All About the Base

(Image by Democratic Memes)   Details   DMCA

Truthseekers, is a Bernie Sanders presidency too much to hope for? Could we dare to dream a Democratic Socialist could win the nomination? Or are the standard-bearers in the party using his run to force Hillary to address the tougher issues she's skirted in the past?

Bernie Sanders faces some familiar American-style optics issues with his wild hair, thick glasses, and lack of movie-star good looks. When Dennis Kucinich tossed his hat in the ring, he was mocked from both sides of the aisle. He was too "out there." Too funny looking. Too short. Even though he maintained most of the same beliefs as the heart of the Democratic party base, he was branded as an oddball with no chance of winning the White House.

But things are different now. And Bernie has the support from many mainstream Democratic Party standard bearers that Dennis lacked. Plus, it's a not-too-publicized secret that Hillary isn't as popular as she seems. And it's hard to imagine a President Hillary with Bill in the background.

Bernie's candidacy is gaining momentum with each new day. He's packing the halls of his speaking engagements, with more than 10,000 cheering supporters greeting him at a Madison, WI arena yesterday. His message is free from the Newspeak our current politicians spout on issues like income inequality, as the Lacross Tribune relates:

"'Let me say a few words to my friends in the Republican Party about extremism. When you deny the right of workers to come together in collective bargaining -- that's extremism,' he said referring to Walker's Act 10, the sweeping 2011 state law that drastically overhauled public-union bargaining in Wisconsin.

"Sanders has sharply criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which lifted the ban on corporate, nonprofit and union political spending in federal elections. In 2013, the senator introduced an unsuccessful constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling. He has since said that, if elected, any justices he would appoint to the Supreme Court would have to oppose the decision and he restated that position Wednesday to a standing ovation.

"He criticized Republicans and some Democrats for serving corporate interests, but also called for public financing of elections and redistricting reform.

"'The big money and trusts, Wall Street and corporate America -- all of these guys have so much power that no president can defeat them unless there is an organized grass-roots movement making them an offer that they can't refuse,' Sanders said. 'What this campaign is about is creating a political revolution in America.'"

Amen, and Amen again. And you have the feeling that Sanders would not bend as easily as Obama to pressure from the Right. If he said he'll put on his comfortable shoes and walk a picket line, he'll by God do it. Trustworthy. Sincere. Honest. Great adjectives to describe him. Could you say the same about Hillary?

The Guardian UK has this on his latest polling:

"The latest survey in Iowa, carried out by Quinnipiac University, shows him trailing her by 33 to 52 percentage points among likely Democratic participants in the state caucuses on 1 February. This compares with Clinton's 60-15 point lead, more than twice as large, in the last Quinnipiac poll on 7 May and the latest CNN poll from the other key early-voting state of New Hampshire showing Clinton only eight points ahead of Sanders.

"Another poll released by CNN on Wednesday shows Clinton still 41 points ahead of Sanders across the country, and ahead nearly 50 points according to a rolling average calculated by Real Clear Politics.

"But Sanders' supporters are hoping that a strong showing in Iowa, and possibly even a narrow victory over Clinton in New Hampshire, would give their campaign crucial early momentum once primary voting gets under way in full next year. 'Secretary Hillary Clinton should not be biting her fingernails over her situation in the Iowa caucus, but her lead is slipping and Senator Bernie Sanders is making progress against her,' said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. 'Her 52% score among likely caucus-goers is still OK, but this is the first time she has been below 60% in [our] Iowa survey,' he added.

"Iowa was the scene of a humiliating defeat for Clinton in 2008 when she came in third behind Barack Obama and John Edwards -- a setback from which she never recovered during that primary race.

"Sanders cautioned against paying too much attention to the horse race during his Wednesday speech at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison.