I see quite a bit of “revolution” talk here on DK among Sanders supporters...talk that includes (but is not limited to):
1. Increasing taxes on working Americans
Let us not live in Fantasyland, folks. To pay for the sorts of programs Bernie wants, we will ALL pay...A LOT. The last time a Democrat made raising taxes the center of a presidential platform (1984), his opponent won re-election 49 states to 1.
2. Medicare for all
This involves replacing the ACA, which has made the lives of tens of millions of Americans better, with a system that would NOT provide universal healthcare and would involuntarily toss countless people off of their employer-funded insurance plans...all while raising their taxes. That;s sure to be a crowd-pleaser in the general.
3. “Free” college
I think we all know what “free” really means by now. Something tells me that general election voters would prefer AFFORDABLE, HIGH-QUALITY higher education rather than something that would again — wait for it — raise their taxes.
4. Rolling back/stopping trade deals
This one sounds great on the stump, but are Americans ready for the increase in the price of goods and services that accompanies the end of our trade deals with other countries? Last I checked, we are still sale shoppers...and methinks jacking up prices on everything from household utensils to trash cans would not be met with cheers...either at home or abroad.
Plus, who the hell wants to go to college to make trash cans for a living? To succeed in the world economy, we need affordable, high-quality education, not more trash cans.
5. A Living Wage
There is a reason that Hillary has not embraced this amount on the federal level. We couldn’t even get a vote on $10.10 after the CBO scored it. How in the hell are we going to get $15 through congress?
Let the states gravitate and evolve on this issue. Once the public embraces the increases in their own backyards, the drumbeat to act on the federal level will make passage of substantive national minimum wage improvements a near-certainty.
6. Reforming Wall Street
Oh my Lord...where to start…
After 8 years of Elizabeth Warren, the CFPB and President Obama, corporations and the financial sector are stronger than ever. Does Bernie REALLY believe that HE can magically bring these entities to their knees?
And even if he could, is that what the American public wants? Remember, we are a society that demands access to easy credit. Take that away and watch how the public reacts. Everyone hates banks...until they need money. Dismantling the financial system and crippling Wall Street would have cataclysmic effects on our economy and the world.
7. Gutting the military
Just because the voters don’t want us in Iraq doesn’t mean they don’t want a strong military led by a strong Commander-in-Chief. Poll after poll shows that the country wants a strong leader, not a dove who will gut the military...and that is exactly the sort of CIC Bernie would be.
In short, my question is:
Who the hell wants the sort of revolution that Bernie is selling...and does the public REALLY know what it will cost them?
Not only are many of his proposals pie-in-the-sky with regards to ability to be implemented, but their practical realities would cripple the country as it currently stands rather than simply continuing to make the sorts of improvements that President Obama’s presidency will long be remembered for.
In this respect, Hillary Clinton stands alone.
She is the only candidate who is seeking to extend the improvements we have made as a nation under President Obama’s leadership. Her desire to work across the aisle, while met with scorn and contempt from many Sanders supporters, is one of the defining traits of great leaders. Great leaders do not rule by decree. They build consensus through a combination of strength and experience...two traits that Hillary has by the boatload.