Recent events have raised the hopes and dreams of progressives in the US. I think the popularity of Bernie Sanders is a wonderful sign of this. It wasn’t so long ago that the word “liberal” was being used like it was a dirty word (let alone “socialist”!)
I’m still a moderate. I know change will be slow, but I just want to know that this country is still moving forward, and not back to the (anti-science, feudalistic) dark ages. It is a good time to be alive.
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I’ll take you on your word as to being a moderate but I’m not sure the term even has meaning anymore in a political context. I must be a moderate too since everyone to the left of me has obviously taken things too far and everyone right of me is clearly wrong headed. Yep, I’m smack in the middle.
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am stuck in the middle with IK 🙂
But is there anything Bernie Sanders says that you disagree with? I admit that he exaggerates sometimes. He does stick to his principles.
Yes, there are definitely things that Bernie Sanders says with which I disagree. But your point is still valid Eva, because I disagree with far fewer things he says than which come out of the mouth of any Republican candidate for president.
David, I guess if the word “moderate” has no meaning any more, then I can define it any way I please (as long as I am consistent about its meaning).
Sanders has sometimes been referred to as a “gun nut” because of his stand against suing gun manufacturers for crimes committed with guns. His perspective on the 2nd Amendment is more rural than urban, coming as he does from a more rural state. But in no way could he be considered a darling of the NRA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohLGRnfCd50
One thing that concerns me about him, though, is that he isn’t generally seen as a unifying force within the liberal/progressive wing in Congress. As an Independent and self-described democratic socialist, some perceive him as being too strident and rather stand-offish, not enough of a team player. That approach has perhaps served him well in Congress, but it’s the same criticism often aimed at Obama, brilliant and impassioned but too academic and something of a lone wolf.
When the church shootings happened, I went to the Hillary Clinton Web site to see her comments. I’m not allowed on the Web Site to read her thoughts unless I “sign up” with my e-mail address. So I guess she doesn’t want people to know how she stands on subjects.
Ralph, I don’t see him doing as Obama did for so long by trying to make nice. He might not get any more done than Obama but what he gets done, will more than likely be on his terms. After Obama’s “team playerism”, I’m ready for someone who will say what is right and mean it and stand by what he says. Unlike the current White House resident.
Iron Knee, moderate or central have changed meaning. “Center” has shifted over the last few decades, so anyone who says they are center or moderate are really leaning right. The vitriol and hatred that is spewed at anyone mentioning something that might be taken as liberal by the right tends to make some people keep quiet and possibly begin to doubt their own convictions.
Even if he doesn’t get the nomination, Bernie is opening a dialog of what truly needs to be said and making people stop and think. That’s something that Hillary is going to have to acknowledge and deal with. He brings light to an otherwise dark election season. Give em hell Bernie!
Moderate and Central are different things. I am a moderate. And despite how this country has shifted to the right, I’m definitely closer to Bernie Sanders than I am to any current Republican presidential candidate.
There was an interesting article I read recently that made the point that if you ask people how they identify, they say conservative (or center-right), but if you ask them about specific liberal policies, they are more likely to be in favor of them. This is why Sanders is gaining so much traction even with Republican voters. It is like that fascinating survey done a few years ago, that found that people who said they were against the ACA, when asked about the specific policies in the ACA, they were for them.
You may think this country is becoming more conservative, but I think that is a superficial conclusion. Otherwise, how do you explain legalization of gay marriage and marijuana?
Also with the ACA they were for ACA but against Obamacare. So much ignorance in this and any other country.
As far as being a conservative country, we have to look at abortion. Even the Catholic countries just say nothing about abortion and carry on as normal having abortion.
The conservatives in this country want all unwanted babies to be born so the parents can torture the child (conservatives are in favor of torture, usually not the liberals.) Children are on welfare, social services, slow classes (30K a year in public school for a special education child, increased health problems because they are bottle fed, etc. etc. So these same conservatives like Jindal in Louisiana are willing to pay the extra taxes for all these unwanted children???????? that is not mentioned in their speaches.
Legalization of gay marriage and marijuana are rare, (to date), hopeful examples of signs of change. I think this country, over the last 30 years or so has definitely become more conservative, but I also see rays of hope that this might be about to change slightly. It’s past time for the pendulum to swing in the other direction.