2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWAPO Editorial: "Bernie Sanders attack on Reality"
Sounds a lot like my last article...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bernie-sanderss-attack-on-reality/2016/02/12/e0656e04-d1b1-11e5-b2bc-988409ee911b_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-f%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Bernie Sanders Attack on Reality
MADAM SECRETARY, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said to Hillary Clinton at Thursday nights Democratic presidential debate, that is a low blow. But was it? Ms. Clinton had just finished pointing out that Mr. Sanders has at times strongly critiqued President Obama. While she made his criticisms out to be more personal in nature than they were, her core point was nevertheless true: Mr. Sanders is running a campaign based on a blistering and simplistic critique of the status quo under this Democratic president.
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Ms. Clinton, pointing out that Mr. Obama had to fight tooth-and-nail even for relatively centrist solutions such as the Affordable Care Act, draws the lesson that the next president must have a strong sense of practicality and realism; big rallies cannot wish away the complex politics of Congress. Mr. Sanders, by contrast, claims that Mr. Obama had insufficient revolutionary zeal. Thats why he proposed that the incumbent Democratic president be challenged by a primary opponent in 2012.
Of course, Mr. Sanderss rejection of realism didnt start when Mr. Obama stepped foot in the White House. At another point in Thursdays debate, Ms. Clinton pointed out that the senator from Vermont voted against a 2007 immigration reform bill, a bipartisan deal brokered by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), that would have made the countrys immigration system a little more rational. Mr. Sanders replied that the guest-worker program it envisioned would have been akin to slavery and that groups such as the AFL-CIO and the League of United Latin American Citizens opposed it. Such kowtowing to interest groups and indulgence in hyperbole are not uncommon for senators, who are rarely held accountable for failing to get results. But they would make for a disastrous presidency.
Mr. Sanders regularly assures his audiences that he respects Mr. Obama and Ms. Clinton. But he attacks the pragmatism they have built their legacies on, even though they had no other option. The system and by this we mean the constitutional structure of checks and balances requires policymakers to settle for incremental changes. Mr. Obama has scored several ambitious but incomplete reforms that have made peoples lives better while ideologues on both sides took potshots. A key question in the Democratic race is which candidate would duplicate the presidents work and which would settle for rock-throwing.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)Response to JonLeibowitz (Reply #2)
Post removed
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)Response to JonLeibowitz (Reply #11)
Post removed
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)Oh, and my post was no ad hominem. It stuck to the facts.
Response to JonLeibowitz (Reply #15)
stevenleser This message was self-deleted by its author.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)stevenleser
(32,886 posts)JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)Response to JonLeibowitz (Reply #19)
stevenleser This message was self-deleted by its author.
retrowire
(10,345 posts)The Berniebros insult lashing out of you every chance you get?
We're real people. As are you. You lost respect and integrity from a great deal of people, gave the most generic explanation about why your character changed, and you still expect people to take you at face value? While you call us Berniebros?
What kind of a man are you?
Response to retrowire (Reply #22)
stevenleser This message was self-deleted by its author.
Arazi
(6,829 posts)whenever someone disagrees with you.
It's pretty silly even for a Faux pundit imo
retrowire
(10,345 posts)Hmm.. Let's see.
Did you know that respect begets respect?
The way you act will not illicit any further respect from others, so stop expecting it. You're not entitled to anyones good nature when you don't give them the same.
Secondly, in reading the post, are you aware that people on BOTH sides do the exact same things? I'm not going to defend the assholes who support Bernie and I'm not going to consider all Hillary Supporters the same types of people.
I don't say Hillarybots, Hillarians, Shillaries or any of that nonsense. Know why? Because it's not becoming of me.
I'm a 27 year old man who knows how to treat others despite having differences. I know how to dish it out when it's given to me as well. But better than that, I know that some people are just people and SOME people, are literally insane.
But judging by YOUR past stevenleser, you're people. From what I can tell, you're capable of being good people too.
So why doesn't that coincide with how you act today? You changed this much... Because you witnessed Hillary concede to Obama?
Remember, that was your FULL explanation for having a change of heart. That explanation, is what you expected was enough for us all to accept your change of heart. Like I said before when you stopped replying, you don't need to worry about what others think. But what we think of you, DOES decide how you're seen by your peers.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)It is quite ironic to see you complaining about ad-hominems in a thread in which your primary debate tactic has been name calling.
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)Damn, two hides in this thread alone!
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)I never elicited hides to my responses before. And from a faux journalist too! Nice!
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)from Seattle. Wasn't my intent, but it was so damn easy what with "useless white supremacist liberals" and flattery of anti-Semite Farrakhan.
"Bernie Bros," indeed.
RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)Bernie is the reality based, we need changes, candidate.
All H can do is throw rocks because she is part of the real problems coming from DC.
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)WaPo shouldn't be lecturing on 'reality' days after they published a false propaganda smear job written by one of their sloppy hack 'journalists'.
Response to HooptieWagon (Reply #5)
stevenleser This message was self-deleted by its author.
Vattel
(9,289 posts)And Sanders' ability to work with Republicans to get significant veterans legislation passed was so unpragmatic. And because gee, gay marriage happened so incrementally. It took centuries for people to overcome bigoted attitudes like Clinton's
madokie
(51,076 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)What happened to him?
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Arazi
(6,829 posts)He's literally got nothing to say but the lame bark of "BernieBro"!!
neverforget
(9,436 posts)JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)bvf
(6,604 posts)And a public shaming.
neverforget
(9,436 posts)Other than that, I don't know.
Ron Green
(9,822 posts)moondust
(19,993 posts)Don't even bother trying to change it. Give up. Go away. Die quickly.
Said the Bezos Billionaires' Gazette.
m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)Some call it selling out and contributing to the apathy that affects millions of US citizens.
Constantly doing the "pragmatic" thing by moving ever farther to the right convinces millions of US citizens that the two major parties are, as Ralph Nader described them, "two sides of the same corporate coin".
An interesting post that basically argues for the soft bigotry of low expectations and calls that failure of vision "being pragmatic".
basselope
(2,565 posts)... even though they had no other options"
In February 2010 Obama took the public option off the table when he COULD have forced it through with reconciliation.
tk2kewl
(18,133 posts)Thank goodness someone is attacking our current reality because it truly sucks.
attacking reality is at the heart of progressive activism.
ismnotwasm
(41,989 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)betsuni
(25,537 posts)will get you swarmed by Bernie supporters and posts hidden but any kind of name for Hillary supporters like "Hillarians" "Hillbots" and so on are fine. Any insult for a Hillary supporter is okay but "bro" is a horrible slur. Got it.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)It won't be long now.
betsuni
(25,537 posts)Beacool
(30,250 posts)Reality be damned.......
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)And, the "reality" of a corrupt party that all to frequently collaborates with the Republicans.
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)Leserbro seems to have deleted everything
bvf
(6,604 posts)m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)it's funny!! every post just DRIPs with disdain for us!
farleftlib
(2,125 posts)It's the best!
m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)uponit7771
(90,347 posts)artislife
(9,497 posts)is how the Op writer is willing to compare themselves to a yellow journalist.
As if they could achieve that height.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)Thanks for posting.
oasis
(49,389 posts)bravenak
(34,648 posts)frylock
(34,825 posts)JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)What a great day this has been.
Armstead
(47,803 posts)Jeff Beizos must really want him some favors from Clinton.
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)enacted in his own state. Isn't that a dose of "reality"? So phony.