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wilsonbooks

(972 posts)
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 02:47 AM Jan 2016

The Seven Stages of Establishment Backlash

https://theintercept.com/2016/01/21/the-seven-stages-of-establishment-backlash-corbynsanders-edition/


The British political and media establishment incrementally lost its collective mind over the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the country’s Labour Party, and its unraveling and implosion show no signs of receding yet. Bernie Sanders is nowhere near as radical as Corbyn; they are not even in the same universe. But, especially on economic issues, Sanders is a more fundamental, systemic critic than the oligarchical power centers are willing to tolerate, and his rejection of corporate dominance over politics, and corporate support for his campaigns, is particularly menacing. He is thus regarded as America’s version of a far-left extremist, threatening establishment power.

Prime Minister's Questions. Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. Picture date: Wednesday January 20, 2016. See PA story POLITICS PMQs Corbyn. Photo credit should read: PA Wire URN:25290365 Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks in the House of Commons. Photo: PA Wire/APFor those who observed the unfolding of the British reaction to Corbyn’s victory, it’s been fascinating to watch the D.C./Democratic establishment’s reaction to Sanders’ emergence replicate that, reading from the same script. I personally think Clinton’s nomination is extremely likely, but evidence of a growing Sanders movement is unmistakable. Because of the broader trends driving it, this is clearly unsettling to establishment Democrats — as it should be.
A poll last week found that Sanders has a large lead with millennial voters, including young women; as Rolling Stone put it: “Young female voters support Bernie Sanders by an expansive margin.” The New York Times yesterday trumpeted that, in New Hampshire, Sanders “has jumped out to a 27 percentage point lead,” which is “stunning by New Hampshire standards.” The Wall Street Journal yesterday, in an editorial titled “Taking Sanders Seriously,” declared it is “no longer impossible to imagine the 74-year-old socialist as the Democratic nominee.”

Just as was true for Corbyn, there is a direct correlation between the strength of Sanders and the intensity of the bitter and ugly attacks unleashed at him by the D.C. and Democratic political and media establishment. There were, roughly speaking, seven stages to this establishment revolt in the U.K. against Corbyn, and the U.S. reaction to Sanders is closely following the same script:

Much more at the link
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The Seven Stages of Establishment Backlash (Original Post) wilsonbooks Jan 2016 OP
Well, it's gonna get pretty rough. Bernie knows that. PatrickforO Jan 2016 #1
Thank You For Sharing These Truths cantbeserious Jan 2016 #2
This is very good! Note stage #3 & 4 bread_and_roses Jan 2016 #3
We see #3 here a lot - LiberalElite Jan 2016 #4

PatrickforO

(14,514 posts)
1. Well, it's gonna get pretty rough. Bernie knows that.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 03:01 AM
Jan 2016

He's got to know because he isn't stupid. That's why we have to have his back.

bread_and_roses

(6,335 posts)
3. This is very good! Note stage #3 & 4
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 10:11 AM
Jan 2016
STAGE 3: Self-pity and angry etiquette lectures directed at supporters upon realization that they are not performing their duty of meek surrender, flavored with heavy doses of concern trolling (nobody but nobody is as rude and gauche online to journalists as these crusaders, and it’s unfortunately hurting their candidate’s cause!).

STAGE 4: Smear the candidate and his supporters with innuendos of sexism and racism by falsely claiming only white men support them (you like this candidate because he’s white and male like you, not because of ideology or policy or contempt for the party establishment’s corporatist, pro-war approach).


We've sure seen a lot of the above around here. I find #3 particularly amusing - people putting out that the supporters' behavior will prevent them voting for the candidate - as if that made any kind of rational sense.

On #5 I think his examples must apply more to UK than to US at this point - but the craziness of the attacks on single-payer are analogous.

STAGE 5: Brazen invocation of right-wing attacks to marginalize and demonize, as polls prove the candidate is a credible threat (he’s weak on terrorism, will surrender to ISIS, has crazy associations, and is a clone of Mao and Stalin).

LiberalElite

(14,691 posts)
4. We see #3 here a lot -
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 10:26 AM
Jan 2016

I like Bernie BUT his supporters blah blah lies distortions yadda yadda - I'll have to vote for Clinton instead.
Yeah, that's real rational reasoning.

We're the BernieBots - They're the BernieButs.

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