2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumDemocrats would be insane to nominate Bernie Sanders (or why NOT to offer a lamb to the GOP)
In his article, Dana Milbank addresses the unpleasant fact of how good the GOP is at demonizing opponents. We have seen them working over Hillary Clinton for a couple of decades. We all need to remember that with many people if you repeat a lie often enough they will begin to think it's a reality. THis works with, sorry to say it, many people (most are known as "the GOP base" but they are not limited to that group).
Nobody knows this better than the GOP. They count on people being programmable to win elections - well along with voter suppression (and, in a pinch, the Supremes to abort an election and choose who the 'winner' is). It seems many people are blythely oblivious to this fiendish facility of the GOP in their enthusiasm for their candidate who nobody doubts (in Democratic circles) is a good man. The Dana Milbank article could serve as a good medicament for those enthralled by reveries of Sir Good-at-Heart being victorious over the monstrous malevolence of the GOP - if they are open to his knowledgeable advice (and entreaty?).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/democrats-would-be-insane-to-nominate-bernie-sanders/2016/01/26/0590e624-c472-11e5-a4aa-f25866ba0dc6_story.html
Sanders and his supporters boast of polls showing him, on average, matching up slightly better against Trump than Clinton does. But those matchups are misleading: [font size="+1"]Opponents ("Opponents"?? ...how 'nice' of Dana to not put in print: "the GOP" have been attacking and defining Clinton for a quarter- century, but nobody has really gone to work yet on demonizing Sanders.[/font]
Watching Sanders at Monday nights Democratic presidential forum in Des Moines, I imagined how Trump or another Republican nominee would disembowel the relatively unknown Vermonter.
The first questioner from the audience asked Sanders to explain why he embraces the socialist label and requested that Sanders define it so that it doesnt concern the rest of us citizens.
Sanders, explaining that much of what he proposes is happening in Scandinavia and Germany (a concept that itself alarms Americans who dont want to be like socialized Europe), answered vaguely: Creating a government that works for all of us, not just a handful of people on the top thats my definition of democratic socialism.
But thats not how Republicans will define socialism and theyll have the dictionary on their side. Theyll portray Sanders as one who wants the government to own and control major industries and the means of production and distribution of goods. Theyll say he wants to take away private property. That wouldnt be fair, but it would be easy. Socialists dont win national elections in the United States .
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Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)Mnpaul
(3,655 posts)of ridiculous claims made by Milbank and others. It's a good thing few are keeping score as these fools never get it right.
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)HRC considering they say she murdered vince foster
how can it be worse for anyone than her. lame excuse not to vote for bernie. desperate
jeepers
(314 posts)I feel that I have betrayed everyone. I quit, you win.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)farleftlib
(2,125 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)the funny stuff about how dreary and uninspiring hill is.
Bill USA
(6,436 posts).....what I excerpted.
beam me up scottie
(57,349 posts)Thank you for thinking of Mother Earth.
bowens43
(16,064 posts)angrychair
(8,592 posts)You people flip memes fast. Slow down, pace yourselves. Enjoy life. Tweak and adjust the orignal ones a little to keep them interesting and going for a day or two. Maybe change them out every couple of days. Like underwear.
You have to at least make last to Super Tuesday. Save the big freak out and good stuff for then...like the "he's a commie" red card should have been held until after New Hampshire at least....blew your best material early.
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)Bill USA
(6,436 posts)track record of demonizing and attacking their opponents has been documented by thousands of newspaper articles, reports/documentaries on television and countless books (here's a few: The Hunting of the President, Blinded by the Right, The Republican Noise Machine, It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism by Thomas E Mann, Norman J Ornstein)
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)jillan
(39,451 posts)VulgarPoet
(2,872 posts)I'd rather put my shoulder to a boulder with the common man than sell my conscience to the corporations and rest on my laurels.
leftupnorth
(886 posts)Fear of the GOP and their 20th century smear network is so 90s
jeff47
(26,549 posts)How does that even begin to make sense? Choose the already demonized because we want to give the GOP less work to do?
AnnetteJacobs
(142 posts)America's not quite ready to elect a black man for president, either.
randomelement
(128 posts)I think you're making the same mistake the MSM has/did - you're underestimating the level of support Bernie has. Do the Sanders supporters appear to be a milquetoast group that will stay quiet when the GOP tries to frame the argument or misrepresent his positions? To a man/woman, we are all fed up with the status quo and, quite frankly, we're not going to take it any longer. If they (GOP) want to shout their lies, they'll be met with a set of lungs they never expected.
And you honestly think Hitler Lite (Trump) is going to get any traction beyond the small group of racist xenophobes?
FFS
Bill USA
(6,436 posts)judge the political environment just by noting the enthusiasm of those who agree with you and only counting them when you estimate the inclinations of the nation. There are many, many people who are sublimely susceptible to the GOP's techniques of demonization and disinformation. check out this comment (so I don't have to copy and paste): http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511078927#post21
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)...once over access to voters lists and again today over debates.... it looks to me like he is no lamb.