Just in case anyone wants to forgive Joe Biden for the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas imbroglio, or his vote for trade treaties that will make him as hated as Hillary Clinton in those states Clinton lost the popular vote, which most Democrats concede should have been won, or Biden's vote for the Iraq War II, his support for Bill Clinton's decimation of "aid to dependent families and children" (AFDC, commonly called "welfare") in 1996, votes for mass incarceration...well, one could go on...here is a brief story of how Joe Biden earned the nickname Senator from MBNA, a credit card company, and how Biden worked hand-in-glove with Republicans to make it harder for tens of millions of Americans to discharge credit card and student loan debt.
My point to people right now, as to why I support Bernie 2020, is that too many voters we don't know are only into name recognition, particularly in the Southern primaries, which are crucial, as we Bernie supporters learned to our chagrin in early 2016. Bernie now has name recognition, and, as he is over a year younger than Nancy Pelosi (just keep saying that so it sinks in, folks), and only a year older than Biden, I think the "he's too old" argument is getting a bit old itself. Also, the last time I looked, Energizer Bernie has been running around the nation continuing to help change the discourse for the better--and he looks younger to me today than he did three years ago. What are Biden and Clinton, to take two examples, doing? Showing up at rich people soirees, and mostly resting, as old people typically need to do. But let's compare Bernie to someone such as, say, Kamala Harris. What's she doing? She's been on the travel schedule, too, but that only goes to show she is no better than Bernie in handling the travel schedule--and she shows up for herself, not to promote the policies the nation longs to hear. The "he's too old" argument to me is a dodge, too often from those who do not want to admit they are not really into combatting income inequality, for example.
I note, too, how some Biden boosters are saying Biden is talking to Beto about being Biden's running mate even before primaries start, something I have advocated for a year or so for Bernie if he chooses to run. Meaning, I am not saying Bernie should choose Beto, but simply choose a progressive as a VP candidate to close the "he's too old" loop. There is no reason for any compromise non-progressive VP candidate when the majority of voters in our nation stand with Bernie on issue after issue, and where Bernie remains the only high name-recognition candidate who can speak to urban non-white folks and rural white folks.*
Ever wonder why corporate media hates social media? Because people like me get to be read by a few hundred people, and that adds up when we realize there are plenty of us out there willing to post things without being paid for it.
* And let's remember corporate Democrats have never cared about "balance" when their candidate gets the presidential nomination. Bill Clinton chose corporate Democratic Party candidate Al Gore (both were charter members of the Democratic Leadership Council, ground zero for corporate Democratic Party policies and strategies) in 1992. Al Gore chose Joe Lieberman. Obama chose Joe Biden. Hillary Clinton chose Tim Kaine. The problem each time was these politicians had lots of baggage where their policy views did not reflect the majority of Americans. Let's pick candidates who are genuinely committed to the policies the majority of Americans support. Worrying about "balance" with corporate Democrats is a poor strategy.
* And let's remember corporate Democrats have never cared about "balance" when their candidate gets the presidential nomination. Bill Clinton chose corporate Democratic Party candidate Al Gore (both were charter members of the Democratic Leadership Council, ground zero for corporate Democratic Party policies and strategies) in 1992. Al Gore chose Joe Lieberman. Obama chose Joe Biden. Hillary Clinton chose Tim Kaine. The problem each time was these politicians had lots of baggage where their policy views did not reflect the majority of Americans. Let's pick candidates who are genuinely committed to the policies the majority of Americans support. Worrying about "balance" with corporate Democrats is a poor strategy.
