The Silly Analogizing of Bernie Sanders to Ron Paul

[Demeter]

http://angrybearblog.com/2015/07/the-silly-analogizing-of-bernie-sanders-to-ron-paul-2.html

Oh, dear. This post of mine from yesterday is soooo yesterday. (Okay, sooo last-weekend, to be precise.) The attempt to paint Sanders as the Democrats’ Donald Trump has failed. Sanders isn’t the left’s Donald Trump; he’s the left’s Ron Paul! At least according to a rapidly congealing CW pushed by pundits that include—surprisingly—at least one progressive one.

Freelance writer Zaid Jilani writes on Alternet, in an article republished today on Salon:

In response to the high turnouts at Sanders’s events, many in the media have sought to downplay his momentum by comparing him to former GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul, who also inspired an enthusiastic following:

“Bernie Sanders is the left’s Ron Paul.” [Slate Magazine]

“Why Bernie Sanders is the Ron Paul of 2016” [The Week]

“Bernie Sanders could be the Ron Paul of 2016” [Washington Examiner]

“Can Bernie Sanders be the left’s Ron Paul?” [Rare]

“Is Bernie Sanders the next Ron Paul?” [Fox News]

The message these outlets are promoting is that Sanders, like Paul, will be able to get an enthusiastic base but will ultimately fail in his quest for the presidency and will only make only a minor impact on the debate. The implication seems to be that Sanders’ views are on the fringe, like Ron Paul’s. But are they? Or is it just that he is the only one articulating the need to address extreme inequality and expanding social security, which millions of Americans support?

The media message seems to rely on the idea that the two men are similar because they spark genuine enthusiasm among their supporters – which is perhaps a sad commentary on American politics that there are so few candidates who can do this that when they do they are instantly compared.

Jilani goes on to deconstruct the analogy by pointing out, most importantly, that:

Paul, despite his enthusiastic and genuinely creative volunteer and donor base, has advocated ideas like completely eliminating Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid. Even among the GOP base, these ideas are extremely unpopular.

Ah. I get it. There’s no reason to think that a candidate who proposed deeply unpopular policy changes is different than a candidate who proposes popular policy changes. Why would anyone think otherwise?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Actually, they'd already started on that one before Trump jumped in the race.

Back then (in the sooo distant past), that was the only thing they could think of to sneer at Sanders' large crowds, to pretend that people wanting to see Sanders are the same as brainless Paulbots.

[LiberalElite]

2. I figure we'll see this about

17 more times while they run through the whole list of Repugs in the clown car. eom

[Demeter]

3. Plenty of time for them to run out of silliness

I'm just glad they started early...then the whole topic will become stale and people will ignore it.

Maybe we will even get to issue-oriented op-eds!

[merrily]

4. Perhaps even sillier: analogizing Sanders to Trump. I don't know that it's failed, either.

I've seen it on this board relatively recently and Peggy Noonan tried it Sunday. However, Tavis Smiley stopped her dead in her tracks, a feat I've not seen anyone else manage. Go Tavis. But then another panel member rescued Noonan by saying they were both saying what the people want to hear.

Really? I'm a people. I don't want to hear Trump's xenophobic shit. Neither do the likes of Priebus and Graham. And I don't think many Hispanic people, either in this country or in other countries, want to hear it either.

As for Paul, it's already clear that Sanders has had a major impact on the debate, another thing Smiley noted. Beernie was not only way ahead of Hillary on populism, wealth and income inequality, etc., he was way ahead of Warren on those issues as well.

[swilton]

5. and also to

Howard Dean
Dennis Kucinich
Ralph Nader
Barack Obama

The list goes on.

Sanders is a class act. He and he alone can respond in his own way to the unique crises/challenges facing the country and the planet.