Bernie Sanders

LiberalElite

(14,691 posts) Fri Jul 17, 2015, 10:31 AM Jul 2015

NY Observer Op-Ed: Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Pope Francis

http://observer.com/2015/07/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-and-pope-francis/

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With great mercy to my readers, this will not be another story about the media mania surrounding the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump but a prediction that when September comes, and Pope Francis arrives on American soil, there will be a different kind of mania that will powerfully affect the course of the 2016 campaign: pope mania!

Francis will be visiting New York, Washington and Philadelphia, and he will give major addresses to the United Nations in New York and a joint session of Congress in Washington. The media will give saturation coverage to the pope’s visit, which will have a huge impact on the trajectory of the presidential campaign.
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xposted in Populist Reform of the Democratic Party

6 replies

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NY Observer Op-Ed: Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Pope Francis (Original Post) LiberalElite Jul 2015 OP

A very positive impact projected for Sanders. Divernan Jul 2015 #1

I have been a freethinker since I was a boy hifiguy Jul 2015 #6

You xposted in Popist Reform of the Democratic Party? merrily Jul 2015 #2

It does seem like LiberalElite Jul 2015 #3

You ask that like it's a Cardinal sin or something. bluedigger Jul 2015 #4

Yet, I am impenitent. merrily Jul 2015 #5

Divernan

(15,480 posts)

1. A very positive impact projected for Sanders.

Reply to LiberalElite (Original post)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 10:42 AM

Jul 2015

Today, based on polling from the Pew Research Center and other sources, Francis has a spectacular favorable rating of 90 percent from American Catholics and 70 percent or more from all Americans. Because he takes such a powerful populist position on issues involving financial fairness, the economy, helping the poor, combatting climate change and creating fair immigration policies—issues he will almost certainly dramatize throughout his visit to America— more than a week of saturation news coverage of Francis championing these views to large and admiring crowds will have a dramatic impact on the presidential debates.

The visit of such a popular pope will almost certainly give a lift in principle to Democrats and liberals who cheer Francis and rededicate themselves to the values and visions he stands for, and create major problems for conservatives and Republicans who oppose those visions and values and tell the media how much they disagree with Francis and disapprove his vision of the world.

On the Democratic side one clear winner of the papal visit will be Bernie Sanders. If Hillary Clinton takes stronger positions in advance of the papal visit, or supports them during his visit, the result will be very positive for her. But if the pope calls for strong action that Mr. Sanders supports while Ms. Clinton offers generic words without clear and specific calls to action, the Sanders surge will continue and grow from summer to fall as the presidential campaign moves into high gear.

Read more at http://observer.com/2015/07/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-and-pope-francis/#ixzz3g9yAGOol
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hifiguy

(33,688 posts)

6. I have been a freethinker since I was a boy

Reply to Divernan (Reply #1)

Fri Jul 17, 2015, 09:28 PM

Jul 2015

and a scientific atheist for the last 35 years. While Francis has a ways to go on many issues, he is completely on the side of the angels, so to speak, on the two most pressing issues of our time: predatory capitalism and climate change. This atheist has to give him a great deal of credit for that, and I do so willingly.