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Bill USA

(6,436 posts)
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 09:20 PM Jan 2016

Democrats 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&quot 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 night’s 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 doesn’t 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 don’t 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 — that’s my definition of democratic socialism.

But that’s not how Republicans will define socialism — and they’ll have the dictionary on their side. They’ll portray Sanders as one who wants the government to own and control major industries and the means of production and distribution of goods. They’ll say he wants to take away private property. That wouldn’t be fair, but it would be easy. Socialists don’t win national elections in the United States .
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Democrats would be insane to nominate Bernie Sanders (or why NOT to offer a lamb to the GOP) (Original Post) Bill USA Jan 2016 OP
Dana Milbank, the journalist responsible for such hits as... Joe the Revelator Jan 2016 #1
Hartmann had a whole list today Mnpaul Jan 2016 #8
i don't know how anyone can be more demonized than roguevalley Jan 2016 #15
Damn that hurt. Wounded to the core am I jeepers Jan 2016 #2
He's sure giving Hillary fits Fumesucker Jan 2016 #3
yawn farleftlib Jan 2016 #4
zzzzzzz ejbr Jan 2016 #9
Posted and with over a hundred comments but you left out all cali Jan 2016 #5
the point is that the GOP will have Bernie for lunch. Paragraphs that addressed that fact is Bill USA Jan 2016 #10
Recycling is good for the environment. beam me up scottie Jan 2016 #6
Blah blah blah. Your queen will never be president. bowens43 Jan 2016 #7
Dang angrychair Jan 2016 #11
Milbank has firmly and long ago established what and idiot he is. He has no credibility. nt ChisolmTrailDem Jan 2016 #12
LOL. aside from the utter absurdity of your remark, Milbank is not stating opinions, the GOP's Bill USA Jan 2016 #21
Regardless, I don't listen to or read anything he has to say. nt ChisolmTrailDem Jan 2016 #23
Where is Hillary tonight? Not in Iowa. Oh yeah fundraising with the banksters. jillan Jan 2016 #13
That corporate dinner bell rang. VulgarPoet Jan 2016 #17
Come on, there is no way this crap works anymore. Just look at '08. leftupnorth Jan 2016 #14
So his argument is we should vote for the already "demonized". jeff47 Jan 2016 #16
America's not quite ready to elect a socialist for president. AnnetteJacobs Jan 2016 #18
Take a look around here Bill randomelement Jan 2016 #19
it's important to remember/realize how effective McCarthyist tactics are. Also, it's a mistake to Bill USA Jan 2016 #22
Judging from how Bernie has handed the DNC it's ass twice now... Motown_Johnny Jan 2016 #20
Did you hear that? Mountebank tells us that socialists do not win in America! Don't even try!!! reformist2 Jan 2016 #24

Mnpaul

(3,655 posts)
8. Hartmann had a whole list today
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 09:35 PM
Jan 2016

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)
15. i don't know how anyone can be more demonized than
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 11:33 PM
Jan 2016

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

 

cali

(114,904 posts)
5. Posted and with over a hundred comments but you left out all
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 09:26 PM
Jan 2016

the funny stuff about how dreary and uninspiring hill is.

Bill USA

(6,436 posts)
10. the point is that the GOP will have Bernie for lunch. Paragraphs that addressed that fact is
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 09:43 PM
Jan 2016


.....what I excerpted.

angrychair

(8,592 posts)
11. Dang
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 09:51 PM
Jan 2016

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.

Bill USA

(6,436 posts)
21. LOL. aside from the utter absurdity of your remark, Milbank is not stating opinions, the GOP's
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 07:55 PM
Jan 2016

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)

VulgarPoet

(2,872 posts)
17. That corporate dinner bell rang.
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 11:47 PM
Jan 2016

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)
14. Come on, there is no way this crap works anymore. Just look at '08.
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 10:50 PM
Jan 2016

Fear of the GOP and their 20th century smear network is so 90s

jeff47

(26,549 posts)
16. So his argument is we should vote for the already "demonized".
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 11:45 PM
Jan 2016

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)
18. America's not quite ready to elect a socialist for president.
Wed Jan 27, 2016, 11:59 PM
Jan 2016

America's not quite ready to elect a black man for president, either.

randomelement

(128 posts)
19. Take a look around here Bill
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 12:26 AM
Jan 2016

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)
22. it's important to remember/realize how effective McCarthyist tactics are. Also, it's a mistake to
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 08:05 PM
Jan 2016

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)
20. Judging from how Bernie has handed the DNC it's ass twice now...
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 12:48 AM
Jan 2016

...once over access to voters lists and again today over debates.... it looks to me like he is no lamb.



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