This is still Bernie Sanders’ moment: He’s right on the big issues, now he must communicate it

[n2doc]

by BILL CURRY

You don’t need me to tell you who won the Democratic debate. You can make up your own mind and probably have by now.

If you missed it, the press will gladly pick a winner for you. Don’t let them.

In 2000 Al Gore outshone George Bush in every debate but the press thought otherwise. To our emotionally arrested, intellectually undernourished reporters, politics is high school. We didn’t want to have a beer with Bush, they did. Gore struck them as a teacher’s pet and for that they were merciless to him. When he sighed audibly during one of Bush’s myriad lies, it got replayed a million times on TV. If you saw just that video, you thought Bush won. It helped him — not enough to win the election, but enough to steal it.

…

As for the frontrunners, if it were a high school debate I’d have to give it to Clinton. Say what you will of her, she does her homework and it shows. Being prepared relaxes you. A well-rehearsed line — “I’m a progressive who likes to get things done” — will always be there when you need it. She’s too cute by half but she’s the best debater in the race in either party; on Tuesday she turned in the performance of her life.

Bernie won anyway. The reason goes to the heart of the race. Hillary is a living avatar of the Democratic Party in our time. What it does well–cultural issues and social programs– she does well. When she talks about child care or family leave she’s passionate and sincere. What she and her party don’t do well is fight to end corporate control of government. She’s also weak on climate change, freedom of information, the right to privacy and, in matters of alleged national security, the rule of law.

more

http://www.salon.com/2015/10/18/this_is_still_bernie_sanders_moment_hes_right_on_the_big_issues_now_he_must_communicate_it/

[Demeter]

1. With the economy and our democracy circling the drain, Hillary is that LAST thing we need.

Go Bernie! We are with you!

[Enthusiast]

3. +100%!

[Cassiopeia]

7. Exactly

We need to invest in ourselves, not more war.

[SoapBox]

8. Ab-so-fricking-lutely!

[MisterP]

10. frankly everyone's sick of being told that the economy's "recovering" every month, that we're

hardly overworked, that this is the best Congress we can have

[eridani]

15. The economy is recovering. The problem is that people aren't n/t

[Enthusiast]

2. Kicked and recommended!

[appalachiablue]

4. K & R. Very interesting piece by Curry who points out important aspects especially how the

campaign is about WHAT we vote for and not only WHO we vote for in election campaigns. He outlines significant distinctions between Clinton and Sanders in terms of style and policy and what strengths are and what needs work. The background Curry provides for recent elections, namely 2000 is useful. Good analysis of Sanders platform and debate performance.

[leftcoastmountains]

5. Good article.

He addressed a lot of my concerns.

[left lowrider]

6. Great analysis

Getting past the question of "who won the debate" . . . Bernie needs to win the primary and he can.

[thesquanderer]

9. Good piece. I especially liked this on socialism vs capitalism...

Capitalism never created a middle class here or anywhere else. It does a great job of creating wealth but an awful job of distributing it. We never had a broad middle class until labor and government together gave us Social Security, the GI bill, the 40-hour week, child labor laws, the minimum wage, a progressive income tax and workers’ rights. Later on, Medicare, Medicaid and historic civil rights, and consumer and environmental laws strengthened the social contract that is the true foundation of the American middle class. Shred that contract and you destroy the middle class. If you don’t believe, just take a look around. You can tell people you’re a socialist, but if you do you have to tell them what you mean.

Presented that way, "socialist" isn't a weakness, it's a strength.

[jonestonesusa]

11. Outstanding article

I hope that the Sanders campaign continues to advocate for major changes to prevent oligarchy from getting even more deeply rooted. So proud to see the campaign starting these overdue conversations.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. The media is obviously part of the establishment in an anti-establishment election.

[WillyT]

13. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[ejbr]

14. k & r n/t

[LongTomH]

16. +1000 Here's the best paragraph:

Bernie won not because he outpointed her but because he’s strong on the issues on which she’s weak — and because those are the issues that matter most to voters. Like our environment, our democracy and our middle class are at a tipping point. When Bernie talks about these crises, his sincerity and passion are unmistakable. For all her hard work, it isn’t clear Hillary even understands them. Having spent the ’90s promoting globalization, and her adult life raising money from those who profit from it, she’s too wed to the system to see its fatal flaws.