Bernie Sanders seems to be attracting the attention of those who are looking for something new and different. They are looking for new answers, and not the same old excuses that we hear each political season. Bernie is bringing answers and few excuses. He is bringing new ideas and proposed solutions. Call him a socialist, communist, libertarian, Democrat, Republican, or whatever. People, at least those that are listening, seem to like him and be fascinated by this new patent medicine that he is serving. Could this new wonder drug simply be the truth?
It is our fondest hope that people are really looking at the condition of the country and its people, ignoring the rhetoric of politicians, regardless of their party. We hope that they are really looking, and not getting all of their information from Fox or MSNBC, but looking everywhere to see the state of our nation and the state of our people. However, regretfully, we wonder if most people, other than the politicians, their supporters, and the people really interested in politics like political journalists, and those just looking for a cause to bring meaning to their lives, are really paying attention to the candidates or anything particularly political at this early point, despite the primary states, most of which only amount to straw votes, practice sessions, and an opportunity to visit with neighbors.
As is true so often, we suspect that most of the “preaching,” at least for now is only being heard by the choir, whether it is a “Democratic” choir, or a “Republican” choir. Except for the political stalwarts we suspect that most support for candidates is swinging in the wind at the moment. The tendency of most people, if it is not affecting us directly at the time, is to ignore things until the last moment.
Political campaigns in America usually start slow for most of us and then take off like a rocket ship in the last 6 weeks to a month prior to the elections. Hopefully, the stalwart members of all sides are using this relatively quiet time to rally and organize, because as we get closer, we suspect that “you ain’t seen nothing yet” like you will see in the elections of 2016…if the people decide to actually cast their vote….
Could the following thoughts from Robert Reich, someone we admire and respect, be accurate? We are not so sure that what he is seeing isn’t just the choir warming up, and we are not even sure that they will be called upon to sing, or if they are, whether anyone will listen….
Robert Reich: “We are witnessing the largest upsurge of economic populism in recent American history. The fight for a $15 minimum wage, the opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership, the avowed concern about widening inequality even among Republican candidates, and the surging popularity of Senator Bernie Sanders all give evidence. Unlike the Occupy Movement, which eschewed politics, this new movement is committed to political change. Does it herald a fundamental change in America?”
By Homer Scarborough
Editor of Georgia News Online