General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Hoping not to sound facile... (wish me luck!) [View all]sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)a less interesting person, politician or otherwise. Repubs had all but conceded that election which is why they put forward someone like Lazio who was not going anywhere politically anyhow.
To even try to equate that election, (I was a Hillary supporter back then as were many who no longer can support her based on her stand on important issues) to this one makes no sense at all. For one thing, since then we have Hillary's record in the Senate AND Bernie's to compare.
Not to mention that we have seen the system play out since then and millions of Americans, in particular young people, have been so disillusioned that the Dem Party has lost nearly 10% of its registered voters, the Repub party also.
There is a huge voting bloc now, outside of the two parties, historically larger than it's been in the living memory of most voters. THIS is the Demographic Bernie is working to get. Independent registered voters are now at 42%. They will NOT vote for status quo politicians, that is the reason why they are registered as Independents.
THEY will be concerned as they watch debates about 'truth'.
And then there is the equally large demographic of non-voters, so disillusioned and untrusting of politicians in general, who are showing signs (I have already signed up a couple) of being interested in someone who has a LONG RECORD of consistency on the issues that are so important to the American people.
If you are assuming that any candidate can win a national election with even most of the base of the party, I completely disagree.
Times have changed, partisan politics isn't as popular as it was just a decade ago. The most important issue in this campaign is going to be getting the poisonous money out of politics.
Sanders is leading the way, showing how it can be done by his ACTIONS, not just WORDS.
While Hillary has said she opposes it, it will be noted that she is accepting huge amounts of money from the very people most Americans now view as part of the problem. Iow, words, not actions.
Hillary will not accept Bernie's offer of a real debate. She will have to participate in the scripted and media controlled farce we call 'debate' in this country today, of course.
She cannot, Bernie doesn't need to be aggressive, all he has to do is tell the public where HE stands on the issues that are important to them, and compare his positions AND VOTES to hers. And that is what he is doing and that is why he is gaining supporters everywhere he goes. Because TRUTH is such a rare thing in our politics today that when people see it, they are excited that it hasn't completely disappeared from the dialogue, as many had thought.