I remember Bernie talking to real people about their problems for years. This guy has been the real deal for decades. Dems have dumped on him and ignored him. I remember them saying no democratic socialists on the dem ticket. Now people want to listen. Figures. He should have been the president by now.
I think Bernie has gotten it right, and we should have listened to him years ago. It's the rigged system that has to go, not just Trump and authoritarianism and republican douche bags. Government has been bought and paid for for decades and is just now, under Trump/Musk becoming untenable. How did it change under Biden? It didn't. Not really. He was certainly better than Trump but he really just kicked the can down the road - the rich got richer and everyone else just got by. What good is an economy that is "the envy of the world" if the average person just gets by while millionaires and billionaires continue to flourish in lavish luxury? And the poor struggle just to live every fucking day. The democrats need a new vision, Bernie's vision and Bernie's message in a younger package. Don't give us another party insider to go back to government as usual.
AOC is also starting to join him. We need her, Pete Buttie, Jasmine Crockett and others going to Red and Blue districts doing the same. And we need to add what happens if social services and other parts left of the govt become privatized. How that affects us.
Really, really good article Anand. I have always liked Bernie and wanted him to get the nomination for President. He's 83 years old now, but he is still sharp as a tack; has remarkable energy; and is making a difference with his contributions to the American people.
He walks the walk and talks the talk. Even my MAGA husband liked Bernie; unfortunately, he drank the Trump kool-aid — such a tragedy.
I was a "Bernie woulda won" person, twice. I am tearing up, as I often do, hearing the man tell the truth, elicit the truth, and stand up for the truth everywhere he goes. I loved those listening tours of 2018-19! I mourn for the direction this country could have taken with a Bernie Sanders presidency. And yet I know the story isn't over. Bernie inspired a whole generation to fight for the country we really want, and he he's back out there doing it again, with even higher stakes. I have once again kicked in my $27 a month.
I remember the section of your book “The Persuaders” that chronicled this very thing Bernie is doing now. For my money, it is the perfect method of communicating the source of pain, then stoking the fire to change it. For my part, I am on a personal journey to understand and connect with people of differing views. This was a reminder of a great way to do that.
Many of us have loved and stood up for Bernie's bracing, if sometimes a bit dated-sounding point of view. Not because he drips with external empathy, but because by now massive amounts of data support the fact that those countries which have embraced democratic-socialistic forms of government have a higher happiness index and enviable objective measures of economic prosperity, health care, etc. etc. These countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark among others) outrank us on every scale. And none has, or ever will devolve into any form of autocracy, including a 'socialist' form as in Russia, which is a kleptocracy, BTW, and never was, even in its heyday, been anything other than that. Thank god we have some younger elected officials with similar views and more modern perspectives, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal come to mind.
Bernie is my senator. He has zero patience for dumb questions. A reporter from Vanity Fair asked him some dumb question about Democrats, and he replied, "I don’t want to talk about the Democrats. You want to talk to the Democrats? I’ll give you Chuck Schumer’s number.”
This is just a brilliant (no surprise, Anand) analysis of Bernie's Oligarchy Tour refinement... evolution. And I can't tell you how many times I have read an article or watched a video about Bernie and his message and his devoted activism and the lives of regular Americans who are drawn into that orbit... and teared up with deep emotion!
This is exactly what I told my Rep. 1. Show us you are angry to validate what we are all feeling 2. Connect the dots for us on how each of the illegal actions are or will be affecting all of us. 3 Explain how the Democrats in the House are uniting and are boldly responding to the attacks.
Anand you are so wise for such a young man. Thank you for your beautiful mind and your kind and understanding heart. And thank you for featuring Bernie. He deserves it because he gets it.♥️
Love Bernie Sanders! Listened to his whole speech shared on Meidas Touch. I remember that part too where he asked the public about their issues. I thought it was powerful.
He knows how to message. I plan to attend a gop town hall next week and will use messaging like bernies from this document
Anand, I don't know where to leave this comment other than here. I often hear you say few Democrats are doing anything except a handful of senators or representatives and a few governors. I don't think that is entirely accurate. For example, Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison is traveling across Minnesota talking to farmers, immigrants, veterans, fired USAID officials and ordinary citizens in rural, suburban and urban areas of the state. His town halls are part civics lesson, part listening session and part organizing opportunities. Audiences have been 300+ and growing. Keith is also traveling to other states to join Democratic AGs elsewhere, and next week 1-2 of them will come to Minnesota. I think it is easy to overlook work outside of DC or the coasts, but there are good things happening. I applaud Bernie for taking the argument to red states.
To be clear... our "leaders" won't save us. The anti Vietnam War Movement was not led by elected officials (zero) but was led by us. It will be the people that do something (or not). Unfortunately the only reason the Vietnam War protest worked was the draft and then the lottery which ensured that many Americans were personally impacted by the fact their sons were sent to war. Congress learned quickly and got rid of the draft and we have never been united as a nation again.
Other congressional members need to be doing the same thing - if they can not - they don't belong in Congress!
I remember Bernie talking to real people about their problems for years. This guy has been the real deal for decades. Dems have dumped on him and ignored him. I remember them saying no democratic socialists on the dem ticket. Now people want to listen. Figures. He should have been the president by now.
I think Bernie has gotten it right, and we should have listened to him years ago. It's the rigged system that has to go, not just Trump and authoritarianism and republican douche bags. Government has been bought and paid for for decades and is just now, under Trump/Musk becoming untenable. How did it change under Biden? It didn't. Not really. He was certainly better than Trump but he really just kicked the can down the road - the rich got richer and everyone else just got by. What good is an economy that is "the envy of the world" if the average person just gets by while millionaires and billionaires continue to flourish in lavish luxury? And the poor struggle just to live every fucking day. The democrats need a new vision, Bernie's vision and Bernie's message in a younger package. Don't give us another party insider to go back to government as usual.
AOC is also starting to join him. We need her, Pete Buttie, Jasmine Crockett and others going to Red and Blue districts doing the same. And we need to add what happens if social services and other parts left of the govt become privatized. How that affects us.
I am so grateful he is still at it!
Really, really good article Anand. I have always liked Bernie and wanted him to get the nomination for President. He's 83 years old now, but he is still sharp as a tack; has remarkable energy; and is making a difference with his contributions to the American people.
He walks the walk and talks the talk. Even my MAGA husband liked Bernie; unfortunately, he drank the Trump kool-aid — such a tragedy.
I was a "Bernie woulda won" person, twice. I am tearing up, as I often do, hearing the man tell the truth, elicit the truth, and stand up for the truth everywhere he goes. I loved those listening tours of 2018-19! I mourn for the direction this country could have taken with a Bernie Sanders presidency. And yet I know the story isn't over. Bernie inspired a whole generation to fight for the country we really want, and he he's back out there doing it again, with even higher stakes. I have once again kicked in my $27 a month.
I remember the section of your book “The Persuaders” that chronicled this very thing Bernie is doing now. For my money, it is the perfect method of communicating the source of pain, then stoking the fire to change it. For my part, I am on a personal journey to understand and connect with people of differing views. This was a reminder of a great way to do that.
Many of us have loved and stood up for Bernie's bracing, if sometimes a bit dated-sounding point of view. Not because he drips with external empathy, but because by now massive amounts of data support the fact that those countries which have embraced democratic-socialistic forms of government have a higher happiness index and enviable objective measures of economic prosperity, health care, etc. etc. These countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark among others) outrank us on every scale. And none has, or ever will devolve into any form of autocracy, including a 'socialist' form as in Russia, which is a kleptocracy, BTW, and never was, even in its heyday, been anything other than that. Thank god we have some younger elected officials with similar views and more modern perspectives, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal come to mind.
Bernie is my senator. He has zero patience for dumb questions. A reporter from Vanity Fair asked him some dumb question about Democrats, and he replied, "I don’t want to talk about the Democrats. You want to talk to the Democrats? I’ll give you Chuck Schumer’s number.”
Feel the Bern!
This is just a brilliant (no surprise, Anand) analysis of Bernie's Oligarchy Tour refinement... evolution. And I can't tell you how many times I have read an article or watched a video about Bernie and his message and his devoted activism and the lives of regular Americans who are drawn into that orbit... and teared up with deep emotion!
This is exactly what I told my Rep. 1. Show us you are angry to validate what we are all feeling 2. Connect the dots for us on how each of the illegal actions are or will be affecting all of us. 3 Explain how the Democrats in the House are uniting and are boldly responding to the attacks.
Anand you are so wise for such a young man. Thank you for your beautiful mind and your kind and understanding heart. And thank you for featuring Bernie. He deserves it because he gets it.♥️
Love Bernie Sanders! Listened to his whole speech shared on Meidas Touch. I remember that part too where he asked the public about their issues. I thought it was powerful.
He knows how to message. I plan to attend a gop town hall next week and will use messaging like bernies from this document
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bAn6p3k6Zh5SBJj6zqHHzivNnYQx_roTt7wwE1YxN-w/edit?usp=drivesdk
Thanks for the link! Headed for a town hall tonight with Chuck Edwards in Asheville, NC. We’ll see if he actually shows up!
Good luck!
Anand, I don't know where to leave this comment other than here. I often hear you say few Democrats are doing anything except a handful of senators or representatives and a few governors. I don't think that is entirely accurate. For example, Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison is traveling across Minnesota talking to farmers, immigrants, veterans, fired USAID officials and ordinary citizens in rural, suburban and urban areas of the state. His town halls are part civics lesson, part listening session and part organizing opportunities. Audiences have been 300+ and growing. Keith is also traveling to other states to join Democratic AGs elsewhere, and next week 1-2 of them will come to Minnesota. I think it is easy to overlook work outside of DC or the coasts, but there are good things happening. I applaud Bernie for taking the argument to red states.
To be clear... our "leaders" won't save us. The anti Vietnam War Movement was not led by elected officials (zero) but was led by us. It will be the people that do something (or not). Unfortunately the only reason the Vietnam War protest worked was the draft and then the lottery which ensured that many Americans were personally impacted by the fact their sons were sent to war. Congress learned quickly and got rid of the draft and we have never been united as a nation again.
Did it defeat Hitler? Nope. Stalin and the allies with massive military power