Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Bernie Sanders
Related: About this forumWhy People Around the World are Rooting for Bernie Sanders
The United States is as good a democracy as any other in formal terms but there has been a great amount of despair about the actual control its citizens exercise over the countrys political institutions and policies. Between them, two political parties divide up the US political spectrum, creating a narrow zone of elite consensus within which politics is allowed to play. The stranglehold of big business over election finance, aided by some significant court decisions, helps fix the boundaries of this elite consensus.
But then democracy has a way of throwing up surprises. The 2016 presidential election is different from earlier contests because of the way in which this widely resented elite consensus is being challenged from left and right. In this sense, both Donald Trump, the by-now famous Republican hate-monger, and Bernie Sanders, the challenger to Hillary Clintons bid for the Democratic Partys nomination, represent a similar political impulse. A huge public sentiment, in its primordial form, is trying to defy the limits that the elite consensus affords people turning the primaries into a battle between elitism and populism.
Populists appeal directly to strongly felt hopes and fears. And it is here that the resemblance between Trump and Sanders ends abruptly. Trump is seeking to make capital of peoples deep fears and anxieties. Sanders, on the other hand, is appealing to what remains of the American peoples hopes of getting a fair and just deal in society.
Sanders presents a simple pitch based on three clear socio-economic issues, and a political one. He promises free healthcare, free higher education (primary education being already free) and a decent minimum wage, for all. He is unhesitant in saying that for achieving these he will indeed raise taxes, though the bulk of the money will come from taxing the top fraction of a percent. And he provides figures to back his proposals. The core political element of his programme is that he promises to really clamp down on corporate influence over politics and political funding. The fact that he takes no funds from the big corporates makes his claim credible among voters.
more
http://thewire.in/2016/02/01/why-people-around-the-world-are-rooting-for-bernie-sanders-20545/
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
6 replies, 2647 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (81)
ReplyReply to this post
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Why People Around the World are Rooting for Bernie Sanders (Original Post)
n2doc
Feb 2016
OP
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)1. Go, Bernie, Go!
Ligyron
(7,633 posts)2. The other article on The Wire
an interview with Noam Chomsky was really good.
Great find, was unaware of the Wire
Nonhlanhla
(2,074 posts)3. I have relatives and friends around the world
And they're all rooting for Hillary. But if Bernie wins the nomination, they will certainly root for Bernie. They all fear the Republicans.
SammyWinstonJack
(44,130 posts)4. The World needs Bernie.
polly7
(20,582 posts)5. Go, Bernie!
I trust this man's judgement and common decency. I don't believe he will place profit over the value of human lives around the world.
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)6. that's the key, isn't it?
He's not going to sell out our interests to the highest bidder.