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AZ Progressive

(3,411 posts)
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 12:06 AM Jan 2016

Attacking Bernie Sanders' socialism is not going to work

Probably why some Hillary supporters are going for the communist label, which is so outlandish that it won't work as well.

From the article: Will Labeling Bernie Sanders a 'Socialist' Stop His Rise?

Such an attack might give some progressive Democrats pause, but if deployed in Clinton’s defense, they would seem to validate the feeling among some liberals that Clinton is a DINO—a Democrat in name only, practically a Republican. And it would tend to undermine her own, measured steps to adopt more progressive policies.


Besides, Democratic primary voters are likely less attuned to the vulnerabilities of the s-word than Carville, et al., might hope. Steve Israel isn’t wrong that Sanders has struggled to explain to a wide audience what exactly he means when he says he’s a “Democratic socialist,” but Democratic primary voters aren’t worried*. In the same 2015 Gallup poll, 59 percent of Democrats said they’d vote for a socialist. Or just look at key Democratic demographics like young people and African Americans. Broken down by age, 69 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds agreed, as did 50 percent of those from 30-49. Gallup didn’t break those numbers out by race, but a Pew survey in 2011 found that more than half of black Americans had a positive view of socialism.




To some extent, Sanders may be capitalizing on changing attitudes since the Great Recession—lingering anger among progressives about the slow recovery and about the way financial institutions got off mostly scot-free. But he’s also probably driving the increased acceptance of socialism. In early May, about a week after Sanders announced his candidacy, YouGov found Democrats evenly divided on socialism vs. capitalism, 43-43. In mid-October, with Sanderistas in full swing, that had switched to 49-37. Republican messaging guru Frank Luntz sees a similar shift, and attributes it to the Sanders candidacy.
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Attacking Bernie Sanders' socialism is not going to work (Original Post) AZ Progressive Jan 2016 OP
What is unknown by those in power is how far we've been pushed. I am so glad we are pushing back. highprincipleswork Jan 2016 #1
The best way to push back is to expose them. draa Jan 2016 #2
I'm on So. Oregon and was at a Bernie rally today... bkkyosemite Jan 2016 #3
. . . Triana Jan 2016 #4
Socialism is not a dirty word to anyone under the age of 40. Odin2005 Jan 2016 #5
 

highprincipleswork

(3,111 posts)
1. What is unknown by those in power is how far we've been pushed. I am so glad we are pushing back.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 12:15 AM
Jan 2016

Pushing back is the natural reaction to being pushed "too far".

But what is too far and how does one push back?

Bernie is leading a movement to push back against the system that has almost fully destroyed America's Middle Class, once the envy of the world, and by extension anyone who was doing less well than that as well.

We need to push back, and we need top push back hard, with every bit of volunteering, donating, expressing, collaborating, voting energy that we have.

draa

(975 posts)
2. The best way to push back is to expose them.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 12:36 AM
Jan 2016

Let a little sunshine in. The fresh air is good for the soul.

bkkyosemite

(5,792 posts)
3. I'm on So. Oregon and was at a Bernie rally today...
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 12:45 AM
Jan 2016

and the cars that passed either ignored us or put a thumbs up or honked their horns. But there were a few who roared their motors and some yelled communist, socialist (meaning communist).

Odin2005

(53,521 posts)
5. Socialism is not a dirty word to anyone under the age of 40.
Sun Jan 24, 2016, 01:26 AM
Jan 2016

Clinton is completely out of touch with younger voters.

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