Long overdue soul-searching time for the DP
Bernie Sanders' bid for the Democratic nomination for the presidency has started a heated and vigorous debate about the direction in which the Party as a whole is going, and it is a conversation that has been largely ignored until now.
For many of the Party's most energetic and enthusiastic voters, the current manifestation of the Democratic Party has simply left them behind. It started with Bill Clinton's ascension in '92 and has been expanded upon during Obama's two terms in office. Today's Party is practically identical to their Republican counterparts in terms of their views on expanded corporate power and the projection of US military power abroad, and many voters are feeling somewhat disillusioned and alienated. The troubling aspect of it all is that it seems the current Party leadership (the DNC notably) is determined to further this alienation, almost to the point of treating left-leaning voters as outright enemies to be ignored and vilified (at least until they need our votes during the general election).
Bernie Sanders has called into question the Democratic Party leaderships' unwavering devotion to corporate interests and has really laid bare the simmering divide within the Party by squarely attacking those whom the leadership has been courting since 1992. Obama was convincing enough with his progressive rhetoric (even though his actual policies were anything but progressive) to win the votes of many of the disaffected left in 2008 and 2012, but Hillary Clinton displays none of the same charisma or persuasiveness that Obama did and she's, much to her and her supporters' chagrin, having trouble following suit.
This is a conversation that probably should have taken place after Bill Clinton's terms ended, but it is being pushed to the fore thanks to Bernie's campaign and its popularity, and I for one welcome the conversation.
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