Bernie Sanders says he is planning a "major speech" defining "democratic socialism"

[leftcoastmountains]

https://twitter.com/WPJohnWagner/status/655831505726406657

[appalachiablue]

1. Thank you, this will be useful for many people in the US.

[Jack Rabbit]

14. Which begs the question whether it will be on any major media outlet

. . . other than online, of course.

Maybe, if you get British TV, the BBC will broadcast it, unless Cameron hasn't privatized it by then.

[appalachiablue]

17. SNL should do it, afterall. And besides, they just arranged to have Donald Trump host an entire

show to spew his babble and nonsense which has never been done before with any candidate.

BBC or there's also Al Jazeera that just aired the Dem. debate. They're reliable if not accessible to people in Fargo or Chattanooga.

[Dont call me Shirley]

23. Larry David's impression of Bernie last night on SNL stunk!

[appalachiablue]

32. Yes it did and he was so into it. But what does he care being

a multi millionaire set for life from his one lucrative show. In a recent lengthy interview on Charlie Rose it was really the only thing Larry would talk about, how Seinfeld made him worry free for life re money, and wanting women now. Those two topics, that's it. Despite Charlie's major efforts to try to get him to open up on many other subjects. Strange but I don't follow or know him at all.

The actress who played Hillary got in some funny parodies and jabs, like others doing Webb, O'Malley and Chafee. But the Bernie skit was OTT. Eh, there will be more to come and we can handle it. And Bernie has the tolerance of a saint on some matters.

[DirkGently]

2. Good idea.

I actually find it a bit odd how briefly Sanders explains his political philosophy. Referencing Scandinavia isn't enough.

I understand he doesn't want to get into some kind of "Capitalism, good or bad" shouting match, but it's not that hard to point to ... all the other major Western democracies and show that no one has the kill-or-be-killed kind of approach to economic matters the United States does.

People want to hear MORE, not less, about the differences in his approach from that of not only Republicans, but right-leaning Democrats like Hillary Clinton.

Done correctly, the things he's really talking about, which benefit everyone not currently financing a gold-plated yacht with hedge-fund money, could broaden his appeal even further.

[appalachiablue]

19. Agree that people want to hear more and should. I think Bernie will probably also define

the political revolution he wants more clearly which will be beneficial to those who might not get it.

[Enthusiast]

30. Great post!

[cprise]

3. Also, there's Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_socialism

Its basically an FDR Democrat who thinks nationalization *can* be a good solution for some things.

[Omaha Steve]

4. Wikipedia is so bad most teachers on any level won't accept it as a reference

But point taken.

[cprise]

8. Wikipedia is like a compendium of references

Its always been a great starting point for me, and the core material is good quality and guarded.

And its a collectivist enterprise

[tomg2]

11. In some areas, it is absolutely superb.

In others, it is total nonsense. For example, in my particular field, the basic citations are very good. In other areas, it is total nonsense. it seems that with Wikipedia, the more specialized the area, the better the information ( I work on a little known Anglo-Welsh artist)
Your point about the collectivism, though, is spot on. in fact, in my area, there are some pretty interesting debates among specialists. As a teacher, my problem is that most students use it as a primary source instead of a beginning reference point for further research.

As a starting point, though, it really is spot on.

[lovemydog]

10. That is true. I read it on wikipedia.

LOL!

Hope you're enjoying a good day.

[tomg2]

13. Yes and no. It depends on how

the student is using it: as a starting point to research or as an "authoritative answer." The first, yes. The second, not so much.It also depends on the particular field. In some cases, what wikipedia offers is a superb starting point. In other cases, it it total nonsense. So it is - for many teachers - a case of sorting the stuff out. Incidentally, in spite of my few posts ( in this incarnation - computer crash), you are one of the posters I always learn from and appreciate. Thanks for all you do.

[Omaha Steve]

15. Have you been around when I have one of my dementia temper tantrums?

[tomg2]

25. Yes. And I really appreciate what

you do on all levels. I mean that.

[Omaha Steve]

28. Welcome back BTW

[jwirr]

7. Exactly.

[F4lconF16]

9. Wikipedia is a god-awful source for something like this.

A better source would be from the actual Democrstic-Socialist party website, dsausa.org.

A good article defining the DS vision:

http://www.dsausa.org/toward_freedom

Democratic socialists are still socialists.

Your and Wikipedia's definitions are flat out wrong. That's objective fact, by the way.

[LiberalArkie]

5. Maybe he can explain it - The Second Bill of Rights

The Second Bill of Rights is a list of rights that was proposed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944.[1] In his address Roosevelt suggested that the nation had come to recognize, and should now implement, a second "bill of rights". Roosevelt's argument was that the "political rights" guaranteed by the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights had "proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness." Roosevelt's remedy was to declare an "economic bill of rights" which would guarantee eight specific rights:

Employment (right to work), with a living wage
Food, clothing and leisure
Farmers' rights to a fair income
Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies
Housing
Medical care
Social security
Education
Roosevelt stated that having these rights would guarantee American security, and that America's place in the world depended upon how far these and similar rights had been carried into practice.


Read More

[salib]

6. ^^^this^^^

[thesquanderer]

16. Yup. Better to invoke FDR more than Sweden. (n/t)

[appalachiablue]

20. Excellent idea. Katrina vanden Heuvel of the Nation brought this up during the panel

discussion about Bernie on the Bill Maher show Friday night.

[Cheese Sandwich]

12. Looking forward to this. Praying he doesn't fuck it up.

[senz]

24. Cheese, have you ever seen him fuck any of his speeches up? I haven't.

[senz]

18. He's getting out in front of guaranteed Republican/Hillary attacks

So glad he's doing it, it's the best strategy. The Right won't like his taking away their major weapon.

It also shows he's serious about taking his campaign all the way.

Plus, it's going to go a long way toward educating the American public. Older Americans have been brainwashed to fear the word "socialism," while younger people may not have been introduced to it. It's time we all grew up.

And the media? No way they'd explain it. Nearly all MSM are in the bag for Hillary.

[winter is coming]

21. A major speech is good and necessary, but we need a cartoon.

No, I'm serious. We need something animated that could explain some differences in 2-3 minutes or less. Show us what life is like for the poorest, the richest, and the folks in the middle. Stress that under our current system, all the gains are flowing to the very top, while the middle is disappearing and the poor are on the edge of starvation. Show us what could be different with a few changes in keeping with democratic socialism, stressing the aspects of our society that are already "socialist".

Speeches are good, but not everyone has the time or the attention span to take in lengthy explanations, or the ability to remember and repeat what they've heard later. A short video that would likely go viral, ending with a link to Bernie's speech or a more detailed document could do a lot of good.

[BadgerKid]

27. Calling on Schoolhouse Rock !! n/t

[winter is coming]

29. I'm not a Red, I'm not really a Red, kick those lies out of your head.

I'm just a Democratic Socialist, helping folks out.
Ignore those media pundits and the crap that they spout.
I won't take all your money away,
But I'll enact new laws to protect average Joes and make the 1% pay.

I don't think the last line scans but I'm on my second glass of wine.

[Enthusiast]

33. Robert Reich could do it.

[DrBulldog]

22. Bernie MUST do this to cross the ocean.

The largest ocean in the world: the monstrous sea of American ignorance at which the rest of the world laughs.

[Dont call me Shirley]

26. A very wise move, Mr Sanders.

[ErikJ]

31. Its the opposite of dictatorial anti-socialism. nt

[leftcoastmountains]

34. Bernie met with the press after one of his Town Hall meetings in Iowa.

A reporter mentions this major speech. I posted the youtube video
Bernie meets the press after the Town Hall meeting.

[SoapBox]

35. What I do know is...

When the Shill, uh, Hill said we are not Denmark...

I yelled at her, Well Maybe We Should Be!

"Forbes: Denmark World's Best Country for Business"

http://um.dk/en/news/newsdisplaypage/?newsID=E0F73BE8-490B-4E16-882F-89B1F95193E9

[eridani]

36. Hope that he talks more about American socialist tradtions than Scandinavian ones

The New Deal, the fire department, public education, the interstate highway system, etc.

[kentuck]

37. The problem is not with "socialism" - the problem is with "capitalism"...

I hope Bernie makes that point.