Sen. Bernie Sanders: “agitator” or “spoiler”? (cc photo: Don Shall)
The Washington Post (12/1/13) has a piece about what it considers a leftward push inside the Democratic party. This is not the kind of thing that gets a lot of attention in corporate media; when it does, there’s a tendency to portray it as a potential problem. The Post article is no different.
Under the print-edition headline “Democratic Party Feeling Heat From a Revived Left,” reporter Zachary Goldfarb explains:
As Obama struggles to achieve his second-term domestic agenda, a more liberal and populist voice is emerging within a Democratic Party already looking ahead to the next presidential election. The push from the left represents both a critique of Obama’s tenure and a clear challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the party’s presumptive presidential front-runner, who carries a more centrist banner.
So where are we seeing this populist push? The Post identifies a few examples of this left agenda: protecting Social Security from cuts, a minimum wage increase, narrowing income inequality and “making a case for tougher financial regulations.”
Inevitably, the Post sees danger:
But the push from the left carries political risks for Democrats, who could be accused of being reckless about the national debt or insensitive to the demands of business and economic growth. What’s more, many Americans are uncomfortable with the notion of the government redistributing income far beyond what happens today in order to accomplish basic elements of the populist agenda. Liberal congressional or presidential candidates could pressure more moderate candidates to veer to the left, perhaps reducing their electability.
But those “political risks” are hard to figure, since all of the political issues identified here are broadly popular. The last time a very similar article was written—in the New York Times this past summer—the worry was that these positions would pull Democrats away from “the center.” As Ezra Klein of the Washington Post pointed out back then, most of the policy ideas—regulating banks, protecting Social Security and Medicare—were wildly popular with the public.
Raising taxes on the wealthy is similarly popular—as the Washington Post‘s own polling has shown—which makes it unclear why the Post is worried that “many Americans are uncomfortable with the notion of the government redistributing income.” If anything, they’d like to see more of it.
The Post piece includes a reference to a possible presidential campaign by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind.-Vt.).
Although his chances would be slim at best, he could serve as an agitator who pulled other candidates to the left—or as a potential spoiler if his campaign got off the ground.
An “agitator” or a “spoiler”—which will it be?
Zachary Goldfarb can be reached via Twitter at @Goldfarb.
Well, “political risks” means losing access to corporate donors, and hence being “unelectable” in our current money-and-ads system. It’s probably true, sadly.
We need to get behind Bernie Sanders to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. We need to pushback , and inform the Wash. Post , and other media that these programs are not left wing ideas . They are great American programs that were enacted when our government really cared and worked for the American people . It seem that these people who want to cut Social Security and Medicare are just uncaring and greedy people. There will never be enough money to satisfy these people. It is time for the Wash post to get their head out of their rear end , and,look at our country as it really is, and stop being Wall St. and big corporations mouthpiece. They do not know the meaning of being objective.The vast majority of Americans of all political persuasions support Social Security ,and Medicare , and also want tough regulations on Wall St and other financial institutions..
Thank you
What the article and your response omit is the fact (pure statistics) that Washington has been clearly redistributing income for the last 30 years.
Well, there are more democratic voters, than there are businesses, and corporations, if democrats get out and vote, we cant loose.
LOL, oh Washington Post, of course Bernie Sanders is a wonderful and necessary agitator! Remember that agitators are those parts of washing machines that get things clean. : ) This nation needs a lot of cleaning.
The other thing, write,r Mr. Goldfarb, is that if the People of this nation suffer any more sequestering, and if the corporate pseudo people continue to pay no taxes or very little, then no one will be able to buy your paper, nor will advertisers have any one to sell to if the people are thought of as so unnecessary. Maybe you should think about the People and how ,at the moment, they are providing you with a job. : ) There really is a circle of LIFE!
Odd , sometimes, how it seems that such obvious spinning towards the peoples need to believe in “Trickle-Down Economics” isn’t the insult it should be.
Maybe the “Dumbing-Down” of America is working far better than I ever feared.
Well first Id like to ask Peter Hart and FAIR why there is so little written here about Obama care?If your waiting for some good news,you may have a long wait.Second of course most people think the tax rates on the so called rich should be raised to help them out of dire straits.If I thought it would help me Id go for that.And empty the bank accounts of the president and all his top people,and a crap load of politicians.And make every kid break open their piggy banks.If it will help me pay off my credit cards Im all for it.Now can we stop acting stupid?As far as the strange reverberations beginning around Obama and the Dems it is normal.The “next up” want to see what is good for them.Close to Obama or far away?They are reading polls like I used to read the xmas catalog when I was a kid.Trying to decide what core values(ha ha)they should adopt this time in order to sell them selves.
Kirk this whole num skull idea from the left that trickle down does not work is really insulting to the intel.What else is there?Ever work for a poor man?All economics IS trickle down.Want to know why under Clinton 1% had 40% of the wealth.A bit higher under bush.And now 87% under obama?Simple .Obama is redistributing the wealth ….UPWARD!See the only real thing up in this economy is the stock market.Kept up by Obama flooding the market with phony money.And who owns most of the stocks?The big corporations.They are being subsidized by Obama with monopoly money.So no matter how high he taxes….he hands them back truckloads of fake money.It is a lose on all fronts.Hurts the low and middle class.Makes the rich richer(well sort of).Devalues the dollar.Hurts expansion.Creates a new phony bubble ripe for collapse.But children it all ends soon.The Chines currancy just past the Euro as the second most used.We are still number one..But we are down .Soon we will drop close to the danger mark as all countries lose faith in the dollar.Soon we must as a matter of course stop quantitative easing.The stock market will crash downward.The rich will lose thier phony mony.Gov will lose their phony tax base.And you knuckle heads will lose your social utopian programs.We will all be in the same sinking ship.See elections have consequences.You elected the village idiots in.And you would again.Maybe it takes a village…….OF IDIOTS!
The problem with the Post and others’ perspective is, this new populism is not “right,” “centrist,” or “left,” but burrows deeper into core values necesary to straighten out the blurred and over-stepping bounds of free market economics when it comes to things that belong to everyone — water, air, health, community. The market place is about private and sometimes public “goods,” but the not the common good; we’ve always treasured that, and it is much a tradition of individual rights and property rights as the private rights themselves. I mean, you can’t enjoy private property, your farm, home, or neighborhood if others have ruined the basic integrity of things you need to enjoy– water, air, safety, health.
“the demands of business and economic growth”
If corporations are people, I suppose it’s inevitable that “economic growth” can make demands and win rights. “People” will support “people”.
(Of course it’s all corporate newspeak.)
Neither. Sanders won’t run. Geez, WaPo. You’re losing your touch. Your propaganda is so transparent these days. No matter. Seems you and your Wall St cronies are in for another blindside come 2014 as long as you continue to ignore all that “evil populism” you keep trying (futilely) to vilify. It’s just sad.
olderish i explained why money is flowing to the rich.It is by no design of theirs though they take advantage of it through trading in the stock market..This idea of why under Obama the rich have gotten so rich is off the mark.-It is by the design of this president.He simply is lost.It is the classic axium that the road to hell is paved with liberal good intentions.He himself in a speech last week said “we want the affordable health plan to work with lightning speed like it would in the private sector.”He acknowledged their superiority.!Trickle down vs government run- showed its true head.Want things to get better?Lower the tax base.Stop market manipulation.Use a fair tax.(Of course get government out of our lives)Instantly the economy will even out.The middles class will recover.Wealth will be recreated for not just the few.Tax base will explode.And real trickle down….From all the small businesses to their employees will take place.Trickle down simply means that someone takes a chance to start a business,and if successful…. it will benefit other people.It is thee only successful model I Know of.Today we have a government infringing on that in every way.They manipulate all markets to benefit the rich.Then over tax at the same time -causing a retraction of expansion and real investment.In essence they take over all those jobs that the private sector does so well,and they so poorly.If you feel there is some model that works better please say so.
So no one here is blaming Obama for the collapse of…..well everything?Economy,healthcare etc.How far down do you have to go on this road before you STOP believing.With half backed arguments against free markets ,insurance companies,corporations,and recreation of wealth you wonder why you don’t have a clue.Your arguements are moronic.Look at so many conservative states people.Doing well.Your liberal states are going under.Obamas home district.His baby.The place he tried all his tricks before he sprung them on us is among the worst in the country.Where is anything you libs do working?You are a total disaster.And everyone is finally catching on.So you blame the rich for hoarding their money?For not hiring enough?Or paying enough.Or for not paying enough taxes?Village idiots.Keep saying such stupid things.It separates you.Makes you easy to see.Listen my friends…you promised all kinds of utopian things during the elections.Now that it is all collapsing you lot pull yourself up by your bra straps and take full responsibility.No weeping.No blaming others.Liberalism has shown exactly those things that WE promised would happen.Now stand there with the dunce sign and be proud.
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren represent what the REAL Left want the Dems to be.
Elizabeth Warren for President in 2016 !
we should not be bashful about standing up for folks who have trouble standing up. We want a competitive society, which means there are winners and losers … if we build a safety net for the losers we will have a better society
Old Irish first off….The ACA is not doing well in NY by any sane standard.If you mean are more people signing up there for this monstrosity that other places, and the already massively high cost of medicine there has not risen to the country wide average of 40%…. I suppose yes it is doing ok (sic).If that is the only measure good God we are really doomed.The only thing that can be said is New York was so demolished by liberal brain drain that nothing was working, and if all goes well with this(it wont)that it could possibly maybe hopefully get better,or at least not worse.No Doctor I know is moving that a way to practice I can tell you.We is a runnin as fast as our wittle feet can carry us from that disaster.As far as Bush being responsible for the beginning of the collapse.Damn straight!I never voted for him.Wanna know why?Because I spoke for years against Fanny and Freddy and what I KNEW would happen when this liberal fountain head went belly up.That it would collapse us.I never thought Bush in his election run showed the balls to tear it down before it was too late.After he got in(though he tried 27 times)he failed to do so.After Obama got in that sailor spent more in 18 months than ALL the presidents combined.So no defense there.Bush was bad.Obama is a nuclear blast.As far as the tax payer subsidized free market you are wrong.It is the stock market that is subsidized.Not the free market.Both have been mutilated by government interference.You are correct that it is a bi partisan effort.Though notable the tea party members seems to of abstained from his insanity.As far as what the conservative states are doing to get business to flow there(look at Texas vs california)..i could give a rats behind if they are dressing like chickens and hawking their wares on the corner.It is working.Period.
Charles what you wrote is a bit of nonsense that started in the onion and has spread to liberal minds as if it were true.You are not village idiots but you are being misinformed…on purpose.It is not true.Factually or otherwise.It has been debunked in any number of publications.Read wall street….It came from an article that pointed to several areas within states that recently voted red after on average thirty years of liberal leadership.To say that they are sucking in government funds is correct.To call them red is in name only.It will take time my friend.True red states are doing so much better that we can almost move to that as a blanket statement at the cost of appearing rude.
Jim safety nets are fine.but not cradle to the grave.we can not afford to tax success ,and subsidize failure.No amount of “paying in” can support what these progressive libs envision.Remember when they told you what Obama care would cost?We told you it would be 4x higher.Remember they told you how well it would work?Remember Paul Ryan trying to inform people on the facts…the truth of the matter.Go back and listen to his speeches.Please go back and google any number of them.He was dead spot on.He was right and truthfull.They were wrong or lying.By that measure alone if you had a crystal ball,any sane person would of voted for him.The insanity is those who voted for the liars….STILL WOULD!This will need a deep search of the inner self -for those deluded bamboosled people who voted for these charlatans.