UPDATE:Reich's pro-Bernie FB post: 80,000+likes;18,000+shares in 26 hours!

[Divernan]

Last edited Tue Jul 21, 2015, 10:57 PM - Edit history (2)

Original thread title: Robert Reich's pro-Bernie FB post got 49,600 likes & 11,300 shares in just 3 hours

What amazes me, frankly, are the crowds. Not since Robert F. Kennedy sought the Democratic nomination in 1968 has a candidate for the nomination of either party generated such large numbers of people eager to see and listen to him. None in living memory has summoned such crowds this early, before the nominating season even begins. Even Sanders' advisers are amazed (I spoke with one this morning who said they never expected this kind of response).

What's the explanation? It's not his sense of humor. It's not his youth. He isn't a demagogue, bashing immigrants or pandering to hatred and bigotry. It's that he's telling Americans the unvarnished truth about what has happened to our economy and our democracy, and he is posing real solutions. And it seems that America is ready to listen.

What do you think?

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/posts/1037942606218335?comment_tracking={%22tn%22%3A%22O%22}


Doing some very conservative extrapolation, i.e., that everyone who shared had an average of 65 FB friends (and many millennials have several hundred FB friends), that means that in slightly over a 24 hour period, ONE MILLION, ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE RECEIVED THIS POSITIVE MESSAGE ABOUT BERNIE SANDERS FROM A FRIEND.
Not from some political spinmeister or paid advertising agency, but from a friend. That means a helluva lot.

Just so you can compare and contrast. One campaign is riding a tidal wave of social media and record breaking gatherings, the other is locked in the gilded age approach of soliciting the wealthy.

[Divernan]

1. Great comments following Reich's post

"He's not a republican. He's not a Clinton. He says what most polls show Americans want to hear. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: if everyone who says they'd vote for him if they thought he could win actually came out and voted for him, he'd win." (This one got over 500 likes already.)

[Beartracks]

9. I have thought that very thing, too.

"If everyone who says they'd vote for him if they thought he could win actually came out and voted for him, he'd win."

The wussiest argument I've seen from HRC supporters is the one where they say they support Hillary "because she can win."

Wow, what an incredible display of conviction.

There must be more than one DUer who really likes what Bernie is saying and what he stands for and what he fights for, but insists they're going to campaign/vote for Hillary instead "because she can win." Not because she represents my views better than Bernie, or because I really think her ideas and policy priorities are more spot on than Bernie's, or because I like her vision for America better than Bernie's vision for America.... Nope. It's just "because she can win." That's some mushy, fair-weather-friend kind of support right there.

You're Democrats, people. Be true to yourselves.

============================

[senz]

17. Beautiful. Thank you.

[A Simple Game]

35. The ones on DU have to know that the chance of the winner of the Democratic primaries

losing the general election are almost zero.

Why do they hesitate?

[Beartracks]

40. I wish that was true.

Back in the day, I thought Gore was a lock.

===============

[Utopian Leftist]

36. + 1, well said!

"This above all else, to thine own self be true. And it follows as the night follows the day that thou cans't not then be false to any man." ~ From Shakespeare's Hamlet

Ironically, honesty is really the greatest strength of Bernie's campaign!

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

37. Like I have said before.

Now is the time for a real progressive populist movement, but the message needs to be clear and not overly complex and it needs to be repeated over and over to drive it home into the minds of the people.

Then Bernie will win

[SoapBox]

2. What do I think?

I support Bernie and will continue to do so.

It really feels like this is our last best chance for real change.

[arcane1]

3. That's because it really IS!

If Big Money wins this one, we will not get another chance to remove it from our electoral process.

[daleanime]

12. True....

[Plucketeer]

23. I believe you are correct with this.

BIG bucks already have a toe-hold in the White House as it is. Not putting a TRUE progressive (as opposed to a lip-service variety - I mean, we already KNOW how that turns out!) would likely seal our fate to living within the oligarchy that Bernie warns of.

[Beartracks]

22. Help us, Bernie Wan Kenobi. You're our only hope. eom

[JDPriestly]

27. I have that feeling too. I worked hard for the Obama campaign.

But I will work even harder for Bernie.

[cantbeserious]

4. Settling For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils Is No Longer The Only Option - Go Bernie Go

eom

[Joe Shlabotnik]

5. K&R

A long overdue breath of clean air.

[retrowire]

6. holy moly!

now that's social media at work!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. Yeah,....but what has "Social Media" ever actually accomplished?

Besides the fall of dictatorships in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria....

[joanbarnes]

7. Yes

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

8. I hope he has security covered in his low budget campaign.

We didn't get to hear Bobby long enough.

[Victor_c3]

16. I was getting ready to post something along those lines myself

As a country we have a terrible history of the leaders that talk about serious change and who are wildly popular being silenced via assassination.

I don't mean to trivialize or make light an American tragedy, but Martin Luther King was shot for having a dream.

I am very concerned for Mr. sanders' safety as he becomes more and more popular.

[senz]

18. You and me both, Victor. When the National Review starts calling a candidate a "Nazi,"

we know the Right is getting scared. Time for Bernie to get some protection.

[GoneFishin]

39. The right wing gleefully sent American soldiers to die, and kill 100's of thousands of Iraqi's

based on lies.

They are truly capable of anything.

[Plucketeer]

24. +100% NT

[AzDar]

10. Bernie!!

[LiberalElite]

11. now up to +61,000 and counting...

[Divernan]

13. Now (8am) 66,000+ likes and 15,000+ shares, in 13 hours

[blackspade]

14. Awesome!

[WillyT]

15. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[Divernan]

21. Check my post 20 for a really HUGE number!

[WillyT]

31. WOW !!!

[senz]

19. This is HUGE. Over 75,000 "likes" for Reich's Bernie post.

What Reich says is true: it's the size of the crowds that amazes. The American people are coming out in droves for this plain-spoken, truth-telling man. This is the reason the rightwing National Review is now calling him a Nazi. The Right is starting to see what is already a real winner for 2016.

Bernie can do it. But they are going to do everything in their power to stop him.

For the National Review story, see this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251465284

[Divernan]

20. And over 17,000 shares! The Bern is spreading exponentially!

This reply alone got over 3,000 MORE likes & 100 replies.

"I want to see Bernie Sanders become the President of the United States and the U.S. Congress get a major housecleaning. Folks, I know we can make this happen by us all coming together. We MUST avoid division tactics at all costs. The corporate media will try to do that to us. #Sanders2016
Like · Reply · 3,277 · 20 hrs · Edited"

100 Replies · 20 m

I'm very selective about whom I friend/accept friend requests from. No racists/sexists/neocons/ in the bunch - there are some apoliticals in there and I hope to influence them with my posts. All told I have 65 FB friends. Most people have a lot more than that - especially the millenials. But lets be conservative and use my "65" as an average number.

With 17,000 shares, that makes ONE MILLION AND FIVE THOUSAND Facebook users who have read Reich's column, on the recommendation of a friend, IN LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!

And not a single one of us had to be paid in the present or expects a future quid pro quo to get the word out.

HRC's corporate/One Percent millions can't buy that kind of on-line support! I'm not saying that to be "mean" but to point out a tremendously encouraging fact to all of us Bernie supporters!

Social media rules; MSM is dead man walking.

[senz]

25. Excellent point, Divernan. Person-to-person contact could defeat $ in campaigning.

Thanks for pointing this out. For the sake of the people of this country I would love to see Bernie elected in 2016.

[raouldukelives]

41. +1000

[JDPriestly]

26. I agree. And I note that many of those attending Bernie's events are of the I-Phone

generation. Do I-phones and cell phones get polled now? I know there was a problem with polling them in past election cycles.

[turbinetree]

28. Bobby Kennedy.......................

went into the Appalachian hill country to see the carnage-------------and it moved him and changed him.
Sanders has seen this destruction of greed since the early sixties and he's honest about the ramifications being caused by this greed and this divide and conquer mentality and has not run from his positions since then-------------what have the others done?
And Reich is correct :

It's that he's telling Americans the unvarnished truth about what has happened to our economy and our democracy, and he is posing real solutions. And it seems that America is ready to listen.


Honk ------------for a political revolution Bernie 2016

[jalan48]

29. I saw Robert Kennedy speak in April, 1968.

He was on fire with passion. He was committed to stopping the war and to making social changes in the country. He would have been the next President, which is why he had to be killed I guess.

[turbinetree]

30. I was a....................

air force brat watching the Monkeys or Batman out in California working the Base Commissary for tips to buy my first car a 56 Chevy near LA, when a special report came in saying that he had been shot and was dead.
I was going to vote next year, and I was going to vote for him, and I then I found out that I couldn't vote, I had to be twenty-one, but I would have to sign up for the draft with no voice to vote.
When he was shot--------------I thought about his brother and my past dreams and the dreams of millions of others----------gone------------- again
I wish that I could have seen him speak, but on the 29th of July, I am going to see Bernie speak, I am not going to miss this-----------it's to important for this country and the Judicial system

[jalan48]

34. I agree about Bernie and look forward to hearing him as well.

[valerief]

32. America has always been ready to listen to plain talk. The media hasn't. nt

[peacebird]

33. 76,863 likes now, & 17,523 shares