Almost 100 people showed up at the Plymouth United Church of Christ in Eau Claire last night for Bernie Sanders live streamed organizing event. Close to a third of the attendees were young people that Dem regulars had never seen before. Organizers were stunned at the turnout, especially given that there was a second Sanders house party in Eau Claire hosted by someone no one knew, and one in Chippewa Falls as well, only ten miles from Eau Claire. A Sanders campaign staffer told everyone that they estimated roughly 100,000 people across the country were tuned in to the event, though it’s quite possible that’s a lowball figure.
At a time when Democrats nationwide, and the DPW in particular, are desperately trying to figure out what’s gone wrong over the last several years, the Sanders campaign is kicking all Dem conventional wisdom to the curb and quietly, or not so quietly, showing everybody how it’s done. Here in Wisconsin Dem candidates are told to avoid taking a stand on issues so that Repubs have nothing to attack. Bernie told everyone last night that we need Medicare for All, free tuition at public colleges, a $15 an hour minimum wage, and paid vacation, sick leave, and medical and maternity leave for every American worker. He reminds everyone that this what every other major industrialized country in the world does for its citizens.
When Jeff Smith announced his run for DPW Chair last January his announcement letter stated unequivocally that our messaging should come from our platform and resolutions, and that’s exactly what Sanders is doing. In plain language, and with honesty, political courage and integrity, Sanders is championing what Wisconsin rank and file democrats at our conventions have been voting for year after year after year.
And Sanders isn’t asking for money to run TV ads or to flood the mailbox with glossy cardboard. He’s amassing a throng of volunteers to knock on doors, make phone calls, host house parties, distribute leaflets and write letters to the editor. He says out loud that the only way we can beat organized money is with organized people. While Wisconsin Dem candidates quietly lament that they can’t get volunteers to do these things the Sanders campaign is, apparently, signing people up by the tens or hundreds of thousands.
The lesson here is really pretty simple. Within the rarified bubble of political circles in places like Madison and Washington DC, consultant types peddle their wares and schemes about what to say, what not to say, how to say what you think voters want to hear, how to avoid what you think voters don’t want to hear, etc, etc, etc.
But out across real America it doesn’t matter to people how you talk. What matters is how you walk.
This-
“And Sanders isn’t asking for money to run TV ads or to flood the mailbox with glossy cardboard. He’s amassing a throng of volunteers to knock on doors, make phone calls, host house parties, distribute leaflets and write letters to the editor. He says out loud that the only way we can beat organized money is with organized people. ”
This is what we’ve been talking about!
Medicare for all and two years of free college and a living wage and benefits; of course!
Who doesn’t believe in such basic necessities or requirements for the good or successful life?
To answer my own question; largely it is a Congress dominated by a GOP majority and its leadership funded by unrestricted election contributions from special interests who are given priority over the people whose state election systems has been corrupted by gerrymandering.
I can do Bernie or Hillary, but until the problems above have been addressed, a Democratic president is limited to using his or her traditional authorities such as “by executive order.”
Of course you could do Hillary. She is by far the most corrupt politician that this election season will see. If ANY republican had/has done what she has done they would be a million miles from the presidential ticket. But if it’s HILLARY!!! It doesn’t matter.
I saw Bernie at the drum core competition at Waukesha North High. He showed up with his posse of giant sausages. My concern is most of his supporters were way under the age of 18. With the new voter I.D. law how will we ever get them into the polls? Does he have a legitimate birth certificate? How will that giant head ever fit onto Marine1? Oh… Wait, wrong Bernie. That’s to bad, he would have gotten a lot of cross over votes. We all know how Republicans love clowns.