/19

When Bernie Met Sandy

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
Message Marc Ash
Become a Fan
  (4 fans)

From Reader Supported News

Senator Bernie Sanders, rising democratic star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and James Thompson
Senator Bernie Sanders, rising democratic star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and James Thompson
(Image by YouTube, Channel: Wichita Eagle)
  Details   DMCA

There seems to be a concerted effort to manufacture or at least accelerate a rift between the Sanders camp and #MeToo activists. An effort, if you will, to weaponize Democratic and Progressive women against Bernie Sanders's as yet undeclared 2020 presidential bid.

Appearing on "The Beat" with MSNBC's Ari Melber, comedian Liza Treyger seemed to encapsulate the logic of the "women hate Sanders" meme, saying Sanders was "disheveled, unlikable and pushy." She went on to say, "Everyone's really excited for young female candidates, especially women of color, and we need men to get as excited about women as women are."

Melber and the other guests appeared to be caught a little off guard by Treyger's intensity: Did she have an ax to grind? A former Clinton supporter, perhaps?

Leaving aside for the moment the ad hominem, personally derogatory nature of Trayger's attack, it was also remarkably detached from the facts or from any understanding of what makes Sanders a different and uniquely dynamic political phenomenon.

Sanders's great strength is policy. Personal attacks on political figures inherently ignore policy. It's what they are designed to do and why they work. More on policy in a moment. The purported rift between Sanders and women on the left is the sharp edge of the weapon. Let's address that first.

What sets Sanders apart is movement building. Sanders understood that winning an election, even a presidential election, would not alone be enough to effect real lasting change. He set about building a political revolution, Our Revolution, one of whose core strategies is to promote progressive candidates across the country for offices large and small, to change the political dynamic from the ground up.

Women candidates comprise about 50 percent of those endorsed by Our Revolution, many of them women of color and young women. In some cases, Sanders personally mentored candidates. An excellent example is the newly elected Democratic congresswoman from New York's 14th district, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez, who first met Sanders at a political rally in New York City while she was still known as "Sandy the bartender," credits him for inspiring her to believe she could run and win.

If Ocasio-Cortez embodies the Aqua Wave that wrested control of the House from the Republicans for the Democrats, then the slate of candidates endorsed by Sanders and Our Revolution is the team picture.

Since 2016, Our Revolution has endorsed over 500 progressive candidates nationwide, about half of them women and half victorious, overall. This is a huge achievement, and it sets Sanders apart from any other American leader. Empowering women hasn't been a campaign slogan for Sanders, it's been a central pillar of his strategy.

Sanders's policy initiatives have been just as revolutionary. His tack on healthcare, the cornerstone of his 2016 presidential campaign, became the focal-point issue of the groundbreaking 2018 midterms, for Democrats and Republicans as well.

But it's his vision for a separation of public policy from major donor financing that may be the true catalyst for the attacks Sanders now faces. The Democrats, the Republicans, and the donors all agree on one thing: "Anybody but Bernie."

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.

Must Read 1   Valuable 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Marc Ash Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Marc Ash is the founder and former Executive Director of Truthout, now the founder, editor and publisher of Reader Supported News: http://www.readersupportednews.org

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

The Political Assassination of Bernie Sanders

The Betrayal of Cecily McMillan

What Leeann Tweeden Did Not Say

Are the Oak Ridge Defendants Obama's p*ssy Riot?

Tortured Folks

Plutocrats Win Control of Congress

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend