There's a reason millions of voters are aligning with Sanders.

[phantom power]

It's because their problems aren't getting solved. For the last 2 generations, the country has been gradually becoming a worse place, not better. Endless war, rising income inequality, decaying public education, decaying public infrastructure, wages not keeping up with inflation...

People are getting desperate. It's a dangerous state for a nation to be in. It's the kind of climate that gives rise to the Mussolinis and Hitlers of history.

The last time this happened, we got lucky. We got FDR instead of our own Mussolini. Maybe we'll get lucky again, but It's like playing russian roulette. There will always be men like Trump, ready to pander to racism and desperation.

[daleanime]

2. And their lives are only a joke to you?

[DanTex]

3. I was 19 once too, I don't hold it against them.

[daleanime]

11. And they provide so much mirth....

[lostnfound]

14. and the minimum wage was probably not much different then, than it is now?

Thanks to the GOP and the DINOS... And a corporate-driven economic agenda producing a rigged economy and a government intent on punishing and policing the poor, while legalizing white collar fraud.

[DanTex]

16. I dunno what it was, I was in college.

[daleanime]

28. What? Are you saying that you didn't work....

while in college?

[DanTex]

29. Nope. Full-time student.

[JDPriestly]

38. Did you borrow to go to college?

I worked when I was in college. So did a lot of people back then in the 1960s. You were very lucky if you could go to college without working at the same time.

[Hydra]

34. Of course, most of Team Hill here says they are in the 1%, or just shy of it

So if your are detecting a lack of empathy, there's probably a reason for it.

[daleanime]

48. "Lack of empathy...."

would be understating it.

[Odin2005]

47. I'm 30 years old.

The oldest Millennials are 34, WE ARE NOT DUMB NAIVE KIDS, ANYMORE!

[tblue37]

51. I am 65 and have worked since age 14. You are smearing a large, diverse group, you know? nt

[tabasco]

4. Thanks for adding that helpful point to the discussion

and elevating the discourse.

Welcome to my ignore basement.

[SamKnause]

10. What the hell is wrong with some people.

I support Bernie.

I am 62, almost 63.

Do these clowns think I have never had a job ???

Do these clowns not know how many people lost their jobs because

of all the horrible Free Trade Deals.

I am one of those people.

I have family members that also lost their jobs.

Do these clowns NOT know what is possible in other countries,

but is apparently NOT possible in this country ???

They have absolutely ZERO to add to any discussion.

Hope you and yours have a safe and happy Sunday.

[daleanime]

12. +1

[PatrickforO]

24. I support Bernie and I'm 57

The idea that Bernie supporters 'have never had jobs' is offensive. I've worked HARD since I was 15. The reason I like Bernie so much, and am supporting him, is that I feel that he cares about me, my family and our kitchen table issues, like healthcare, high student loans and stronger Social Security. I like how he wants to reverse the disastrous tax cut policies that Republicans have foisted off on us, and that have a) NOT created more jobs, b) NOT put more money in the treasury, c) caused cuts in programs that help Americans, d) run up the national debt and e) allowed our infrastructure to crumble. I also like how he wants to take a leadership position on global warming.

So, Dan, you're wrong in a lot of cases. And especially offensive to me, Dan was your statement about minimum wage, "I don't know, I was in college."

I had to work my way through college, not only supporting myself, but earning most of the money for my tuition and books. And just because Bernie wants free tuition in state colleges to reflect the philosophy that education is an investment in our economy rather than something only a few can afford, it doesn't mean the beneficiaries won't have to work to support themselves while attending.

It gets me hot under the collar, Dan, when people start saying all Bernie supporters just want a bunch of free stuff. You know what I say to that, Dan? I'm respectfully gonna have to call 'bullshit' on it, and I'll tell you why.

We pay taxes, Dan, a lot of taxes. Not counting FICA and Medicare, which are payroll taxes, my effective tax rate is about 6.5% of gross. But my healthcare premium, Dan, is 18.8% of my gross and it is a shitty program with high copays and high deductibles. It isn't good enough for me or for my family, Dan. That's why I want single payer. When I get sick, I shouldn't have to worry about anything but showing up at the doctor and getting treated. Period. Ask the millions of seniors who are on Medicare. They'll tell you how good that is.

Why, Dan, can't we use OUR tax dollars, just for once, on stuff that actually helps us. Like healthcare, fixing the infrastructure, strengthening Social Security and addressing global warming? Why does OUR tax money have to be used for domestic spying, a war on drugs we lost the minute we declared, and a forever war? Why, Dan?

[SusanCalvin]

30. ^THIS^

[Scuba]

32. Best reply in the thread, right above.

[JDPriestly]

41. Thank you for stating it so well, PatrickforO.

[Melurkyoulongtime]

55. This says it all nt

[dchill]

5. Still as funny as ever.

As ever.

[Scuba]

6. AF vet, 40 years in the workforce and you think I've never had a job?

Bite me.

[PatrickforO]

25. LOL. My reply was a bit longer.

But yours was deliciously succinct.

[phantom power]

8. The fact that you sound so much like a Republican is interesting.

[amborin]

50. so many do

say things that yrs ago would have gotten them.....

[elias7]

20. I think you're confused

Although BS resonates with the youth whereas Hillary does not, most BS supporters are not 19 or in the millenial demographic, most have jobs, most are not "Bros", and most do not fit into the tiny pigeon hole you've imagined a typical BS supporter to look like.

[SusanCalvin]

26. You talking to me, Bub? nt

[Odin2005]

46. What a vile, disgusting comment.

Free Republic is over there.

[Recursion]

7. Why are more voters, overall, aligning with Clinton? (nt)

[Dem2]

9. Both of my kids are strong Bernie supporters

As they study in their in their college dorms that are paid for by their parents. We are doing everything in our power to see that they are not strapped with student loans, it is very difficult on us. I don't really think it's a matter of problems not being solved for them, I think it's more peer pressure from places like Reddit and tumblr.

[Land Shark]

15. Why should the future depend upon parents like you going through great difficulty?

Quite possibly your kids are aware of what you go through and think it's not right. At least that's what I think. The future should not be a choice between starting life in catastrophic levels of debt (with interest rates higher than car loans) or having ones parents be rich or endure the difficulty alone.

[Dem2]

21. One of them expresses that she feels "awful" about the situation

She feels like a spoiled rich kid, though that's hardly the case. I just feel like it's the one thing they absolutely need in life and am willing to make great sacrifices to see that they get it. I do agree with Bernie that public colleges should be free, and they practically were when I went to one ($700/semester.) Sadly, this still doesn't help our situation where they are going to out-of-state schools (public or not, they pay full tuition.) The entire system is rigged against people of lesser means.

[lostnfound]

18. Maybe they regret that they are a burden on your resources

And see that college education is a public good in some other countries?

[Dem2]

23. I'm sure they agree with this

and my post above expresses a little more in this regard. My comment was in relation to the fact that they express no real preferences on the issues, they appear to make arguments that they've heard online, but they are not able to back up what they say. I don't disagree with Bernie, in fact I agree with the arguments, I was just making a point about popularity versus "on the issues" support in their cases.

[Land Shark]

39. Face facts: you're older and have had more time to learn AND you're THEIR PARENT

My kids are straight A students and one is going to a national championship in speaking about the Constitution, but I GUARANTEE that if I disagreed with them on ANY issue and pressed them I would feel and could justify the position that "they got no backup" for their positions. Lol.

First I'm older and have many more years to learn to argue but most importantly kids often times don't want to debate with parents, ESPECIALLY if they are paying the college bills!! With all due respect, a parent can't really say for sure if their kids got backup.or not!

[Dem2]

40. I realize it's an unfair criticism to an extent

But it's also accurate.

[PatrickforO]

31. But...wait...

Your post implies that your kids don't know any better because they aren't paying; you are.

So, help me understand, why aren't you supporting Bernie? If tuition at state schools was free, then you wouldn't have to have that financial difficulty. Even if you wanted your kids to graduate from an expensive private school, they could do their freshman and sophomore years at a state school and then transfer.

Just wondering. Because I know some people who are suffering mightily because they can't afford healthcare on the corporate 'exchange' and yet don't want single payer because, why, it wouldn't be fair, because someone else might be helped by it too.

Man, that whole attitude was built from decades of 'pull yourself up by the bootstrap' corporate propaganda. Do you really think Diamon or Blankfein pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps? Hell no they didn't. The oligarchs are socialists and we have to be rugged individualists. Don't fall for it!

[Dem2]

37. I never said I don't support Bernie

I like either candidate, not into the "team sport" here, I'm good with what we have for candidates this cycle.

I prefer Bernie's proposal on public colleges.

BTW, what you describe is how I got my degree back in the day - transfer from state to private school last 2 years.

Not going to comment on personal decisions about choosing colleges and my kids preferences, their g-moms preferences, the money chipped in my g-mom to help etc, as with most people dealing with these decisions these days, "it's complicated". I'm just happy that we're nearly halfway through the process and we're still both working and able to get by during these difficult financial times.

[Tarc]

13. So what's the reason that millions more are aligning with Clinton?

[Land Shark]

17. Don't know a single soul who has. I used to, but they have all.changed

Kind of like Hillary losing Nevada, everybody's changing to Bernie!

[ucrdem]

19. Those are also the reasons given for the millions aligning with Trump.

They're both counting on the recovery stalling and thanks to the Obama economy which is tootling along I'm afraid they're both going to be disappointed.

[Metric System]

22. Millions more have voted for Hillary.

[JDPriestly]

45. Millions voted for Hoover too.

Millions can be very mistaken at times like this.

I'm for Bernie because I support his policies including campaign finance reform (which he supports by his example), breaking up the big banks (spreading the risks and making sure that the economic decisions are not made by just a few people). Having lived in Europe for years, I very much favor single payer health insurance and free tuition at state colleges. I just like all of Bernie's platform.

And the more people get to know Bernie and his platform, the more votes he gets in general.

Bernie has only been in the race for less than a year. Hillary has been running for what seems like forever.

Name recognition alone will get Hillary more votes. That is probably why Bernie wins the caucus states. The caucus goers know more about politics and are more motivated than people who turn up for elections and push levers then walk out.

Bernie is the way of the future. Hillary is about the past.

Bernie will win the nomination when Democrats decide that the past is behind them and they need to move into the future.

[Blue Meany]

27. We need FDR. We needed him in 2008, or at least someone like LBJ...

but instead we got a President who was symbolically transformative and did some good things, but was more in the DLC/Clinton mold than in the FDR/LBJ mold. We could perhaps tolerate that in the 1990s, but not now. The current system, and the financial crisis of 2008, has disproportionately hurt people under 35, and to a lesser extent those under 45. African-Americans and Hispanics were also disproportionately hit asset losses (mainly houses) as a result of the crisis. These groups have not recovered and may never recover if something doesn't change--exporting jobs, lowered wages, college debt, do not make for a bright future. This is really a potentially revolutionary moment in our history when the policies of "centrist" corporate Democrats are not going to cut it If the needed changes are going to be made--and people are going to have hope that there is a possibility of change within the existing political system--I think someone like Bernie or Elizabeth Warren needs to be elected. If that does not happen, I expect there to be mass movements for change outside the system in various forms. We watched the occupy movement--a positive, non-violent movement--suppressed under the Obama administration. I expect the Clinton would be less tolerant of dissent than he was.
Unless we want a future of fascism and/or significant social unrest, we need a change of direction now. Sanders may be our last home of staving off this dystopian future.
.

[brooklynite]

33. ...and there's a reason millions more are aligning with Clinton...

...a mainstream pro-choice, pro-gay right, pro-immigration reform, pro-criminal justice reform, pro-progressive taxation, pro-campaign finance reform pro-Education Democration with the resources and ability to win in November and build on the progress of the Obama Administration.

[Hydra]

35. So she's supporting those things this week?

She was mum on all of that last fall.

[lunamagica]

43. Hillary was supporting immigration reform when Sanders was against it, and going to Lou Dobbs show

to add fuel to Dobs anti-immigrant fire

[brooklynite]

44. Funny, I remember her rolling all of these out last Spring and Fall...

...name one where she's changed her position.

[NorthCarolina]

36. Quite simply, people want "C H A N G E", and

That's what Bernie is all about. There's always room in the Revolution, join us.

[ZombieHorde]

42. We got lucky with FDR,

unless we were Japanese. Then we weren't so lucky.

[felix_numinous]

49. Finally there's someone to trust

who isn't suddenly going to screw up his taxes while running for president. He already has our trust, and that cannot be bought with those millions of dollars.

[Lil Missy]

52. There's a reason HRC has far more votes and supporters than Bernie. n/t

[azmom]

53. kick

[Recursion]

54. What's an actual metric by which you consider the US a worse place now than two generations ago?

I hear this a lot and I'm never sure what people are talking about.

[snowy owl]

56. I can answer that. . .

some people about lack of jobs
others about income disparity
some about minimum wages
others about higher ed expenses
even others might despair about healthcare costs
some others it is deregulation and environment
occasionally smart people worry about government regulators who no longer enforce regulations
of course, many of us worry about climate change and our kids and grandkids
and a few, like me, would say it is all of the above

When we had a 90% tax rate, there was no chance of an oligarchy or plutocracy. Now we have one. I liked the middle class.

Where are our Francis Perkins? Henry Wallaces? Much less FDRs? Read about Henry Wallace and you'll see what we could have been.
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/14297-henry-wallace-americas-forgotten-visionary

It was the business class(called Koch Brothers today) that reset the path of FDR. History is a wonderful teacher.

Anything else?