Ted Kennedy, Bernie, and history repeating itself right now [View all]

[realmirage]

We are witnessing history repeating itself. In 1979 Ted Kennedy ran against Jimmy Carter for the Democratic Primary. Some of the parallels:, Kennedy insisted there was no difference between Carter and Reagan (as many BS supporters claim), he demanded that the Democratic Party steer further left, claimed he cared more about the poor than Carter, he gave a bad interview that hurt his campaign (like Bernie in NY) won some big states in the primary, but never caught up to Carter’s delegate lead. He then went to the convention and demanded that the delegates turn away from the winner, and vote for him instead.

He gave what many consider the greatest speech of his life, and then what happened?

Reagan defeated Carter and ushered in trickle-down economics and a new era of wealth inequality that lasts to this day, among other severe damage to the country. Kennedy’s “revolution” never materialized, but future presidents like Bill Clinton did their best to work within the system as it exists (the only way to accomplish anything) to reverse as much of the damage as possible done by Republicans since 1980.

Here we stand today, another “revolution” railing against the Democratic Party because it has not managed to perform every miracle with a Republican Congress blocking nearly every move. Some in this revolution even WANT Donald Trump to win in order to “wake the people up.”

What the people “woke up” to in 1980 was the beginning of the Reagan Era. No revolution.

You might argue that Carter brought it on himself by not being a stronger candidate. But to argue that Hillary would be responsible for her own loss, and fighting against her while the Republicans gather their troops, you are ignoring the cliff you are helping dangle the country from by not making Trump the target.

What Democrats have right now is a steady path toward the promised land with Hillary continuing the work that Obama started after 8 destructive years of Bush. After that, perhaps the country WILL finally be ready to go the final miles to reach Democratic Socialism. However, some in the “revolution” have no patience and instead want a repeat of 1980. They will most likely cause a reversal of the progress we’ve made. They’ll undermine the DNC in the hopes of a future that will, rather than be a “waking up” of the American people, be a repeat of the decades after Reagan was sworn into office. The proof of this is the blue collar Republicans supporting not Bernie, but Donald Trump with so much vigor, a tow truck driver won’t even tow a car that has a Bernie sticker on it.

The era of Trump will make the era of Reagan look like Disneyland. Get on board with Hillary or repeat history and hope we don’t destroy ourselves this time.