Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumOpinions Bernie Sanders is the new Ronald Reagan
Democratic Party elders are bewildered. Dont voters understand how unpopular Sen. Bernie Sanders is in Washington? Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done, Hillary Clinton, still smarting from the wound he inflicted on her 2016 presidential campaign, said in January. Its all just baloney, and I feel so bad that people got sucked into it. The consequences, the party establishment fears, could be dire: Sanders will be George McGovern all over again roundly thrashed in the general election by a sinister incumbent, just like the unexpected lefty winner of the 1972 primaries.
Sanders does have a historical forerunner, but it isnt McGovern. Its Ronald Reagan.
The comparison looks implausible. The genial, soothing Reagan, with his Hollywood polish, script-reading skills and two terms as governor of California, seems a long way from the cantankerous socialist senator, with his accent scraped off the Brooklyn sidewalks and his following formed in tiny, remote, hippie Vermont.
But Reagan was also labeled a fringe figure of the right, not the left. Mainstream Republicans viewed him with alarm and ridiculed his proposals as simple and kooky. Like Sanders, Reagan shrugged off his detractors. Like Sanders, he bore little allegiance to the party. Like Sanders, he was said to appeal to only a narrow slice of voters. The two have something else in common. Both waged a hard-fought battle in a previous presidential primary contest, seeding their insurgent movements and building bases of young voters undeterred by the candidates advanced ages. Reagan was a spoiler turned tribune to a new Republican Party. Sanders, a spoiler in 2016, is on his way to remaking the Democratic Party.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/opinions-bernie-sanders-is-the-new-ronald-reagan/ar-BB10G9zR
I don't believe anyone who leans left appreciates being compared to Ronald Reagan.
I have to disagree with the editorial however. Mainstream Republicans were fine and dandy with Ronald Reagan. These days they revere him like a saint.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
relayerbob
(6,555 posts)While there are a few vague similarities, it ends there.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Bev54
(10,072 posts)why the repubs are always comparing people to Ronald Reagan, he was a shit president and his economics failed and they keep trying the same policies and they continue to fail at every level. Is this the best they have? When I think about it I guess yes who else? Nixon? GW? Wow why does anyone vote republican?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
walkingman
(7,660 posts)ideology that blamed government for all of our ills, thought that the answer to everything was tax cuts and supply side economics, and was a blatant racist - all similar traits of Trump. Make no mistake the Reaganites make up most of the Trump base and until the workers of America standup and say "Enough" these folks will continue to cram their BS down our throats with glee and arrogance.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
andym
(5,445 posts)For example, changed University of California from a tuition free university to one requiring tuition--these days up to 13000/year.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Farmer-Rick
(10,211 posts)1st All RepubliCONS loved the idiot when he ran.
2nd he was even popular with more conservative Dems.
3rd his stupid ideas were very mainstream, establishment supported, were loved by all the filthy rich and were very status quo.
4th he was a very clear racist.
5th he was a criminal and because of his brain disease he was spared jail.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
bucolic_frolic
(43,287 posts)that assembled post-Goldwater era. That was the money and organization behind Reagan from what I've read. It was a Fundamentalist Elite movement.
In American politics fringe movements become important when economic times turn bad and voters throw out the bums. Change means whatever's available at the time. We came really close to Huey Long, and Dewey. LaRouche was a perennial candidate, and Perot and John Andersen pondered reality for a spin from the fringe. Andersen more than anyone else elected Reagan.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dweller
(23,661 posts)Ronald Reagan was a key figure in expanding the popularity of movement conservatism from intellectual circles into the popular mainstream, by emphasizing the dangers of an excessively large federal government. In October 1964, Reagan delivered a speech as part of his support for candidate Goldwater titled "A Time for Choosing". The speech represented the ideology of movement conservatism, arguing against big government bureaucracy and welfare while also denouncing foreign aid. The speech was widely applauded and gave Reagan a national audience. He was elected Governor of California in 1966 and 1970
more at link
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primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
bucolic_frolic
(43,287 posts)Once I put on my fuzzy thinking cap and engage the wayback machine, it's as muddled as Reagan. Thanks!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,608 posts)I can't get the picture to link.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided