Do we really want Donald Trump to be president.... of the United States??????

[Bill USA]

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 and dispatching opponents. We have seen them hounding 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 at McCarthyist politics, 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. [font size="+1"]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 (this is just what the GOP is so masterful at_Bill USA).[/font] Socialists don’t win national elections in the United States.
(more)

[SheenaR]

1. Socialists don’t win national elections in the United States

They said the same about African Americans... How'd that go. Sanders would crush Trump. Repubs will be bailing off that train fast. Not concerned at all. And I don't think it would even be close

[H2O Man]

9. Sure they do.

Certainly every president from FDR on has been a socialist.

[Ferd Berfel]

26. Yes they do

I"ll give you that it hasn't happened since the Clinton's (and others) SOLD the Democratic Party to the Koch Bros.
But It has happened and Will again!

[jfern]

32. 53% of Americans said Obama was a socialist

So you really don't have to go back very far for that.

[djean111]

2. Pledge-y Thingy of the Day!

This might be more germane to, well, anything at all, when a nominee is chosen.
Sound like you are carrying the he's a Commie Socialist!!!! water for the RW, is all this sounds like.

[Bill USA]

7. apparently the text in OP is beyond your grade level.

"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). "

[djean111]

10. No need for personal insults, my dear. You just sound childish.

Evidently the fact that, no matter how many times you post this stuff, you will not influence anyone to switch to supporting Hillary,
has escaped your keen intellect.

[Bill USA]

15. "Sound like you are carrying the 'he's a Commie Socialist!!!!' water for the RW" ... this is not an

attempt at personal insult on your part? The meaning of the OP and article excerpted was clear and obvious. You chose to insult me.


Accusing others of something you are guilty of is a devious tactic. You are good at it. I'll give you that.
I'm simpler. I just try to make my point. .. as it was clearly made in the OP.


as to Sanders people being oblivious to certain parts of reality, see: "..True Believer"

[djean111]

16. Oh, come on - any criticism of Hillary has been labeled as "using RW talking points" for quite a

long time now, here at DU. You are either being disingenuous, or are new and have not been following the skirmishes here.

[Bill USA]

25. oh come now, you're off topic. This thread is about whether the GOP will apply their considerable

skills at demonization and fear mongering against a Sanders candidacy.


If you want to complain about something else, start your own thread.

[artislife]

40. Listen, they will do that with h as well

But what will make it worse for her is that there is a large section of the population that does not like her personally at all. They wouldn't let her buy them a dinner.

Bernie doesn't have that level of personal animosity leveled at him. It is only issue based.

[Bill USA]

23. does this kind of talk make you feel better, less small, less intimidated? This is how GOPers talk

They are profficient in it. This is the talk of someone who needs to hide/suppress feelings of being small, intimidated and frightened by the "big" people around him. He's afraid others will see what how inadequate he feels so, by trying to denigrate the "other guy" he feels this will compensate for his feelings of fear and feeling small.

As I said, this is the kind of talk the GOP are so proficient in. It's referred to Punk Talk.

[djean111]

28. Bwah! You are really reaching - sorry, not taking your baiting.

Oh, and bwahahahaha!

[Bill USA]

34. "Bwah"?? a continuation of yr cmnt 10. If you can't talk issues, can't refrain from Punk Talk

you should go over to discussionist...LOL!

[DefenseLawyer]

36. As if Secretary Clinton is going to appeal to the "GOP base"?

well they do love her, but something tells me they may not vote for her. But then again I am no Dana Milbank, so what do I know?

[beam me up scottie]

3. A VOTE FOR BERNIE = HELLOOOOO PRESIDENT TRUMP!

This is what will happen if you don't vote for Hillary:

[MissDeeds]

4. WELL HELLO PRESIDENT TRUMP

'cause I'm voting for Bernie!

[beam me up scottie]

5. Why do you hate America?

[MissDeeds]

6. I'm an evil Democratic Socialist

[Bill USA]

12. don't be silly. He's just a True Believer

The True Believer

[beam me up scottie]

13. That's a serious case of projection you have going on there.

Sorry your scare tactics didn't work.

[Katashi_itto]

43. I will be Voting Bernie too.

[beam me up scottie]

44. We're all DOOMED! You didn't drink the koolaid the op was serving!

[reformist2]

8. I actually think nominating Hillary would almost guarantee a loss.

[VulgarPoet]

20. And if that's the case, the nation deserves everything that happens to it after that.

Maybe next time, we'll learn to value honesty, and not the top bidder.

...Who am I kidding? Of course we won't.

[immoderate]

11. I think you are invoking "fear itself!"

I would sooner fear, say, the power of corporations. Get what I mean?

--imm

[Hekate]

14. The True Believers do not care.

They think we can just start over and make it better....

Seriously.

[Autumn]

17. Sorry to disappoint you Bill, Bernie will be elected President of the U.S.

[whatchamacallit]

18. Desperate fear-monger is desperate

Not this time Dana, we're done getting played for chumps.

[ljm2002]

19. Fear, Fear, FEAR!!!!!!

OOGA BOOGA THE BOOGYMAN GONNA GET YA!

That's an inspiring campaign message. And it's not even true, by the actual data we have to go on right now.

[LWolf]

21. Of course not.

That's why we're going to nominated Sanders, who will beat Trump and all the others in the general election.

[Live and Learn]

22. Even Donald Trump doesn't want Donald Trump to be President.

Don't worry, Bernie will win and he will be the President. Feel the Bern!!!

[Broward]

24. I take it you're voting for Bernie then since he's more electable than Hillary.

[AtomicKitten]

27. Nope and neither do I want Hillary. Bernie crushes Trump in polling, Hillary not so much.

[speaktruthtopower]

29. Trump

Trump is showing some serious aptitude as a politician, but let's see what happens when he's forced to get into issues in depth.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

30. Hillary's Fox News viewers invade DU

Be terrified!!!

Works on rubes and Republicans. Our brains are different. Look at the science. Republicans are motivated by fear.

Sorry, wrong audience.

[Autumn]

31. “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”

And this OP is a piss poor example of fear-mongering. Have fun

[Vinca]

33. If the GOP has been "hounding Hillary Clinton for a couple of decades," it should be noted

that she's still around. GOP "hounding" often sounds like a riot at the psychiatric hospital and people laugh at it more often than take it seriously. I think Bernie would be happy to describe socialism and he might invoke Social Security, Medicare, the military, the Interstate highway system and the snowplow that comes down the road during a blizzard. We're way more socialistic than most people realize and it's the most socialized programs that are loved the most.

[Bjorn Against]

35. We have seen people trying to demonize Sanders from the day he entered the race

Last edited Sun Jan 31, 2016, 08:30 PM - Edit history (1)

We have seen slime thrown at him from Clinton supporters nonstop from numerous threads implying he was a racist, to trying to claim he thinks there is a link between cervical cancer and orgasms based on a four decade old citation of a medical journal, to claims he is in to rape fantasies based on a decades old quote taken out of context.

Despite the nasty smears we have been hearing for months Clinton supporters are still trying to claim he hasn't been vetted. Well guess what, he has been thoroughly vetted by Clinton supporters like David Brock but it is the Brock's of the world who have come out looking bad rather than Bernie.

Clinton on the other hand did not come out standing strong after her vetting and all you need to do is look at her unfavorable numbers to see that.

[beam me up scottie]

45. ^^^THIS^^^

[99Forever]

37. The Desperation is Strong in this one.

News flash Bill:

The wheels have come off the Coronation Express and "skeery skeery Trump" tool won't put them back on.

Sorry.

Have a nice evening.

[aidbo]

38. Republicans are mean. I give up.

[bowens43]

39. No, that;s another reason we need Berne. Hillary is un-electable.

[frylock]

41. oh noes!!1

[Warren DeMontague]

42. Yes, lets talk about the Milbank piece, & some of the adjectives he uses about the Clinton campaign.

"Dreary", "inauthentic", "phony", "uninspiring".

"Her reflexive secrecy causes a whiff of scandal to follow her everywhere"

Etc

I notice you carefully excised all that stuff from the part you quoted.

[asuhornets]

46. As you can see it is useless with them...n/t