Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Bernie Sanders
Related: About this forumRobert Reich: The Bernie skeptics are wrong — here are 6 reasons why
http://www.salon.com/2016/01/20/robert_reich_the_bernie_skeptics_are_wrong_here_are_6_reasons_why_partner/1. Hed never beat Trump or Cruz in a general election.
Wrong. According to the latest polls, Bernie is the strongest Democratic candidate in the general election, defeating both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in hypothetical matchups. (The latest Real Clear Politics averages of all polls shows Bernie beating Trump by a larger margin than Hillary beats Trump, and Bernie beating Cruz while Hillary loses to Cruz.)
2. He couldnt get any of his ideas implemented because Congress would reject them.
If both house of Congress remain in Republican hands, no Democrat will be able to get much legislation through Congress, and will have to rely instead on executive orders and regulations. But theres a higher likelihood of kicking Republicans out if Bernies political revolution continues to surge around America, bringing with it millions of young people and other voters, and keeping them politically engaged.
3. America would never elect a socialist.
P-l-e-a-s-e. Americas most successful and beloved government programs are social insurance Social Security and Medicare. A highway is a shared social expenditure, as is the military and public parks and schools. The problem is we now have excessive socialism for the rich (bailouts of Wall Street, subsidies for Big Ag and Big Pharma, monopolization by cable companies and giant health insurers, giant tax-deductible CEO pay packages) all of which Bernie wants to end or prevent.
4. His single-payer healthcare proposal would cost so much it would require raising taxes on the middle class.
This is a duplicitous argument. Studies show that a single-payer system would be far cheaper than our current system, which relies on private for-profit health insurers, because a single-payer system wouldnt spend huge sums on advertising, marketing, executive pay, and billing. So even if the Sanders single-payer plan did require some higher taxes, Americans would come out way ahead because theyd save far more than that on health insurance.
5. His plan for paying for college with a tax on Wall Street trades would mean colleges would run by government rules.
Baloney. Three-quarters of college students today already attend public universities financed largely by state governments, and theyre not run by government rules. The real problem is too many young people still cant afford a college education. The move toward free public higher education that began in the 1950s with the G.I. Bill and extended into the 1960s came to an abrupt stop in the 1980s. We must restart it.
6. Hes too old.
Untrue. Hes in great health. Have you seen how agile and forceful he is as he campaigns around the country? These days, 70s are the new 60s. (Hes younger than four of the nine Supreme Court justices.) In any event, the issue isnt age; its having the right values. FDR was paralyzed, and JFK had both Addisons and Crohns diseases, but they were great presidents because they fought adamantly for social and economic justice.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
7 replies, 1343 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (36)
ReplyReply to this post
7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Robert Reich: The Bernie skeptics are wrong — here are 6 reasons why (Original Post)
Proserpina
Jan 2016
OP
Huge K&R. Needs widespread exposure. He gets to the heart of the bullshit eloquently. nt
stillwaiting
Jan 2016
#1
It's so punctual that you can blow away hours of criticisms in less than 5 minutes. nt
sorechasm
Jan 2016
#3
stillwaiting
(3,795 posts)1. Huge K&R. Needs widespread exposure. He gets to the heart of the bullshit eloquently. nt
Mc Mike
(9,114 posts)2. Recced. Thanks, nt.
sorechasm
(631 posts)3. It's so punctual that you can blow away hours of criticisms in less than 5 minutes. nt
Proserpina
(2,352 posts)4. Robert Reich cuts through to the meat
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)5. This is just an example of Inconvenient Facts.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,174 posts)6. I bet this really grinds Clinton's gears
They've been friends for almost 50 YEARS!
Proserpina
(2,352 posts)7. We will see what a new week brings in terms of attacks
This whole" reparations" chatter is the latest.