Summary

Bernie Sanders criticizes the Democratic Party for neglecting the working class, leading to their recent election losses.

He highlights issues like economic inequality, job displacement, healthcare costs, and foreign policy as key concerns for the American people.

Sanders questions whether the Democratic leadership will address these issues or remain beholden to big money interests.

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[–] 241 points 2 years ago (4 children)

He's 100% correct. This failure is a failure of the DNC to actually pay attention to what the voters want.

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  • [–] 115 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    This election, like every failed election effort since 2000, was a referendum on the democratic party platform: neoliberal business as usual for the top 15% sprinkled with "we're not Republicans"

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    [–] 134 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

    The only focused Democratic message for the past 8+ years has been, "We need to stop Trump," which I agree with, but without Trump, I can't think of a single, unified message. That's not enough to get the general population fired up and excited to vote for Dems. One thing that made Obama so popular was he had specific goals and gave people hope.

    Trump, in the meantime, has been feeding people all sorts of promises and hopes and dreams. They're all terrible and full of shit, but that is a more powerful message than just, "We need to stop Harris."

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  • [–] 51 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    I'm also legitimately convinced that the average American person is just an asshole and likes other assholes. Trump is the most conceited, whiney, cry baby, know it all, jagoff and everybody knows it. He wears it like a medal. And people love it man. They just eat it up.

    It's just like Carlin said. The politicians come from us. Because they are us.

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  • [–] 24 points 2 years ago

    Trump is the most conceited, whiney, cry baby, know it all, jagoff and everybody knows it. He wears it like a medal. And people love it man. They just eat it up.

    That's the thing. I'm sick of the media painting this as a "they're holding their noses and voting" thing. This dude doesn't win despite his vulger rallies and his racist, sexist, homophobic, crazy, whiney, criminal, and arrogant behavior... He wins because of that shit.

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  • [–] 93 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Man, if he'd form a populist left party and stop caucusing with the Dems, he might get a lot of enthusiastic support and candidates running locally soon

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  • [–] 52 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Yes please. Channeling my energy towards this future.

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  • [–] 30 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    We could also do this ourselves, if we could find a way to organize it.

    I’m sure with enough attention he’d acknowledge, and maybe support it.

    It may sound silly but what’s the alternative?

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  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    I really think ranked choice voting is the answer here. It will open up the opportunity for third parties to actually gain traction.

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  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

    Me too but how are we going to get that changed before the next election?

    Before ranked choice voting we need at least one party to rally around with a candidate that focuses on popular issues. Once we have someone in office that will commit to those issues we can then talk about these kinds of changes.

    A good place to start would be at the state level since states run their own elections. For that all I can suggest is to get more actively involved in local politics than you ever have before.

    Of course, that’s assuming we have another election.

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  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Never underestimate the obstruction from establishment Democrats at every level of government. We passed a bill authorizing statewide use of ranked preference voting in CA and our neoliberal democrat governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it. I generally support his policies but this one was a flat out "fuck you" to everyone alienated by the neoliberal business as usual party that runs our state.

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  • [–] 91 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    Hi. Working tradesman. I still voted blue even when the 4 years under trump were mostly better for me than under Biden. Of course most likely coasting off of Obama's era. But I got no relief under Biden. I pay $20k a year for my Healthcare and still have to pay thousands a year out of pocket for visits. My family in Ukraine is still unsure what's going to happen in the next year. Many of brothers in my local are unemployed now during the hardest time to pay to live. We hear the record profits the corporations made and swindled the working class dry so we can eat yet there has been no relief. How did making 6 figures for a family of 5 turn into almost living pay check to pay check.

    I'm ok with sacrifice if it means others get the help they need. But I don't think anyone got the help they needed. We sacrificed for no benifit to anyone but the elite, and we are continuing to be ignored.

    This is what Sanders is talking about. And I'm afraid of what Trump is going to do for many Americans. For my Ukrainian family back home. For my neighbor who is Taiwanese. But recently I'm more worried to keep food on the table for my kids. I don't even care who won anymore. I have election and political fatigue. I did what was asked. I keep doing what everyone thinks is right. But I'm burning out.

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    [–] 82 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    “Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign? Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do they have any ideas as to how we can take on the increasingly powerful Oligarchy, which has so much economic power?” Sanders asked.

    ”Probably not”

    Bernie has been the Cassandra of the Democratic Party for decades. They need to realize that it has gone too far. The insane wealth gap, which has surpassed pre-Revolution France at this point, combined with the unaffordability of everything has created a crisis that won’t be fixed by platitudes and vague promises.

    People are desperate, afraid, and angry. Changing that to hope and enthusiasm requires real plans that average voters can understand and even more than that requires correctly showing people the source of the problem.

    Being beholden to billionaires is the real problem. And all their money, advertising, polling, and other bullshit didn’t do a damn thing to help Harris. Take them on the way FDR did or give the country to republicans permanently.

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  • [–] 62 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    God fucking dammit he should have been the fucking president in 2016. Fuck this timeline.

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  • [–] 54 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    The DNC needs to allow voters to elect who they actually want during the primary. We were force fed Hillary because the DNC didn't want Bernie. We didn't even have a primary because we were force fed Biden, then given Harris because Biden was so unelectable. The DNC must allow democratic process to take place so that voters elect the presidential candidate that they want.

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    [–] 52 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (20 children)

    The what party? America still has more than one political party?

    Edit: I don't mean 'both parties are the same, you knuckleheads.' I mean there won't be a Democratic party by the next election. There won't be any parties but the Republican party.

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    [–] 51 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    He's partially right.

    Unfortunately, I think the bigger issue is that a majority of Americans are fascists or indifferent to fascism.

    “But are there not many fascists in your country?"

    "There are many who do not know they are fascists but will find it out when the times comes.”

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  • [–] 17 points 2 years ago* (9 children)

    majority of Americans are fascists or indifferent to fascism.

    I'm not convinced of that at all. Here's what I see:

    A large portion of ignorant uneducated and easily manipulatable people who don't even know what fascism is.

    • Large groups of religious people who focus on voting red because Christianity, their churches, pastors, and religious groups, and the abortion issue.

    • Actual bigots. There's a lot of them and they like the racism, anti gay, nationalism, deportation stuff. Want women subjugated.

    • Bullies, tough guys, "alpha male", and the "get money" crowd. There's a lot here too, and many in poor young black and Hispanic groups in addition to a lot of white males. Not necessarily bigots, but generally want women subjugated whether they know it or not (sex objects).

    • The large group of just vote red without thinking because it's what family and friend circles do and always have.

    The above I think don't understand fascism at all. Not educated or informed enough.

    Edit: I would say to be "indifferent to fascism" you have to actually understand what it is, and I don't think much of the maga crowd does. My opinion/speculation.

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  • [–] 47 points 2 years ago (8 children)

    Nah i dont think yall are willing to do it. 2028 you'll be holding your nose again voting for an out of touch moderate to oppose trumps third term instead of giving a progressive you completely agree with any kind of chance.

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    [–] 38 points 2 years ago (19 children)

    Bernie is correct for the 100th time. But is little too late now. Unless Dems are serious about tackling working class issues. I don't see anything changing. Many people view the Dem party not for the average person anymore.

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    [–] 34 points 2 years ago (15 children)

    If he formed a new party with young, fresh faces, I'd vote for them regardless of how that affected whatever the DNC did. I feel like there's enough similar sentiment that he could force change in the DNC

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    [–] 27 points 2 years ago (10 children)

    I wonder why Bernie and other progressives don't band together and announce their own party. With enough big names (especially Bernie) they could gather enough attention to be a viable third party that actually represents progressive and more left leaning ideas than the democrats. They have two years until the next local elections to get their foot on the race, I think they could get done traction if they actually go for that

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  • [–] 20 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Because they understand the spoiler effect.

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    [–] 24 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Yesterday and today feel like I'm reliving my mom's election loss back in 2016. I was too young then to understand the weight behind what was going on at the time, although I did at least understand why Trump seemed like a dumb candidate. Anyways, I distinctly remember how when it was obvious that Hillary lost, even though she won the popular vote, that something wasn't right. My mom was sobbing while looking for places to move into, since we were moving out anyways. Now, 8 years later, I'm having those exact same feelings as she did except with my boyfriend on my side, knowing very well that come January that if nothing happens, we could very well be one of his first targeted groups. I fucking hate this timeline, man.

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  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago*

    I was in college and living with a bisexual Saudi friend at the time. I'm a straight white man, so I wasn't a target, but he absolutely was. I sat with him in the kitchen while we got drunk and he cried.

    The good news is he made it through fine and I think is doing well today still in the US. It's going to suck, but most of us are probably going to survive this. Don't give up all hope. Build your community, organize, join mutual aid groups, and build what we need to take back power in the future.

    They're going to try to take us backward, but make them take us kicking and screaming. Don't give up and let them have it for free.

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  • [–] 22 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    If you don't want to be crying again in 2028, start working now.

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  • [–] 21 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

    Some of us never quit. It's just annoying that everytime you bring up legit concerns its met with people defending the status quo. 2016 the status quo was drug to the town square and hung. I don't care if you pulled it down marionette it around, it's 2024 and a knife was stabbed through the heart of this country. Democrats still have the helm and they will do nothing, they will let it bleed out. All the power of the american government and they cannot weird it despite a lifetime working in it.

    If democrats were even going to consider change they would spend their political capital, NOW. Since it is all gone come January.

    Say I'm wrong and they can keep playing political footsy with NAZIs till the end of time, why, why, why, would anyone want that????

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    He’s right. It is time to take back the Democratic Party.

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