Former Bernie was spot on, correct when he said a shrinking middle class does not need a swarm of new immigrants.
Look at the chicken factory story written right here in the NYT. After the Ice raid, African-Americans got jobs at the same factory, and with good wages.
Increased immigration is really, now in this post-industrial world, a form of corporate welfare.
A friend of mine who owns and manages real estate in California told me last week, “the government knows it won’t get rid of illegals, we need them to have bigger profit margins”.
By “we” he was referring to the 0.01%.
205
@Lily
A "swarm" of new immigrants? And a Times Pick, at that! The lengths they'll go to break up Bernie's support....
As always, Bernie wants to decrease ILLEGAL immigration while increasing LEGAL immigration, to a degree. There would be a NET reduction in immigration. But the conditions for these immigrants, as with the domestic workforce, should improve.
36
@Lily
You are absolutely correct. It doesn't take a Nobel prize winning economist such as Paul Krugman to recognize that an endless in-pouring of desperate, low-skilled workers undermines unions' leverage to demand greater salaries and benefits, but it helps. Here he is in 2006:
https://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/notes-on-immigration/
Krugman, as well as Former Bernie, are AWOL on this subject in 2020 because they have been cowed by that part of the left who calls any sane restrictions on immigration racism.
Bernie's current, effectively open borders policy is intellectually dishonest, shameful and cowardly.
29
@Lily
Corporate welfare that stems from exploitation of labor comes from a lack of labor laws, not immigration.
55
I consider myself an Independent and not a Trump supporter but if push to a wall I would have to vote for Trump over Bernie. I believe that Bernie will be a disaster for the Democratic party. If Bernie wins the democratic nomination it would be giving Trump a win without trying. Let's be real here a Bernie nomination will be reckless and dangerous for our country. I don't want to live in a socialist country. Who is going to paid for all the goodies that Bernie is promising? I, like most people living in America, follow the rules and are hard working citizens. What I like about this country is that you can achieve something for yourself and family by working hard and not by getting free handouts! As an Independent the last thing I want to happen is a Bernie democratic nomination. Trump and the Republican would love for Bernie to win the democratic nomination. Also, I'm a veteran and feel that Bernie would be bad for the military. My son just finished 4 years in the Air Force.
51
Bernie will be brought to the center if he wins. Every person with a brain knows he won’t be able to deliver on his progressive promises. So maybe we’ll get a little movement on improving Obamacare, which Trump and his minions are decimating. Maybe we’ll get a little uptick in the federal minimum wage, which was last increased over a decade ago. Maybe the pendulum will swing back towards the middle on workers’ rights. On the other hand, if Trump wins we’ll see a continuing purge of “disloyal” government officials who will be replaced by amoral sycophants, a gutting of social security and Medicaid (and Medicare if they can get it done - which, by the way, is a “socialist” program), an increasingly disempowered and obsequious legislative branch of government, a judicial branch loaded with ultra conservatives who believe in unitary executive power (i.e. a monarchy), and even more rampant corruption from Trump. I can’t believe you could possibly justify voting for Trump because Bernie is too far left.
60
@Kat
Kat, what you are saying makes sense but Bernie needs to change his stand and move towards the middle some. This will be difficult for Bernie because of his base. I have told my family, 3 sisters, that voted for Trump that he is a racist, bigot, and lie but i'm NOT going to vote for someone that is unrealistic. I'm realistic. Living in this country most of my left, noticing how people outside big cities view things, and having serve in the military has taught me that most people don't want to give "handouts." I'm a minority but I do understand why most people, outside big cities, that are barely making don't like Bernie's policy. A "socialist" will not became president.
23
How can you Bernie supporters actually fall for someone who has accomplished so little in his Senate career and who dislikes America? Some examples below:
- Presented something like 346 bills and only 3 passed, 2 of which were for naming post offices.
- Praises the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Venezuela - would you all like to live in societies like these?
- Wants Medicare for all while when that was tried in Vermont was so expensive and unaffordable that it had to be reversed.
- Wants to ban fracking which has finally enabled the US to be energy independent. Do you want to go back to relying on the middle east for energy? And no, an economy this large cannot run for more than a fraction on renewables at this point.
- What about his reversals on illegal immigration and gun rights which he originally made sense on but now for the sake of progressive purity has reversed himself on?
- He is not a European democrat socialist - he is a Stalinist whose followers will persecute those not in full agreement with their policies.
Bernie will take your freedom away and give equality to everyone like equality was given in the former east block countries of Europe - all will be equally poor and miserable except for the elites who will rule and live like kings as the economy around them collapses.
Please people think rather than just go with what feels good.The Bernie route is the way to destroy a very prosperous America that offers more for more people than any other nation on earth
23
I love Bernie Sanders and will vote for him with enthusiasm if he is the party's nominee. But I have been around long enough to know that unless he tacks to the right following his nomination, he's headed for a defeat of historic proportions. Many years ago, when I was much younger and more naive, I worked my butt off for George McGovern. We were convinced he could win. After all, everyone knew that Nixon was just a lying, crook, hated by most Americans. So we nominated an ideologue, a nice guy, a guy with great ideas, and we went down in flames. McGovern carried Massachusetts and that was it. Now I'm afraid I'm watching the same slow-motion train wreck, helpless do do anything about it. Only this time, unlike with Nixon, we won't be able to even impeach and remove Trump. That ship has already sailed.
103
I will never understand what so many voters see in Bernie Sanders. His demeanor is very unpresidential as he yells at his audience while flapping his arms about. His face is always beet red with rage. Hardly an inspiring candidate for president.
75
Ummm, policies?
19
@sharon5101 Is anyone less presidential than the current occupant of the WH? And who do you suggest, on the Dem candidate side, is inspiring?
38
I'm a Republican. I switched party affiliation this year to Democrat, for the sake of voting in the primary. Trump is already our party's nominee so I'll try my hand at choosing his opponent.
I liked Yang - he's gone. I like Klobuchar, she's on the ropes. If she's gone, I'll just vote for the weakest candidate left since no one else in my mind would be better than Trump. Maybe that will be Sanders. He'll lose every southern and midwestern state by a mile.
Don't worry. I'll be a registered Republican again in 5 months.
There are quite a few people like me around the country.
Good luck.
438
PB. So, you just change party affiliation to vote in the primary, then re-register as a Republican for the general? What’s more, you’re going to vote for the weakest candidate so that the Democrats (in your mind) are in a weaker position come November?
How is that remotely noble? What, even, is your point?
Reading all of these comments reminds me: I’m sick of all this complaining and finger wagging. I don’t love Sanders, but Democrats are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to most national elections and he has PROVEN himself to be a strong candidate. Let’s see if that continues to be true after SC and Super Tuesday.
Donald Trump won in part because there were Republicans who were willing to plug their nose and vote for him. The same cannot be said for Democrats, even in the case of Hillary Clinton (as moderate as she was). If you really think nominating someone like her the answer again, well then you’re welcome to try. But, so far it doesn’t look like most Democrats agree with you.
Maybe - if Democrats recognize the value of winning and Sanders does get elected in the general - Sanders could build enough of a coalition to fix the broken electoral system in this country so we can all truthfully claim we live in a Democracy.
In the meantime, bragging about switching party affiliations to vote in primaries for weak general candidates is hardly the moral high ground or a decent fix for our broken system.
764
@John Weston No, I want someone other than Trump, but only if I feel they are better options. Yang and Klobuchar are better options in my mind. Maybe Bloomberg.
But if PA's turn comes and the only choices left are Biden, Warren and Sanders, then I'll vote for the weakest one since all three would make a worse President, in my opinion, than Trump.
There is nothing ignoble about my goals here. I'm voting to chose the best candidate to represent my country as I see it. That's democracy. If those candidates aren't left, I'm not just going to sit home. And there are no down party primary contestants on the Republican ballot this year, so why not switch parties.
I think it's interesting that you think the fix is to more rigidly close party membership, embolden the two party stranglehold on our politics and demonize people like me for wanting to cast ballots in our elections. I look at my position as the true fix, being willing to do whatever it takes to vote for good candidates irrespective of parties.
56
PB. The ideal fix isn’t to embolden the two party stranglehold on our country. However, opening up our system to multiple parties would mean much more than simply allowing voters to switch to the other of those two parties in a primary, especially to vote for the weak candidate. I get that wasn’t your initial intention, but the upshot is the same, isn’t it?
If we truly want a multi party system then we need to institutionalize multiple parties.
Unfortunately, that’s not the way our democracy works. If it was, Nancy Pelosi would be prime minister of the United States and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might be the leader of the Green Party. But, we don’t have a parliamentary system, for example, so all we have is Donald Trump on the Republican side and whoever the Democrats nominate on the left.
Whoever gets the most electoral college votes ends up holding all of the power. For four years.
I don’t mean to demonize you personally, and I do appreciate your participation in our democracy, but I believe the solution here is making out elections more representative, not less. When the last two Republican presidents lost the popular vote, when the majority of congress represents a minority of the national electorate, and when gerrymandering has muzzled a generation of political voices, intentionally nominating weak candidates for the opposing party seems, to me, to be cynical and acting in bad faith.
Hey, maybe it’s legal, but that doesn’t make it the best idea
307
Time!!! We are running out of time to tackle climate change and in a decade we as a world will be in emergency mode. Australia is what our future looks like if we do nothing. I believe Bernie will finally get America off the dime. We can't deny or ignore our way out of this issue.
27
David wants “to make clear that this is not a column urging Democrats to return to Clintonian centrism.”
He might start by checking in on how religious Americans really still are with their word usage. Do everyday conversations include some of his choice of words in the piece as listed below? Does the Sanders campaign actually use similar religion-based terminology?
Orthodox(y)
Myth
Cure-all
Skepticism
Moral litmus test
Existential moral failings
Impurities
Believing
Ideal
Passionate
6
Trump has repeatedly displayed out and out contempt not only for enormous sectors of the electorate, but for sitting members of Congress, Federal Judges, decorated military veterans, Gold Star families. etc. Trump engages in outright, vindictive, petty and slanderous name-calling on a daily basis via twitter. This absurd pablum that Bernie has disrespected other factions of the Democratic party is just not true. But even if it were, the fact of Trump as President is manifestly an utter refutation of the notion that some kind of vacuous "moderate" conciliatory discourse (whatever that even means) is necessary or even desirable in winning the white house.
15
I have voted Democrat in every election since I've been eligible to vote. I believe that Trump is destroying our country and should be voted out. That said, I believe that it is a worse evil to vote for Bernie Sanders . . . a win for Bernie is a death knell for the Democratic party. I will sit this one out.
14
Bernie is an insurgent. He takes injustice personally and he's impatient to be at the center of the solution.
Bernie has said there is such a thing as the "human family." I like that and I agree. I suspect that most of the folks that hang out at Prayer Breakfasts have never given the concept a moment's thought.
If elected, Bernie will have a lot more latitude to act on Foreign Relations than on Domestic Policy. I will be happy to see him get back in the Iran Deal and cease the ridiculous belligerence towards Iran.
On Domestic policy, he's more liberal than me so it will be OK with me if he has to soften his most ambitious policies a bit.
The bottom line is he's a truthful man who believes what he says and he has a passion for humanity. That sure as heck beats what we have.
He needs a nice calm middle western woman to go on the ticket with him. Amy Klobuchar comes to mind. Spend the first week after the convention on a bus tour of PA, OH. MI, WI and IA and
make the pundits eat crow.
Hang in there Bernie Sanders.
16
Show some respect yourself, for the people who have chosen Sanders. It is stunning to see the laughable arguments against him. This is gotta be the worst. "Trump has shown respect for those not part of his base." Seriously: in logic this is called a 180. Here is another laughable one: "Obama was so successful appealing to people outside his base by showing them respect." Yeah, that worked out so well, ask the Supreme Court. Trump is right about one thing. This is all fake. You people living in the beltway land are totally detached from reality: this is clearly the case as all those people are voting against Sanders.
22
"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice [...]" - MLK
"We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist." - James Baldwin
Moderate Liberals / Democrats who are unwilling to be self-reflective, understand that their policies and politicians are part of the problem and have genuinely destroyed the lives of their fellow Americans who are "not part of their demographic" need to wake up.
Be self-reflective - have humility. Stop being afraid to say that you might be wrong. If taking on the establishment feels like an affront to you - ask why. Abusers like some Democratic policies to other humans do NOT need to be respected. What has been established is going to lead to the end of Democracy and to a planet that is incapable of sustaining human life.
For those in these comments that say you want to vote for Trump instead of Sanders as "a life long Democrat", or want the Super PACs to take our votes from us - you are saying that you have no empathy. You better believe that we don't have respect for you. You are not a Democrat and it is an inhumane stance.
24
Bernie is an insurgent. He takes injustice personally and he's impatient to be at the center of the solution.
Bernie has said there is such a thing as the "human family." I like that and I agree. I suspect that most of the folks that hang out at Prayer Breakfasts have never given the concept a moment's thought.
If elected, Bernie will have a lot more latitude to act on Foreign Relations than on Domestic Policy. I will be happy to see him get back in the Iran Deal and cease the ridiculous belligerence towards Iran.
On Domestic policy, he's more liberal than me so it will be OK with me if he has to soften his most ambitious policies a bit.
The bottom line is he's a truthful man who believes what he says and he has a passion for humanity. That sure as heck beats what we have.
He needs a nice calm middle western woman to go on the ticket with him. Amy Klobuchar comes to mind. Spend the first week after the convention on a bus tour of PA, OH. MI, WI and IA and
make the pundits eat crow.
Hang in there Bernie Sanders.
7
His appeal is about bombastically bringing attention to policies that need to change to support the majority of the American people.
He doesn't need to play centrist theatre because people on all sides are tired of it, which is how we got Trump in the first place.
Trump wasn't being centrist when he was yelling for building a literal wall to keep out Mexican rapists and murderers. Bernie isn't playing centrist when he's yelling about Healthcare and taxes.
8
It’s tiresome to continually have conservatives and Neo liberals
bend over backwards to come up with lame rationales to attack
Bernie Sanders.
M
18
If I am a typical democrat (small “d”, lunch-bucket type) I’m so depressed by this that I’ve about given up. The truth hurts, but the truth is, Bernie cannot win, and four more years of Trump is a black hole out of which we will likely never climb. The last debate was debilitating, and I fear things will only get worse. I spend time in AZ in the winter, and around here, the world is now officially upside down. MAGA hats everywhere, tens of thousands of old white people just looking for a fight. No way will these folks accept a self-avowed Socialist as their president. Trump emboldened by re-election will be America unhinged, and God help us all.
20
Th main stream media gives Sanders no respect. Period.
Respect is two way street.
Bernie is strongly on the side of most Americans - he respects their dignity and fight for their interests.
It's the billionaire's and their lapdogs that get dissed.
12
Maybe this column could at least wait til the general election starts, or at least til Bernie is the nominee
4
Rather alarmist title, huh, dear reader? Seems Bernie’s success and momentum are too much for Leonhardt to bear so he has to dig out the old trope of Bernie doesn’t work well with others introduced by HRC not long ago. Et tu, Leonhardt?
Bernie is looking to transform the dem party, no doubt about it. 40 years of Reagan-omics and neoliberal funneling of all profits and wealth to the rich is unjust and intolerable. The fact that Bernie hasn’t already surrendered to the democratic establishment in advance is what worries Leonhardt and the DNC bosses he writes for, not some fictional inability to work with others.
Rock their world, Bernie!
18
The Trump/MAGA cult is one big right-wing purity test that started with the Tea Party and the racist backlash against Obama. Why is it that only progressives get taken to task?
13
So David, where do you get your health insurance? Oh yeah that's right, you get comfy benefits from the NYT. And you went to a fancy Ivy League school (Yale), and you come from an affluent family who probably still has some assets sloshing around that you will inherit. So you really don't know what it's like to be an average American in this country, struggling with the insane healthcare costs that will soon threaten everyone's prosperity, whether they know it yet or not. Capitalism has metastasized, and it will kill Democracy if we don't reset asap. Trump ain't fixing jack. Go BERNIE!
24
Bernie is the only Democrat to stand his ground. If he earns it, give him the nod. The rest are wimps. I'm not sure I'm seeing what compromise has accomplished for the Democrats. A wimp doesn't stand a chance of giving Trumpty Dumpty a great fall.
11
Why is the NYT so afraid of a Bernie presidency? He’s going to be the next president in spite of the full frontal assault from the NYT opinions writers and columnists. The people are behind Bernie because he is authentic and he’s been consistent for. 40 years. Too much wealth has been redistributed to the top by a rigged system. It’s time to refocus the country on the common good. Greed and selfishness have run their course. Go Bernie.
16
Putin and all the old communists must be smirking right now. We fought the Cold War to avoid living under an all-powerful government, and we now about to nominate a pseudo-communist for President. Trump is easily beatable, but not with Bernie. The Times is always bashing the Republicans for not "standing up" to Trump, where are the "stand-up" Democratic Party adults in the room?
4
Yes, please tell us, o patronizing Grey Lady, how to speak respectfully to the people ignored by politicians. Surely you know better than the honest guy from Vermont.
While you're at it, please tell us again about Iraq's "WMD", and the importance of your metropolitan insider expertise in making America as "great" as it is now.
9
As a NYTimes subscriber I have to say how upset I am with the times' coverage on Bernie's surging and front-runner status. Each op-ed and piece about Bernie in the times since his successful 2020 campaign commenced has displayed the times' innately white, elite and centrist ideals. I have to say, it has been a huge disappointment and is undermining justice in the Democratic Party and the United States. Instead of backing the democratic front-runner as it has in the past despite differences, the times is continuously trying to vilify Bernie even though signs show he is going to be our candidate.
Hey Times - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
15
Can't we wait UNTIL SUPER TUESDAY before we waste time writing or what might be or can be?
8
“Bernie Sanders told “60 Minutes” that it would be “unfair” to say “everything is bad” about Cuba’s Communist revolution.”
I think this is a good example of what Leonhardt is concerned about and why he is fundamentally wrong.
Clearly, Sanders is right... literacy, healthcare, alongside authoritarianism (but probably no worse than the previous 60 years of US sponsored authoritarianism.)
If you can’t say what’s actually true, what good are you? If you can’t say ‘we must stop fracking’ how do you stop climate change?
‘Respect’ is also about respect for the truth.
13
Did the NY Times editorial board and columnists ever think that maybe you are the ones making a big mistake? Bernie is the most ideologically pure candidate the Democrats have ever put forth. Even my most conservative friends acknowledge Bernie is refreshing in his honesty and consistent ideology. It's time you feel the Bern, New York Times.
10
Spot-on observations. Sanders seems willfully averse to appeasing the concerns and reservations of more moderate democrats, increasing numbers of whom surely seek a basis to reconsider, and reign-in their uneasiness with, him. Yet with what looks like stubborn pride and troubling arrogance, he sends this enormous constituency virtually no crumbs, no bones, as if flipping his middle finger at them.
Leonhardt nails it.
7
Or, you don’t know how to do math, and thus can’t understand that there are better chances of winning by activating the more numerous disaffected voters on the left, then chasing low information undecided voters in the middle.
But then, if politics is not about chasing fence sitters in the middle, what would non subject matter expert columnists like you yammer about in your weekly lazy moralizing columns? And, how would the political consultant class get rich crafting Rube Goldberg policy positions and messaging blather about those positions, or selling TV giant ad buys to chase unicorn voters in the middle, rather than managing volunteers knocking on doors and getting the vote out?
7
You lost me when you told us that Trump is reaching across the aisle.
11
One wonders how many Americans grew up where screamers just shouted down everybody else.
4
If what you say is true, the centrists should be killing it. But they arent.
3
First David, in defense and support of Bernie:
“There can be no 'mistake' nor compromise between democracy and Empire".
Secondly, when I was continuing my efforts --- since May '15 at Governor's Inn Rochester NH for Bernie, I told him "you're not going to get through this thing and win unless you speak-out about Empire" --- I remember later that year meeting Mark McKinnon (of "The Circus") at Plymouth State NH with my then simple:
"Political Revolution"
Against EMPIRE
sign and saying to Mark that Bernie would give me a 'thumbs-up' as he entered (which he always did), and that Mark's crew would get a good shot, but that Bernie would not mention Empire (which he never did) throughout all his appearances in NH and Maine, all of which I attended.
My last ineffective encounter with Bernie, in Manchester NH, despite his 'Shilling for Hill', was accidentally captured, by the "Post", as he left the AFL-CIO luncheon, and I had my then "Peaceful Political Revolution Against Empire" version:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/09/05/bernie-sanders-returns-to-the-campaign-trail-in-new-hampshire/
Despite Bernie's consistency of never describing his expanded "Our Revolution" as being a Revolution 'against' specific and all 'Issues', nor Empire, the threat of Emperor Trump now bodes a perfect opportunity to demonstrate, IMHO, for:
"Our Revolution"
TO DUMP
EMPEROR TRUMP
and for his younger supporters to shout-out:
GET 'WOKE' &
'FOLK' THE
EMPIRE
2
So why is Bernie winning?
8
Bernie believes that if he supports it, it is constitutional. Would cash only, concierge medicine remain legal? Are appointments at the noisy, smelly, socialist medical clinic in Mr. Sulzberger’s et al’s future?
1
Our democracy is finished in this country. Our own citizens don't understand what freedom really means. When an ignorant, bloated, arrogant, narcissistic, phony can win the presidency and continue to have this much support while flouting the law, then all hope is lost. Nobody is perfect but what happened to trying to better oneself? What happened to being accountable for one's missteps and trying to do better? Worse yet, articles like this continue to normalize Trump by calling him clever. He's not. He's fleecing America and he is a dictator.
17
Every single day the NYT reinforces its position as the voice of the liberal 1%: rich, white and completely clueless about what anyone who is not like them.
Let me ask you a question Mr. Leonhardt: how do you explain Bernie's surging performance amongst Hispanic and African Americans? When you say that Bill, Dubya etc learned how to appeal to people who weren't their natural supporters, do you notice how Bernie has expanded his base well beyond the Bros who were supposedly his base?
I have stopped reading the Times for anything that approaches even handedness when it comes to progressive politics - it's yet another voice of privilege.
14
Bernie change his mind about fracking?
https://www.alternet.org/2015/04/8-dangerous-side-effects-fracking-industry-doesnt-want-you-hear-about/
40,000: gallons of chemicals used for each fracturing site
8 million: number of gallons of water used per fracking
600: number of chemicals used in the fracking fluid, including known carcinogens and toxins such as lead, benzene, uranium, radium, methanol, mercury, hydrochloric acid, ethylene glycol and formaldehyde
10,000: number of feet into the ground that the fracking fluid is injected through a drilled pipeline
1.1 million: number of active gas wells in the United States
72 trillion: gallons of water needed to run current gas wells
360 billion: gallons of chemicals needed to run current gas wells
300,000: number of barrel of natural gas produced a day from fracking
And read this to find out what it is doing to our bodies:
https://draxe.com/health/dangers-of-fracking/
9
when has David been right about anything?
9
He doesn't need the other voters. He can use racial hatred and hate created by the liberal media to win the election. Trump won cause Hillary was a bad candidate and Bernie Sanders will win cause of hate. There are 32 million Hispanic voters and the media has them seething with hatred.
1
This is dumb. Sanders is appealing to poor people, who are on both sides. He's a populist.
Saying he's more exclusionary than Trump ignores that when Trump made crossover appeals he was lying. Crediting the promises of a charlatan at face value is...
Yes, dumb. I don't regret using the word, since Mr. Leonhardt seems to be suggesting Trump has been misunderstood by angry responses on the left, and that he's not as entirely corrupt as we know he is.
10
Don't vote for a candidate receiving help from Putin
9
I voted for Obama and then Trump. I will vote for Trump this year due to his position on immigration. He needs to get much tougher on immigrants, both legal and illegal. Bernie Sanders is a horror and if he is nominated, Trump will win by a landslide. Anyone who thinks Sanders can win against Trump is either stupid, ignorant, or living in some kind of a dream wprld. Bloomberg has a chance at beating Trump but I don't like his position on immigration. Bloomberg is much better on women's rights (abortion/pro-choice) than Trump.
4
So how did nominating the more moderate voter appealing Hillary work out for Democrats (and the country) in 2016?
And as far as the Trump cult smearing Sanders as a commie/socialist: This time the Democrats need to be the ones doing the defining.
Trump IS a lying, betraying, cheating, stealing, Nazi praising (remember his "very fine people" praise for them?) dictator wannabe who kowtows to Vladimir Putin (treason isn't too strong a word for it either). He is debasing and weakening our country while simultaneously strengthening Russia. The Republican Party is now more a cult dedicated to their false deity Trump than a normal AMERICAN political party.
All of those claims are easily and objectively provable. All the Democrats need to do is start saying so. Over and over. Every day. They must be defining the Republicans instead of the Republicans defining them.
7
Of all things to focus on... literacy rate. Buddy, you need to get your priorities straightened out.
2
Never again weighing one's wallet against one's health. Not stuck at a dead-end job only because of the health insurance it provides. Never face a financial ruin because someone in the family developed a serious illness.
If this does speak to everyone -- right, left and center, literally -- I don't know what does.
Unless Republican supporters never get sick.
30
Mr. Leonhardt, if you're going to cite Trump as a politician who knows how to respect those outside his base, then please, please, explain it to me. Give me one example. I'll wait.
20
The "extremity" of a position is subjective. For example, allowing gay marriage in the past would have been an "extreme" position; now ask any politician to try forbidding gay marriage.
11
Let's see: Bernie doesn't show respect for Republicans, independents, swing voters, anti-socialists, etc. Does Trump? Is that why all these "centrists", "moderates", independents, Never Trumpers,etc. will all vote for Trump? Because Bernie doesn't respect them enough to pander to them by watering down (or preferably abandoning) his program, they will vote for Trump. Last I looked, Trump's agenda is far from "centrist", far from "moderate". He's the most extremely "unfit" and unhinged President we've had in a long time. Stop telling us how others will or will not vote. Do you believe Bernie is the greater of two evils?
10
Anyone who voted for Trump last time or might do so this time is not deserving of respect. Respect is earned for what you do, not for who you are.
11
During my lifetime, the Centrist position has done little for this country in terms of income equality, gun control, health care, reversing the effects of climate change, and soaring education debt!!! We have to shoot for the moon in hopes of actually realizing any forward progress in the quagmire of today’s Congress. Baby steps just don’t work. The mess we are leaving for our kids is frightening!
21
I've said this from the start. Bernie is too far left...too radical...to appeal to the more centric voters, or to former Trump supporters who are now less-than-enthusiastic about Trump.
While there are indeed some Bernie supporters from a range of backgrounds and persuasions, the problem is that there is too large a chunk of Bernie supporters, whom I'd describe as 'rabid'. They are stubborn, ultra-PC, and are pro-Bernie simply because the ultra-PC camp has deemed him their candidate of choice. And as is typical with the ultra-PC, they will not deviate one iota from that which their camp deems 'correct'. There is no room for freedom of thought or a differing opinion. There is no room for nuance. Everything is black or white. You are either pro-Bernie, or if not, then you must be a pro-Trump ultra-conservative.
This imho, is what is going to cause the demise of a Democratic win...if Bernie indeed ends up being the Dem candidate.
12
Millennial like democratic socialism if it can reverse of Reagan’s trickled down capitalism. It is the Reagan revolution which created a wealth gap resembling many third world countries. The top 10% own 85% of the nation. They rightfully bemoan that economic opportunities are much worse than their parents. Those who cannot see their truth should be drowned by the political tsunami that Bernie will bring for them.
We have a system where politicians must beg plutocrats for funds to win elections and when in office, they must do their bidding or lose, country be dammed. We have industrial monopolies paying higher prices in health, educations, telecommunication, infrastructure, than all developed countries with services are much worse.
We continue Reagan's policies of continued tax cuts, corporate welfare, environmental destruction for profit, astronomical military spending, exploding deficits, etc. The top 1% accumulated outrageous wealth at the expensive of the rest of us. Our education, health, infrastructure, etc. all are stuck in the 1980s due to a lack of public funding. This is mortgaging the future of these Millennial most.
Unions are destroyed damaging the income of the uneducated, while and those who to get an education are strapped with a minimum of $40,000 debt when they finish. If one cannot understand why Bernie is their messiah for paying with their future for the curse of the GOP's St. Reagan's plutocracy, then you are blind.
12
Sounds like Leonhardt is precisely describing a candidate like Pete Buttigieg, who has been saying from the beginning of his campaign that everyone is welcome, especially former Republicans.
7
This column makes zero sense. Bernie Sanders in appealing to voters on his stance on the issues and he's winning. Why would he adopt the policies of the candidates who are not winning? Why are we blaming Bernie Sanders for winning? This is not that hard folks. If moderates who believe that they can win over Republicans in the general election want to win the Democratic nomination someone has to drop out. That someone is Pete Buttigieg and or Amy Klobuchar. Neither has a chance of winning the nomination by polling at 1% with Black voters. They need to get out if moderates want to have any chance at winning. So Mr. David Leonhardt is yelling at the wrong person. Bernie Sanders. He should be yelling at Pete Buttigieg and or Amy Klobuchar.
10
In Australia, in the week leading up to the 2019 election, the left wing Labor Party were widely expected to beat the incumbent right wing Coalition Government by such huge margins, that one of the biggest online betting agencies, Sports Bet, paid out Labor betters a week before the actual election itself.
During the six week election campaign (that's right, six weeks, not 18 months), the Labor Party, buoyed by repeated polls signalling its 'un-losable position' announced more and more 'progressive promises' on big ticket issues including the environment, immigration, taxation, welfare, minimum wage, etc, convinced that the country was finally ready to dramatically move to the left.
All the while the incumbent conservative government, which also expected to be beaten, stayed relatively quiet. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, a religious conservative, was often seen speaking to voters with his shirt sleeves rolled up, no tie and a baseball hat, playing the role of 'daggy dad'... a bloke you could talk to at a bbq about sport and the weather. The image he projected massively contrasted the complex and progressive ambitions of the opposition leader...
...and it worked!
In the days following the upset election result, that saw the conservative government retain power (ala Trump's 2016 defeat of Hilary Clinton), everyone realised that the Labor Party only had itself to blame.
Nations are like massive ships.
They can't veer to the left or right.
4
@Lex: And now Australia leads the world into runaway positive feedback climate change.
1
I disagree. Why shouldn't a candidate run on the policies he/she believes are best? If the author is correct then Bernie won't win the nomination. But if he has the support of the people even given his un-compromised policies then it will not have been a "big mistake". That's why we do the primary thing.
6
Productive progress is incremental, made in small steps and small improvements every day.
3
What a load of, shall we say, baloney. It's utterly apparent that NYTimes is scared to death of Bernie Sanders. I get it. Bernie is bringing out people who never voted before. People under 45 are breaking sharply in his direction. Latinx people; African Americans under 45. The wealthy entitled (or those who believe they have a chance to join the wealthy entitled in this fixed economy), not so much. Bernie is winning, and he just won Nevada by a huge margin. What are you guys going to say after he wins California and Texas on Super Tuesday (which he will)? Are you going to pull Hillary Clinton out from behind the curtain? Are you going to vote for Trump?
21
@Rick People under 45 are being deceived: How is Bernie planning to pay for his $30 TRILLION+ promises with billionaire taxes when their combined net worth totals just $6 TRILLION? Either he is delusional, dishonest or grossly incompetent.
OF COURSE if I was under 45 I would want to believe these promises!
Personally, I think people under 45 are not that naive.
7
Doesn’t surprise me that an nyt comments section wouldn’t see the appeal of a Bernie sanders
7
When Trump calls Sanders a Socialist, Sanders needs to respond by calling Trump a white supremacist Nazis. I think that would end Trump's comments about Socialist permanently.
10
you are making a big mistake. It has to do with facts versus quaking in your pants establishment hysteria
7
@Micah Zevin If you want FACTS, why was Bernie incapable of answering simple questions about cost last night on 60 MINUTES?
He said 'billionaire taxes' will pay for all. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE if billionaires total wealth is about $6 trillion and Bernie's healthcare plan alone costs $30 TRILLION.
Bernie is either lying or grossly incompetent.
5
Spot on. You are finally making some sense Leonhardt!
1
Mike Bloomberg.
7
@Mary Bullock
Oligarchy.
1
His comments about Fidel is, one toke over the line.
3
You are completely missing the fact that Clinton lost the election because of the electoral college. That is it. Totally! Trump and his truly stupid ideas is and will always be bad for the country particularly now.
10
check out a different opinion piece: https://theintercept.com/2020/02/24/bernie-sanders-electability/
1
Bernie may respect his renegade Trump supporters from 2016 hoping to win them back over in 2020. After them I am not sure who garners his respect.
Democrats I can honestly say do not feel like we are respected . Especially those of us who disagree with him on any policy issue . We are the Establishment and or Elites , now where have I heard that before .
Like Trump, Bernie is clearly a Disrupter , his fans are loyal to him only also like Trumps. No loyalty to their party which is what allowed Trump to mold the Republican Party into what suits his needs . Bernie will if elected attempt to do the same to the Democrat Party routing out Liberals . Democrats have a bit more fire than Republicans and will fight back.
For now I am waiting to see Bernie at at on of his events talking about 'Snowflakes'.
3
The independent, uncommitted swing voter who is living beneath his/her level of industriousness, education, and skill-set due to the effects of roughly 40 years of supply-side economics will find Bernie Sanders’s economic agenda and vote for him if they are interested in achieving the American Dream. Bernie is smart enough to realize this. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him/her drink it. He/she will make that determination based on his/her circumstances.
8
Agree on the comments about this being the primary and how Sanders will tone it down in the general election. The extremism people on the right are accusing Sanders of is not absent on the right by their Republican Party. Choosing to separate families at the border is extremist and un-American. This isn't a "dog eat dog/zero-sum" world, and it's time our politicians looked out for real people again, not corporate entities (tax cut, slashing all regulations that protect people). A billionaire will not and cannot stand for the people, and sooner everyone realizes that, the better our nation will be. It might not be this time around though given the comments here.
3
When pundits refer to a candidate's "base" what is usually inferred is a narrowly defined ideological and/or demographic group. Thing is, Sanders' "base" is something much more diverse and much broader and much bigger than that--it is a movement built by working peopl of all kinds yearning for better lives and a meaningful democracy. But it's ok that if folks like Mr Leonhardt don't see it. Those that are part it do.
10
@RW: The US Federal Government was established for the benefit of rich merchants and slaveowners who did not trust the judgment of the public. They did not provide for plebians to have the same influence as equestrians, just like the Roman Republic that ended with the rise of Julius Caesar.
2
I'd love for him to say 'hello' to his supporters, supporters of other candidates, AND Republican party members etc. at the start of a speech: this might focus his mind on a broader solution for the actual community voting later this year, and broaden the support he receives. His big vision is mostly accurate, but he needs to talk more specifically to what he would actually be able to achieve in 4 years. Voters would then have a chance to double down in 2024 if the progress was reassuring and positive...
2
Why would anyone have to take a soft position on fracking in order to win Pennsylvania? That is no way to show respect for the people of Pennsylvania!
I live in Maryland where in 2017 we banned fracking. In 2016 we went to visit Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania and met people who suffered terrible health problems linked to the pollution caused by fracking.
Like the rest of the communities dependent on fossil fuel industry jobs, Pennsylvania needs a just transition away from energy sources that harm our air, water, health and climate.
The Green New Deal is actually not radical. The Green New Deal aims to create jobs by expanding the clean energy industry and helping those in need - like repairing and retrofitting public housing to make it sustainable. Call me naive but I am baffled as to who would find this disrespectful.
15
It's a shame that David Leonhard chooses the tired and unimaginative Buttigieg argument that "Bernie wants to burn it down" and " it's my way or the highway.'
Fancy this notion - the extreme leap that the electoral college victory for Trump represents makes an extreme correction possible. Leonhard holds up the last four presidents as models of how to get elected. I'd rather take a chance on a principled candidate whose first instinct isn't to compromise because it's politically expedient than to bet on another billionaire or a mediocre candidate because the polls (and the editorial staff of influential newspapers) assure us they can beat Trump.
8
@Tiernan: This infantile nation can’t even discuss policy with erudition, so its politics is just a dogfight.
1
Is the same Bernie Sanders who walked into the Lions Den of a Fox News Town Hall (a group of folks Warren refused to meet with) and received rousing applause from the audience - to the chagrin of the Fox New hosts?
I find it hilarious all the comments on here saying Bernie can't win with working folks in the Mid-West when that's precisely who he's speaking too.
He'll be just fine.
23
Bernie wants to close the cages on the border. How is that not showing respect for members of the families involved? Bernie wants to set the minimum wage at $15.00. How is that not showing respect for the people who now earn less than that an hour? Bernie wants to provide healthcare for all Americans. How is that not showing respect for all those who don't have health insurance? Bernie wants to lower the cost of prescription meds. How is that not showing respect for people who go without their meds because they can't afford to pay for them? Bernie wants everybody to have a shot at earning a college degree. How is that not showing respect for all those people who today can't afford a college education? What I don't understand is what you mean by respect. Do you mean that the only respect that counts is respect for the opposition, for those who adamantly reject our position on an issue as a non-starting point. Let me ask: How did that work for Obama?
18
@William Veenis: I don’t respect people who yell to drown out everything that upsets their illusions.
3
Excellent comment. By respect, Leonhardt seems to mean "lip service." Pundits like Leonhardt can't wrap their minds around the idea that politics is anything other than an American Idol audition, with real consequences for real people.
3
I feel trapped. I think the most important item is to replace President Trump. If Senator Sanders wins the nomination and doesn’t grow his base, we will have four more years of President Trump, followed possibly by eight years for one of his children.
Please don’t let that happen!
I will support Senator Sanders if he wins the nomination. I expect the same support from Sanders supporters if someone else wins the nomination. Bottom line is that we need change!
13
@William VanDame: Poorly specified change usually turns out to be nihilism.
2
Bernie Sanders is showing that he doesn't want to moderate his message to the normal people.
3
@Trassens "Normal People?" The 1% you mean? Never have so many people made less and less per year. Never has college been so out of reach for so many. Each year the middle class shrinks...and they aren't joining the 1%. Normal? Bernie starts talking to "normal people" and the rest of America, who really needs his help, will stop listening. Just b/c someone is like you doesn't mean they are normal.
4
Sanders rhetoric is more frightening than his ideas--socialist, revolution, movement not campaign. Voters in the middle are scared away by the rhetoric and its implications.
9
If people really listened and thought about it, it wouldn’t be that frightening. He wants a more level playing field, not hard wing communism
3
No. That’s a Fox News talking point. No one is scared. No one is terrorized. No one is frightened. Fox News makes a fortune scaring people. The only thing to be afraid of is Donald Trump. Bernie Sanders is not my first choice, as I am a moderate and left the Republican Party just last year. I would choose Bloomberg. But I will wholeheartedly support Bernie Sanders if he is the nominee.
4
Here's another column asking "how do we handle a problem like Bernie?" But, once again, utterly disinterested in the question of why he is the front runner. The same holds for questions about voters who voted Obama, Obama and Trump. Let's face it, the Democrats have lost touch with everyone but the tote-baggers and the tokenists and huge swathes of the working class just want someone to protect them from oligarchic predation. It's an emotionally charged perspective that coalesces around an emotional charged character.
12
Is the author trying to say that Bernie should be more respectful towards Trump supporters? The only way that can happen is if Bernie ditches medicare-for-all, his climate related propositions, his education related ideas, etc., and fixates on how to screw those pesky immigrants even more and how to give more tax breaks to the 1%. But then, how would Bernie pay his respects to the core of the Democratic party which is supporting him today and is actually giving him a huge lead over the other presidential contenders?
9
The thing too, is: all candidates pivot to the middle after sewing up the nomination; it seems that Saturday in Nevada Sanders might have done that, but it was so fast that Sanders (& mostly everyone else) have not yet quite caught up to that (possibly incorrect) realization, and as a result he's still deep in primary candidate mode, not having, as of yet, shifted to general candidate mode.
It's a thought.
It's a thought.
4
I wonder if Bernie has a clue about the number of retirees invested in the relatively high yields of student loans. Does Bernie expect to confiscate their assets for student loan relief?
1
@Steve Bolger
A generational gouging like that alone could win the election for Sanders. Great call out of unfairness however legal it may still be — as if Americans don’t have other asset class choices to invest in.
8
@Steve Bolger
Do you know? I mean with facts not opinion.
1
@Old Mate | Das Ru: Here in the playland of crooks, student loans were sold to investors with the claim they would help students.
1
Bernie is winning across the US, and is being criticized for isolating people who aren’t his base. What about the people who are Bernie’s base that is being isolated time and time again by pandering Centrists? Yes. Moderates get things done, but they aren’t the idea generators.
Clearly Bernie isn’t isolating the majority of voters, and it is so frustrating to be dismissed time and time again by moderates that Bernie isn’t representing a majority, because neither are the moderates. It truly goes to show that the 2 party system doesn’t work for such a diverse country of ideals.
11
@2122chicago: 9 out of 10 ideas are fatally flawed from neglecting some crucial factor
For someone who has been in Congress, for a very long time, 28 years serving in the House, and Senate, I would say to you, why haven't you, when Democrats were in power, been able to help pass some of the legislation that you firmly believe in? Also, why have you voted your entire career for any legislation that wouldn't tax for all the legislation that you voted for that needs taxing, when you now say, that is what your are going to do for the programs you want, Medicare for all, eliminating college debt, the environment, etc., tax for it? I'm not so sure that it will happen. Why? Because Congress on both sides of the aisle, and you as an Independent have voted for all the over 70,000 pages of the IRS Tax Code that is only legalized extortion so that each individual, and child, has a deduction, and or credit, many times over, so that few are paying federal income tax. The swamp is Congress, and it has made the Trump Organization, and the Kushner Holdings part of it, as well. The real estate deduction that was passed, and lobbied for, by DT, has made him, and his son-in-law not have to pay little, if anything in federal taxes for about 27 years. In 1993, Congress created carve outs for real estate professionals to resume taking a greater amount of losses than they had been able to take since the 1986 law took effect. More rich aren't paying taxes. Bernie, were you part of that, back then? Then, you are just as responsible for the fact that the rich aren't paying taxes!
9
With over 5000 comments at this hour, David's column obviously strikes chords for readers. I am one who agrees with him, finds his observations insightful and going beyond ordinary political commentary. I am grateful the he wrote it.
12
@blgreenie
If you read the comments you'll see that many of us are tired of journalists condemning the leader of an actual movement during Primary Season.
Many of those 5000+ comments refute what he writes.
I wrote the following this morning:
I've written negative feedback to MSNBC about Chris Matthew's ongoing assault of Bernie, and now this. Attacking Bernie is not good journalism or even reasonable, yet it is all over mainstream media and even coming from otherwise liberal Democrats.
Those who think Bernie is wrong for Us may not accept that we are near midnight on the Doomsday Clock. Supporters of Bernie have a sense of urgency that demands an all-encompassing response to our terminal social/political/environmental ills.
Only Bernie leads a Movement that can bring us significant change across all the issues.
We believe we are past the point where Compromise and Good Behavior should be our focus.
This is it, folks- and we already may be too late.
This is what motivates and inspires people like me to rally around Bernie.
Your impression of Bernie as a wildly gesturing, angry man doesn't worry us- it's time to be angry and passionate- if ever there was a time. He is our Champion!
Sorry if readers think I'm a downer; just keeping it real.
And this is why so many young people want and need Bernie. Their future is best held in his hands.
21
My objection to Sanders isn't what he's proposing, it's how. The lack of healthcare in this country, where healthcare is the most expensive in the developed world and yet ranks near the last in terms of outcomes, is morally bankrupt.
Likewise, our current lack of interest in doing something serious about climate change when we are the world's leading per capita producer of carbon pollution.
The cost of college education has become prohibitively expensive for most people in the working class and the deterioration of our public schools is plain to see, both of which rot the core of our future.
Our infrastructure deficiencies have come to the point where they are health and safety hazards.
The fact that we have so many billionaires now and yet one of the world's largest income gaps can be traced right back to the laws that lobbyists got passed.
This stuff is wrong and Sanders wants to do something about it. But yelling at us is not the way to get it done.
13
@Jack Hartman: Prescription drug advertising only corrupts the media, and all other countries but one ban it. Drug companies spend more on it than the do on research.
1
Don't forget that the Republicans held the presidency for12 years before we elected a centrist candidate, Bill Clinton. Bill was no one's progressive except maybe the moral majority's. The Republicans moved right with Reagan, and the Democrats moved to the center to win.
Just because Hillary lost doesn't mean that Bernie would have won. The other option is that he could have lost with a lower electoral college vote tally. There's many ways to lose the electoral college.
7
@Jane Smith
Thanks for your comment. Many of the opinions expressed here seem to forget the political history that led to Bill Clinton. The Republicans dominated presidential elections from 1968 to 1992, with only four years of respite with Jimmy Carter and that in the wake of Watergate. McGovern got clobbered in the 1972 election as did Carter and Mondale in the 1980 and 1984 elections. The Democrats didn't abandon the working class in the 1980s, the working class abandoned them. And the reason the working class abandoned the Democrats after LBJ is rather easy to understand (it wasn't Medicare). People who weren't alive in 1992 or too young to understand do not appreciate what an achievement and relief it was when "centrist" Bill Clinton broke the Republican stranglehold on the presidency and reestablished the Democrats as a viable party in national elections. Now, it seems that many progressives believe that Clinton caused the conservative turn in American politics rather than navigated it.
6
The only people who are not part of Bernie's base are billionaires. He does not exclude anyone, even them, as he says over and over again, we need a government and economy that work for us all, not just the billionaires. The reason for the success of his campaign is that it is so inclusive.
10
Bernie is speaks platitudes, not plans. He doesn’t even seem to think it matters what his plans will cost. He hasn’t got a clue himself.
The US is afraid of anyone who can actually think.
11
medicare for all is cheaper for all
Bernie or bust cost democrats the 2016 election and will see Trump reelected in 2020. Why is it that I am not excited about a 78 year old socialist who just had a heart attack and has accomplished nothing in his career, who was on 60 minutes and can explain how much his policies will cost or where the money will come from. I say this as someone who would vote for any democrat over Trump, but many moderates, independents, rural, and suburban voters will not vote for Bernie.
22
Sanders is showing massive respect to the vast majority of Americans. That’s why he is winning. Mr L doesn’t go near the polls showing Bernie does great with independents! He should check them out. Also, I’m not alone in wanting to get rid of my private insurer CEO’s $18m salary.
11
The biggest obstacle Bernie faces is negative columns from the right and especially from the center or center-left Mr. Leonhardt.
Bernies insistence on proposing rational, longterm, citizen oriented solutions to the long neglected problems this country faces have nothing to do with disrespecting voters who don't agree with all of his platform or some of his rhetoric.
He may not win the nomination, but if he does we can all hope and pray that he.. and we, follow through and make him president. If we do, pay attention pundits, it will not be by the same path that the last four presidents took.
This coming election will be about real political participation by as many Americans as possible. Bernie is not going to take any citizen for granted.
11
Out of 330,000,000 people, and after billions spent, it’s a binary choice between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders? That’s gotta be depressing.
15
@JFB
Agree. Celebrity, more that fitness for office may become a staple of presidential elections in the US.
5
What do you mean that Bernie Sanders is making a big mistake that has to do with respect? I thought he wasn't officially a Democrat.
1
Funny, I don't remember Reagan respecting the Left or even listening. Apart from the immigrant amnesty I can't think of anything he did that showed compromise toward his domestic opponents. Iran-Contra and its shameful pardons demonstrated how Right-wing government can plough ahead and then get absolved despite massive opposition to its policy.
8
I agree -- Sanders needs to widen the circle, not exclude everyone who is not 100% in lock step with him. I am also sick of being called a sellout capitalist pig by Sanders supporters who think any questioning of his proposals is to be met only with insults and hitting the "ha-ha" button on Facebook.
9
If it’s trump v sanders I will not vote for president, for the 1st time in my life.
9
@AitchK then I guess you want to live in fascist USA. Drump is an existential threat to the world, and is evil cruel hateful racist sexist xenophobic misogynistic some say treasonous, for sure stupid and profoundly incurious and ONLY “works” for his orange bewigged empty head and blompy lard self.
And you wouldn’t vote for a man that really is none of those things but wants to make life better for all, not just the few cretins at the top of the heap? If we don’t get the .01% out of power we ALL lose. So hold your nose and vote Democrat no matter who. The planet depends on it.
10
@AitchK Well, that's totally unhelpful. It's your DUTY to vote and if you don't, you should be stripped of your citizenship.
1
The Democratic Party does not win with Status Quo leaders. Look at the status quo losers: Gore, Kerry, Hillary. They stood for nothing.
In contrast look at FDR, Kennedy and Obama. They fought for Change. Big bold Ideas that inspired!!
And that's why Bernie Sanders will win.
13
I
Sanders lunges at me from the TV. He yells in my face. He seems like an angry, mean man. I don't want another angry mean man in the White House.
n the 70 years I have been voting, only once have I voted Republican--Eisenhower. This year, If the nominee is Sanders, I will write in ?.
11
Those who think Bernie is wrong for Us may not accept that we are near midnight on the Doomsday Clock. Supporters of Bernie have a sense of urgency that demands an all-encompassing response to our terminal social/political/environmental ills.
Only Bernie leads a Movement that can bring us significant change across all the issues.
We believe we are past the point where Compromise and Good Behavior should be our focus.
This is it, folks- and we already may be too late.
This is what motivates and inspires people like me to rally around Bernie.
Your impression of Bernie as a wildly gesturing, angry man doesn't worry us- it's time to be angry and passionate- if ever there was a time. He is our Champion!
And this is why so many young people want and need Bernie. Their future is best held in his hands.
1
Wow, some of you guys with your doomsday predictions about 4 more years of Trump. I'm making more money than I ever have in 40 years in the manufacturing industry. I'm not a Trump fanboy, but when he addressed the illegal alien issue that every administration since Reagan has promised to fix, when he went after China for dumping products on us for under what it cost to make them, when he spoke about the stolen intellectual property and products that they copy freely, you guys fight him on it. Bill Clinton said the illegals were an issue . Bush did too. Obama also. What's changed? Money in the Dems pocket from special interests, that's what. There is no difference between the parties. Both are owned by special interest groups.
1
@BorisRoberts You really don't understand the difference? Taking money to build a useless wall is not doing anything productive to combat illegal immigration. Also, Trump said Mexico would pay for it. All he does is lie and obfuscate. His MAGA stuff continues to be made in China...he's full of it and spending taxpayer money to enrich himself and his family.
3
Sure wish these Dems would wake up. It's their greatest chance to wrest the presidency from these fools and thugs, and they seem determined to blow it.
It feels like Dems have turned into, in Jindal's memorable words, "The Stupid Party". They seem unable to comprehend even the most obvious NYT-columnist insights about the electorate, or about how their policy purity tests will alienate big parts of it.
I don't get it. We're being set up for four more years (or more) of mindless, relentless corruption and thuggery if Dems keep scaring voters off with ideas like immediate replacement of the entire health care system, even if the idea behind it is sound. Or providing federal benefits to illegal immigrants. WTH are they thinking?
5
As a foreigner, it keeps surprising me how the US is accepting Socialism as a viable alternative.. but then again, there is a huge anti-vaccination movement despite all evidence showing the catastrophe of not getting your shots. Americans, thanks to their capitalist system, have enjoyed a high living standard that has kept them far from the suffering caused by diseases that have been erradicated by vaccines.
Ironically, the freedom inherent to a capitalist society is providing their citizens the choice of not getting vaccinated and quitting capitalism. American friends, think twice, there are far worse things than measles!! Socialism is one of them!!! Look to the south!!
6
If a Democrat beats Trump, he or she will be able to keep using the slogan, "Make America Great Again" except it will mean save America's democracy, Constitution and the rule of law rather than the America handed over to Trump by Barack Obama.
Progressive ideologies will not, repeat, not matter if the next Democratic president cannot pull us out the abyss we are in or shortly headed for, politically, economically and morally. Right now, I do not think that person is Sanders. He has little experience in that sandbox. I could change my mind, but it is Bloomberg and Biden who have been there and done that.
6
Well, from my perspective, most POLIticians are two-faced, maybe even three-faced, at times.
Bernie has never (was an "I" who caucused with the D's) been a Democrat (Big Cap) and Mike was as I recall a Republican mayor, now a Dem; the Donald, now a Republican, was the obverse back when.
Not denying anyone the ability to swap or switch, and certainly folks have the ability to learn, experience and change.
And nothing prevents (not even a Mexican wall!) any of them or us from continuing the metamorphosis.
We'll see.
1
"Can you think of one way that Bernie Sanders is signaling respect to voters outside of his base?"
He's offering universal health care, free public education, and is promising to save the planet with an aggressive Green New Deal climate agenda....
He's not just offering those policies to his base of supporters, David.
I get sick of pundits and journalists looking for - in my opinion - empty gestures of "unity."
14
I defy anyone to point out a single instance in which Bernie has advocated any kind of "purity test," or has said he will not be willing to compromise. This entire meme is a media fabrication which, thankfully, many voters are seeing right through.
14
A big mistake, indeed. Turnout only matters if it's in the right places. I fear that Bernie doesn't get it. He needs to grow the pie to win. For every young kid he brings on-board by promising to reimburse them for their anthropology degree, he's going to lose 2 moderates in the Midwest that don't want to lose their private insurance and don't want their 401(k) accounts halved.
4
“Bernie Sanders Is Making a Big Mistake” Really? Bernie Sanders is just what America needs right now. Why? He would be the antidote to Trump. By the way, Bernie is not a socialist; rather, he’s a normal man with sensible ideas. Only Americans would consider Bernie Sanders to be a ‘socialist’. Bernie Sanders is a ‘social democrat’, not a socialist. Sanders doesn’t want to take the means of production into government control. Nor does he want to regulate the distribution and exchange of production. Bernie merely states that the wealth of America should be distributed better; further, he wants healthcare for all, not just for those who can afford it. He also wants to eradicate student debt. If they could eradicate bank debt in 2008, then why can’t they eradicate student debt now? Sanders’ proposals are not socialism; rather, they are common sense. They are just what America needs. The rich are rich enough already; give the ordinary folks of America a chance for once!
14
You're right that he's not a socialist, but he's been calling himself one for more than 40 years.
2
In my view, any of the Democratic candidates would be leagues better than trump, and I'll support and volunteer my time & money to whoever wins the nomination.
But Trump's extremism is why my 1st choice leans towards Biden. As much as I like Sanders, his revolution may have to wait. The country is too torn up for a hard left swing. We need a return to civility & unity that Biden may be the only one in a position to bring. We need someone with years of experience, who has established relationships with our allies, who knows & respects the Constitution, who has experience working with Congress, and who'll appoint cabinet members not bent on destroying the agencies they're supposed to lead.
Biden is not corrupt, nor corruptible. We need a fundamentally decent person in charge. Trump has no sense of decency. He doesn't even know right from wrong. He stresses everyone out, even his own supporters. Even his so-called "great economy" has a weak foundation. And this country can't risk another 4 years of Trump's chaos chipping away at our national security. It won't be safe for any of us. Biden may not be young. He may not generate as much "energy" as other candidates. He gets tongue tied at times.
But he's steady & reliable. The country needs to take a breather. For lack of a better word, we need to be "bored" (not complacent) by what happens in Washington.
Finally, we can trust Biden to gently move the country in the progressive direction that Sanders supporters seem to want.
7
@Roberta
I feel the same, but with Bloomberg instead of Biden.
It is terrifying to read comments from so many people in response to this article which state that, if Bernie Sanders is not the Democratic nominee, they will NOT vote in the fall election. How does that help anyone? Abstaining or voting for a 3rd party candidate is a vote for Trump and will ensure his re-election. Our country will not survive 4 more years of Trump. Do these people not realize this?
11
I actually agree with many of Bernie's positions and there have been moments in the debates where I was very moved by his passion and his ability to articulate the moral obligation to address fundamental human needs in our governance. However, aside from his lack of personal appeal to me (reminds me of an angry uncle at Passover) and my concerns about his age and health, my largest concern is Bernie's ability to work with the government as it exists in reality. The message I hear from him is that his ideological commitment cannot be compromised; yet given the spectrum of the legislature and the blockading efforts by Republicans, will he be able to actually make any of his plans come to fruition? His record of legislative success is not extensive nor reassuring; for example, out of 7 sponsored and passed bills 2 were about renaming post offices. His bipartisan cosponsors are ranked at the bottom of Congress for 2019. Is this a measure of his unwillingness to compromise and collaborate? How will he enact medicare for all and the green new deal?
9
I love Bernie and will continue to support him.
But let's be realistic.
The game is already over.
Corporations are already too big. too rich and far too politically powerful.
Now add A.I. and Quantum Computing to the mix.
They will know more about us than we know about ourselves.
Information is Power.
Add nearly unlimited piles of cash and they will be more powerful than the government.
Already are.
Bernie or no Bernie...the future is Corporate Totalitarianism.
6
The constant stream of invective against Bernie is shocking and belies the fact that Bernie has broad support among a diverse coalition of everyday Americans: take a look at the Nevada exit polls! Like a lot of Americans, I have about $5 in my bank account right now. When my next paycheck comes, however, I will give as much as I can to the Sanders campaign. I'm doing so in memory of my father, and in the hope that my daughter will have a chance of living in a country that is moving toward economic and social justice.
9
Like many many comments here, I hoped that Bernie would pivot to the middle because it is the middle that will elect the next President and I truly believe that they will be better off in a Bernie led government. Instead today the headlines on CNN are talking about Bernie's comments on Fidel Castro. And the fact that he says he doesn't know how many trillions of dollars it will cost to effect those changes that he is calling for.
Now big media has greatly benefited by Trump and his tax cuts, so maybe that explains these types of headlines. But it is Bernie's words that steer the conversation. I don't see him as flexible enough to beat Trump. Too bad because his policies now have a common sense ring to them, but he loves the idea that he is leading a revolution.
Bernie can raise his fist in the air, like he is still protesting the Viet Nam War. Or he can open his arms and deescalate his rhetoric and invite everyone into the tent. I don't think he'll have it both ways.
Anyone blue, will do... but not sure the rest of the country thinks that way...
7
@Bill Cullen, Author :
Bernie will not pivot to any middle because all "middle" means is caving in to the GOP, as Dems have been doing for 30 years. Bernie, unlike "moderate Dems" actually has principles he believes in. "Moderate Dems" are nothing more than kites in the wind, as 69 years of experience has demonstrated to me.
8
Agree with other comment on the spurious Sanders bashing. This article credits Trump with winning the independents with progressive views on healthcare, social security, and labor. Then goes on to state that Sanders cannot win running on healthcare. social security, and labor. Not sure that holds together, and the attempted glue is that evidence suggesting it is false is just intuitively wrong. Was this all just a plug for fracking?
8
Who honestly imagines that Sanders, with such a blah record of actual accomplishments to his credit after so very many years in Congress can really manage to get any of the things he is promising through Congress and enacted into law?
You tell me--who has worked diligently for years and accomplished a great deal among the remaining candidates? Warren created the CFCB and helped shape Dodd Frank; Biden's many legislative wins plus his successful combatting of Ukraine's corruption (think Manafort) also has a truly good record. Klobuchar says she passed 100 bills but hasn't claimed any were of as great a significance as the CFCB or the ACA, for example. And Buttigeig hasn't been around long enough.
4
Right after 2016 election, a friend of mine commented that if Bernie had won the primary, Trump wouldn't have won the presidency. As someone who donated to Bernie twice before the primary but gladly voted Hillary during the election, I said it won't happen because Bernie prides himself as socialist thus it would've been hard to garner votes from the middle America. I am seriously hoping that I was wrong. Please let me be wrong.
3
The problem for Bernie Sanders is that if he shows a willingness to compromise on issues like immigration, fracking, and Medicare-for-all, the he severely risks that "passionate support" he enjoys from his fans on the far left. He can't have it both ways. Neither can the Democratic Party, and therein lies the rub for the survival of our constitutional democracy.
3
Government of, by, and for the people is an idea - the American ideal. That's all it is - an idea.
All voters are ideological, because all voters are people. And, according to Dr. George Lakoff, cognitive scientist and linguist, all ideas are physical and do not exist outside of a human body. We vote our identity, and the best way to attract voters is through actually talking about values.
Empathy is the soul of our republic and its democratic institutions, citizens caring for one another, leading to freedom and fairness for all.
When President Lincoln said there would be a new birth of freedom or government of, by, and for people would perish, he meant building an empathy surplus.
Sanders could do a lot to help his case by simply using those six words - government of, by, and for the people - because that's essentially what he's talking about.
6
Sanders supporters, I have news for you… most Americans have a very, very different mindset than the Danes do. America is an ‘every man for himself’ place, not a ‘share and share alike’ place, much as you and I a most other coastal Dems might wish otherwise. Be honest now: as charismatic and bright as she is, how many congressional districts in the U.S. would elect AOC? How many states would elect Sanders as a Senator? Do you REALLY think Bernie can convince them that the economy is bad when they have jobs and their 401ks are fat? I don’t. People hate Trump, but they like the current economy, warts and all. If you one of those that thinks that we don’t need suburban moms or Midwestern swing voters to oust Trump, well, you might just be a naïve ideologue, Trump’s favorite type of voter.
5
@Zack
Yes, and the Danes live in the Happiest Country on Earth, and Americans live in the 17th or so, and believe being 17th is the best they can do.
It is never too late for an American to give up.
2
Donald Trump is living proof that people will elect a president with a strict demand on important Issue A irrespective of whether he/she can implement it completely. Barack Obama is living proof that when a president adopts a strict demand and later compromises on it, all that will happen is a compromise with hobbled public support.
Obamacare was never a happy solution to the healthcare problem, nor was the Mexican-paid-for Wall a happy solution. Obama folded. Trump has held. Both seem to look like cases of delusion.
The lesson for Sanders is stop compromising with insurance companies. You can't win if you do. Stick to your plan. You won't get it, but you'll lose doubly if you compromise.
1
I really hope Bernie can pull it off. It will be great to watch all the compromised Democrats who thought Bloomberg was an OK choice have to do the right thing for once. Actually it's already started with much gnashing of teeth.
5
I thought Trump spoke to the forgotten man? The voter disrespected by the last 3 presidents? There is a moral case for Bernie but you're intentionally missing the point if you're insulted because you don't see it.
1
You are a pundit. Pundits were convinced Hillary would win. In 2016 a lot of people who voted for Sanders in the primaries wound up voting for Trump in the election.
You pundits underestimate resentment of the status quo. Bernie Sanders can bring people to vote who wouldn't vote otherwise. I say give him a chance.
7
@Danny
Exactly. The opinion compares the situation to big names and older paths mostly in last century history. But the schmaltz factor is too high. A similar movement was either ignored or fought by Hillary and Bill in this part of 2008.
1
I'm not sure how the assumption that Donald Trump tried to appeal to all voters is true. The man literally stirred xenophobia within the country and isolated minority groups. Unless you're only counting the white vote, he did not try to appeal to all voters, and making that claim ignores the existence of non-white voters. Don't make that mistake. Don't invalidate us as a voter base to push an anti-sanders narrative, otherwise you're no better than Trump.
7
I can't understand why a country seething in fear and discontent would choose status quo.
Trump is neither a genius nor is he stable but he is a Nihilist and is burning down the village in order to save it.
He is surrounded by men who as Voltaire described; "Those that can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
My father was a Jew from Poland and was passionate about politics so I am probably one of the very few who can say Bernie seems rather mellow compared to some of my political discussions with my father when we were in total agreement.
I don't I know if America can be fixed. I don't know if truth will ever be acceptable in a land where patriotism is all important and the last refuge of scoundrels. I don't know if the Creel Committee will again be part of your studies.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-woodrow-wilsons-propaganda-machine-changed-american-journalism-180963082/
I am 71, I have become a Socratic in my dotage and sadly I don't believe America will ever have a truth and reconciliation moment. The past is never as great as we choose to remember and it is only the future we can make better.
I don't know if Bernie is even my first choice but his humanity and integrity may be more than America can handle. Unfortunately even the lies you tell yourself often have bitter consequences. Thomas More was a socialist and a Humanist before the Enlightenment and they made him a saint after they executed him.
7
The only interesting thing here is how the anti Bernie arguments shape shift as facts on the ground change....
9
Reading several comments and replies to this article one might form the impression the 2020 Democratic Party's presidential nominee, whoever it will be, will be facing a conservative to moderate Republican with a solid economic record of balanced budgets, effective foreign policy initiatives, strong support of national defense, the rule of law and a personal history reflecting candor, leadership, and an inspiring moral center.
The reality is the Republican Party's 2020 presidential nominee will be Donald J. Trump whose first term as president has, by any objective factual measure, been the anthesis of the above.
Add to this the unprecedented damage Mr. Trump's presidency has done to the domestic institutions/standards, international reputation and relations of this nation has been facilitated by a Republican Party grotesquely mutilated by cowardice and cynicism which has at least 40% of the Republican base, particularly women voting Democratic or planning not to vote for the top of the ticket.
Perhaps it should be remembered in the 2016 presidential primaries the candidate the majority of the working class Republican base overwhelmingly mentioned as their alternate choice to then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was......
Sen. Bernie Sanders.
6
This column is exactly the reason why I like writers who have been around a few 24 hours. I read in this newspaper that media darling Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez has a PAC that applies a purity test to members of her own party and if they fail her litmus test, she targets them with opponents which the PAC plies with money. This is something that Trump would do, for God's sake. I liked the Bernie Sanders who was pragmatic and willing to listen to opposing views, even if he disagreed. This is the guy I hope will be the one who wins the nomination, not the one that I see yelling at every debate. That includes being reasonable on immigration, on insurance choice, etc. I supported Sanders in 2016, but his 2020 strident position on open borders and catering to illegal immigrants while saying nothing about social security and how we seniors are faring poses some real concern for me.
3
This entire column presumes that Bernie's "tent" is narrow. It's not. His vision and goals appeal to most people in America regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. Bernie doesn't need to flex his message; his message is WHY he's winning. It's already working.
10
I agree with this sentiment, "The last four presidents... have one crucial similarity: They all tried to appeal to voters who weren’t obvious supporters."
Yet I disagree with your conclusion. The thing that at least binds George Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, was that they were seen as relative outsiders, with a message that was different than the establishment option. That attracted non-obvious supporters. They also turned out people who were dedicated supporters, especially with Obama and Trump.
In this mold, Sanders is the perfect choice for the rubric you set up. He hasn't been a Democrat and has attracted support from non-democrats. He also gets a segment of the population that are not always clearly liberal. Remember, there has often been the claim that the Bernie->Trump supporters hurt Hillary. And he's done that while sticking with a clearly progressive agenda.
The answer is Bernie, not a moderate who can't turn out votes and doesn't excite people, who's establishment through and through.
7
Bernie will deliver the White House to Trump again . I support Bloomberg . If Sanders is the nominee I will not vote for him.
6
So, in other words, you want four more years of Trump. Don’t beat around the bush or make excuses. If every Democratic voter said “if my candidate doesn’t win, I’m not voting”, then Trump wins. I’m not necessarily a Bernie fan (or a Bloomberg fan or a fan of any of the Democratic candidates). Every single one of them is flawed in one way or another, but I can say this for sure: four more years of Trump will be an utter disaster for this country (and possibly the world). Every Democrat, Independent, and Moderate Republican should consider the state of this union if we elect Trump for another four year term. That’s what’s at stake.
6
@PauloBello, for all the millions Bloomberg has spent...he isn’t polling even 3rd! He’s not viable.
2
Just because you feel that strongly about Trump does not mean the rest of us agree. Yes, a Trump second term is better than a communist in the White House.
Sanders concerns me as a candidate for sure, for many reasons noted in the article. That said, I would rather fight him tooth and nail over his policies and approach than continue fighting Trump over his far more divisive, hateful rhetoric and distortion of the truth.
9
To assume that Sanders should become a palimpsest in order to broaden his appeal is to miss the notion that the coalition already identifies strongly with what he stands for. Nevada voters, esp unionized workers. demonstrated that by overwhelmingly saying “yes” to Medicare for All even though their union reps were against it.
8
First, it is not the job of Democrats to nominate the candidate Republicans prefer.
Second, Sanders has decades of experience winning majorities in every county of Vermont, from the most progressive to the most conservative. He already has considerable skill in reaching beyond his core supporters. It's true that Vermont is not representative of the nation, but Sanders demonstrated in Nevada that he can build a truly diverse coalition.
11
Right now he's running for the nomination--not the election. Though I doubt he'll soften or change any of his positions, let's come back to this column in mid-July.
6
Bernie Sanders appeals to Taxpayers i.e. True American Patriots who want their tax dollars spent to benefit the working class and the environment. It is as simple as that.
16
Here is how it works. There are an estimated 253 million voters in the US. Only 129 million voted in the last presidential election. The most popular vote in the US is none of the above. You get a candidate that motivates a small fraction of these people to show up and you win. Every single person who voted for Trump last time can do so and Sanders can still win. Trump's crimes have inevitably lost him some voters from 2016. How many more people are going to show up for Trump that didn't last time? Boomers are 4 years older and people who were 14 - 17 in 2016 can now vote. The middle is not very relevant when you get new voters.
9
The oil and gas industry makes up 2% of Pennsylvania's economy.
Healthcare is 9%, manufacturing 11%.
This is just like the argument in 2016 over coal mining in WV.... those jobs don't exist anymore.
---------
I reject the notion that Sanders' candidacy lacks respect for those who aren't as progressive. Disagreement isn't disrespect. We can and do respect those who disagree with us, and do not expect them to automatically give up on their beliefs. We do however expect them to have faith in democracy. Support isn't a one-way street, either...
I also reject the characterization of his "Medicare for all" plan as "eliminating private insurance". As a professional writer - and an editorial writer at that - you very well understand how that particular phrasing works. You may as well eliminate the middle word - "eliminating insurance" - and turn the statement 180 degrees to have the opposite effect. There's a reason he's calling it "Medicare for all" and if you have any objectivity you'd call it the same thing instead of using the GOP talking point.
15
I guess a man who wants to make a better life for all of us is very frightening to pundits who have high six- and seven-figure gigs.
27
@Theresa, True! It’s amazing watching these pundits twist themselves into pretzels against Bernie!
7
I agree that Bernie needs to address process and detail to a greater extent on his key progressive proposals. Even as compromising figure as Obama’s rollout of the ACA was hampered by a combination of too little information and too much misinformation. Change is frightening to many.
On the other hand, I don’t see a compromise on fracking. Not only is it a strategy for extending the timeline until we reach Peak Oil, it’s a dirtier product in each and every respect. What could be offered to people employed in the fossil fuel industry is a clear alternative path.
7
Seriously, David? Why not use your platform to discuss Sanders' actual policies and educate the public? You've spent considerable time doing just that in promoting Warren, no? What are the masses to fear by a Sanders' nomination? Lower higher education costs? Lower health care bills? A higher federal minimum wage? A serious effort to reign in Wall Street's excesses? A serious effort to do something about the climate crisis? If all of these working and middle class policies go up in smoke via an unwilling Congress then the 2022 midterms will allow the American population to alter that roadblock. (Indeed, voters could ease Sanders' efforts considerably by ensuring Democratic majorities in the House and Senate next fall.)
And, do you really know that most Americans "favor a ban on private insurance"? Most have no idea what that means other than "change" -- and most are rightfully worried about change. But, if you'd use your platform to attempt to explain what that could mean I suspect most would be willing to listen. If they knew we could collectively spend far less for health care (like virtually every other advanced country on the planet manages to do) and get the same quality they'd surely at least want to know more, no? Start by asking them what they think of all the middlemen in the economy. Or, ask Corporate America's CEOs what they could do with the resources they currently must devote to their employees' health care. Wage gains anyone?
11
OK, I'm calmly accepting this new reality. It's true that Sanders' loudest boosters are more heat than light, but fine. A candidate who goes on national television and says he's not sure how he can pay for his programs, who reiterates his approval of Castro's Cuba, and who has said undocumented immigrants deserve free college tuition doesn't strike me as a safe bet. Good luck with that. I would have appreciate a more balanced Supreme Court in my lifetime, but whatever.
11
@Blair
You really need to get your "facts" straight. Bernie never "approved" of Castro's Cuba. He said the same thing that has been acknowledged by most objective observers, including Obama: there are some good things about it, like education and health care, and some terrible things--its authoritarianism. Nor did he offer free college to undocumented immigrants--he is calling for comprehensive immigration reform overall.
7
So instead, let’s re-elect a person who lies to us about how he will pay for his programs. That makes a lot of sense. But I guess some people feel more comfortable with lies that make them feel good than with truth that doesn’t.
4
Name two far left Democratic Governors, or mayors of large cities. The far left needs to continue to push for better government without name calling and shaming the liberal base that they consider too moderate. It is unrealistic to expect a major change if you can't negotiate and find common ground, of which there is plenty.
3
1. Gov. Jay Inslee WA; 2. Mayor Jenny Durkin Seattle; 3. Mayor Ted Wheeler Portland, OR; 4. Gov. Kate Brown OR. Should I go on?
1
Ok, David. But this is the Democratic primary where he is trying to appeal to Democrats.
When we get to the general election, I would be surprised if we didn't see Sanders (or whoever the eventual Democratic nominee is) making his pitch to moderates and undecideds.
And as you noted here, Sanders has many past examples of doing so.
1
Regarding the dogmatism of the progressive left, the philosopher Karl Popper said, “Whenever a theory appears to you as the only possible one, take this as a sign that you have neither understood the theory nor the problem which it was intended to solve.”. David points out the seriousness of the inflexibility of Sanders, and to a lesser extent Warren. That inflexibility will prevent them from forming winning coalitions. More flexibility could potentially move moderates closer to them and increase the chances of winning in November.
4
Four years ago, wasn't the GOP fretting that Trump had no chance of winning? Wasn't everybody certain right up to Election Day that Trump would lose?
9
Yes, Bernie has been a pragmatist through the years, while managing to hold steadfastly to a core set of beliefs. Sometimes change is achieved in bold swoops, sometimes in increments. How does that constitute a "lack of respect" for our electorate? Logic here fails: In Nevada, Sanders pulled votes from all demographics—unionists, rural folks, suburbanites, so-called whites and people of color.
The one sector that may feel disrespected by Bernie's campaign are those economic and cultural elites who think "class" is a dirty word and who largely embrace the very neoliberal policies that led to the 2008 crash and moreover propelled the diversion of extraordinary wealth from the working and middle classes to the 0.1%. Given that most arguments against Sanders' nomination have failed to carry weight (from his electability to his never-explained—and, in point of fact, disproven— radicalism), Leonhardt seems to be grasping for yet another illuionsary straw.
Understandably, those interests that have engorged themselves excessively at the expense of the common good are suddenly beginning to feel – not shame or chagrin as they should – but anxiety.
6
For the first time in my adult life, I'll be a "single issue" voter this year -- that issue will be to get trump out of office. Same goes for his Republican lackeys in Congress, who protect and enable Trump at all costs to the country. I don't feel great about it, but the damage that trump and the GOP will do with another 4 years of control has left me no choice.
So while Sanders isn't my first choice, should he win the nomination, I'll vote for him with no reservations.
The constant negative MSM headlines about this Democratic candidate or that one is all just noise to me. We can debate what's wrong with the Democratic party, but Democrats and the Dem candidates aren't the existential threat that Trump and the GOP have become. Not even Sanders, who's targeted as the dreaded "socialist".
Those who are well informed and who get their news from sources other than Fox or social media know that "socialist" is a meaningless buzzword that Trump's propaganda army regurgitates in an effort to stereotype and misrepresent all Democrats in the scariest light possible.
The trouble with people in the U.S. who carry on about “socialism” or any socialist policy is they usually have no clue what socialism is. Ask the Swedes, whose standard of living makes us look pathetic by comparison, if they’d like to move to the U.S. - a country that Trump and Republicans are turning into a banana republic that's every bit as regressive and dictatorial as places like Russia or Iran. Not a chance.
8
I’ve worked hard for everything I have. I get up every weekday at 5am and commute 4 hours total per day to afford my mortgage for a small house.
I’m not sharing my spoils with people who sleep in and collect welfare.
I’m already supporting a millennial; my own son!
And BTW, I didn’t finish my degree, so I’m surely not paying higher taxes to pay for some one else’s.
14
@Dorothy Who do you think pays for the public transport you use, the roads you drive on, the schools/ libraries/ and community centers you and your family use, the police in your neighborhood, etc? It's not all about your "spoils". BTW, my family pays for your use of those services too: we own property in Seattle and the Eastside.
And why are you supporting your son? Think on that. Is it because he's lazy, sleeps in, and collects welfare? Or is it because he has a lot of student debt to pay off and can't find a job that pays a steady living wage with reasonable benefits? Or is it because he's sick and needs better access to healthcare?
Finally, I assume you're fine with sharing your spoils with military contractors and Fortune 500 companies. We spend $250 million a day on warfare and 91 Fortune 500 companies paid $0 in 2018 in federal taxes ($74 billion we lost). You know who makes pays for war and that tax shortfall? You and me and other American citizens.
2
@Dorothy, your life sounds awful. Why not vote to improve it instead of fussing that Sanders might improve other people’s lives too?
It’s weird when people who have so little vote to ensure that their own lives stay the same, just to ensure that other people remain miserable, too. Self-destructive, in fact.
2
@Dorothy so, you'll kick the can down the road, and allow all the "goodies" to keep flowing to your corporate masters. I'm not surprised that you didn't finish your degree, with that way of thinking.
When will the "main stream" press realize that Bernie Sanders is a WINNER. For example in this editorial the assertion that fracking is regarded as dangerous by only a few radicals. Not. Ask any major environmental organization. Is his position on guns radical?
7
My problem with Sanders' ideas is they are nearly all devoted to treating the symptoms. He either doesn't understand or doesn't care about actual problems. This works on the average voter who obviously is most concerned with the symptoms. Any uptick for them is surely a plus. But I don't think it's a way to run a thoughtful policy among people with the presumed experience, knowledge, and influence to do better.
Example: free tuition. College is broken because costs have skyrocketed. Why have they skyrocketed? Because colleges gold plate themselves and hire more and more layers of bureaucracy. Why should we pay up to support and enable this? Further, why is college a public good in the first place? As vocational training, perhaps. As a place to get a well-educated citizenry, well what happened to public high school? Addressing the real problems would be pushing the responsibility for education back onto primary and secondary school, not papering it over with college for everyone while doing nothing to control costs the colleges bring upon themselves.
Second example: Rent control. The real solution to housing shortages is... more housing. With a side of disallowing foreign ownership of units that sit unoccupied. Anyone who bemoans inequality while preventing building in their neighborhood is a hypocrite at best. Unpopular position with property owners, though.
His plans are mickey mouse plans. I'm willing to pay up, but I was hoping for better than this.
10
Here’s an even better idea: ALL education should be paid for by individuals. No more K-12 education funded by taxes. Why should single people and couples with no kids and people who use private schools pay for your kids education in public schools? You’re just stealing their money to pay for your responsibilities. Completely unfair!
1
Bernie is the New Nader. Just as Ralph Nader ended up making George Bush the President of the United States, Bernie Sanders is likely to cement Trump's victory.
God help our Republic, and Bless America -please. We humans are not doing so well on our own.
14
Hilary Clinton made Trump president.
From your comment, I’m presuming that you’d like to try a candidate like her again.
The definition of insanity...
1
“a ban on fracking; the decriminalization of border crossings; the provision of federal health benefits to undocumented immigrants; the elimination of private health insurance.”
The above list neatly summarize the excess baggage that Democrats will need to toss if their flight toward victory over Trump is going to get off the ground.
11
This opinion article has proven yet again a very clear truth in US politics:
Say anything critical of any candidate and expect a full on food fight from said candidates supporters.
The response here from many Bernie Supporters was both predictable, validates the articles focus, and is a sad state of affairs for the party trying to unseat a despot in the White House.
Sanders is in some ways a visionary for change.. and deserves credit for that. But.. visionaries are so often also incapable of transforming vision into reality, and this is Bernie Sanders biggest shortcoming as a candidate... because he needs peace and collaboration of focus across the Democrat party at all levels and offices to realize his vision... yet his campaign is all about energy by grievance drawing sharp contrasts between candidates, rather than building a common and actionable platform...and that simply is not going to cut it.
9
By cleaving the Democratic Party into two irreconcilable halves, Bernie is sealing Trump’s November victory right here and now.
5
You don’t understand. People support Bernie because his ideas align with their vision for a more just nation. If the party gets cleaved, it won’t be because of Bernie or his supporters. It will be due to the self-righteousness of the Bernie haters. In effect, the Bernie haters will be the ones who re-elect Trump. Think about that for a while. If Trump gets re-elected because you didn’t vote, you’ll have four more years to think about what you’ve done. (By the way, I am not a Bernie supporter.)
2
@Seriphussr
You ignored everything, absolutely everything, in my comment.
And.. where... anywhere in my comment did I even remotely imply I would not vote?
I will vote against Trump... no matter what, but.. I also am objective enough to know that if I am voting for Bernie Sanders as the lessor of two evils.. it will still be an evil outcome for the nation as a whole. Bernie cannot execute on any vision he has put forth in his career in Washington, and Democrats have an actual opportunity to put a better and less divisive candidate on the ticket for November. Bernie is great for riling up his supporters with his memes, but that does not mean squat if he cannot execute on all his promises, and for that he needs support and alliances, not perpetual divisive grievances.
1
Mr. Leonhardt: I find your columns edifying and well written.However, to tell a "vieux de la vieille,"a politician to abandon his socialist crusade because it would hurt the party somewhere down the line and even in November is "loufoque!"Sanders is north of 75 years old. He has little to live for except his ideas, and you are asking him to chuck it all for a party which stabbed him in the back less than 4 years ago?Sanders is rolling. His ideas, which he would modify after being elected if that were the case, well, that would be a given. Interesting observation about Nevada voters that, having looked at the landscape of their own future:stagnant wages,not likely to rise dramatically, and the lack of AFFORDABLE HOUSING,decided that socialism was not such a bad system of ideas after all. Respect their decision and empathize with their frustration!What happened in Nevada will happen in S.C. and throughout the nation, my hunch!It's like John Maynard Keynes and Keynsian economics, based on deficit spending as the solution to an economic depression.When asked what would be the end game if nations just kept on spending, going further and further into debt,Keynes replied fatalistically, "In the long term we'll all be dead!"This anecdote may seem like a non sequeter, but I think you get the idea, that to ask a 78 year old man who has devoted his life to politics and to an ism is simply not realistic!As I wrote above, Sanders's movement is rolling, the train has left the station!
2
please note the inaccuracy of referring to Border crossing as a criminal act. It is not. Undocumented immigrants are violating administrative law, similar to a parking ticket. Separating children from their families and incarcerating them is the criminal act.
11
"It has to do with respect" is almost word-for-word part of the rant from the bad guy in Robocop. I think Mr. Leonhardt's readers deserve better rhetoric than that. If nothing else, we deserve a pundit who cares whether or not the ED-209 works, irrespective of military sales.
8
Once you wrote that Trump was respecting voters, I had to gag. Trump and Sanders may on the surface seem similar - older white men who seem motivated by anger - but the similarities end there.
Trump's anger is directed at anything that doesn't feed his ego. He insults at the slightest provocation, is a narcissist to the core, and loves fascists and dictators because of the "love" he feels for them. He denigrates our allies and the downtrodden because they're not worthy of his respect. For him, it's "my way or the highway", and "win-win" is a foreign concept.
Sanders is angry because of the gross and growing inequities in our society, where a handful of people own more wealth than the bottom half of the population. Where 87 million people are under-insured or have no health insurance, and a major medical emergency drives thousands into bankruptcy every year. Where blatant greed in the pharmaceutical industry drives obscene profits on lifesaving medications and resulted in one of the great public health crises (opioid addiction) of our times. Where our immigration policy is driven not by compassion or rationality, but by racism and cruelty. Where the "family values" party kowtows to a serial adulterer who pays hush money to strippers to stay in power.
Give me Sanders over incrementalists who attempt to appeal to an undefined middle (suburban housewives? Wall Street brokers? Appalachian coal miners? NY Times columnists?) and lose sight of their principles in the process.
9
As you can tell by my moniker, I have voted only for Democrats. If sanders is the nominee, I will stay home, since he is, in fact, not a Democrat, even officially. He’s just stealing the Democratic nomination by making promises he cannot keep. So take heed Bernie babies....what you did to Hillary and the country is about to come back and bite you.
For those states with republican senators running, we all need to pray you elect Democrats. It will be the only way to limit trump’s damage.
12
Let's keep it simple...regardless of whether Bernie Sanders is the nominee or it's Mike Bloomberg, or someone in between--every single Democratic nominee believes in climate change, every single nominee believes the Supreme Court should protect a woman's right to choose if she should carry a fetus to full term, each believes in LGBTQ rights and immigrant's rights, each believes in protecting federal lands from polluters, and each believes proposing common sense gun policies is way past due. I hope anyone who cares about these issues keeps them front and center in their minds, because you can bet that every single Trumpist in this country wants to limit immigration to white people from Norway, limit a woman's right to control her body and her future, let corporations dictate EPA policy, ensure that there are ZERO limits on gun violence and the NRA's stranglehold on Red States remains. THAT is what is at risk...Bernie Sanders and his brand of democracy will not threaten ANY of that. Trump and his horde pf MAGAs will threaten ALL OF IT. They will take away healthcare. Eviscerate the social safety net. Pollute the nation's natural resources and more. Enough with the fear-mongering on the left.
6
I think that Sanders neds to get a kazoo band organized, kind of spice up the endless chants of the same anthem again and again.
Seriously, folks, another aspect of the shape of disaster to come: answering every question with the same combo of talking points, iffy stats, and threatening guff.
6
@Robert and that's different from Trump how?
Sanders voters in the three states that Trump won and led to his Presidency were the margin of Trump's victory.
Sanders voters who voted for Trump put him in the oval office.
Ponder that for moment.
Arthur Brooks on The Takeout
Arthur Brooks discusses his disagreements with Trump at National Prayer Breakfast
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arthur-brooks-discusses-his-disagreements-with-trump-at-the-national-prayer-breakfast/
1
Trump have better publicly debate whoever the Democratic presidential nominee is. Debates favor Democracy, Infomercials favor Dictators.
THANK YOU!!! Say it loud!! I've been saying this to my liberal compatriots for a long time. I get called names and get dropped for having ideas outside the inflexible progressive creed. It's as if they want to be able to say, when Trump wins in November, "it's all your fault because you stepped out of line." The Left can be just as closed-minded as the Right.
10
maybe russia wants us to become the old soviet union!
if bernie is nominated, i guess a lot of people will hold their noses and vote for trump.
3
If showing disrespect means advocating for universal health care, a fair and just tax system, a living wage, and a brighter future for my children, he can point that cranky finger at me all day and disrespect me!
6
Just saying
But other democratic candidates, who are more electable than Sanders, are saying the same things. A fair and just tax system. Livable wages. Better education system. Health insurance for all incrementally developed and implemented. Protecting the environment. Nominating Sanders will elect trump. Pray that this does not happen.
5
The NY Times keeps writing about Bernie as if we have a popular vote in this country. It doesn't matter what you or I think about him--where I live in Seattle they could roll out the corpse of a squirrel to lead the democratic party and Trump would still lose significantly. Old white men in the midwest seem to like Bernie--if I learned anything from the last election that's ALL that matters. Bernie's not my favorite democrat but as long as he wins those voters then I really do not care at all.
6
I caused myself considerable family problems by switching to the Republican party, after being a lifelong New York Democrat. I did so for the sake of the survival of Israel. Bernie Sanders just announced with pride that he will not be attending the American Israel Public Affairs Committee meeting this year, not bothering to mention that he has never attended AIPAC meetings. Keep in mind, please, that family fights are the worse; there are many Jewish Democrats who cannot stomach the attacks on Israel coming out of their party, and will either just neglect the presidential choice on their ballot, or will go Republican for that essential first slot, or sit it out. I suspect that the sudden Democratic candidates recognition that both the Israelis and the ever-suffering Palestinians have a right to peace has much to do with faithful Jewish donors and volunteers sitting out this year.
3
You do know that Sanders is Jewish...right? For however much Trump might seem to love Israel it feels like he's doing it to just turn the left more against the Jews that are overwhelming liberal. I care about Israel too but I won't vote for a White Supremecist that's trying to make America so unlivable for us that we end up moving to Israel.
1
Sanders is a beginning to act like a senile Sandinista (pun fully intended) while Trump would be most comfortable in the role of "El Presidente" Somoza.
In 40 years, the US may very well look like Nicaragua today.
Let's look at the bright side: We would still be the leader of the League of Banana Republics then, and Bernie may some day grace the front of T-shirts the way Che Guevara still does today.
4
If Sanders' appeal is to a small slice of the Democratic electorate as Mr. Leonhardt insists why has the senator done so well in the first three Democratic contests?
Could the answer possibly be that the real changes both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren advocate are scarier to a cloistered New York Times columnist than they are to Americans who have been the victims of the neoliberal fantasies and centrism championed by the New York Times and the rest of the mainstream media since the Clinton Administration?
6
The question facing DNC elites nowadays is, who do they want to lose with?
6
But the Democratic party makes much bigger mistakes.
"Even Trump, radical as he is, flouted Republican orthodoxy by sounding like a populist Democrat on Social Security, Medicare and trade."
What Trump says and what he does are two different things.
There are few politicians anywhere as brazenly mendacious, unethical and evidently lacking in compunction as Trump.
3
Does Sanders pay his trolls by the comment or by the word count? Dollars or rubles?
Oh well, in 4 years this will probably all be over anyway - unless Animatronic Bernie is a viable candidate. It could happen!
4
Leonhardt is making a big mistake. It has to do with respect.
What would be a mistake for Sanders? Taking advice from the legion of no-nothings who laughed at Trump and thought Hillary would beat him easily.
Why do these DINO Times columnists, Chuck Todd, Chris Matthews, James Carville, etc. still have platforms from which to spew?
They’re history.
6
Wow, so fun to see how scared the pitiful irrelevant Clinton wing of the party is now that Bernie is roaring ahead. From blindly embracing Bloomberg, to whispers of "communism", to Rahm Emanuel's (seriously?!) cautionary warnings to this ridiculous column.
Hey, David? There may be more people in Pennsylvania that want fracking to stop than not. Let's find out because you don't know. And you Trumpistas loudly declaring victory in February, that Sanders can't carry one midwestern or southern state? Let's find out because you don't know. This is a national election, not a district in western Pennsylvania.
Admit it, you're all scared. Not that he can't win, but that he can. And that he will.
5
Tell it to him David! You who have been so right about Hillary and Biden and who knows what other failure.
7
Well said
2
Blah blah blah. This entire election comes down to states where most of us have never been.
2
I am an Independent. I have voted my conscience for well over 55 years. In all fairness and clear conscience, I cannot vote for Sanders or Trump. I will vote for my choice but it won't be a Democrat or Republican, neither one represents my core values.
My problem with Sanders is not his honesty because what is honest for you may not be what is honest for me. An excerpt from Plato - "..the truth being that the excessive increase in anything often causes a reaction in the opposite direction,". This is the "mike drop" line that should be applied to the excessive promises of Sanders that is his mantra, meme', or whatever you care to describe it as along with the impeachment attempt.
He is a socialist to his core and he will not change. While his supporters are solidly behind him at 99%, his core does not represent the Main Street voter in this country. At some point in the future it might but for now, it is a sure fire disaster of a campaign theme and will end in a monumental defeat.
I do expect the Senate to gain Republican representation and for the House to flip again and Trump re-elected. The public in general is a perfect example of the law of physics applied to politics.
Democrats embraced the 24/7/365 impeachment pursuit and are now embracing the Sanders cornucopia of free things that must be paid for by not only the wealthy but the middle class and poor alike. The backlash is coming and if you are not prepared, don't ever say you were not warned.
5
This is how Bernie shows respect. Bernie is a decent man with high morals and ethics. 1. He is the only candidate to propose a meaningful program to mitigate climate change in order to provide a habital planet and move toward climate justice for all of humanity. 2. Healthcare as a human right for all people 3. excellent early childcare. 4. Supports women's reproductive rights. 5. Justice and equality for all races, religions, and gender. 6. Making sure that the weakest and most vulnerable are taken care of with housing, safe environment, food and healthcare. 7. His programs support a safe work place where workers can earn a livable wage and possibly have some degree of ownership the the company. 8. Has a reasonable immigration plan.
Bernie is showing little respect for the corporate and media elite who show little respect for him and less respect for hard working people in this country. I am frustrated by those who indicate they would vote for a narcissistic sociopath who is amoral without ethics, denying climate change(the greatest threat humanity has ever seen), tearing apart our democracy, supporting nationalist in the US, and creating discord among us all rather than vote for Democratic Socialist.
I am Nancy's husband, a liberal democrat, and child and adolescent psychiatrist. I have been medical director of behavioral healthcare systems and medical director of a medium size insurance company.
7
a funny thing about change is that it changes. i grew up thinking there would be permanent progress. ha ha ha on me. i realize now that there always going to be regression and counterbalancing. a friend said recently that if Sanders wins in 2020 the backlash from the right will be so great that it will almost certainly guarantee a dictatorship in 2024. while i agree with Sanders's policies I don't know if they are tenable for the nation we have before us right now. there is too much hatred and fear to expand anything. the best we can do is hold on, gain some ground back, and hope for a better tomorrow. how about klobuchar for VP to bring moderates in.
2
Respect for voters entails being honest about your belies and being who you are even if you are misunderstood. The fact is that for all the conversation, nothing will change unless Progressive Democrats take House, Senate and Presidency. Then we will need to sit back and watch lawsuits over new policy make their way through the packed court system and the biased Supreme Court.
Much of Sanders support is young people who don't always show up at the polls--under 20% if memory serves me. He'll have a job holding on to them let allow attracting other voters to his far left agenda. Hillary was right about him--trust her on that. In 1972 McGovern was liberal but at least he had reason on his side. We all want a perfect society, but this is the one we've got and hopefully we can work within it to make things better for the greatest number. It's good to open the windows and the breezes blow in but not tear down the house.
2
Bernie will win the presidency because he is authentic
and consistent - exactly what voters want.
Voters do not want compromise and that is why this will be a battle between Trump and Sanders.
4
I want to win and winning requires a broad tent. Narrow-minded Bernie purists will send the Dems to certain defeat.
2
So many of us share Bernie's hopes but simply differ on how to get there. It is human nature to resist change; look at how we feel about Trump's outrageous changes. As David Leonhardt says, Bernie's exclusion of those who disagree; and Bernie's push to take away the now popular Obamacare will just further divide this country.
The country needs to move forward together, not as two opposing tribes. For me the only sensible option is to nominate a moderate Democrat with a record of collaboration and accomplishment. And somebody who likes people, not just his acolytes.
I fear that a vote for Bernie is a vote for Trump. Their campaign for the general would feature Bernie talking about the virtues of communism...can you imagine how they would distort his well intentioned remarks?
So, tho I do like Bernie and have great respect for his dedication to working for all the people, I have to say: "Anyone but Bernie." It is great to have his strong voice in the Senate.
2
This is exactly the kind of shallow analysis that fills a page with words and says absolutely nothing new, interesting, or on target. Sanders's appeal lies precisely in coming across as a true devotee of the causes he champions rather than a triangulating politician even for those who don't agree with all of his positions, perhaps in the same way that moderate and liberal Catholics go to mass faithfully and don't believe in much of the church teaching. The constraints on Sanders's ability to change the country's politics domestically will be beyond him in his own party and the Republicans, who simply have ceased to be a credible party in any moral or politically responsible sense. Do people, even non-Catholics, like Francis, the pope? Yes. What percentage of his positions do they actually agree with? The situation must be viewed in multiple dimensions and greater complexity than what this analysis achieves.
2
A sad situation for the election and for our country- given Bernie's positions and hazy answers on cost and how to pay for all he is promising- I'm reliving the Nixon era chant-"Four more years..."- not good....not good :-( !
1
I am really concerned that the top vote getter so far in this Comments section, “617to 416”, is praising Sanders for “not pandering to anyone”. That’s essentially a “my way or the highway” stance — a take-no-prisoners approach to governing which we’ve actually been experiencing recently from the current administration.
Please note: I said “essentially”. I’m in no way trying to draw a false equivalency between what I would describe as the despotic authoritarianism that Trump has been delivering of late and Sanders’ vociferous insistence on his healthcare, taxation and other relatively left of center policies.
But I definitely feel the need to caution those who do fear that the incumbent Narcissist-in-Chief has effectively pushed our democracy to the brink of viability to think twice, and maybe several more times before voting for a candidate who is, in fact, promoting his own particular brand of absolutism. Please.
An election that ends with a Sanders presidency could very well lead to our inheriting a Republican Senate as a balancing act that won’t play ball by either ignoring or overriding every progressive initiative or, if the voting public looking for a return to some semblance of normalcy balks at electing a democratic socialist president, we could end up with four more years of a Trump imperial reign. If either outcome should occur, then God help us all.
1
I've followed and known Bernie since his days as mayor of Burlington. He is the prototype of this progressive orthodoxy. He has never cared for any opinion other than his own. I wrote him once about an issue I was having (health care related) when he was in the House. The letter back said explicitly he had no concern for my issue on that matter. I wish I had not thrown that letter away.
10
One Sander's policy choice that many, myself included, have a hard time swallowing is universal rent control. Why is it a landlord's responsibility to address a social problem? Sure you can claim this is about rich and poor but this is not the same thing - there are a lot of middle class property owners who worked hard for their equity and feel as though they are about to be punished for their prudent investment choices. Large property owners, the likes of Trump, have paid off politicians to get favorable legislation for their investments. This does not scale fairly to the little guy. Social problems are the problems that government can and should solve, not problems that private individuals should be singled out to shoulder. Tinkering with this aspect of free markets can have disastrous effects.
5
Anyone who thinks Bernie will tack to the center in the general is deluding themselves. It would alienate his base and compromise his long held beliefs. I don’t see him doing it.
When you talk to Bernie people they believe fervently that HRC’s centrism was the reason we lost last time
(ignoring her horrible trust rating and Bernie’s tepid support after the convention). They think the enthusiasm of his coalition and cutting into Trump’s working class base will carry the day. They refuse to believe that suburban women (the same demographic that decided the recent mid term) will decide this election as well. We face the terrifying prospect of four more years of Trump and a Republican Congress as well. We will all be living in a nightmare that will make the last four years look mild in comparison.
I will support him if he’s the nominee but I fear we are headed for disaster.
7
Bernie's supporters sound like Peter Pan telling us how to save Tinker Bell: If you believe, really believe, then it will be so. I'll vote for Bernie--I'd vote for a lamp post over Trump--but fear his nomination will mean not just losing the presidency, but the House and Senate as well.
10
@Barbara
we will lose seats in the House but not the majority.
McConnell—Trump's surrogate—will retain control of the Senate.
2
Despite the authors implied premise that Sanders is disrespectful to more moderate or conservative voters, polls since 2016 show that Sanders does best among Democratic contenders with these very same constituencies. How could this be Sanders is either disrespectful and antagonistic?
The author conflates Sander's consistent position on Medicare for All as some sort of moral condescension when the core of Sanders' argument for M4A is that it is the most affordable and covers the most people out of all the plans proposed. This is not as much a moral argument as it is an economic argument.
Maybe what these voters are responding to is a reasonable platform well articulated that is in their best interests.
5
@Jonathan C For a good idea of how well Medicare for all would work, it would be useful to study how the Veterans Administration manages and administers health care for our veterans. In some places it does well, but in many places - especially small towns - its record is poor. If Sanders were to be president he would have a difficult time getting his M4A through Congress. The thought of losing what one has for health care coverage in a new, untested universal system will be a turn-off to many older voters. It would also complicate a new Sanders administration from day one and create more and greater divisions in our society.
There is also the question of whether physicians would sign on to a universal system and abandon their private practices for government-set fees and conditions. Already, many physicians do not accept Medicare/Medicaid patients. How would Bernie deal with this?
3
@bkbyers I think this is a fundamental misconception about what Medicare for All is and is not. M4A healthcare providers remain private sector providers whereas with the VA, hospitals and clinics are owned and run by the federal government. VA is truly a socialized medicine system, therefore looking at the VA to see how M4A would work would not be an accurate comparison. M4A handles the insurance and payment aspect, not the provider aspect.
The idea that universal healthcare is untested is also untrue, at least not in the western world. In fact most if not all western industrialized nations (except us) have implemented some form of universal health coverage. These systems have proven to cost less per person and have better outcomes.
The question of whether physicians would abandon private practices is falsely premised on thinking they would become federal employees which is untrue. The truth is they would not and would remain private. Whether they would take medicare rates is good question, however, it should be noted that physicians already have to take standard rates from insurance companies. This is why I believe while no system would be perfect, M4A would much better than the system we have now.
1
I am not a "Bernie Bro" and did not vote for him but, I find articles like this lacking in perspective and empathy. Yes, Bernie and his supporters make issues such as healthcare and free college moral issues because for many within the country these are life-altering policies and issues. Many minority groups within the nation have been ignored and hindered by the politics of our nations since its beginning. Bernie and his supporters recognize these issues and the importance of having policies that work for all people, not just appeal to those who the policies currently cater to. I do admit that Bernie supporter's interactions with non-supporters could be more respectful but his policies do not lack respect. His policies are about empathy towards those who are not white or wealthy. It is on those who policies cater to, to understand how these policies respect minorities and are attempting to make politics fair for all.
4
Winning the nomination gives you control of the Democratic Party.
That is why the Establishment will deny Sanders the nomination even if it means losing to Trump.
7
@True Observer
Sanders' nomination is the guarantor of Trump's election.
9
David says, "Can you think of one way that Bernie Sanders is signaling respect to voters outside of his base?"
Sure can. Honesty is respect.
13
@Voting Oregonian
just like Trump.
love him, hate him have contempt for him Trump speaks honestly.
honesty is the same as telling the truth.
Trump honest? You need in become better informed. Just google trumps lie count.
1
As out of style as Joe Biden appears to be, I like his demeanor, his respect for working families, and his congressional and White House experience. Sure, he’s made mistakes, but any politician who has been in elective office as long as he was is bound to make some. He doesn’t wear his politics on his shoulders like Bernie. And he is more realistic about what is possible in Congress. He is the only candidate that has successfully grappled with health care reform and he knows how difficult it is to reach compromises with members of the opposition party.
Bernie is popular. Some voters like his unconventional style and hard-driving rhetoric. Bernie is a year older than me; Biden just a couple of months older. We’ve all been around Washington politics for decades. I trust Biden to be able to launch his presidency in the Oval Office immediately without having to go through a learning process. I expect that he would embrace as many different people and groups in setting up his administration as possible because he understands this is the way to achieve goals and get buy-in from opposition groups. Bernie does not seem to respect this. He’s betting on getting a very large voter turn-out among younger voters. If he’s the Dem candidate, he may be flattened by Trump in the November election. Biden, on the other hand, would be a more formidable opponent, especially if he rallies supporters from many different groups in our society.
7
I hope that this is a serious topic of the next debate . . . and I hope that Bernie Sanders remembers what helped him win in VT.
3
"Can you think of one way that Bernie Sanders is signaling respect to voters outside of his base?"
Yes.
Sanders appeals to the kind of voter who has authority issues with women, not with men. He has virility, like Trump so that those who identify with him will move toward him, even if they had voted for Trump.
Nobody "supports" Trump. To support implies to know and understand his position. What his "defenders" do is identify with him. What they identify with is that his ardent virility is always under attack and naysayers want to humiliate him. Not just disagree, but take him down a notch. Those same 'defenders" would find Sanders the kind of guy they can identify with. Trump voters, looking for more virility will move toward Sanders. We live in the age of humiliation and if a candidate is being targeted with humiliation, people will move toward that candidate, regardless of policy.
4
Like most mainstream Democrats, Leonhardt is always ready to compromise, even before getting to the negotiating table. In fact, he's so eager to compromise, he won't even put forward his real beliefs, he starts from his proposed compromise. Take fracking: Bernie understands that fracking is a much greater threat to the environment that has been understood up to some recent studies, and so he puts forward a ban on fracking. Leonhardt says that will hurt him in Pennsylvania, so he should back away. Actually, the right thing for a politician to do in this case is to use the campaign to educate voters in Pennsylvania and elsewhere that fracking is not in their interest, and threatens them even in the short run. I am quite confident that many Pennsylvania voters are either already opposed to fracking, get nothing from it personally and understand that it will poison their water as well as promote climate change, and that many others can be persuaded that it is not good for them. Thats the difference between a principled and honest politician who stands up for what is right and one that is willing to shift and bend with every political breeze.
7
What are we supposed to do? Tip-toe around climate catastrophe while handing out participation trophies to aging moderates? This is a fight for our lives.
6
Sanders isn't more 'liberal' than the other Dem candidates. Liberal means equal opportunity (in things like housing, education, & employment) and respect for all, regardless of race, religion, gender or gender preference. So all of the Dem. candidates except for Bloomberg are liberal. You can't be more or less liberal. But Sanders is moreprogressive than the other candidates. He has the longest & strongest commitment to greater economic justice, which is why so many people are enthusiastic about him, even tho he hasn't got the greatest personality.
3
Some good points: chief among them -- The Bernie we are hearing now is not the Bernie who charmed us in the past.
2
I'm a 75 year old white male. I have always held my nose voted Democratic as the Democratic candidates have steadily marched to the right seeking to include more people. It hasn't worked. Inequality has blossomed under their and Republican plans. We have the worst healthcare system in the first world (unless you are extremely rich), thanks to both parties. We support and encourage some of the worst leaders in the world.
Unless Bernie or Elizabeth is the Democratic nomination, I will not vote for the Democrat. Being from California, that is an easy choice. We need a change, not a change provided by people who to some degree or another want to keep doing what has failed in the past.
3
The real problem is Bernie genuinely doesn't respect those who disagree with him. If we don't see the world the way Bernie does, we are the enemy. Who does that remind you of?
14
The 'newly energetic American left' is made up primarily of young people that have little experience with basic life lessons. They grew up in recession and are rightfully bitter about their transition into adulthood in a limited job and housing market, many after accruing too much debt in college. The public school system they grew up in tells them that they are great, don't have to follow the rules, and are victims if they are a minority of any kind (pick one; there have been many created by the PC media and the outrageously inept Dept. of ED
There are also some older people that embrace Bernie, but for the same reason. They believe they are victims; don't have what they deserve because 'someone else' took it. Bernie appeals to the least responsible among us, and those that have been told they are not responsible for their actions.
6
@Ma Bernie appeals to Taxpayers i.e. True American Patriots who want their tax dollars spent to benefit the working class and the environment.
1
"Beating Trump in November will be even harder. And uncomfortable compromises will make it more likely."
Many people who voted for Trump in 2016 have been hurt by his trade policies and people see the rising deficit and tax cuts for the 1% as bad news. Trump won the electorate by a little less than 80,000 votes and I don't think his base has increased, if anything I think he has lost support.
As long as voter suppression and foreign interference does not skew the election in any meaningful way (we can only hope), I don't see beating Trump in 2020 as that insurmountable.
4
With respect to the author’s theory, this is primary season. Sanders is appealing to the most interested and movable blocs of the Democratic Party. If he wins the nomination, the hard part will be convincing his core supporters that his new messaging — the kind that will appeal a bit more broadly — is necessary to win. The fully-sorted two-party system, with its popular selection process (the primary) demands that candidates speak to the extreme.
3
Bernie Sanders Is Making a Big Mistake
Looks like his big mistake is getting him the nomination.
12
"this is not a column urging Democrats to return to Clintonian centrism"
Democrats should return to Clintonian centrism. It worked beautifully. I think Bloomberg would be a chance for this, but lack hope after his disaster in last weeks debate.
What did all those attacks do for Warren anyway?
6
@Dave
"What did all those attacks do for Warren anyway?"
It sets her up to be Bernie's running mate or a cabinet member. If she was truly interested in getting the nomination she'd be attacking Bernie, not Bloomie.
5
@Dave
Glad you feel that way, Clintonism
Was napalm for minorities who are still reeling from the effects to this day.
2
The predicament the Democrats find themselves reminds me of a piece in a blog I read recently. The article was entitled, The Bucking Horse and was on this blog site: https://a-reasonable-man.com/.
Essentially what it says that going to far too quickly back to the left will do nothing more than further irritate the American electorate who is getting tired of being yanked hard one way or the other.
What Senator Sanders does not realize or does not care about is that this election is not about Medicare for all or free college or student debt forgiveness. It is for literally the continued existence of our constitutional democratic republic which, if Trump gets reelected will be most assuredly further dismantled as we now see with the emasculation of Congress, the DOJ and now the intelligence service. Next, no doubt, will be the elimination of the free press as there will be no guardrails left to stop Trump's march to an authoritarian government.
I am not optimistic that Sanders can be stopped short of an all out war at the convention which could literally cause a rupture that will lead to Trump's victory.
3
@Dick Moran
There’s no predicament.
Bernie is what this country needs.
1
@Hmmm I would hope it is so.
1
Well said. The 2016 election hinged on blue collar male voters in Rust Belt states. Most of them voted for Obama, but didn't support Hillary. Sanders has one job - to win those people back. Go get 'em, Tiger.
4
As an Anyone-but-Trump Democrat, I fear a Sanders candidacy. Even with a Democrat Senate and House, Bernie will not be able to pass what he promises and what he promises could hurt our country's economy and the people he claims he will help. Sanders is already painted as a communist by the right. Many Dems such as myself will be pained to vote for Sanders. Don't make our task so difficult. At this time in history we need the opposite of Trump - calm, respectful, intelligent, boring leadership - to begin to heal our country. Bernie is the nuclear option.
10
I just wish Bernie and his supporters would be honest about the reality of Denmark. I want a system like that but they lie to us. Their lies terrify me. From the NYT 2015-
Can the United States be more like Denmark, or any of the other Scandinavian nations? Indeed, it can so long as Americans are willing to follow a few simple steps.
An American making 49,000 now pays 22% taxes. In order to recreate Denmark, this will go to 45% for that one person.
For instance, in Denmark, plumbers pay the same 50 percent income tax as hedge fund managers. And there’s also a 25 percent value added tax on most purchases (180 percent on car purchases), far above the 7 percent average sales tax in most states.
And because so much is raised from consumption taxes, in general things are more expensive in Scandinavian countries. For example, a beer in Denmark will cost you 75 percent more in than in the U.S.
Danish university students are not permitted to study what they please as in the U.S. Students apply to study a specific subject. None of this liberal arts nonsense about the nation needing well-rounded citizens.
Lastly, Denmark only has 5.63 million citizens. The United States has 23 million illegal immigrants who currently use social safety nets like emergency Medicaid, WIC, SNAP, housing vouchers, etc.
5
Really. It's Sanders whose problem is a lack of respect. Interesting take.
6
I do not believe Bernie can beat Trump. Many of those who voted for Trump only did so because they could not stand Hillary. If Bernie had been the nominee the outcome would have been the same. Most of the voters do not like the term
'socialism' so they will vote for authoritarianism (Trump) instead.
6
If the majority of Americans still want a lying, narcissistic, ignorant president who only cares about himself then I give up. Then the country will get exactly what it deserves.
1
Agree with this piece. I will vote for Bernie if he is the candidate because I want to put out the fire and because I don't think that many of his more radical ideas are practical nor would they have enough support.
But he has done more of a job espousing his ideological view than he has portraying a solid vote gathering strategy.
Nonetheless, I know a bunch of people of who won't vote for him (but want tRump gone) because of the possible disruption to their comfy middle class lifestyle. There's a lot of voters in that group. Thus, bernie will likely ensure trump's reelection if he is the candidate.
3
Agree very much. Sanders is not my candidate but I will vote Democrat in the fall no matter what. I sure would feel a lot more comforted if he becomes the candidate and I don't have to hear him shouting about the impurities of everyone but himself and his followers. We all need to be one gigantic coalition who care about the things Trump and the GOP are not caring about. There is no black and white when you're talking about millions. Make room for all of us, stop shouting us all down and invite us to hear more. If not, I agree that Trump will win. He attacks those out of his party, not within which for now, works a whole lot better than attacking your own party just to seem different.
2
Well, if the dems can manage to not have a socialist nutcase like Bernie, who acts like if you just give enough free stuff away everything is magically perfect, then I'll happily vote for the democratic candidate.
However, if it's Bernie vs. Trump, then I'm forced to do what I did in 2016 and abstain, by voting 3rd party, due to NO acceptable mainstream candidates.
Liberals denying the swing vote matters is, IMO, giving Trump a very good chance of winning again?
What's more important? Getting Trump out of there and dealing with things like climate change and many other critical policies, or pushing a far left economic agenda that will turn off a LOT of voters?
Disclosure: I'm a moderate who leans left on social issues and right on economic issues, and votes for candidates, not for a given party. I think the idea that almost all such voters have disappeared is a huge fallacy.
8
@Roger Geyer not voting blue will ensure a trump win and then we can lament over another 4 years of damage to the environment. the coverage over sanders is weird. he has spoken out significantly against anyone who is not respectful. he himself is very respectful. his only opponent is trump as far as i can tell.
i lean right on economic issues too. but we have almost always done well during left leaning presidencies. and BALLOONED the debt during republican rule. also republican rule will be trumpian in the future. i would say bush is a reprieve but we all know that he tanked the economy.
4
I take David's point about trying to be more appealing to worried moderate voters. People in the suburbs may well be put off by talk of revolution and socialism. I think people that have listened to Bernie and read some of his platform realize that he is not a "socialist" in that he does not argue for the wholesale dismantling of capitalism (see Paul Krugman's article on this point). He is clearly working within the confines of the capitalist system. I think Bernie would do well to point this out.
6
I'm a democrat who is as left in spirit as Bernie. But I think David is spot on.
Warren has made accommodations without being an ideologue. I hope the convention listens.
Bernie is looking like a Jeremy Corbyn. He won't be able to deliver and he's leaving no room to compromise.
A Manichean choice between Trump and Sanders in the next election isn't going to bring much more than chaos and more disillusionment.
6
David--thanks for giving us in the never-Bernie camp of Dems something more to worry about. Traditional Dem reluctance to even talk to independents will be enhanced by Bernie at the head of the ticket.
4
I would like nothing more than for Bernie to win and I have decided to support him. But he would do well take this advice seriously. More than one has tried to run on a platform of radical change - and failed. People are naturally cautious. Deliberation is not an altogether bad thing. If you scare off those in the middle, those who are just trying to get from one day to the next in one piece that voter will choose the known over the unknown, no matter the cost. Trump is constantly and rightfully criticized for the constant tweeting; his uncivil tone. Bernie would do well to take the same advice.
4
But not making a sudden change means 4 more years of Trump. Even if Bernie were not proposing policies that are good for the country, how could anyone argue, in good conscience, that anyone other than Trump would be an improvement? Keep in mind that Bernie is not proposing anything even remotely revolutionary.
"He, along with Elizabeth Warren, has embraced policies that are popular on the left and nowhere else: a ban on fracking; the decriminalization of border crossings; the provision of federal health benefits to undocumented immigrants; the elimination of private health insurance."
And yet SHE is the only one pressed for details, and she DID walk back her M4A plans… how did that go for her?
She is the nominee we are looking for and I hope that Dems wake up to that before it's too late.
1
Ideologically, if they think about their political beliefs at all, the majority of Americans are somewhat to the right of center. Bernie's supporters are in denial about this. In 2020, nominating a candidate who describes himself as a socialist, calls for a political revolution, and is intolerant of compromise on the issues, can only lead to defeat. At some point in the future millennials may be able to outvote the center-right older generation, but that time is not yet.
7
@Evan
I agree with you on all points, but would like to think that Bernie isn't as uncompromising as he sounds--and often votes. His appeal is principal--something we could use in other public servants--don't compromise until you absolutely have to, and even then he doesn't always.
So yes, I'm in the never-Bernie camp, and he's yet to show capacities of running toward the center when he has to. But he's never had to. If he's the nominee, we'll see what he's capable of.
Sorry, Sanders is appealing to everyone. He always says he is running for all of us, the 99% and that includes Leonhardt. Combating climate change for everyone, healthcare for everyone, social and economic justice for everyone and ending perpetual wars for everyone. He says: "I’m running for president so that, when we are in the White House, the movement we build together can achieve economic, racial, social and environmental justice for all."
2
@Denis
Really?
How?
Especially with the likely GOP Congress Bernie will bring with him.
Even if its a Dem House and a flipped Senate; there'll be lots of opposition to Bernie's programs from less progressive districts. Will he be willing or even able to pass anything?
His record says, "No".
5
The prob is, that’s what Trump said...minus the adjectives.
Sorry, but I learned long ago that whatever somebody says, of they’re punching you in the face, they are punching you in the face.
1
The idea that Sanders could be the nominee makes me angry. Does anyone really believe that his policies will ever become law? Seriously? That is naive at best. In any event, he won't beat Trump because the only way to beat Trump is to pull in moderates and no moderate is going to vote for Sanders. They will stay home. So you are asking for four more years of an unleashed Trump. That prospect scares me. A lot. And I will blame all of the Bernie voters if he is the nominee.
I am also mystified as to why Sanders is popular. I am looking for someone who is not divisive. I wish we could have a caretaker government for four years so we can all recover from Trump. I'd like it to be quiet for a few years. Just toned down. Instead we have Bernie, an angry old man who appears to have zero sense of humor and zero tolerance for anyone who even marginally disagrees with him. Honestly, just listening to him talk makes me mad and I am a liberal. But I am realistic and pragmatic (the Obama way). But Bernie has principles you say? It's nice to have principles. Unfortunately, "principle" is not going to get him any ground in Washington.
Oh, and then there is the gun issue. Yeah, that is a complete deal breaker for me.
11
Trump has been good, very good, for mainstream media business. At the end of the day it needs to make that profit. Of my six plus decades here on this earth more news print has gone to Trump than anyone else I can think of. I am so saturated with Trump coverage, I can't see straight. I have had to detach from it. But hey, Trump sells. Why mess with a good thing?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2018/11/05/happy-election-season-media-donald-trump-has-been-very-good-for-you/
2
Bernie is shifting the Overton Window in his favor. He is just ahead of the game. That is what a leader does. He does not read polls and decides. He does not look at the rear view mirror. He understands where the public is going before they even see it. Come November, there will be many more Bernie supports than now.
1
He swipe Trump’s Glowing Orb or something?
Good grief.
“Trump has an excellent chance to win re-election and usher in a dark era for American progressivism.”
Here, Mr. Leonhardt, let me fix that for you....
“Trump has an excellent chance to win re-election and usher in a dark era for *America*.”
3
Bernie indicated in a recent speech in San Antonio that he will begin his rule by executive order, a la Trump. Wouldn't it be nice rather to have Congress enact our laws again?
11
Here's what Leonhardt doesn't understand. There has always been a tradition in this country for a politician to cobble together positions on issues to try and form a coalition that will succeed for them. But that's not what Sanders does. His positions are chosen based on a moral compass, not a pragmatic one. He didn't choose his position on fracking, for instance, based on which segments of the populace it would deliver for him. He chose it based on the fact that fracking is poisoning the water table, possibly beyond repair, and causing earthquakes. That's the truth, regardless of how many Pennsylvania votes that might cost him. This is a very difficult thing for people accustomed to the old ways to grasp. It's called integrity, and it's what people love most about Bernie.
4
“The newly energetic American left has largely rejected this approach, choosing instead to believe a comforting myth about swing voters being extinct and turnout being a cure-all. It’s a big mistake.”
The approach Bernie is attempting is actually not such a novel approach. RFK tried it in 1968 before he was gun down.
We will never know if it would have worked in ‘68.
The fact is, though, that the Democratic center cannot win without the Democratic Left. Ask Hillary who was left at the altar promising the same old bags of centrist tricks.
The Democratic Left cannot win without the Democratic center, either, especially when it is attempting to usurp a corrupt (Nixon) or lying (GW) or charming (Reagan) sitting president. Trump can be all of that and more.
Sanders real problem is his “angry” presentation. He’s going to need more charm and less grinding teeth. Same with Warren. And, for good measure, he has to pick a winning, experienced running mate.
Quick, who did Hillary pick? My point exactly.
3
The American system favors "extreme" positiins during the primaries, but winning candidates tend to shift toward the middle after the conventon. Let's hope that's what Sanders does. Because no matter how much you disagree with his policy positions, or his rhetoric, he will simply be better than President Trump. I won't bother going into all of the reasons that this is true. You already know them.
1
Warren used to be a Republican, and might be worth considering based on her policies. If you read them, you might surprise yourself by agreeing with some of them.
3
Leonhardt, when will you be enlightened?
Please give up your worn out rehash of Bernie bashing. Do you realize that it is you and others like you who are insulting the intelligence of the vast number of Americans?
Probably, all of you bashing Bernie are scared that you are becoming irrelevant. Perhaps, you are questioning your own relevance and values you represent. It is like you all are living in a parallel universe and speak an unintelligible tongue and don't understand the language of mOST Americans and Global citizens.
So, you want Bernie to walk back on fracking because it might offend some oil company executives in some part of Pennsylvania? Did you realize that you are asking Bernie to be dishonest playing different tunes to different Americans?
No wonder, all of you who bash Bernie for being the Honest, Real, Genuine People leader, have been used to lifetime of dishonest leadership that lead our beloved Nation down the path of self destruction and don't any better and can't think any better.
May God bestow on you the kind of intelligence that is wise and true.
4
@Subhash Reddy
We moderates would like a little more real numbers about Bernie's plans and a little less "If you disagree with him its because you're morally deficient" rhetoric.
"Global citizens"? "Genuine People Leader"? "Beloved Nation"? This is America, not North Korea.
4
@minimum Are you saying America is not a beloved Nation but North Korea is? I don't know what kind of a Moderate you are! I wonder if you know anything about North Korea or South Korea either. You are so scared of the words like People and Leader or Genuine. I seriously doubt if you are a Moderate Democrat!
You Moderates want a little more real numbers about Bernie's numbers? But you never cared to ask the same questions when Bush unilaterally went to war with Iraq, or Libya, did you? Nor did you ask about the plan to rescue the wall Street and Banks, and Corporations in 2008. Did you ask for the numbers when President Kennedy announced a plan to put a man on the Moon by the end of 1960's?
Do you know how many dollars is spent on medical care in the uS, annually? The federal government spends about 1.8 Trillion dollars, the private sector spends about a Trillion on health insurance policies, and the Public spend almost another Trillion from their pocket for uncovered medical care. That is almost 3.8 Trillion dollars. You can find this publicly available information if you care to spend just an hour of your time. Or, you can go to the Yale study on the cost of providing Medicare for All (Bernie's) at (Lancet) https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)33019-3/fulltext
I couldn't care less about anyone's moral deficiency because that is not the argument here.
Good luck convincing a 78 year old grumpy uncle, set in his ways to change. Someone said: "If Bernie wins or loses does not matter, if he loses freedom of expression, actions and movement will deteriorate so much, that the revolution will only be postponed four years".
4
"...he has shown over his career that he grasps the importance of building a coalition."
He has? Really? He's been saying the same thing in the same words for decades and where has it gotten us? He's right, of course, but he's also massively ineffective.
3
Trump won because he was the anti-establishment candidate and the Dems lost because they didn't bother running one.
Now that it is clear that Trump is the most horrible part of the establishment, Dems better wake up and put forward an anti-establishment nominee that is unbreakably authentic. I've heard idiot pundits talk about how this and that candidate needs to "work on authenticity". Like.. .how do you focus-group yourself into being authentic? You're either authentic or you're not. Clinton was NOT and people saw that. Trump conned voters into believing he was authentic. Bernie... Bernie is the real deal. He's been fighting his fight with honesty and integrity since he ran for mayor of Burlington.
5
It's a really bizarre experience to witness professional and amateur pundits proclaim with increasing confidence that Bernie will lose the midwest in a general election, despite more and more data comparing Bernie favorably to Trump in all those midwest states.
7
I disagree.
5
He's winning. Maybe other Dems should learn how to make his big mistake.
4
I will hold my nose and pretend I am voting for Larry David.
6
During the past 12 years, I have had the fortunate experience of working and living in three different states: Wisconsin, Texas, and New York. The culture is distinctly different in some huge ways and in other ways incredibly similar. A common theme that was evident to me is that something is really broken in our Politics and Policies. People were incredibly frustrated that politicians that they elect to office never solve the problems they are having at home and seem to always favor corporations or the extremely wealthy. So, Bernie will probably be elected President because Politicians are not getting the message nor solving problems.
7
@Progers9 And then they proceed to re-elect their local representative and senator. Over and over again. That is what is "broken" in politics. Their representative will spend about 1/3 of his time in Washington raising money for the next campaign. That also is "broken". So part of the appeal of Sanders is exactly what scares "moderate" Democrats and Republicans: his apparent determination to what he says he will do.
2
I will save this column so we can all learn from it when the November voters weigh in with the reality of how the country really feels.
3
There are many opinions about Sanders viability. This piece says he is not appealing to people outside his base. On the other hand, he is appealing to many who may not have voted at all until he came around.
4
Bernie and Bernie Bros may well get the nomination. I will vote may even choke and vote for him although that it problematic.
But my State will guarantee a win for any Democrat. The "one eyed, one horned, Purple People Eater" would carry my State in a landslide.
Will Bernie Bros carry swing States? Unlikely today, who knows tomorrow, but as a President he would be ineffective.
2
I think the real mistake is the assumption of the money classes that the American people will continue to tolerate lack the current paradigm. Tying access to healthcare to the whims of an at will employer while 80+ million are either uninsured or underinsured is ludicrous. Paying triple or higher prices for prescription drugs is crazy. I can literally spend a four day weekend in Mexico every 90 days and buy all of my medications there for at least half the cost of JUST a 30 day supply of the same drugs in the US. Change is coming...
3
Choosing by electability is, of course, always the smartest strategy. How can anyone forget the achievements of Presidents Gore, Kerry, and Hillary? While the failed long shots Jimmy, Bill, and Barack have sadly been consigned to the dustbin of history.
3
@Richard Obama was a clear winner back to his 2004 DNC speech. The problem is that he was such a lock every other candidate has seemed middling by comparison.
Thank you for saying what desperately needs to be said. Liberals: get out of your bubble! It doesn't matter how the liberals vote. The only votes that matter are the independents, the moderate Republicans and the conservatives who dislike Trump. And the only ones of those that matter are in the swing states. GET FOCUSED!
2
It would be nice if the author of this article learned about respect.
Respect for a man who has never taken corporate donations, cheated on his wife, committed fraud, used bankruptcy as a business model, self-confessed to being a sexual predator, was active in the South during the MLK era, has been a lifelong democratic socialist whose devotion to working people has been constant and genuine.
Bernie is FDR 2.0, with the same message, the same enemies, and the same vision that FDR had.
Bernie is a good man, and would be by far the best president this country has had in decades.
Respect that!
9
@Steve Davies I agree with the ethic-related description here of Mr. Sanders. That said, FDR was expert at compromise and regarded as a traitor to his [moneyed] class. Mr. Sanders is neither. I would, of course, still vote for him. And I would say Mr. Obama was arguably the greatest President in decades, he was, unarguably, a better president than this country proved it deserved.
1
I find the fact the Bernie Saunders is the front runner quite literally unbelievable! The letters in a few papers show Saunders with far less than even 1/3 support and yet polls and caucuses have him in the lead!
Do you think this could be the first sign of Russian electoral interference?
6
@Deb Not likely outside of Russian bots, but most of those repeat Trump talking points. Bernie Sanders is like Tommy Douglas and FDR role into one. He only comes off as radical because he wants to expand medicare and social security and encourage unions and have a living wage for American workers. It's only the oligarchs in America who are freaking out and the hard right wing of America who see Bernie Sanders as a grenade against their stranglehold on American policies.
1
So Sanders should respect some of the 1% who want to obscenely profit off of working people? Or he should take some time to consider not demanding social programs that every other developed country enjoys? I don't care to entertain this idea, and if Sanders did, his political career would over in a few days.
5
A vote for Bernie in the Primaries is a vote for Trump in 2020.
5
It's terrible, Bernie doesn't show respect like Trump does say the pundits who said Trump could never win.
6
Bernie will win because he is a populist and its the only antidote to President Trump.
3
How long do we have to listen to people speak respectfully while watching them act disrespectfully. At what point does speaking ‘respectfully’ but not following up with action become disrespectful in itself. Is it not disrespectful of you to discount the legitimate anger and struggle of working families because they don’t ask politely to be treated like human beings?
Can’t we be civil to the people who are tearing our lives apart? They want to exploit us for their financial benefit and we want to stay alive - is that really a difference of opinion where each side deserves equal respect?
What a miserably shallow, disingenuous and manipulative argument to make in time of such serious stakes. Incredible blindness and intellectual poverty in this article.
3
Bernie, please be political and not talk about Castro and anything good about him. You helped write some great GOP ads last night on 60 min. Thanks! So much for Florida.
3
Explain to me then why Bernie got a higher percentage of "Moderate" and "Conservative" voters in Nevada?
4
I follow the horse race pretty closely. Concerning amounts of coverage have been devoted to determining what insulting nickname the President will come up with for each of the current Democratic presidential nominee hopefuls. Meditate on that pathetic fact for a moment.
I want an adult in the White House.
All Dems fit that description, so the specifics about each of them isn't too much of a bother for me right now. I'm voting blue in November.
3
Cogent, well-argued and accurate.
1
This argument is being undermined by the broad coalition of voters Bernie is attracting. It seems like the NY Times is [again] misreading a crucial moment in our politics.
4
"Polls showed that voters judged Trump to be more moderate than any Republican nominee since the 1970s."
American voters are neither smart nor well-informed.
4
Every time Bernie get the support of the American people, some pundit, comes up with some way to not like him or his policies. This only results in keeping us where we are, which is not a good place to be. It has long been said, its better to shoot for the stars and land on the moon, then to shoot for the moon and land in the gutter. OF COURSE, not all he claims will happen. Does it ever with any President? But we must move forward to make sure the basis NEEDS of all people of this country are addressed.
1
A pundit keeps us where we are?
A moon landing sounds like quite an accomplishment to me. And look at everything that had to happen first: manned flight, orbiting the earth, walking in space. Skip all that, head straight for the stars, and you’ll land in the gutter every time.
1
“To put it another way: Can you think of one way that Bernie Sanders is signaling respect to voters outside of his base?“
That’s easy. By pointing out that entire world has better health care systems he goes way out beyond his base.
He also avoids cultural and ideological purity tests whenever he can. He’s no friend of the far left puritans.
2
Voters..."respond to gestures of respect from politicians who are willing to say, in effect: We may not agree on everything, but I see you and understand what matters to you."
This is exactly what I've seen in working class white men in my coastal SC area. They believed Trump understood and would do something about their low wages. In fact, they were so happy to be understood that they didn't necessarily seem to care that he had not done anything to help them.
2
Nevada results paint the picture of a different candidate - one who appeals to many voters outside of his base:
"He performed well across a range of voters, winning men and women, union members and nonunion workers, and those who attended college and those who did not, according to entrance polls of caucusgoers.
Mr. Sanders not only won among self-described liberal voters, but also made inroads with moderates for the first time. Among self-described moderate or conservative caucusgoers, Mr. Sanders was the top vote-getter, albeit narrowly: He captured 25 percent of such voters, while Mr. Biden won 23 percent, according to entrance polls."
-NY Times, February 22, 2020
4
Let's be honest, do any of the candidates really show "respect" to a nebulous swing voter? We've had three plus years of Trump. I think people have largely made up their minds.
1
Excellent analysis.
Republicans have forgotten Edmund Burke, arguably the seminal conservative. Progressive Democrats, in turn, have chosen to see issues through the "Bernie Lens," as Mr. Brooks pointed out in his 20 Feb Opinion.
Alexander Bickel, former Dean of The Yale Law School, commented upon the polarizing politics of the '60's and talked about the need for using the "computing principle" to resolve political disputes, arguing there is "much to learn from Burke."
"In our time of dogma to the left and dogma to the right...where rival follies mutually wage an unrelenting war...[o]ur problem is the tyrannical tendency of ideas and the suicidal emptiness of a politics without ideas...," Bickel argued, again citing Burke.
Bickel said most political issues must be seen "as existing well this side of moral imperatives, in a middle distance." If they are not "...seen as subject on both sides of a division of opinion to fallible human choice, then the only thing left to a society is to succumb to ... a dictatorship of the self-righteous."
Bickel argued politicians must resist the seductive temptation of moral imperatives and focus upon that middle distance where values are provisionally held. He went on to say --
"If we do so our moral authority will carry more weight. The computing principle Burke urged upon us can lead us then to an imperfect justice, for there is no other kind."
In our time, I would argue, there is much to learn from Bickel.
Nothing here on foreign policy for example on the Middle East or American moral exceptionalism which gives it the right to invade other countries so as to "spread democracy" as part of its imperialist strategy
You're wrong. Read pollster Rachel Bitecofer. There is no one in the middle anymore. You win in 2020 by getting out your base to vote, either by exciting them or scaring them with Trump - or both. That's what Bernie's doing.
6
Isn't this the very case that Pete Buttigieg is making? Why not give him credit in this column for the purity test issue? At the risk of making lots of people mad, I am an absolute champion of a single payer free healthcare plan. This is not just based on ideology but from my experience as a nurse for 50 plus years. I think we are missing a great opportunity to look beyond the cost of healthcare and not address real concerns about the health of people. Trump's budget cuts funding for education of providers and for healthcare research.
At the risk of making lots of people mad, I am an absolute champion of a single payer free healthcare plan, but I also believe if we do not have a President who will be able to work with a divided Congress, which we are likely to get with Mr. Sanders as the presidential nominee, nothing will get changed at all. And sadly, his supporters are so dedicated (admirably) but they have demonstrated their penchant to take actions against anyone, in words and voting behaviors, who do not pass their designated purity test. I do appreciate their passion, but can we not have dissent without contempt?
3
@Richard
Congress and the Senate would be able to operate in more of a bipartisan manner ONLY IF they were unencumbered by the power and influence of their corporate donors and therein lies the problem. Their donors want the "status quo" not change so bipartisanship is pipe dream.
1
In 2016, about 5% (or more) of Sanders' supporters voted Trump rather than vote for a woman candidate. In 2016, women campaign workers complained of sexual assault (not bad words). Other than dogmatic language, nothing much seems to have changed with Sanders or his base. In 2020, Sanders does appeal outside his Democratic base - to many Trump supporters though, not to moderate Democrats - especially moderate women Democrats. I do think that if Sanders is the nominee, I will vote Democratic for all positions except president. That spot I will leave blank.
4
@MSC I understand how you feel. I felt the same way about Clinton. I could not vote for her because of her pro-war positions. And, as a resident of New York State, I had the luxury of being able to vote third party without any effect on election results.
of those 18 to 24 years of age, 59 percent supported Sanders.
"You’re an Adult. Your Brain, Not So Much."
"The human brain reaches its adult volume by age 10, but the neurons that make it up continue to change for years after that.
"The connections between neighboring neurons get pruned back, as new links emerge between more widely separated areas of the brain.
"The pruning in the occipital lobe, at the back of the brain, tapers off by age 20. In the frontal lobe, in the front of the brain, new links are still forming at age 30, if not beyond."
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/21/science/youre-an-adult-your-brain-not-so-much.html
6
@Mary Elizabeth Lease
Whelp. There's some disrespect right there. Do you win many hearts and minds talking down to young people?
3
@BrozRUs
it is science...and not mine
1
@Mary Elizabeth Lease So you're in support of the oldest candidate in the field?
2
I have vowed to vote blue no matter what. And I will, But it is REALLY hard to vote for someone who insists that policy differences are some sort of moral failing on my part. That because I've been a Democrat for 40 years and believe in incremental change I'm a sellout, a hack, and part of the problem instead of the solution. This and more I have been called by Bernie supporters online. And they are real supporters, not bots. A couple of them are even related to me. This column captures perfectly how offensive these purity tests are, and how tired so many Democrats are of the in-the-face revolution from Bernie supporters. If they are turning off much of the base, how can they reach anyone else? If he loses, it won't be because his policy positions aren't popular (many are). It's because people who are bullied and insulted aren't looking forward to signing up for four more years of the same.
3144
@Brenda There are definitely some Bernie supporters who are unnecessarily personal or worse in their interactions. But I don't think just because parts of the democratic "base" are turned off correlates with Bernie struggling with swing voters. In fact, I think Bernie's outsider reputation helps him quite a bit with independents.
164
@Brenda
I like (and respect) your analysis. I too believe in incremental change and will vote blue no matter what.
With this said, I find your last sentence, well, interesting. The one that says that “people who are bullied and insulted aren’t looking forward to signing up for four more years of the same.” If I’m understanding you correctly, you are making an oranges (Sanders) to oranges (Trump, no pun intended!) comparison, when I believe the nature of any bullying and insulting going on is really apples to oranges.
I HOPE that most Democrats and Independents would understand this - and get behind whoever is the Democratic nominee.
158
As a Bernie supporter, I apologize on behalf of all the supporters and promise you many of us support him because we see him as a compassionate hardworking leader and want to share a message of hope and love for all.
364
Bernie Sanders is 78—79 by election day.
34-year-old Sanna Marin will soon be the world's youngest sitting prime minister after being selected by Finland's Social Democratic party to take over as the country's leader.
Marin's age and progressive politics, plus the fact she's a new mom, have prompted comparisons to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is 39.
Other countries across the world have leaders in their 30s, such as Ukraine's Oleksiy Honcharuk 35 and Volodymyr Zelensky 42.
Pete Buttigieg 38.
5
@Mary Elizabeth Lease as someone who is young Pete Buttigiege is an anathema against my generation. He's such a sellout and every time a Boomer endorses him it shows us how little they've learned from their mistakes. We do not want corporatists or middle of the road policies either side of the aisle. We want generational change and that demands reformers and consistent truth tellers. That means Bernie Sanders an elder statesman who will not sell us out like Obama did. No more corporate centrists!!!
3
@Mary Elizabeth Lease
Above, you posted that young people's brains aren't fully developed before thirty. Now you say Sanders is too old.
2
Do you like Pete for his age or the fact that he’s a corporate democrat who dog whistles baby boomers by saying “I’m the retirement guy.” Your 401K is safe with me. Obama gave us Trump by helping the banks and doubling down on trickle down economics. He trusted Wall Street to take care of Main Street. Perhaps it’s not ok to make the rich whole and make the poor fend for themselves.
2
Multiple studies show Medicare for All would be cheaper than public option pushed by moderates Yale and Harvard researchers: Medicare for All reduces costs, while public option makes health care more expensive.
Education is a wonderful thing.
So far Bernie is the most electable candidate in human history!
2
@Max
We democrats like to accuse the Republicans of ignoring science and facts, but when peer reviewed research demonstrates that Medicare for All would save at least $500 billion a year over the current system and would prevent 60,000 early deaths, Sanders's democratic opponents continue to say "it will cost $35 trillion" (as if that were on top of current spending) and "how are you going to pay for that" and "America is not ready for Socialism".
Democrats can't ignore research that they and their insurance and pharmaceutical industry donors don't like and criticize Trump for saying that windmills cause cancer.
1
Bernie Sanders is offering what already exists in many other countries already have, including my own, Canada. Policies which make these other countries better places to live according to many metrics, including longevity.
These policies could make life better for Americans of ALL stripes. Trump offered to help ordinary Americans but he clearly hasn't. Bernie Sanders' policies would. He IS offering inclusion and a better life to Democrats and Republicans alike. Perhaps it is up to the media to acknowledge that...and to stop pretending free healthcare is a scary thing, because it simply isn't.
4
Contrary to popular opinion, if one looks just a little bit deeper in America, one can quite easily conclude there really is no such a thing as a "centrist/moderate" in America. The term REALLY means nothing more than just keeping the "status quo" in place and that description applies to those who claim they won't vote for Sanders or not at all. They are happy with the current system, regardless of who is President, even if it is Trump.
The largest block of voters in 2016 were those that "didn't vote at all", simply because, they didn't feel their government was working for them any more, only their corporate donors and Sanders is trying to change that and you only can attempt to do it if you offer a real alternative with real policies.
It just further confirms, outside of Obama's first term, with the extremely low voter turnout that has been continually experienced in mid-term and other elections(including 2016), the current two party system in America has been a dismal failure and the democratic party's approval rating is even worse than their republican counterpart.
1
The US presidency is determined by the Electoral College, not the national popular vote. It's unfair, but it's the current system. Just a few states determine the winner. Dems need FL, AZ, PA and Sanders can't win those states, or the national election. What are moderates and progressives afraid of? A landslide electoral loss and another 4 years of Trump.
5
On the surface, I have no reason to be a Bernie supporter. I am retired, doing very well, and I love my Medicare. I have a small pension (NY State teacher for 10 years), social security, and rental income. My home is paid for and my vacation home is almost paid for and I have a hefty 401(k).
But I donate to the Sanders campaign, have canvassed in two states already and have two more on my agenda. I have lots of free time. I had the opportunity to go to a CUNY college just about tuition free (1970s) and bought my first home at 26 and had my only child at 28.
The reason why I am a Bernie supporter? Because I believe that everyone should have the same opportunities that I had. And I don't care if my taxes go up. Where would I be today without those advantages?
Some things are more important than increasing my own wealth.
9
The NYT likes to call Bernie a divisive character who is largely to blame for Hillary's defeat in 2016. I can remember only too well the NYT's first ignoring Bernie and then disparaging him as often as they could. They seem to be following that pattern. Although it is a great newspaper it has had blinders on in the last two election cycles. Maybe it was the NYT that was the divisive t force in the last election that guaranteed Hilary's primary victory and eventual defeat. Maybe its time to wise up to Bernies real appeal to so much of the electorate.
9
Aside from the shallow analysis, the continuing disconnect between sensational headlines and less polarizing text is an ongoing embarrassment...
8
Every. Single. Day. David, your article hinges on people believing trump showed “respect” for some voters. Did it matter that he was completely lying? Was that respectful? Does the fact that Bernie isn’t lying matter to you about how to grade the level of “respect” he shows voters?
There is so much wrong with this essay that others have already pointed out. (My favorite: you have to demonize immigrants to show “respect” to voters—world class disgusting take there)
The NYTimes needs to take a long look in the mirror in regards to the Op-Ed section. It has always been the weakest part of the paper, but in the Trump era it has proven to be massively out of touch and in no way up to the task of informing the electorate.
11
Somehow - everyone is arguing that some other mysterious group of people won't be voting for Bernie.
I don't hear anyone saying that they won't be voting for Bernie though. Maybe these other people are a figment of your (propaganda-soaked) imagination
7
@Bob The big difference between Bernie and the other candidates, are his base of revolutionaries who will either not vote or will vote for trump again, if Bernie is not the nominee. Bernie is 2nd to the bottom for me as far as choice goes, but I will vote for him if he is the nominee. No matter what any of them promise is really just a way to get their foot in the door. They all have good intentions, but there are so many obstacles to over come. For me, the absolute most important thing is to get trump out! I so look forward to the day when I do not have to see his mug plastered all over the headlines any more.
1
@Bob it’s because Bernie supporters harass and terrorize anyone who questions his fitness to lead. I will tell you now, I will not vote for him under any circumstances.
Maybe you should go ask the Latino population in Florida for their opinion on Sanders.
2
Here we go again. This is what, the 10th Bernie bashing article printed by the NYT? Just because media pundits dislike him doesn't mean America doesn't. Statistics don't lie. You say he can't win, yet he is, and the results of the New Hampshire and Iowa primaries are good indicators of the general election. You predicted a Trump loss, but we're not talking about President Hillary now, are we?
6
Thank you Leonhardt, our savior! And Congratulations on the inventing the general election pivot, I'm sure Sander's team has not thought of that!
1
Dear Writer,
We listened to who you guys said would win last time, and you see what happened there... How about this time we vote for who we actually wanted? Because at the end of the day you are just guessing at this, no matter how dress it up. We no longer want your input.
6
The Democratic Party started disrespecting the working class decades ago. (https://www.alternet.org/2020/02/noam-chomsky-democrats-abandoned-the-working-class-decades-ago/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3795) Sanders is getting new voters back into the election process. These are voters who the DNC and the NYT (and, frankly, many pundits and opinion columnists) stopped respecting decades ago. Bernie Sanders respects working people, and they're getting it.
7
Did centrist John Kerry win the election? How about centrist Hilary Clinton? Centrist Al Gore? Dukakas? Mondale?
Hmmmm...
That said I prefer Pete but will vote blue no matter who. I don't know who will win the next election but if it's Trump I know who will win the election after...and all those that follow.
4
Just to respond to your comment on trump saving SS and Medicare. No he’s not. He’s trying to kill them both.
5
#45 appealing to non backers. You must be kidding!
He is doing all he can to destroy the social safety net and insult all those who don't agree with him.
Wait and see what he does if re elected. He'll go into full dictator mode!
4
I'm a Democrat and will vote for the nominee. I would have preferred that long ago Bernie would have made the political calculation that calling oneself a socialist isn't good politics in a country unwilling to sit through his explanation. All Americans enjoy the benefits of "socialist like" programs but most don't call themselves socialists. It is not so deceitful for a politician to label oneself so as to appeal to the largest segment of the electorate. For example, The President doesn't call himself an autocrat, dictator or moron but all the labels would surely be accurate.
4
@Mike
In Canada & other countries in the Americas besides the US & throughout Europe, Sanders would be seen, in terms of what he's actually proposing, to be a very moderate social democrat. The measures he advocates have in most cases been in practice in most countries in those regions for half a century or more & have support across the political spectrum.
That said, to advocate a set such measures in the US within the last 4 or so decades has been to invite accusations that one is the vilest of Marxist- Leninist purists. Faced with this, many US progressives take strenuous steps to denounce socialism while advocating such measures. This back-foots them from the get-go by allowing their opponents to turn the debate away from the merits of the measures in question & onto the admitted horrors of the Gulag etc.
By declaring that he's a democratic socialist from the onset & that this means that he renounces totalitarian systems, Sanders avoids the foregoing rhetorical trap.
Clearly, he must both redouble those efforts while also showing other factions in the Democratic Party that their interests, ideas & voices will receive due place at the table & recognition from him & the Administration he hopes to lead after the Election.
And so it begins...gentle advice from the Left to the Far Left, soon to rise to a desperate plea: please don't destroy the Democratic Party! Ye shall reap what you've sown, liberal columnists. Trump's second term.
2
Yes this is a vote to take back the country for traditionalists and conservatives. Of course the leftists now call us fascist- racists, saying more about the depths to which they have sunk than any positions we take.
The left says that democracy is at stake. We feel that way too, when some serious Democrats are talking about packing the Supreme Court by adding three Justices which they would expect to appoint. But hear the howling left, if Republicans tried or even suggested doing that.
I admit, that I made a mistake in the last election cycle. I supported Rubio, but now am a solid Trump supporter in spite of his crudeness.
I believe that there has been a coordinated effort to sabotage Trump's election and his presidency. Notable Democrat officials and party bosses were calling for his impeachment even before he took office. His son was attacked for a 1 hour meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Clinton, but the Clinton campaign conducted a multi-million dollar dirt discovery on Trump through a cutout law firm and a research organization using a British (foreign national) with foreign sources. This is exactly what Election Law prohibits. And the unverified-unverifiable report was used effectively to hurt Trump. Where was the NYT outrage?Where were the criminal indictments against those Dems?
Trump asked (in sarcastic humor clear to any real NYer) if the Russians could find the hacked DNC? Only Nadler (my Stuy High classmate) could be stupid enough not to know that!
2
It has to do with Sanders' clear support for totalitarian socialist regimes, such as his support even today on American TV for Castro's Cuban regime.
1
"Can I think of one way that Bernie Sanders is signaling respect to voters outside of his base?" No, I can't, but then again, I cannot think of one way that the New York Times has signaled any kind of respect to anyone who voted for Trump, or to anything that he has accomplished (say, the economy, unemployment statistics, a revision of jail sentencing methods, etc.). If I were you, David, I simply wouldn't work for a newspaper that shows the same disrespect for half of America that Bernie shows for most of the Democrats. Have you no standards?
2
The Democrat party right now is in a shambles. First Trump / Russia collusion blows up in their face, then the fake impeachment blows up in their face now Bernie the Socialist is leading the pack and is sure to lose in a general election. Why does no one in the news media talk about how HRC and the DNC cheated Bernie and his supporters last time?
1
News flash -- Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump did nothing to help working people. Maybe Senator Sanders is averse to lying.
5
America was trapped in incrementalism until DJT. Incrementalism is exactly what elected him. Because incrementalism left many, many people behind. As trade and banking policies aligned in the most unholy way with manufacture flight, huge swathes of the country saw their economic base decimated. And THATs what drove millions of good and decent and righteously angry Americans look to a wrecking ball for a fix -- men, women, people of color, newly arrived and not so newly arrived.
Bernie is also saying the time is up on incrementalism. I agree that we need to break the thing, but as a true blue, I personally would like to see the New America that emerges from this cold civil war in which we're now engaged to be a more just, more opportune, more kind community. Berne won't get us there, but he surely can get us started. He's conducting the correct conversation. I can live with his tone, his adoring crowds. He's talking tough -- and passionately -- on the things that matter: climate, jobs/pay, health, education, opportunity.
So much is now so broken. Let's take the opportunity to truly be our better selves. And...get onboard media. Keep tamping the blue enthusiasm down. Your jobs will be among the ones offshored soon. If you'll be writing at all, you'll be doing it from some safe haven off these shores, but not in the good ole' 100% authoritarian. U.S. of A.
3
I think Bernie Sanders first priority is building a democratic socialist or new deal movement. He is not going to do anything that will get in the way of that such as showing respect to people he associates with political corruption. For years he has written legislation that has no chance of passing but it doesn't matter to him because it helps build the movement. The same with his current platform, win or lose this policies are meant for movement building. In that way he differs from all the other candidates in that winning is secondary to movement building.
2
My framing is simple:
Do I want to have a godless, lawless criminal remain in office? Do we really want the test for anyone in government be that they will lie for the leader to prove their loyalty? Do we want our government run by someone who is not capable of telling the truth, or responding to it? Do we want someone who is likely in thrall to our greatest adversary running the country?
Yes, Bernie is an irascible old coot. However, he is rational, law abiding, and shows no sign of converting the US government into a personal piggy bank--or handing our foreign policy to our biggest adversary.
This election should not be a close call.
10
If Bernie Sanders does start to "walk back" some of his more alienating positions, he will be pilloried for the hypocrite he is.
Supplanting one old, angry, inflexible and unrealistic ideologue with another is a fool's game.
@Cavalier in Red
Is he "inflexible" or a "hypocrite?" Which is he?
Who will be hurt most under nationalized healthcare?
A. A multi-millionaire family of 5?
B. A middle class family of 5 who earns $150K a year?
C. A family of 5 earning $30K and pays no taxes?
This hypocrisy is cringeworthy. The Republicans never have to reduce their beliefs to half-measures; yet, in order for Democrats to win, they're always forced to bend over backwards and whittle down their message until they start sounding like Republicans. For what? Centrism didn't win last time, and I fear it will fail the Democratic Party again in November. So, if we must lose, why not go down fighting for what we actually believe in?
13
@A.J. Haase, good question in your last lines. It's happened so many times, I think it's clear now that the "centrist" Ds that took over during the Clinton years don't believe in democratic values at all.
Ridiculous. Progressives seldom win because they cave to their own fears of losing before they begin. The Right has no such qualms. They win by never giving an inch and by slaying anyone in their party who deviates from the program.
Democrats have been on the defensive since the 1970’s and look what has happened to our country.
Enough.
We are in a war for the soul of America with a ruthless and intractable enemy. The only course is a battle til the end. Give no quarter. Victory or death to our democracy; that is the choice we have been handed.
5
Sanders’ “base” is middle class and working class Americans.
And he appeals to them.
Once your base is the 99 percent, expanding the base to include billionaires and NY Times pundits seems superfluous.
But what do I know?
10
The man's arrogance will sink him.
Barky-shouty-grouchy is not inspirational or leadership.
With wild positions that are over-stated on their face, he looks like a socialist. Except this time--in real life, not GOP concoction--it's a brand he has firmly and brazenly attached to himself.
Let him explain how much Medicare-For-All will cost and how union members will swarm to applaud having their hard-negotiated private insurance taken away. Jeepers:
Democrats used to like unions.
How could Donald Trump win?
How can Donald Trump lose!
6
Whoever controls the center wins. This is why Sanders won’t win. Trump could have governed from the center (his prior professed positions on guns, climate change, abortion, religion are blue, he claimed to be a maverick). Because he is weak and needs adulation, he stupidly chose to govern from his base - this is why we are dangerously divided and why he is vulnerable now. But if Bernie doesn’t cross the divide now - he will win the primary and Trump comparatively will still control the center and win.
3
Compromise Bernie, compromise! Sound advice? Probably. But so sad.Just become another politician speaking to a broader electorate out of both sides of his mouth.
2
"Even Trump, radical as he is, flouted Republican orthodoxy by sounding like a populist Democrat on Social Security, Medicare and trade. "
Gobsmacked!
No semi-conscience person believed one word of that for second. In fact, we who didn't support Trump from the get-go knew our current disaster was the ultimate destination.
Trump never showed respect to ANYONE but himself. All those gestures to the working class were smirking, insincere, transparent fabrications. In other words, obvious lies.
And the people who voted for him knew it.
Trump; The most disrespectful leader in modern times.
There, fixed it!
6
This is mostly rubbish. I just attended Bernie Sanders campaign speech in Austin.
Bernie is talking about the minimum wage, access to healthcare and jobs. What do you think it is that workers want that Bernie is not offering?
People voted for Trump based on what he said. Now we know, he lies, and he lied.
Bernie is going to be the Democratic nominee. Then we will have a clear distinction to make, and it will be interesting to see how Trump fairs against Bernie.
Bernie's speech was not a harangue, it was not a lecture, it was a description of his policy proposals plain and simple. It did not ridicule or denigrate anyone, yes, it described Trump as a liar but that is not in dispute.
The big question is what happens in Congress, and for that we will have to wait and see. One party wants there to be more voters, the other party wants there to be fewer voters. I think that says a lot.
5
no debate will solve Bernie. He can not win.
one word
Amy
2
I hate Sanders' self-presentation. I hate it some much, I can't get to his politics. Jerry Gracia probably had similar politics, but his self-presentation is/would've been far more palatable: "Hey, man. C'mon. Let's just tax the .01%. They can handle it, man. Juts play fair, man." I'm not a Deadhead, but I'd way rather listen to Jerry Garcia talk than Sanders. Sanders is like a spitting gargoyle.
1
@Anti-Marx
I get your point, but just for the record, Jerry was intentionally apolitical for his entire career. I wouldn't vote for Sanders in a million years, but Jerry on the other hand... he'd dose Putin, Xi, all the Iranian clerics etc. until they all "get shown the light".
1
Interesting reading, these comments.
For all the Bernie supporters claiming that EVERYONE agrees with them, they need to get out a bit more. I think the silliest comment was that 99.9% want what Bernie has to offer.
Somehow, the Electoral College keeps slipping minds of supporters of Bernie. Just like it didn't matter that HRC killed DJT in the popular vote, the same could be true again.
Do you think only Democrats know how to get a great turn-out? Just consider how Bernie might play in say - Pennsylvania. Where fracking is a big deal financially. Folks over 40 might not be too keen on paying for college while being labeled as ignorant trolls. You think the GOP voters might be just as motivated, if not more so?
4
Republicans were sick of RINOs and Democrats are sick of DINOs. Biden is the perfect DINO. Somehow, even though Sanders is older, it is Biden who looks older, I don't know how. Biden is an old vessel with dead ideas. Sanders is an old vessel full of youthful energy. DINOs need to understand, they are not the future. The future is back to finishing the work of FDR which the Clintonistas abandoned. They abandoned Mainstreet for Wallstreet and we are sick of them all. David, you are wrong. Sanders main thrust is already for all working and middleclass people. He already has crossover appeal. Did you not hear the cheers for universal health care on the FOX townhall? People will reject Trump's middle and workingclass raw deal for Bernie's real deal.
2
People vote for Bernie because they trust he’ll do what he says, his decency, honesty, and consistency, and they support universal healthcare in some form, his signature issue. These are basic working class values that Leonhardt seems oblivious to. Bernie appeals you youth, Latinos and young blacks, white workers who put their economic interests above racial identity, and urban liberals disaffected by politics as usual. Buttigieg and mainstream media pundits have attacked him for being polarizing, angry, his followers for being rabid, avoiding honest and open discussion of health care, college education, a decent wage, and housing as a human right. Implied in this elitist sniping as distraction is that the American people are too stupid to figure it out.
In the 1980s the Democratic Party leadership switched from unions as their main source of funding to corporations, culminating in the Clinton Presidency of free trade and merging the largest investment and commercial banks to globalize and financialize the U.S. economy. This betrayal and resulting agribusiness takeover and de-industrialization of the rural economy led directly to Trump. Bernie’s program lifts all boats, minority as well as white, rural working class.
4
Hope the author prepared for an onslaught of knee-jerk criticism from Sanders' true believers. I am so convinced now that the left is headed for a disaster that I've decided to vote for another candidate when primary voting comes around. Sorry, Bernie, I think you are losing it.
2
Maybe a maximum-age amendment (say 65?) for president? Too many demented angry old men now in politics & gov't (mostly on the Right, but a few - like Sanders - on the Left).
1
Holy Moley! What mistake could Bernie be making regarding respect that President Trump hasn't made 1000 times over? And, look where it got him!
Double standard much?
2
Bernie and Trump are on the opposite ends of the political spectrum, however they are two peas in a pod in regards to their narcissism. Bernie and his followers were a Trump asset in 2016 and will be so again in 2020, whether he is nominated or not! When Trump takes his wrecking ball to what’s left of our country, let’s see how many of the Bernie loyalists will be out marching in the streets, putting their money where their mouth is!
1
I disagree.
Trump has staked a claim on a base that cannot be peeled off by any rationale or emotional appeal.
Everyone who says their undecided between left and right is disingenuous with themselves and lying to the public in a ploy to appear reasonable, thoughtful, considerate. They are not anything but Trumpers ashamed of their support for a racist lying scammer.
Bernie doesn't need to be more moderate, but even more radical as antidote to the dissolution of the American Document by the acid of trumpers' hate and ignorance of what makes America righteous and worthy of leading the free world. It's not time for compromise, but doubling down on truth and insight into the outrageous state of political discourse and policy mismanagement.
When was the last column I read that man, someone needs to respect the sensibilities of coastal liberals. Answer: never.
I understand that the electoral college is what it is, and the governing in a system of checks and balances inherently involves compromise. And I agree that saying you're going to abolish everyone's health care plan is stupid politically.
But this is a moment for Bernie. Ideological purity takes you so far; he's now the odds on nominee. Biden might have a blip in South Carolina, if he's lucky, but he's going nowhere on Super Tuesday. Bernie's going to win California handily.
A lot of people said that the presidency would make Trump mature, that he would grow into the office. I was expecting that, neither was anyone who had seen this moronic goon in the spotlight for the last forty years.
But I think Bernie can grow. He needs to pivot, as we all do - he needs to become a little more statesman like.
But as for fracking - I don't know. You're gonna make us swallow that? When the antarctic has temperatures warmer than San Diego? Really?
2
"Respect" is precisely Bernie's biggest asset. More than any other Democrat, he sounds like he respects the people he's talking to. He respects his own ideas enough to communicate them loudly and proudly. Unlike so many Democrats (even Warren), Bernie respects the electorate enough not to sound staged, managed, and artificial. This authenticity is also what Trump's supporters find appealing about him, though Trump sounds like an idiot to me, whereas Bernie's ideas have substance and integrity. I worry about Bernie's age and health, but respect? That's his main appeal.
5
This piece entirely misses the point. The Sanders campaign does not believe swing voters are “extinct” and turnout is a “cure all”. Yes, turnout is crucial to Sanders’s theory of politics, but his approach is not informed by an understanding that there are no swing voters.
The progressive left believes that swing voters are like all other voters in the U.S.: They’ve been let down over and over again by a Washington establishment which does not represent them. The author is so blind to this fact he actually cites Trump being rated as moderate by voters as evidence that voters like candidates the establishment views as moderate... There’s one word for that and it’s asinine.
1
"They all tried to appeal to voters who weren’t obvious supporters."
Right--
Clinton appealed to conservatives--status quo beneficiaries--so little room for progress, lots for regress.
Obama appealed to whites--sick of Bush.
Bush appealed to the gullible for WMD lies.
Trump also appealed to the gullible---fed a steady diet of Faux news, godstory delusion, xenophobia and racism.
Let's hope Sanders can educate conservatives, teach respect for reason and truth--including science and all academia--to overcome ignorance, phobia and prejudice. Maybe teach NYT the difference between moderation (= perfection) and mediocrity.
MAGA--indeed
1
I keep hearing that "Bernie's messaging will change in the general". Does this mean that he's only saying things a certain way because that's what he thinks people want to hear and will say things differently when different people are listening? This is the impression I got when he was running against Hillary and why I didn't support him the last time around. When I hear what he's been saying for the last 4 years, I hear him addressing very complex problem in terms that are simply too basic, and VERY judgmental. Examples include getting rid of large corporations and paying for college for everyone. Really! Ok, I have worked for large corporations and don't care for them. But getting rid of them? What does this look like? How does one do that? Will it really be better? In regard to free college for everyone, who pays for that? Why does everyone need college? What will that do to the job market? What will that do to the economy?
Given the above two examples, and many others, either Bernie is a lier that is better at placing blame than workable solutions or he is simply stupid. I get the strong sense it's the former, not the latter. While
I can't stand Trump is SO many ways, at least he's being genuine. I get the sense that Bernie is a populist phony that simply "messages" what people want to hear. If Bernie is on the ticket, I probably won't vote for the first time ever. If I do vote, it won't be for his style of communication or his vague blame based plans.
2
I understood abolishing large corporations to mean, those that have become monopolies or too big to fail. Capitalism to me, means free markets and monopolies do not serve free markets.
The worst thing anyone can do is to let power go to their head, be it right or left. Can Bernie massage his message? Sure and I think he should. Words are important. Emotions are real. And with Russian interference here and now, it will be easy to twist everything out of context, even push lies as truth. Forget Russians, even Fox "news" does it!
People who will vote or even don't want to vote must understand one thing. Elections are zero sum games. If you don't vote, people who do decide your fate. Even not voting is consequential and really you have only two choices at this point and since nobody is perfect, you HAVE TO vote for the lesser evil or the better person. If you don't vote essentially you spread your support and worse, lose your ONLY opportunity to have your say!
Decide to vote.
Decide who is a better person and vote for him/her. At every level. Every level!
Congratulations to David Leonhardt - I'm happy for him that he got to publish his own personal portion of the national Attack Sanders Week extravaganza currently roiling the media.
3
@John Grooms Um, you realize these are opinion pieces, right? You can just click on over to Charles Blow's glib and self-righteous piece about how great Bernie is and how awful the majority of America is for realizing Bernie is 100% incapable of leading or governing and represents the absolute worst impulses of the uneducated and disenfranchised in America.
1
Just as a matter of messaging, Bernie would be a whole lot smarter and a lot less "scary" and vulnerable to charges from the Right if he would clearly explain that he is not a socialist (he isn't!) and that the label he gives himself has nothing to do with socialism as it is widely understood -- but rather means X, Y, and Z American values. He's also going to have to explain his past (yet early) "fascination" with Cuba and the Soviet Union. Otherwise I fear that the Trumpist machine is going to have him for lunch.
1
Vote for a moderate -- I did. Bernie is just like McGovern and we all know what happened to him.
7
I look at the presidency from the perspective of Supreme Court picks. Do you want another Brett Kavanagh to replace RBG? Do you want a new Justice to side with corporations?
OldLiberal is correct, Dems must take the Senate. If they don't then corporations win and Americans lose.
To that end I don't trust Bloomberg to appoint Justices. I'm not sure I can trust Klobuchar. I can however trust every other candidate to pick a good Justice.
Bernie Sanders is a vehicle to move this country to a place where the people are the owners of America once again...and yes ...it has been a long, long time since. This is not a movement...this is an uprising...Americans are now in a full war dance around the camp fire with a full adornment of war paint. This seems to be a turning point for America...will it continue to be a master and slave economy like it has been...or rebuilt from the ground up? The latter is more plausible at this time....
The centrist worship is getting very tiresome. What exactly have the moderates accomplished again? Any Democrat who is thinking of voting for Trump over Bernie Sanders must have forgotten Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman.
3
@Kristin Everyone in Bernie's cult keeps underestimating the general population dislike for him. Many of the causes he gives voice to are too important for a mediocre candidate like him to be the spokesperson for. Centrist dems gave you original Medicare and social security and any semblance of a minimum wage (a republican led Congress has NEVER raised it). Learn your history, it will help you.
1
Burnie Sanders should refrain from using insults and offensive language which showed up in his last speech. What made him appealing to me initially was his clean language and focus on the real issues. He should avoid falling to the offensive attacks that the republicans spewed against him without resorting to the same insults.
1
The mistake will be if the DNC does not do some ticket balancing, the mistake they made in 2016. Put someone like Amy Klobuchar on the undercard so that the ticket represents both major influences in the Party.
1
Mr. Leonardt, you mischaracterize people. You make a simple world to support an unlikely hypothesis. For instance, simply to name one astonishing assertion, Trump in no SUBSTANTIVE way courts voters who are not in his base. Are you being serious when you say otherwise? He lies. This is not support of Medicare. He misrepresents, as you have done here, and this is not courting. It is intellectual fraud. It is political fraud. You know this. You cannot but know it. How do you hold him out as an example of "reaching out?" Lordy, oh Lordy, no wonder people are confused. And Bush? More polarizing than anyone before him. Almost ZERO real work on behalf of his base, which he characterized the 1% as being in a famous speech. Please be more respectful of others. Give Sanders his due. Do not smear him with glibness.
1
it's going to be a blast seeing Trump demolish Sanders in debates.
1
Bernie says my way or the highway. The country will pick the highway.
6
This columnist sees the current landscape fairly well, I think. What a shame the Dems can't muster a more viable candidate to face Trump, who was and should be eminently beatable. What they are currently serving up is McGovern and Dukakis all over again. Not bad people, just certified losers as candidates. Must we face another election night of hugging and declarations of the need to spread the love and fight on for the working class? Please, get your act together, get rid of those pushing orthodoxy and put a realist in there with a track record of governing. I don't want to spend the next four years listening to pundits offer this or that theory on what the Dems should have, could have and would have done, if only they had opened their eyes.
6
Bloomberg: "I worked hard and was very lucky":
Sanders: "Maybe your workers had something to do with that".
My mother worked hard all of her life. Hard. All. Her. Life. Never made it into the solid middle class.
Bernie Sanders knows that the workers in America ---who work hard for hourly wage making 'fabulous wealth' for others, and are working very hard and never get ahead --- see these tremendous disparities.
I am not jealous of Bloomberg. Yes, he was lucky; but the deck is stacked in his favor and everyone knows it. Already wealthy? stacked. Not a minority? stacked. and on and on....
This country sees what is going on and is righty abhorred by the flagrant injustice.
3
@Irmalindabelle Yes, but mediocre is not the guy to help.
Medical care for profit is an evil concept. He gets it.
1
@JRB they all get that. You just reinforced the author's argument that he condescends. He's NOT the only one who understands our problems.
2
You and the media at large are the only people that cannot grasp the fact that the country wants Bernie.
2
Sanders proudly assert his identity as a democratic socialist.
A democratic socialist who will labeled a communist through out the general election.
For those who missed the 50s and 60s read some political history...Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Donald Trump were all tutored at the knee of Roy Cohn who refined red baiting into a dark art the built Republican political power.
I couldn’t agree more with this article. Using the past greats as examples such as Lincoln and Washington - a great president needs to be able to navigate the extremes, not be the extreme.
Unfortunately we are in a situation where trump has more history of working with various parts of congress than does Bernie!
Don’t get me wrong, I like Bernie as a Senator, I just don’t see him accomplishing anything without a complete makeover in Congress- which I currently live in Alabama and my wife works out of Ohio- not going to happen soon from these folks.
Let’s be realistic people! There are some good candidates with a history of working deals, and the ability to act with decency! These folks can still enact some choice policies from the extreme side.
7
What I hear and what I read is the democrats' primary objective in this election is to defeat Trump. Yet if Sanders wins the nomination Trump's reelection is all but secured. The swing states that will decide the election (all fairly moderate) will not vote against their livelihoods no matter what they think about Trump personally. Comes as no surprise then that Putin's troll factory would actively try to help Sanders. I hope this article is read and absorbed far and wide before it's too late.
6
Joe Biden, Bernie Sender and Warren; all these old liberals, outdated and without stamina with heavy baggage on their shoulders have very little chance of winning against the con artist with extremely rightist supporters in the coming election. Bernie had crushed Hillary's image raising many useless charges and arguments, reducing her chances to win the election but helped the Phony man to win it. Bernie, Biden and Warren are involved in character assassination right now and fighting like school kids on TV screens, they need not be in the field so long. Democrats and independent voters like me like young, experienced, and centrist Democratic nominee to defeat the Casino king. Others are not capable to stand still in Trump’s verbal abuse and character assassinations ELECTION WAR. Democratic Party has responsibility to think seriously before the time is running out. Yes, Dem need a strong viable, centrist candidate to defeat the thug or he will sure become our uncrowned King for another 4 years keeping us to cry so long. Keep in mind, he has appointed 2 conservative yes men in the SC, and may appoint other 2 making the SC fully conservative Court for years to come. Democrats have only one window open; call Hillary Clinton; she only can defeat this gang leader, no one else.
Things that were called Socialist when implemented:
Social Security
Medicare
Medicaid
ACA
All have been under attack by conservatives in power since their inception. All are WIDELY popular and relied upon by the vast majority of Americans, regardless of political affiliation.
What seems more disrespectful: getting rid of, or "privatizing" these programs, or trying to create a more level playing field for American citizens? If you want to talk about respect, how about the disrespect of picking poor people's pockets to fund tax breaks for the ultra wealthy? Middle of the road, "centrist" democrats don't seem to be putting up enough of a fight to stop this.
And none of this even touches the monstrous challenge of the climate crisis, where, if you listen to scientists, there is no longer time for a gradual solution. A measured, gradual, centrist approach has done nothing. We need more, or we, you know, die. As a species.
I, for one, respect what Bernie's fighting for. To me, or stems for his respect for all of us as human beings.
4
@DP
Social Security
Medicare
Medicaid
ACA
not one of these were created through legislation sponsored by a democratic socialist.
6
@Lupito
you make my point...
Presidents are elected to carry out a legislative agenda and their Congressional surrogates do the heavy lifting.
Political Science 101.
I read only half the first sentence and stopped. When one puts "Trump" in any sentence that equalizes him with other presidents, it pretty much is the end of the story.
4
Everybody is an expert. Pundits and commentators. Even those sympathetic to Bernie say he can't win like this. But he keeps winning. Like that community organizer with a Muslim name who certainly couldn't win, and the psychopathic sexual predator that followed him.
Yet the polls keep moving in his direction, both as to comparing the Democratic candidates with each other, and how each would fair against Trump.
He must be doing something right.
4
Maybe in the Democratic primary but just wait for the general election. Swing states that will decide the contest will not vote against their livelihoods. I like Bernie but Trump's reelection is all but secured if he wins the nomination.
3
Given recent intelligence reports, it is possible that he is receiving help.
1
@Jay Crew
Check out the latest polls on 538, the YouGov polls for Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. Bernie does equal or better than other Democrats (Bloomberg isn't listed) against Trump.
Polls aren't perfect, but they are better than our individual hunches, often based on conscious and unconscious biases.
1
Agreed. The base is the rest of us not in the .5%. If the NYT cannot recognize this fact (yes, hello, it is a fact), then perhaps it's time for the left also to start invoking the "lying NYT" or whatever invective it is that we hear so often. NYT lost me when it shamelessly flogged the US's bombing and occupation of Iraq, ignoring the massive peace movement/ opposition in the process. If you lose me now, it's permanent. I know you don't care. You're owned by a big corporation too, right?
1
I think you're article is spot on. An issue with Senator Sanders and the President is they both appear to believe that their answers and beliefs are "the" correct ones, period! The trouble is that its an awfully big, great, and complex country for that kind of hubris. However, most of us mere mortals realize that there's reason we put erasers on pencils.
4
Bernie has never "disrepected" anyone except the few wealthiest Americans (sometimes the 1%, sometimes less) who he believes are hurting the country.
Oh, right, and their utterly craven defenders at elite media institutions who were hired because they defend the status quo, and to whom simply being socialist feels a personal insult. You know, people like David Leonhardt
5
@P. Barrons hmm, attacking the "elite media". Sounds familiar.
2
Not a “big mistake,” I’m afraid. It’s a budding catastrophe.
6
Where is the polling data to support the authors claims?
4
This is a primary.
1
Bernie praises Castro.
Maybe Putin really likes Bernie after all.
Handing Trump the election is only one of them.
@Banjol he didn't "praise Castro" in that terrible elite Anderson Cooper mainstream media hit job. He has an adult mind that can separate a simple fact that Castro brought a reading program to his people. Period.
2
@pia
Fair enough. But the optics are he praised Castro. When coupled with the Democratic Socialist label he has maintained, it does not help people warm to his left-hand touch. And it's the optics that elects Presidents, not necessarily the careful analysis you provided.
If he has statements denouncing Castro for anything, the timing would be opportune to share it.
For optics.
@pia and what do you suppose people get to read in Cuba? You have not been there, have you? Sander's praise of Castro's "literacy program" is beyond outrageous. Cuba is a Petri dish of human rights violations and the standard of living is utterly horrendous.
Still thinking about what they read in Cuba? I'll just help you out- ONLY pro-government propaganda. Bernie is completely unqualified to be president: he's making these ridiculous claims about Cuba either in extremely bad faith, or he really is as ignorant as he sounds.
1
Hello, David!
You're right. This all has to do with respect. Respect for the folks who think that their honest hard work earns them the right to a living wage, the best healthcare in the world, and an education that prepares their children for a viable place in the workplace. David, it is you who lack respect. You lack respect for the growing number of Americans who see justice and fairness in the Sanders agenda. Please give us at least a nod.
4
What an out of touch, elitist opinion. Leonhardt foolishly forgets that during the primaries Sanders must stand out, creating distance from the pack. He forgets that if Sanders wins the nomination, like most before him, he will moderate his views to gain broader appeal, but hopefully without the obsequious pandering Leonhardt seems to require. The most nauseating part of this piece is the flattery of candidate Trump - the most dishonest candidate in the history of the world - for his outrageous lies during his campaign. I value authenticity over lies.
1
Respect!!!
Bernie Sanders is respecting the people that are never heard from – the non-voters. They don’t vote because they don’t have a choice. It’s either Tweedledee or Tweedledum. The two parties offer variations on the same theme. Now they see a man who is an independent – a man who carries water for neither party; a man who relies of small donations from millions instead of millions from oligarchs and large corporations; a man who has had a consistent message for decades. And his platform has large support throughout the nation. The Green New Deal is a necessity as we face a dystopian future in less than 10 years. Look at Australia and California. Free college tuition is for millions who cannot afford college or it debts. And Medicare-for-All is gaining support as millions face ever higher medical costs – for premiums, for drugs, for co-pays. Two recent studies say the savings – in money and lives – is impressive. (The Lancet article predicts savings of $450B a year along with 68,000 lives. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)33019-3/fulltext The Annals of Internal Medicine says the savings could be $600B a year on administrative costs alone. https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2758511/health-care-administrative-costs-united-states-canada-2017)
It's time for a change. For someone who will reverse the ever-growing wealth gap and offer people help in daily living. That’s real respect.
4
But, keeping his base requiers him to oppose everything establishment. He's stuck. It looks like he will be the nominee, so we'd better hope he can find a way out of this box he's backing into.
5
This article is based on false and outdated theories. David should study the work of researcher Dr. Rachel Bitecofer. Bitecofer can prove that when Dems apologize for being liberal, they lose. Repubs definitely don’t apologize for their views and try to appeal to moderates.
1
Are you sure the real problem is Sanders? I support most of his ideas, but am convinced that if they are fought through this reptilian bipartisan system they will get nowhere. This is the most retrograde democracy on the planet, with two parties representing the same class, indirect, electoral college elections, and humongous carnal relations between politicians and corporations.
So elect the guy, then proceed to break asunder the bipartisan system and the electoral college like a proper democracy, and get to work fixing the bloody mess you made of the world and your own country.
Sanders should sweep, form a third, truly working class party to fight for the agenda he set out. Yes, I said fight, not negotiate endlessly across the River Stix — err, the aisle.
The planet cannot afford Americans taking their sweet time inching ever so gradually through a slothly system. Sanders wants people to mobilize in the streets, the schools, the workplaces to fight for the program he’s outlined. That is the only realistic choice for the planet, people. We don’t have time for you to catch up politically when you are responsible for a vast portion of the ills on the planet. Wake up! Stop the centrist and provincial hand-wringing and fight the right with all your might for once!
There is NO historical example ever of centrism winning over right wing radicalization. Did you ever try sea-sawing with a big kid? Where did you sit, center or as far opposite as possible?
2
Agreed that a moderate appeal will need to be emphasized eventually, & Bernie really is a new FDR-style candidate, whose ideas are vetted as popular. Right now running strong “left” & keeping the base energized is going to sail him through Super Tuesday, & if the Bernie numbers are then insurmountable, we can start to ameliorate/educate about “socialism” which is an expansion of already-existing programs & not a threat to an active goods/services market. See “the great compression.” The Democratic Party isn’t being blown up—rather it’s returning to its native form where it actually represents its core constituency—middle class, working class, poor, queer & people of color.
The Times keeps making itself more and more irrelevant with nonsense like this. The new generation are not subscribers, and never will be. This type of centrist Kool-Aid is designed to fool the old folks like me who were trained by the media to believe that 1 percent leaning politicians are the electable ones. Funny, they can't even win a Democratic primary, or against a buffoon like Trump.
Sanders supporters are struggling.
Today's talking point for Bernie Sisters and Bros is Sanders is the only one to appear on FOX news.
Significance being...they have no clue.
1
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
—William Butler Yeats
QED.
4
Respect? For the rich instead of working people?
2
Thank you for making the case for voting for Bernie.
The fact that you're afraid of Bernie Sanders means he's doing everything right.
It's you who is wrong!
4
If he wins, he can't get anything through Congress. And winning today for someone like Sanders is a low probability event. Its hard to think Bernie is not just another version of Trump in so many ways that its frightening. And imagine if he loses by a landslide, imagine what that would do to someone like Trump with his giant ego---he might become the King and God help everyone including Bernie supporters and Democrats.
3
Sanders is white hair over a red face and beady eyes angrily yelling: THE BILLIONAIRES AND THE MILLIONAIRES WILL PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES! while motion chopping his forearms and and pointing his fingers. His message and style are perfect for the 75 second and 45 second allotments of time in these "debates". But in fact, he has accomplished virtually nothing in his lifetime career as a politician. And now Democrats will happily co-pilot his kami-kazi flight into political oblivion. Like Slim Pickins in the last scene of Dr. Strangelove.
7
Do not respect democrats, republicans, or any other politician as far as you can throw them. Respect is earned and our elected leaders are corrupt, self-serving piglets drinking from a broken sewer of short-term social, political, economic, and personal gains. Justice exists if you have the money. It is sickening. Some people understand this about our current monarchy; most people have buried their head in the sand about our present reality.
1
So you think that undecided voters are either stupid or cowards.
That they would prefer to stay with a Trump/Georges III safe colony than a Sanders /Georges Washington independant government fighting for Americans freedom from the"one percent" billionaires and Trump pals, who will be pardoned for any crime they may commit, as long as they are loyal, not to the US, but to King Donald Trump?
1
Trump has decimated the State Department, FBI and CIA, lauded Putin, Khashoggi and Kim Jong-Un, gone on a pardoning spree of white collar criminals and you're worried about a "coming dark era"? IT'S ALREADY HERE! Bernie's right when he say's it will take a revolution to get him elected. You made his point.
2
The combination of rigidity and naivety on the left will no doubt usher Trump to a second term.
3
He basically started his 2016 campaign by speaking at Liberty university - LIBERTY UNIVERSITY!
The only explanations for all these facile columns here are:
1. you have never actually listened to him
2. you refuse to accept him
I really appreciate your insight, generally, David, but it’s galling to see you, in the NYT, saying Sen. Sanders is the one disrespecting people. This publication continues to disrespect him and his movement at every turn.
2
Leonhardt misses on many instances.
The left won races in 2018, across the board.
A bisexual was elected to the US Senate; progressives wonCongressional seats in Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona and Texas.
Governorships were won in Maine, Kansas, Louisiana and Kentucky on expanding health care coverage to all citizens.
Lastly, America rebuked the white supremacist agenda of 'trump, et al’ in 2018 by 60.2 million votes to 50.8 million votes for Republicans.
'trump, et al.’ are sure to receive fewer voter than 2018, while Bernie Sanders will continue to expands the Progressive Tent, by appealing to ‘Obama-Trump’ voters and non-voters alike
2
I want to vote against Trump.
I don’t want to vote for Bernie’s “revolution”
5
All the Democratic hopefuls on stage raised their hand to denote yes when asked if they would provide healthcare for illegal aliens ? Oh my. When a key Democratic Mantra is that healthcare is too expensive, broken, unaffordable, etc for legal citizens and then raises their hand to say yes let's give healthcare to non-paying illegals for $0.00 they are all doomed to failure. Democrats say they wonder, inquire, mystify why people support Trump. Sheesh.
Bernie. Please.
You've got American's ear.
State your positions clearly and simply
to the American voters.
Explain excatly what you're vision of Democratic Socialism is.
I know, you've tried before. In every debate and rally.
But I'm afraid your message just isn't getting through the clutter.
Give a speech. Do something major..
Before the Trump campaign, the GOP, FOX News and the right wing media define you as the anti-American, pro Fidel Castro, pro Hugo Chavez anti Capitalist they are attempting to do.
Frightening the voters about you may be what Trumps reelection depends on.
And they already seem to have a gotten jump on you.
If Bernie is doing things wrong, then why is he leading/winning at this point. Another Hillary Clinton NYT miscalculation by the NYT just as they miscalculated Hillary's win throughout Hillary's winning run! And then the NYT had the audacity to explain to us how she lost--like the NYT knew all the time what was happening-- when clearly they didn't. The NYT never saw Trump as the real candidate he was. Too biased in their own views.
If Sanders wins the Dem nomination- which he seems to be effectively accomplishing now and you don't see it--will you explain to us later why and how he did--though you don't seem to understand it now, based on your opinion piece. Open your eyes and see Bernie's a reality. And, I am not a Bernie supporter, though I will vote for him if he is the nominee.
3
If you’d like to understand what Leonhardt’s talking about, look no further than the comments on Charles Blow’s latest column.
A big chunk of them attack Blow for being insufficiently pure, insufficiently rabid. And of course, for not getting on board with “the media’s,” assigned task, which apparently is to serve as a cheerleading squad for the Leader.
Now I don’t buy all this “will turn the country into Venezuela,” claptrap. But what I do buy is that this Purity jazz, together with the tendency to rave about St. Bernie’s heart and mind and soul, is a real danger to getting elected.
The true disasters have a characteristic shape. And included in that shape is a loud refusal to listen up.
3
Ok. How many NYT opinion writers does it take to try to influence the election against Sanders? Sorry, it’s not working. Please stop the fear-mongering. Let the voters have a more balanced paper. First, the NYT does not mention Bernie Sanders and now, forced to admit he is a force to be contended with, the press is all Red scare style, 1950’s.
3
Strictly speaking, there are people who "like" their health insurance but can't afford to access it. In the end, when 7 in 10 people say our healthcare system is in crisis (https://news.gallup.com/poll/245873/seven-maintain-negative-view-healthcare-system.aspx), there's a pretty good chance there are some Republicans among them.
1
Nominate Bernie- re-elect trump.
5
Stop this non-sense railing against Sanders. It’s all hyperbole and only reveals the author’s personal narrow mindedness.
3
" The economic royalists are unanimous in their hate for me and I welcome their hatred" Pres.Franklin Roosevelt.
Sen. Bernard Sanders is simply reclaiming the vision of the greatest DEMOCRATIC president who is ranked next to Lincoln and Washington and elected 4 times by The Greatest Generation.
They called and do call to this day FDR and his wife Eleaonor socialist. Well , all polls show Americans love their socialism like Social Security and Medicare etc.
Sen. SANDERS is a real Democrat and will reclaim vision of FDR.
FDR 2nd Bill of Rights speech 1944
https://youtu.be/3EZ5bx9AyI4
4
The left has indulged the Bernie people for years - playing footsie with communism and radical leftist ideas. The kids under 30 have been taught by a generation of Marxists and led to believe Utopia is a laudable, achievable goal. Bernie is your judgement. Enjoy.
1
@Chris
Why not discuss specific policies instead of preaching hopelessness?
As Leonhardt knows, Sanders and his movement has done precisely what he says they haven't: reach out beyond the usual partisan lines and the half that vote.
As Leonhardt also knows, these "maximally liberal" policies are all supported by majorities of Americans. All of them.
But, now that Sanders is threatening the columnist-party hack-consultant gravy train that has parasitized the corporatized Democratic Party since at least the early 90s, all honesty is out the window. There's a constituency to protect: themselves and corporate power.
So sad that these "thought influencers" and "thought leaders" no longer influence or lead much. This is the overarching sin of Sanders: to show up their relative impotence. To break the PR deathgrip liberals since Walter Lippmann have seen as their due and role.
Watch now how Sanders will be painted as at least as bad as Trump, softening up the enemy (you) for the next move in the war: to refuse to back Sanders, after five years of Trump is Antichrist; perhaps even to launch the third-party bid that Tulsi was endlessly accused of wanting to hatch. Perhaps even to launder Trump for the MSNBC crowd.
None of that will work. They overcommitted so far few but the most flat-earth-like Maddow-lovers will follow.
So, if after Super Tuesday, no one has a shot shy of the losers uniting against the winner at a brokered convention, they should all drop out so we can focus on Trump. No vicious attacks that help the opposition.
Right? *Right*????
Which do you believe--an opinion piece by David Leonhardt or the facts on the ground of Sanders' impressive performance in Nevada?
2
Front and center at the top of NYTimes website an opinion piece titled 'Bernie Sanders is Making a Big Mistake'. Not surprising, coming from the same paper/website that, on the eve of the 2016 election predicted a 90+% chance Hillary Clinton would win. More centrist propaganda from corporate news sellouts. The people want Bernie Sanders. Period.
4
The three things that are going to kill Bernie Sanders are: union workers who are not going to give up their contractually-guaranteed health care; ban on fracking; generally higher taxes. And he has shown nothing but passionate support for all three.
2
Taking back control of the US Senate from Mitch McConnell is as important as removing the current occupant of the Oval Office.
and then there is this...
“I can tell you that there are a lot of down-ballot jitters based on my conversations with my former colleagues,” said former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), a longtime confidant of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who led congressional election efforts from 2011 to 2015.
“Donald Trump is going to offer the American people this choice: Do you want to continue building the economy or do you want to lurch toward socialism? And that is a real powerful argument in the Democratic districts that Trump won in 2016.”
1
@Lupit
interesting to see Sanders' voters repeating Republican talking points.
2
"... the passionate support he inspires."
That's a double-edged sword. I am tired of the fighting, angry words, belligerence, and confrontation. Enough! Trump is burning down the country to get his way and it won't get better if this "take no prisoners" approach doesn't change. That's why I'm voting for whichever of Biden, Klobuchar, or Buttigieg is on the ticket. Otherwise, I'll spend the evening at home.
4
@Charles Becker
If the country is burning then why would you threaten to stay home?
1
@Lupito,
With a choice between Trump and Sanders, too participate is to add to the conflagration.
1
@BrozRUs,
Because I will not throw fuel on the fire!
1
Sanders isn't refusing to reach out to Republicans. He's refusing to kowtow to the media's definitions of Left & Right.
3
There is another way that you can interpret the aforementioned politicians appealing to people outside of their base; it's called lying.
I remember when Obama's then-chief of staff, Rahm Emanual said of progressive's during the lead-up to the health care debate (I paraphrase) "Progressive are a bunch of monkey's, who else are they going to vote for."
You can figure out the rest and the Democratic Party can wonder why I vote how I vote and why I give money to individuals and not to the party.
1
Trump respectful? What planet are you on? You just once again LOST respect by writing this column as the mouthpiece of your wealthy, elitist owners. Get outside of your comfort zone because you obviously don't RESPECT, understand or identify with the majority of the working and middle class. The majority of people are an illness away from bankruptcy with or without the current healthcare insurance. Our system is corrupt and rigged for the wealthy and Bernie recognises that if big changes aren't made by our political system, the people will be rioting in the streets like they are in Europe, Asia, India South America and Africa. Wake up...this is a global movement as the world's wealthy take and abuse more and more power. The balance is shifting...power to the people!
1
David Leonhardt is indefatigable in his efforts to de-legitimize Bernie Sanders and the people--the human beings, with brains and hearts, incidentally--who support him.
1
Really!! Giving farmers aid because of tariffs smells and feels like socialism. Subsidizing fuel and food is???? First the GOP wanted no one to pick winners and losers except that the crowd that won wants to pick winners and losers. Thanks for playing says the profiteer. Same as it ever was.
If Trump was a Dem would he have the support of the church. (aduleries). Would the military support the 7 time draft dodger? Would FOX business hail him as the best business man ever? you go Lou.
He's Mr. Man.
Given the recent news reporting of Bloomberg paying people to post anti-Bernie comments on media sites I just have to ask. What is the New York Times doing to ensure that the people posting are not paid commentators for Bloomberg?
How do we know? Given that paying people to comment on news stories is now a full time job (a low pay one) can any comments here be trusted?
3
Sanders is an aged fanatic, a zealot, who wants to prove he is right rather than do right and no harm. He would burn down a village to make his point. He is the pied piper for easily fooled young adults who think free lunches are possible. He is huckster like Trump, not dishonest or sociopathic like hm, but nonetheless selling snake oil. He glows with rage.
7
@Axiothea
Whatever. This is garden-variety name calling, adds nothing to the discussion. Like this article, going on about "respect" instead of policies.
1
Let’s talk about mistakes. So the master tactician Pelosi and main stream media, and their shampeachment of Trump is slowly backfiring because during the process they clumsily and unwittingly blew up Biden who was their best hope to beat Trump. And they will never admit their colossal blunder. They will continue to hide their huge mistake from their constituents. But the NYT has no problem allowing this column about Bernie Sanders, all the while not acknowledging their own massive mistake with the shampeachment.
2
Another great strength of Sanders: he won’t be taking any advice from David Leonhardt!
3
America will never elect the angry man, he’s too negative
1
Since my banishment I've been noticing a huge snowball outside my window. It's been there for many years. It's glaciating. Has been for many years. Everyone else can see it too. The tune emanating from it is soooo popular.
The tune never changes. I'm on your side. Across the devide. We are powerfull. A populist that includes everyone.
Winning.
Sanders is appealing to a very narrow bad of voters—those that want healthcare instead of war and corporate pork for their tax dollars; those that want to leave a habitable planet for their children; those that want their children to have a future NOT crippled by usurious education debt to banks.
He really needs to grow beyond that base to appeal to racists and homophobes. Thanks for the concern trolling, David Brooks.
2
Let me see - Bernie wants to to eliminate private health insurance, raise taxes on the middle class, ban fracking and put our government in charge of energy production, make college a taxpayer entitlement, offer free health care to illegal immigrants, raise spending by at least $50 trillion, and tag every down-ballot Democrat with the socialist label. Yikes!!! And I consider myself a progressive but not nearly this progressive - I think the Dems are in big trouble.... :-(
1
Bernie is a career politician who hasn’t secured one piece of meaningful legislation the entire time he’s been in office. There’s a reason people look at a horses teeth, and it isn’t because they’re dentists. Bernie is a loser. I can tell just by looking at him. And the way he talks. Seriously. He’s about as presidential as my shirts buttonhole .
4
Right on about Sanders. He is an old Red and will make all the same mistakes all the Reds have made...vilify those who disagree with you to the point of making them criminal or insane and in need of reprogramming and reeducation.
Not the first time the Times has attacked Sanders - last time, they helped Trump win the election.
1
One establishment argument against Sanders is that he won't get anything too radical through the Republican controlled Senate. I count that as a plus.
We will be rid of Trump. We will start moving in the right direction on any number of issues. He will surround himself with smart people instead of idiots. And nothing too radical will happen anytime soon.
Mission accomplished.
2
@Billy he won't surround himself with smart people. His ego is too massive for that.
1
Respect isn't necessary. This is the age of Trump
1
David: Your choice of the word "respect" is very poor. Initially, I assumed you may have been referring to something Bernie said that was akin to Hillary's now (in)famous "basket of deplorable" comment. However, "respect" and "agreeing on issues" are two different things. Yes, perhaps the left's litmus tests (at least according to you) are a politics too far, but fracking in PA, for example, has nothing to do with "respect" -- that's called caving into a special interest, in this case the oil & gas industry, in the name of political expediency. I realize you are a centrist and I know you join with us in hoping to defeat He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. But if Bernie is indeed going to win, he will have done fairly & squarely, and comments by centrists such as yourself can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy which, by the way, is precisely right out of the GOP's playbook.
Comrade Sanders again praises the Castro regime in Cuba and uses it to sell his Medicare for all. What he doesn’t tell you is that those wonderful doctors in Cuba, 95% of which could not pass a physicians assistant test in our country. Bernie says he will boycott aipac , as he is surrounded in his campaign by anti-Israel and out right anti-Semites. Bernie Sanders will never be president of our country.
Respect goes both ways.
"Don't cherry-pick polls..." he chides us as he links to Harry Enten's numbers.
Do any of y'all who get paid to do this for a living remember 2016?
At all?
Pardon my skepticism as you decry what a wicked future we may face, but running HRC already ushered in "a dark era for American progressivism."
Are you not paying attention or do you serve a more sinister purpose?
Oh, and do me a favor? Ask Harry what he thinks Clinton's chances are versus Trump! Really curious to hear his insight!
The only reason I'll vote for Bernie if he wins the nomination is that he's not Trump. I am so glad to see an article like this calling out the progressives for what obnoxious inflexible know-it-alls they are. I am sick of it. Hopefully they don't alienate enough people into another four years of Trump. To those saying "Bernie won by a landslide in Nevada..." it was 35,512 votes total. Get over yourselves. You have to win the votes of half of the electorate in the general, not just your fanbase. Please stop these divisive, shoot yourself in the foot tactics!!!
2
So Bernie is another old white man. A little loud and bombastic. And maybe he has too many "lefter than thou" followers. But unlike Trump Bernie actually cares about other people and really does want to fulfill the promise of America as a bastion of democracy and refuge.
No one can buy him with pomp and ceremony and glittery gifts. He has a comfortable life, but he doesn't need gold toilets or constant sexual conquests to feed his ego. One thing we know we can count on is he won't lie to us and betray us.
Nor could he possibly turn America into a communist or socialist state--that's why we have a Congress.It would be nice if the Senate could get back to making the government work instead of being rubber stamps for the power grabs of political parties.
Bernie SHOULD have been the candidate in 2016. Now is not the ideal time--and yet, this is when we need to get the government back to work. He won't continue the rape of the environment Trump started, nor denying and avoiding the problems with Climate Change. He will try to find solutions to the problems that make life harder for our shrinking middle class and ever growing group of citizens reduced to poverty.
Bernie is one man with a lot of ideas, which is more than anyone can say about the dunce in the WH. And instead of screaming and fearing him, we need to support him. Because four more years of Trump will utterly destroy this country.
We can't afford four more years of chaos. Let's REALLY make the US great again.
3
Why Bernie? Why Now?
"Hand-wringing among Democrats about the party’s declining support among white working-class voters goes back a long time...to the signing the Civil Rights Act...the crime wave, riots ...Vietnam War protests...white flight...Reagan Democrats, NAFTA, gun control...many liberals had gotten so fed up with hearing about these woebegone voters...and were openly declaring them a lost cause...and declaring that the expanding Democratic coalition of racial and ethnic minorities and college-educated white voters obviated the need to cater to the white working class."
"Revenge of the Forgotten Class," by Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, November 10, 2016
https://www.propublica.org/article/revenge-of-the-forgotten-class
-------------------
"With its financial contributions and grassroots organizing, the labor movement helped give Democrats full control of the federal government three times in the last four decades. And all three of those times — under Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama — Democrats failed to pass labor law reforms that would to bolster the union cause. In hindsight, it’s clear that the Democratic Party didn’t merely betray organized labor with these failures, but also, itself."
"Democrats Paid a Huge Price for Letting Unions Die," by Eric Levitz, New York Magazine, 01/26/2018
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/01/democrats-paid-a-huge-price-for-letting-unions-die.html
Cheers
1
Really, Mr. Leonhardt, You compare Trump to Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama?
Did any one of the former say during their campaign events to carry protesters out on stretchers?
Did any of his predecessors call the press during a campaign event Fake News, while some of his supporters even used the German Third Reich slogan "Luegenpresse"?
Did any of them say "Only I can fix It"?
Did any of them standing at the dais at their inauguration call this country the American Carnage?
As to respect, never has a president in the history of this nation had such disrespect for all outside his sycophantic circles, while his only respect is for lots and lots of money flowing into his and his equally corrupt mishpocha's coffers.
The author may be right; that a Sander's candidacy is too extreme for "middle/moderate" America. Several factors operating here may need more time to culminate in a political revamping of America.
Four years from now, millions of progressive young Americans will get the vote; in eight years even more and America will be close to becoming a majority minority country. During that same period many older Trump supporters will leave the scene, shifting the voting balance leftward.
If Trump wins again, his corruption, recklessness, trashing of Democratic norms, destruction of environmental safeguards, and enabling of American adversaries will alienate more middle-of-the-roaders and even some of Trump's base who will discover that the emotional high of trashing urban elites is no substitute for the high paying manufacturing jobs Trump promised but hasn't delivered save in fracking fossil fuels, with which renewables are now competitive and promise to become even cheaper.
So either Bernie will prove the pundits wrong or America will need four more years of devolution and misery a la Venezuela, maybe even eight years, should Trump try to overturn the 2-term presidential limit.
Two relevant points are 1) Trumps age. Adolph Hitler was 44 when he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Trump's more advanced age is likely, in time, to prevent his achieving that sort of dictatorial success. It will be interesting to see if and when he begins to unravel. 2) Climate change!
Free healthcare and college education for 18 million undocumented immigrants isn't going to win an election against Trump...
Just sayin'..
2
@Aaron .... We pay a crazy amount taxes and have no healthcare , no affordable housing , people on the streets , expensive cost of living , high utility costs , dirty public transportation, no affordable healthcare , no full time jobs, no more unions, outrageous college costs, but no one complains about those taxes going to the endless wars , tax breaks for the rich and corporations and overseas to provide weapons of mass destruction to our "allies" ...... JUST SAYIN'
1
Well it seems like poker game: “I’m all
In” Risky maneuver. The pot? American and World future.
After Las Vegas debacle it became clear to me that egos are much more powerful than I expected. My hope is that what happened in Vegas - stays in Vegas.
Democrats should not focus in mere ideologies- their primary concern must be who can be the best bet against evil.
Putin chose chess instead of poker. And he is playing it beautifully. “Divide et impera” is as fresh as few millenniums ago.
2
"Polls showed that voters judged Trump to be more moderate than any Republican nominee since the 1970s."
Of course, as anyone with a brain knew then, and everyone knows now, Trump was lying through his teeth. He's a pure con-man.
1
it's funny you mention FDR so frequently. His "pragmatic" approach often meant racial discrimination. An understanding of this "strength" should illuminate how you misunderstand our history, and the value of such pragmatism.
facing the depression, FDR was in dire need to unite the Democratic party to push his agenda. how did his "come together" politics work? as you correctly identified, FDR "sent signals" to southern democrats that his policies wouldn't help black workers.
He stripped the original Wagner act of it's original provision preventing acknowledgement of unions that didn't allow and support black members. He made sure the NRA omitted historically black industrial occupations (canning, cotton gin work, and citrus packing) from regulation. finally, when he created the FEPC, he put mark ethride as it's first chairman (ethridge praised segregation and called the FEPC a Nazi like program).
You're correct. Southerners understood this signs. they reaffirmed to those people that if they kept voting for Roosevelt, he would give lip service to racial justice but maintain the current social caste system.
and it's easy to praise such pragmatism when it works to your benefit. But I wonder how you would have felt as a member of those black communities, watching FDR's pragmatism, and white salvation, come at the expense of your civil rights?
1
People all over the world are revolting against the radical system that is causing Mass wealth Inequality, Mass Planet Die off and privatization and profitization of everything on the planet. That radical system is Neoliberlism and it is the creation of the "centrists" (which is a twisted and false name, they should be called "radical capitalists") Bernie does not represent a radical vision but a massive rebuke against the true RADICAL and blood thirsty system of Neo-liberalism. The author, most readers writers and owners of the NYTIMES & the rest of MSM like rest of the 1% have benefitted insanely from this anti-people, anti planet radical system called neoliberalism. This election is about putting the lives and the voices of the 99% back in control.
1
The 2020 presidential election is shambolic. Because it's been revealed that yet again Russia is actively "intervening" -- read interfering -- to keep Trump as our President for Life. His complete disregard for the rule of law and the Constitution has won over Putin and the Kremlin, who see a stupid egotistical freak as their best friend in the world. Bernie's espousal of "socialism" is another shambolic aspect of the campaign. What kind of "socialist" are we talking about? Irving Howe wrote the seminal "World of Our Fathers" to depict the epiphenomenon of Jewish immigration to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th century. Is Sanders pretending to be like Emma Goldman?
1
@Tournachonadar Moot point . where is the "russia" proof.
The democrats already used the "russia card" on Trump, and now they are trying to use it on a popular candidate that wants to shake their corporate purchased selves to the core .
We see their tactics loud and clear now.
1
Trump leaves a distinct distaste in the mouths of many, many voters of the entire spectrum. However, political suicide is not a viable solution to this distaste, however profound and bitter. Bernie Sanders represents political suicide at this juncture, and to believe otherwise is delusional.
This Democrat (for now) will be voting for Trump, if for no other reason than to remind the DNC and Democratic leadership that greater stupidity is not the way to fight stupidity. If the DNC cannot alter it's trajectory, then not only will I walk away, I'll become a cheerleader for doing so.
How did our party get so lost?
If by "allowing no impurities" you mean no leaving anyone behind to die of no healthcare, then yep.
Sanders is not making a mistake. the ONLY people making a mistake are those who will vote for Trump. A vote for Trump is a vote against America. If people have not figured that out yet, they are brain dead.
3
I believe Mr. Leonhardt is saying that since he and his group are doing just fine; the people who are not should accept their lot. I believe Sanders wants EVERYONE to be doing fine. I know that some people like Mr. Leonhardt might suffer some if Sanders gets elected; but, I think Sanders believes if no one dies because they cannot afford insulin for their diabetes is a dream worth fighting for.
1
How will Doctors make money under a national healthcare system? Think they'll just roll over and accept a government "capped" salary?
1
Can an American please explain to a Canadian why anyone wouldn't want free healthcare?
750
@Paul oh my. Another comment by a Canadian trying to teach Americans about the benefits of free healthcare. As someone who attended a prestigious midwestern medical school - do you find it curious that 20% of cardiovascular surgery patients were Canadian? I mean why would Canadians be flocking to American teaching hospitals when they have such a quality system administered by the Canadian government?
Let’s stop pretending that free services will result in quality services. Has anyone been to a VA lately?
84
@Paul Canadian healthcare along with any solutions put forth by Sanders, Warren, etc is hardly free. It's just a lot less expensive than what we're getting now and a whole lot more accessible. As to why we don't want it, I can't help you with the answer to that.
53
@Paul
Absolutism, fear of change, Stockholm Syndrome, "it's always been this way", what-about-ism, it won't play in Peoria, just because.
84
The American electorate does not seem to have any issues with hard right candidates. Hard left, on the other hand, have not fared quite as well at the ballot box. George McGovern expressed a lot of our concerns and offered solutions that met the needs of most Americans. He then proceeded to lose 49 states in the most lopsided election of my lifetime. The Bernie wing of the Democratic Party can say what they want about the Clintons, but Bill was elected at a time when it was not clear when we would ever see another Democrat in the WH. I do like much of what I hear from Bernie, but I'm not at all confident that there is a leftist surge waiting in the wings for their deliverer. I am also very concerned with their attitude which seem to suggest 'you agree with us or you're wrong.'
4
What the author ignores is that the voters are often a bit perverse. They have various opinions, "I like fracking", "I hate fracking", "no abortion", "free choice" etc. But give them a choice "candidate chameleon", "candidate chimera" and "candidate you know what he stands for", quite many go for the third one.
2
What!?! Just what signals is Trump sending? I'm not getting them.
A moral stance for civility, human decency, and integrity is the most important way to defeat Donald Trump who is cruel, immoral, racist, sexist, and vindictive. This is the essence of the "rule of law" which maintains a civil, democratic society and the lawless, rule of Trump and his cruel, intolerant authoritarianism. It's the "high road" versus the "low road." It's our Constitution and our democracy versus a callous, chaotic autocracy. If this isn't "respect" versus total disrespect, I don't know what is.
Bernie Sanders doesn't have to to agree with the moderates but he could, as Leohardt suggests,bring more people if he showed some respect.
A good place to start would be to drop this patronizing attitude that those who don't 100% agree with you are too stupid too know what is in their self-interests.
Respect might also come from understanding that many of people, particularly in the Democratic Party, who are concerned about how to pay for all these proposals want many of the same objectives, particularly on healthcare---universal healthcare has overwhelming support throughout the Democratic Party--but also understand the we all live in a world of finite resources.
3
I’d be a lot happier about all this if the number of leftists who knew why “leftists,” are called leftists were a tad bit higher than it seems to be.
3
David,
Give it a rest will you. Just a few weeks ago even in your wildest dream you would not imagine let alone state that Bernie would be the clear front runner. He is doing it his way and people love him for that. What did you think in 2016? Do you remember. I do. Hillary was a disaster of a candidate. So much for your judgment of what is a mistake and what is not. Stay out of the way.
2
What is frightening is the display of ignorance of political realities in the USA from this writer (if you don't know the difference between Medicaid and Medicare then I refuse to call you a journalist). While Individual # 1 and the sycophants of what used to be the Republican party, but now the party of Trump, lead the USA further along the road of authoritarianism and fascism, essentially this writer suggests that the leading candidate on the other side tone down his platform is just nonsense. Get with the program. The rest of us on planet Earth do not want to live in a new fascist era.
2
Paasionate support is one thing. Fanatical, unquestioning, support is another. Jesus Christ has been criticized in the media more than Sanders.
2
If the choice is Sanders vs. Trump, is anyone with slightest hint of liberalism in his or her veins going to vote for Trump, a man who is absolutely, purely evil (name one redeeming moral quality), or sit home to facilitate the triumph of evil again another way? It's great that Sanders has framed this battle as one between good and evil, as he quite rawly has. As Brecht said, there is "the terrible temptation of goodness," meaning the goodness calls to the heart even more profoundly than evil does. And Bernie is using that call better than any American public figure since MLK himself. Leonhardt should be ashamed. He is the nonstop voice of temporizing, the Times' Mr. Worldly Wiseman, always doing his best to wreck Sanders for Wall St. and the rest of our oligarchs, from Bloomberg on down. But this time, it's not going to work. Bernie was much preferred to Trump by Rust Belt whites in the 2016 exit polls, and would have been near the end of his first term if he, instead of the grotesquely compromised and out of touch Hillary, had been the Democratic nominee. Well, this year he will be that nominee, and all he has to do is win back the chunk of those Rust Belt whites who preferred him last time. The workers Sanders will gain far outnumber the suburbanites who would sell us to Putin and Russia to protect their "moderation," meaning their money, Sanders may lose. He's going to make even bigger fools of the pundits of the MSM, starting with Leonhardt, this time than Trump did.
1
I'm am so bored with the NYT's center-right editorials. Bernie Sanders is nothng more than a catylst for waking up all the people that have just about given up on this country ever being an actual Democracy.
Yes Amy Klobuchar got 4% in Nevade and she's surging. Or that Joe Biden is a brilliant political mind just waiting to come out and prosper. Then there's the kid from Indiana. Sorry but I could never vote for a Presidential candadate let alone one called "Mayor Pete." Seems like a perfectly nice fella. Maybe Bernie will add a cabinet position for him like - Secretary of Pastels. Amy can be Secretary of Bake Sales and run events like the Easter Egg hunt at the White House.
1
I wonder at columnists who somehow confuse the primary, when Democratic candidates need to attract Democratic voters, with the main event, when each party's candidate must address the general public. I'll help you out: we're still in the primary, Mr Leonhardt.
Sanders, meh. His supporters are the most disrespectful "allies" I've ever encountered. I'm a life-long liberal and am pretty far left on most issues, but even I can't with these folks anymore. Insufferable!
3
One topic Sanders has failed to mention is equal rights for women and minorities. Usually when a candidate fails to mention a topic it is because he doesn't plan to do anything about it.
In spite of Sanders's neglect of women and minorities my friends and I will vote for him because Trump is so horrible on any topic I can think of. Trump will not improve the lot of women and minorities because he truly despises them.
Sanders has a chance at winning because the absence of women and minorities in his campaign issues allows sexist and racist males to vote for him -- the Bernie Boys in his campaign.
My friends and I dislike Bernie because his campaign is the one that called the Democratic party corrupt and since my friends and I are lifelong Democrats, we were disgusted that he claimed that we were corrupt. Heck, Bernie isn't even a Democrat, but he chose to run as a one of those "corrupt" Democrats. His hypocrisy about the Democratic party also irritates us.
Yet, though we dislike him, we will vote for him because Trump is worse -- working to turn our country into a democracy in name only. We will hold our noses and vote for Bernie.
3
We are not an “open borders” country. All the crime we have witnessed in Mexico and Central America is not going to change our minds. Where is our modern William Jennings Bryant to save us from this “Cross of Gold.”
2
Sanders is campaigning like an idiot, by which I mean he's strategically delivering messages like a stupid person talking to other stupid people.
Simple stories of the weak vs. the powerful, of corruption. Slogans. Pie-in-the-sky promises everyone informed knows won't ever actually happen. A curious voter can go onto his website and see things are a bit more complicated (though they still never get too complicated), but that's not the message.
In other words, he's campaigning like a republican. Personally, I hate it and think it's dangerous; I'd love for all politicians to be Elizabeth Warren (back before she started mimicking Bernie Sanders). But I'm not a very big voting bloc. To others, it signifies genuineness, honesty, and a clear mission. Don't underestimate the effect of playing such a role on building a coalition.
2
"Even Trump, radical as he is, flouted Republican orthodoxy by sounding like a populist Democrat on Social Security, Medicare and trade"
Trump started his campaign by disrespecting Mexicans by calling us rapists. Clinton called Trump supporters deplorables.
But yes, please, tell me more about how Bernie Sanders is the odd one out in the disrespectful field.
The short answer to David Leonhardt:
American voters are disgusted with politicians who spit out whatever "policy" they think voters want to hear.
1
It is time for the NY Times to do its job! You gave us Iraq and you gave us Trump by not doing the necessary deep-dive coverage of important issues. Bernie has not been properly vetted by your reporters (opinion columnists don't count) as his interview with 60 Minutes demonstrated last night and his nomination will lead to the reelection of Trump and the end of democracy as we know it. You have a responsibility to call out Bernie the same way you have covered the other flawed candidates!
2
Well, well,well...what did you expect from a candidate who has lavished praise on the likes of Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Maduro? He admires their methods not to mention their ideology. Sanders is a Socialist not a Democrat in any way, shape or smell.
2
Mr. Leonhardt, you lost me even before you began lumping F.D.R. and Reagan into a category together, but that really tears it for me.
I won’t vote for Bernie in the primary, but if he wins the nomination I will vote for him. Why? He’s not trump. In fact, I would vote for a chimpanzee before I’d vote for trump.
5
It's rather difficult for me to feel the compassionate "Bern" when Sanders has surrogates like Nina Turner speaking for him. She's a nasty piece of work and for me, has nothing to do with positive change. It's Sanders way or the highway and if you question Sanders' policies you are obviously "stupid", "ill informed", "can't stomach change", 'an elite"...all things I've personally been called. He needs to re-visit his staffing if he wants to relate to the rest of us. I'm just so sick and tired of being yelled at by finger pointing, belligerent men. This is exactly why I did not vote for him in 2016. Now, with the horror story in the WH I feel i have to choice. I'd like to vote for Sanders because I want to, not because I have to. Also, if he really wants to help democracy, let's get rid of the electoral college.
5
"Sanders once won over blue-collar Vermonters with help from a moderate position on guns...Now, though, Sanders has evidently decided that progressives will no longer accept impurities..."
Ummmm... he still does take a moderate stance on guns.
How can liberals like you accuse us of being divisive when all you talk about is how important it is to remove Donald Trump from the whitehouse? You realize that Donald Trump has a ~90% approval rating from Republicans? You realize that you're alienating all of those people by demonizing Donald Trump right?
And if there are enoguh registered democrats that will vote for Trump if Bernie is in the ticket that they will hand the election to Trump--then I'm sorry, but our country is doomed. I'll gladly just leave the country--enjoy your crumbling empire.
Bernie is currently in a three-way tie for last place on my list of primary candidates, and David Leonhardt does a really good job of explaining why in this piece.
4
This is all correct of course, and straight out of Alinsky: Lie as much as necessary in order to get elected then enact maximalist positions in such a way that they are irreversible. Once people have been given free stuff, courtesy of other peoples' money, they won't want to give it up.
Power to the too-important-to-actually-pay-their-own-way-in-life underclasses!
Both DNC and RNC(sorry now TrumpNC..no more RNC) have done enough for so called Centerists and Oligarchs respectively. Let us start working for ordinary and left out people. No more excuses for not finding money or cant win etc. When Trump party can find money to give for millionaires and billionaires i am sure We can find money for our healthcare, education and clean up of environment!! Go Bernie!!
The Soviet Union collapsed in 1989 and with it, it appeared, the end of the dream of a communist utopia. And now the Democratic Party is on the verge of running a Communist sympathizer for president. How did this happen?
1
For me, watching the other Democrats compete for the nomination is like watching the Three Stooges try to go through a door.
1
Shocking news--another day, another NYT columnist lying about Sanders and, in this case, purposely misstating history. I won't go into a long recitation about everything Leonhardt gets wrong. I'll just concentrate on the fact that his entire premise is flawed, i.e. that Clinton and Obama ran as centrists who won because they appealed to "voters who weren't obvious supporters."
In reality, both Clinton and Obama ran and won because they promised radical change and progressive policies. Of course, all they delivered was NAFTA, cuts to programs that help the poor, deregulation of the financial sector, the TPP, and a multi-trillion dollar Wall Street bailout.
The promises broken by Clinton and Obama created the schism between working-class and blue-collar voters and the Democratic Party, led to the defeat of the status quo presidential candidates who ran to succeed them and set the table for Donald Trump.
There is nothing more disrespectful than lying to voters in order to win. Both Clinton and Obama did exactly that and the Democratic Party has paid the price twice. Sanders respects the voters enough to tell them exactly what he believes and what he will do. People believe him, trust him, and respect him for his honesty--that is why he is winning now and why he can win in November.
I'm sure Leonhardt and the other anti-Sanders columnists who have been polluting the opinion pages will still be telling us why Bernie can't win months after he is inaugurated.
1
Man, if the mainstream media keeps publishing these absurd hit pieces on Bernie, Trump's going to have a lot of credibility calling it "fake news" come November.
Sanders in his 40 year career has one singular accomplishment—demonstrating he is incapable of changing the reality of working families.
"...win or loose...it is time to change the conversation..." !!!???
I've no patience for those pretending to be concerned about income inequality whining about changing the conversation when what is needed is changing the reality.
2
Here’s the problem: most of us actually do not respect people who are not on board with the left agenda. The reason for this is simple: anything less than the total dismantlement of oppression, domination and injustice is intolerable to us. Anyone advocating for anything other than a vision of the world that strives for justice, equity, and the amelioration of suffering is, in our view, morally bankrupt. The Op Ed writers will say “oh come now, we all strive for a better world!” This is false. They are obsequious servants of the masters of human kind. We do not believe them when they feign outrage at the material conditions of the dispossessed. Bernie Sanders is not far enough to the left for our taste, but he is the pragmatic choice for those of us that have not abandoned electoral politics. Our collective conscience will not allow us to support, or even be friendly with, anyone who does not truly care about their fellow human. Many of you reading this think you are in fact compassionate and kind; you probably aren’t. The readership of the New York Times is largely composed of PMCs whose goal in life the the ruthless exploitation of the vulnerable for profit in the service of their masters. Unless you are willing to actually do the work of fighting for the underclass, you are our enemy and we will never surrender to you. We will never submit to your demand for a unjust world, and we will never let you live in peace until justice is achieved.
2
Sanders does not behave like a regular politician. This drives the commentariat nuts, but it makes regular voters like him. That is why he did as well as Biden with Nevada Democrats who identify as moderate or conservative.
1
"For Sanders, that may mean walking back his position on fracking"
Are you fracking serious?
1
This is one of those "listen to me criticize Sanders from the sidelines" opinion pieces.
To which I say, "blah blah blah."
I'm voting for Sanders.
Sanders may well turn out to be a unifier bringing together boomers left and right who will vote to protect their nest eggs.
It IS the economy stupid.
And now for the theory that retiring boomers cashing out will cause a ‘dark period’ for the stock market.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/24/theory-suggests-retiring-baby-boomers-could-spark-stock-dark-period.html
As we get closer to Nov. 3 with Sanders as Democratic candidate that trend will accelerate.
Sanders may well turn out to be a unifier—bringing together boomers protecting their nest eggs.
1
@Lupito
you are confusing Millennials with boomers.
1
Cnn, NY times, MSNBC,etc corporate media is trying to sway voters by always putting out bad articles and negative stuff about Bernie. He is doing exactly what he is supposed i.e being passionate about what he believes in. Btw that hasn't changed since he got into politics. His policies don't benefits corporate media.
Keep trying, you can't stop the voters from believing in an authentic person
What a sloppy op-Ed piece. This would garner a ‘D’ grade in any college classroom. Trump and Bush reached out to voters outside their obvious supporters by lying to them. Trump reached out by lying and saying he wanted Americans to have health care. He’s doing just the opposite as President - making sure they don’t have it. Bush lied when he described his form of conservatism as compassionate. We saw “compassion” take a death spiral under Bush. And his huge tax cut for the rich and one time minuscule tax refund to everyone else - but no permanent tax cut like for the wealthy - was the height of political cynicism.
Unlike any of the other Candidates named by Leonhardt Sanders is the only one who respects voters enough not to lie to them and to tell them what he really believes.
Leonhardt’s position represents the corruption of so-called “moderates” who equate Trump’s behavior with that of every other President and then falsely represents that as being a moderate.
1
Trump ran posing as a fake Bernie Sanders.
Well, the evidence has shown us that duplicity.
Bernie is running as himself.
Si se puede, Bernie./Yes we can, Bernie.
Bernie 2020!
1
Fracking have been great to who in Pennsylvania?
“Even Trump, radical as he is, flouted Republican orthodoxy by sounding like a populist Democrat on Social Security, Medicare and trade.”
So, your idea of “respect” is, apparently, saying enough blatant lies so the “other side” will think you’re one of them?
1
More drivel from the ruling class. This is a movement, not a one-off. This is about more than one election. We’ve sacrificed enough for short-term “wins,” if that’s what you want to call them. Go back to your gilded tower if you want. The people are coming.
1
So I have to choose between deplorables?
3
Q. How can Senator Sanders be an intellectual up in the sky—and talk without thinking down on the ground—at precisely the same instant in time?
A. Feel the Bern!
Feel Defeat
1
I find it sickening that the Times chooses to print one article after another with a negative, know it all, "opinion" piece about Bernie after another. You should know where they stand on Bernie, with their corporate backers and the TBTF it seems to me.
If anything Bernie is telling the truth, being brave, fighting for average Americans and a consistent message of what he believes.
This has nothing to do with political orthodoxy. It has to do with the fact that Americans have seen deep corruption on both sides of the political spectrum and they've seen one massive hypocritical liar make and break every promise and most others say one thing and then cave to the establishment every time.
It's time for the People to take back this nation and for the government to put every American on an equal level of respect. Bernie is very clear and unambiguous. This isn't about some kind of purity test. This is Bernie saying what he means and planning on doing what he says.
I expect every media outlet, every greed-driven, low life organization, every short-sighted, fascist to use ever low life dirty trick to keep "We The People" from having a champion for average Americans doing the real work of real public servants and of real freedom but it is utterly disappointing to see the NY Times prove me right on this nearly every day.
1
And here I thought it was Trump who had the copyright on mistakes!
I guess there's just no escaping foolery these days, thanks to the hate-engendered, anti-social media, much of which can be found here at nytimes.com.
We have made our own Frank-in-Your- Face monsters....
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Thank you MSM for being AWOL or at worst aiding and abetting mid- and dis-information, playing right into Russia et al’s game. You want some examples of how ‘democratic socialism’ works given that you all seem to be at a loss for reality? Try: big bank bailout, national park system, interstate highway system, military-industrial complex that Ike warned us about. With a little thinking I’m sure you all can come up with some more examples, by which to inform your readership with the truth!
It is clearer by the day that this is a paradigm shifting election that will probably leave press box handwringers like Mr. Leonhardt in the dust.
1
You mean he calls nonsupporters things like "basket of deplorables?" The NYT Opinion writers (e.g. Friedman, Stephens) sound like they are on fire because Bernie is the front runner. In 2016, the party machinery and the media worked hard to push Hillary. How well did that work out? Please, let's learn from past mistakes, if nothing else, and try to have a wider perspective before rushing to manipulate public opinion.
Where purity goes, hypocrisy follows.
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The messianic language about Bernie is terrifying.
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Seriously? Your dislike of Bernie Sanders is very evident in your coverage of him.
As a Canadian, my main interest in US politics is concerning the long-lasting environmental implications of each candidates actions — as well as the humanitarian beliefs of each candidate (ie. will they continue to build concentration camps along the Mexican border). As far as candidates with consistent voting records and solid principles, Bernie seems to be the strongest candidate by a head and shoulders.
As a newspaper that claims to be pro-democracy, and that purportedly aims at objective reporting, I never expected such consistently pointed, vitriolic, targeted take-down pieces against the democratic front-runner. I value my New York Times subscription. I am ending it today as I can no longer support weaponized, intentionally divisive news media.
2
One of the kindest words I can think of when I read a New York Times columnist chastising Bernie Sanders for a lack of respect is effrontery.
What have the Times' editoralists, op-ed writers, and regular reporters been doing to Sanders for the last four years?
Derision and derogation.
Not one iota of respect.
1
Nonsense. Where did you come up with the idea of how he won in VT? Silly. Look at who ran against him. He didn't support gun legislation, didn't put forth an agenda to have free tuitions in the State universities and didn't fix the Lake. What did he do? Nothing. We left because the progs drove us out. Sold the housing to programs. Let the businesses leave (IBM went to Iowa). Bridges decayed. No new roads. Colleges closed. Unemployment rates are only down, because there are no jobs. 1% population is black. Took over airport for National Guard. And people are leaving the State, because snow is not an industry and there is nothing to do and too many kids and ACT 60.
putting all that aside...
He's too old and ill, and Putin is helping him.
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Bernie is as ride and vicious as Trump
He has mastered promise and then renege
He won't give an inch and so it is HIS way or else.
He lets his nasty staff viciously attack anyone who disagrees with him
Trump without the make-up and dyed hair.
There IS another progressive in this race.
Let the moderates coalesce around Warren and offer an alternative to progressives who are sick of Bernie.
Offer an option to independents and dismayed Republicans. Warren has shown she can compromise. And she will energize women.
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" I have earned the hatred of the economic royalists and I welcome their hatred" Pres.Franklin Roosevelt.
Sen. Bernard Sanders is simply reclaiming the vision of the greatest DEMOCRATIC president who is ranked next to Lincoln and Washington and elected 4 times by The Greatest Generation.
The called and do call to this day FDR and his wife Eleaonor socialist. Well , all polls show Americans love their socialism like Social Security and Medicare etc.
Sen. SANDERS is a real Democrat and will reclaim vision of FDR.
FDR 2nd Bill of Rights speech
https://youtu.be/3EZ5bx9AyI4
2
Unsurprisingly, Leonhardt shows himself unable to comprehend that the very real needs of the electorate do not correspond to centrist/liberal/bourgeois/elitist cliches of left and right. Like the neoliberal ideology which spawned them, those cliches were long ago exhausted by the class they served. This class continues, fatuously, to deploy a rhetoric that has long since ceased to convince, thereby performing its own obsolescence for all to see. For most of us, this attempt is so shopworn it barely warrants an eyeroll. Speaking of bad performance, Leonhardt might want to research the term "performative," the meaning of which he fails to grasp; the first eleven pages of J.L. Austin's "How to Do Things With Words" is the obvious place to start. More pernicious, however, is Leonhardt's willful and instrumental misrecognition of humane policy for "disrespect." Bernie's platform is the former. The tone of this comment should communicate the latter. These are different things, notwithstanding the wounded pride of an elite slowly coming to realize just how ignorant it has been all along.
Has any socialist or communist leader shown respect for anyone who does not agree with the ideology, Not a chance
1
Get your facts straight, David. A plurality of PA voters reject fracking, understanding that its job-creating power is a myth, and the need for fracked oil is unnecessary.
Maybe nominating Bernie, and losing big, is a necessary step on our journey.
Maybe it will finally show open border progressives that the rest of the country is just too fascist and unreasonable to contend with via civil debate and elections.
Perhaps the Antifa approach to organizing protest is just superior? Perhaps the nation is too far gone for us to help via the vote?
And finally, perhaps the fact that the Times is second guessing the Sanders campaign is the biggest tell of all. I have been reading the Times for years, and for years they’ve acted as if open borders and a host of other progressive positions are good. How curious that the minute we get a candidate who promotes those policies, the Times starts telling us they can’t win.
Very curious indeed! I think we need to put the peddle to the metal, and jump that canyon just like Thelma and Louise did. No one thought their car could fly either. But it did! And they made it! And so shall we!