Hey, Progressive Dems, Get Ready For A Nasty Stop-Bernie Onslaught Like You’ve Never Seen Before

From the grassroots, as 2020 gets underway, the solution should be clear: All left hands on deck.

By Norman Solomon
Nation Of Change (12/27/19)

A central premise of conventional media wisdom has collapsed. On Thursday, both the New York Times and Politico published major articles reporting that Bernie Sanders really could win the Democratic presidential nomination. Such acknowledgments will add to the momentum of the Bernie 2020 campaign as the new year begins — but they foreshadow a massive escalation of anti-Sanders misinformation and invective.

Throughout 2019, corporate media routinely asserted that the Sanders campaign had little chance of winning the nomination. As is so often the case, journalists were echoing each other more than paying attention to grassroots realities. But now, polling numbers and other indicators on the ground are finally sparking very different headlines from the media establishment.

From the Times: “Why Bernie Sanders Is Tough to Beat.” From Politico: “Democratic Insiders: Bernie Could Win the Nomination.”

With so much at stake — including the presidency and the top leadership of the Democratic Party — no holds will be barred.

Those stories, and others likely to follow in copycat news outlets, will heighten the energies of Sanders supporters and draw in many wavering voters. But the shift in media narratives about the Bernie campaign’s chances will surely boost the decibels of alarm bells in elite circles where dousing the fires of progressive populism is a top priority.

Corporate dems & corporate media ramping up

For corporate Democrats and their profuse media allies, the approach of disparaging and minimizing Bernie Sanders in 2019 didn’t work. In 2020, the next step will be to trash him with a vast array of full-bore attacks.

Along the way, the corporate media will occasionally give voice to some Sanders defenders and supporters. A few establishment Democrats will decide to make nice with him early in the year. But the overwhelming bulk of Sanders media coverage — synced up with the likes of such prominent corporate flunkies as Rahm Emanuel and Neera Tanden as well as Wall Street Democrats accustomed to ruling the roost in the party — will range from condescending to savage.

When the Bernie campaign wasn’t being ignored by corporate media during 2019, innuendos and mud often flew in his direction. But we ain’t seen nothing yet.

With so much at stake — including the presidency and the top leadership of the Democratic Party — no holds will be barred. For the forces of corporate greed and the military-industrial complex, it’ll be all-out propaganda war on the Bernie campaign.

While reasons for pessimism are abundant, so are ample reasons to understand that a Sanders presidency is a real possibility. The last places we should look for political realism are corporate media outlets that distort options and encourage passivity.

Bernie is fond of quoting a statement from Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”

From the grassroots, as 2020 gets underway, the solution should be clear: All left hands on deck.

Link To Story

  • Because Of Small Donations, Sanders ‘Out-Raised Literally Everyone Else In The Field’ In 2019 —  #PresidentSanders trended on Twitter as the senator approached 5 million donations for the year. Sen. Bernie Sanders got some good news Monday as his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination approached 5 million donations and, at an average of $18, looked set to end 2019 head and shoulders above his competitors for total money raised over the year. “Bernie Sanders demolished all of the other candidates,” tweeted activist and Sanders surrogate Shaun King. “It’s not even close.” The numbers came from New York Times reporting on the Democratic field’s fundraising for the end of the year. The Sanders campaign reported raising $26 million in the fourth quarter, putting the Vermont senator firmly in the top tier of candidates in the 2020 primary. … Read The Rest

(Commoner Call cartoon by Mark L. Taylor, 2018. Open source and free for non-derivative use with link to www.thecommonercall.org )

*****

Joe Biden Says He’s Open To A Republican Running Mate

 

“No, I’m serious,” he said. “No, here’s what I mean. Let me explain that. You know, there’s some really decent Republicans that are out there still.

By Matt Fuller
HuffPost (12/30/19)

EXETER, N.H. ― It seemed like an oddball question for former Vice President Joe Biden: Would he be open to having a Republican serve as his own vice president if he were the Democratic nominee? But during a routine campaign stop here on Monday, Biden’s answer was a bit surprising.

“The answer is, I would,” Biden said. “But I can’t think of one now.”

At the time, Biden’s response seemed to be taken more as a joke or rhetorical flourish, drawing laughs from the crowd gathered at Exeter’s historic town hall. But Biden immediately silenced the laughs.

“No, I’m serious,” he said. “No, here’s what I mean. Let me explain that. You know, there’s some really decent Republicans that are out there still. But here’s the problem right now, of the well-known ones, they’ve got to step up, you know what I mean?”

Biden again clarified that he wasn’t “being a wiseguy,” and that there are a lot of people who are qualified to be vice president. …

Read The Rest

(Commoner Call cartoons by Mark L. Taylor, 2018 & 2019. Open source and free for non-derivative use with link to www.thecommonercall.org )