
Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: Bernie Sanders Hit His Ceiling [View all]Hortensis
(58,785 posts)New Deal era that the electorate ended in 1980 know that our systems work really well with proper, even adequate, leadership. We had it really good compared to young people now.
Liberal majorities then had put leashes on those too wealthy and powerful for the good of most and created a spreading-wide prosperity that was growing the middle class and shrinking poverty. Living wages with good benefits were normal, public colleges were affordable, and there were great opportunities for social mobility for those who wanted more, including to lesser degrees for minorities and women. That was the civil rights and second wave era.
Now, it's horribly different after the 40 years of devastating conservative domination of government that began in 1978-80.
So of course too many young adults who haven't experienced the wellbeing liberal government creates don't know what those who did do: that our current mess isn't due to structural or liberal ideological failure, as they're being told. The previous great advances occurred because of liberal domination of government. The disaster that's followed occurred because of conservative domination that is inimical to not just liberalism and progressivism, but to the very concept of economic and social equality. Strong conservatives believe in hierarchical societies where both wealth and poverty are natural and appropriate.
Sanders can't draw more older voters because we have the advantage of knowing what went wrong and that our systems are proven to work well when properly managed. And we know the answer is to begin a new era of liberal, progressive domination of what our parents bequeathed us, not begin yet another experiment in the socialism that has always failed disastrously in other nations.
Young people now facing lives of debt and doing without need to know that by putting liberals in charge they and we can turn that completely around for them within a decade of proper management. We know how. A great advantage, in spite of massive maldistribution of wealth, is that our nation is also actually far, far, FAR wealthier now than back then due to great advances in production. Thinking and experience, understanding of economics, have also all advanced since, and we can and actually must make it work much better still in future.
Btw, the Obama administration, as hamstrung by a congress determined to block all advances as it was, used its very limited power to begin the huge wealth redistribution that must be done. In 2016 we were all ready to leap forward on many tracks to restore opportunities for all to share in our nation's wellbeing. That's been delayed to 2020 now, but the plans readied to hit the ground running have only been updated.

primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
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