This might break rule b) and I don’t find it uplifting (a bit orphancrushingmachine when you think about it, even) but I don’t think there’s much use in deleting this at this point.
“…but what should we do when the highborn and wealthy take to crime? Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger, how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man who breaks the law out of greed?”
― Terry Pratchett, Snuff
Its so sad that Bernie is old , he has the guts and enthusiasm to change this country.
He should have been elected in 2016, we where robbed back then and we where robbed again in 2020
The crossroads moment for America was in 2016 where I think Bernie had a genuine shot at Trump and could have taken history on another path.
2020 I think it was already too late, I don’t think we were actually robbed of anything there.
The crossroads moment for America was 2000.
The supreme court looked at ballots cast for Gore and his green agenda and said “nah they didn’t mean it, let’s put Bush in” and the rest is history.
According to Charles Beard, the crossroads moment for America was 1788, when the Constitution was ratified.
I agree
Enthusiasm? Yes. Guts? Highly debatable. Bernie seems pathologically incapable of picking fights with the liberal establishment, which is necessary to get anything done.
By himself? I think he is being realistic we only have two parties in the US he has to join one and the democrats are the only ones closer to his ideals.
Not by himself, using the millions of progressive-leaning Americans who want him and his platform. He doesn’t need to straight up cut them off, but Bernie could and should have used his influence with the American electorate to take a more hardline approach with the Democrats. This is exactly what much weaker rightwing Dems or independents do, and it works. Meanwhile what Bernie does clearly isn’t working. I mean in terms of his platform, what has Bernie actually done? His platform is immensely popular yet his deference to the liberal establishment means he can barely get any of it done. Just because he caucuses with the Democrats doesn’t mean he needs to obey their every whim. You can’t effect change—especially leftwing change—by being nice.
West Virginia is like 1920s-1930s Kansas, far more liberal than most give them credit for, and they are suffering, screaming for someone to listen to them, speak to them, speak for them.
And fuck y’all judging us in the South! (Meh, WV is “South” in spirit.) Go watch some actual journalism. Watch someone go out and interview us without judgement, no gotcha headlines, no leading questions, no bias. Santenello’s interviews have left in tears more than once.
https://www.youtube.com/@PeterSantenello
One time he catches some kids jumping off a creek bridge, rolls up to interview. The fat boy that wanted to be an historian had me in tears. Gods that kid knew his shit, so smart, and so little opportunity.
Santenello rolls all over America, captures our stories. Withhold your fucking judgement until you’ve met us.
Anyway, take an hour and watch Bernie’s talk. You might note, he isn’t speaking to a liberal stronghold, he’s speaking to Nowwhere, WV. It’s worth your time. It’s a lesson on how we win.
EDIT: Better video.
Not to hijack your point, but this would require liberals to actually do things for the working class, so they’ll just pretend everyone outside the blue wall hates democracy instead.
The point really is that Bernie isn’t a liberal and is talking to everyone. Liberals are created by the Democratic party talking points and incapable of changing the party platform. Liberals just receive and act passively.
I was more addressing the part about how people like to dismiss the South as hopeless racists, and trying to explain that using the fact any other interpretation would require liberals to confront their own failures and hypocrisies. On the other hand while Bernie has his problems, he doesn’t beat around the bush and directly addresses people’s problem, so his words resonate everywhere.
YOU get it! So goddamned sick of social media beating my ass for living in the South. The racism is nowhere near what it’s made out to be, seen worse up North. The conservative governance is fucking appalling though.
+1 for Peter’s videos. I went down such a YouTube hole with that guy for a while. I’m from the PNW, so about as far from the south as you can get, and it’s really fascinating to listen to such candid conversations with people.
Yeah. Dont diss the Moooountaaaaain Maamaaaa
I know it’s not really important, but what a beautiful theater!
But West Virginia will only vote for people like Joe Manchin! People who agree with Joe Manchin about everything told me so!
